APR Conference-by-Conference Breakdown

The 2009-2010 Academic Progress Rate results are in and they have been the subject of much debate this week. It is not at all a perfect system, but it is a step in the right directon for re-establishing the term "Student-Athlete".

Below you will find the results for every D-I schools, broken down by conference. The minimum score a school could get with out receiving NCAA penalties is 925.

But before you get into the conference-by-conference breakdown, have a look at the overall rankings for conference averages:

Ivy - 989
Patriot - 985
Big Ten - 966
ACC - 961
Big East - 959
SoCon - 959
Big XII - 958
CAA - 954
Horizon - 954
MVC - 952
Pac-10 - 952
Am. East - 951
NEC - 951
A-10 - 950
MWC - 949
SEC - 947
WCC - 947
A-Sun - 945
Big South - 945
Big Sky - 939
Summit - 938
MAAC - 937
Sun Belt - 937
WAC - 935
C-USA - 934
OVC - 932
Southland - 932
Big West - 921
MEAC - 906
SWAC - 892


Observations

- Only five conferences had every team receive a score above the minimum of 925. The Big XII, Big Ten, Ivy League, Northeast Conference and Patriot League had all their member-schools recieve scores above 925.

- Six schools received perfect scores of 1000. Brown, Butler, DePaul, Holy Cross, Kansas and Texas were the only schools in the country to receive perfect scores.

- The lowest-scoring school in D-I men's basketball was Coppin State, which scored only 834 points, which was 91 points below the minimum score of 925.

- Seven conferences had more than a 100-point difference between the highest-scoring school and the lowest. The Big East was separated by 107 points (893-1000). For the Ohio Valley Conference it was 109 (865-974). The Atlantic-Sun was separated by 121 points (874-995). The Mid-American Conference was 123 (858-989), for Conference-USA, it was 129 (860-989), for The Sun Belt, it was 132 (852-984). But the most inconsistent conference was the Mideastern Athletic Conference, which saw a range of 145 points (834-979).

- It is no surprise that the Ivy League was the strongest academic conference among D-I basketball conferences. The lowest scoring school was Dartmouth, which received a score of 970, only 30 points below Brown, the top school, which received a perfect score of 1000.

- The Mideastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference were the only leagues to have more than half their member-schools receive scores below the minimum. The MEAC had nine of it's 11 schools get scores of less than 925, and the SWAC had 9 of it's 10 schools received scores below the minimum.

For a breakdown on the averages of the BCS-conference schools, take a look at the post written by CBS blogger Matt Norlander.


America East Conference

Average Score: 951
Median Score: 393
Score Range: 91 (893 to 984)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 2

Boston - 984
Vermont - 980
Hartford - 975
Maine - 962
Albany - 961
Stony Brook - 951
UMBC - 935
New Hampshire - 919
Binghampton - 893


Atlantic-10 Conference

Average Score: 950
Median Score: 940
Score Range: 91 (894 to 985)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 1

Dayton - 985
Xavier - 980
Richmond - 974
LaSalle - 970
Duquesne - 960
Rhode Island - 957
Temple - 954
Charlotte - 950
George Washington - 950
Saint Joseph's - 949
Fordham - 933
UMass - 928
Saint Louis - 925
St. Bonaventure's - 894


Atlantic Coast Conference

Average Score: 961
Median Score: 952
Score Range: 75 (915 to 990)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 1

Duke - 990
North Carolina State - 985
North Carolina - 985
Virginia Tech - 985
Miami (FL) - 975
Boston College - 972
Clemson - 964
Wake Forest - 953
Maryland - 945
Virginia - 940
Florida State - 926
Georgia Tech - 915


Atlantic Sun Conference

Average Score: 945
Median Score: 934
Score Range: 121 (874 to 995)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 3

Belmont - 995
East Tennessee State - 990
Stetson - 980
Lipscomb - 971
Mercer - 954
Florida Gulf Coast - 943
Jacksonville - 941
Campbell - 940
North Florida - 911
USC-Upstate - 892
Kennesaw State - 874


Big XII Conference

Average Score: 958
Median Score: 963
Score Range: 74 (926 to 1000)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 0

Kansas - 1000
Texas - 1000
Missouri - 974
Baylor - 972
Texas Tech - 970
Oklahoma - 959
Texas A&M - 952
Nebraska - 945
Kansas State - 937
Iowa State - 936
Oklahoma State - 927
Colorado - 926


Big East Conference

Average Score: 959
Median Score: 947
Score Range: 107 (893 to 1000)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 1

DePaul - 1000
West Virginia - 995
Cincinnati - 992
Notre Dame - 989
Pittsburgh - 985
Marquette - 980
Villanova - 974
St. John's - 968
Louisville - 965
Rutgers - 948
South Florida - 937
Georgetown - 937
Seton Hall - 935
Syracuse - 928
Providence - 925
UConn - 893


Big Sky Conference

Average Score: 939
Median Score: 934
Score Range: 66 (901 to 967)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 3

Montana State - 967
Weber State - 961
Northern Colorado - 952
Montana - 950
Sacramento State - 948
Northern Arizona - 947
Idaho State - 923
Eastern Washington - 904
Portland State - 901


Big South Conference

Average Score: 945
Median Score: 947
Score Range: 59 (917 to 976)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 1

Winthrop - 976
High Point - 969
Prebyterian - 965
UNC-Asheville - 964
Gardner-Webb - 943
Liberty - 933
Charleston Southern - 931
Coastal Carolina - 925
Radford - 925
VMI - 917


Big Ten Conference

Average Score: 966
Median Score: 962
Score Range: 66 (929 to 995)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 0

Michigan State - 995
Penn State - 995
Northwestern - 990
Michigan - 970
Wisconsin - 970
Minnesota - 964
Illinois - 964
Purdue - 954
Ohio State - 952
Iowa - 939
Indiana - 929


Big West Conference

Average Score: 921
Median Score: 912
Score Range: 82 (871 to 953)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 4

Pacific - 953
Long Beach State - 950
UC-Davis - 933
Cal-Poly - 930
UC-Irvine - 929
UC-Santa Barbara - 917
CS-Fullerton - 909
UC-Riverside - 895
CS-Northridge - 871


Colonial Athletic Association

Average Score: 954
Median Score: 956
Score Range: 68 (922 to 990)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 2

George Mason - 990
Northeastern - 984
Drexel - 977
Hofstra - 969
William & Mary - 964
Old Dominion - 961
Virginia Commonwealth - 949
Georgia State - 946
James Madison - 941
Towson - 926
Delaware - 922
UNC-Wilmington - 922


Conference-USA

Average Score: 934
Median Score: 925
Score Range: 129 (860 to 989)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 4

Memphis - 989
Tulane - 985
Tulsa - 961
Rice - 950
SMU - 946
East Carolina - 944
Central Florida - 929
Marshall - 926
Southern Mississippi - 910
Houston - 907
UTEP - 904
UAB - 860


Horizon League

Average Score: 954
Median Score: 959
Score Range: 82 (918 to 1000)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 1

Butler - 1000
Loyola (IL) - 990
Wright State - 979
UW-Green Bay - 962
Valparaiso - 951
Cleveland State - 944
Detroit - 936
Youngstown State - 936
UW-Milwaukee - 926
Illinois-Chicago - 918


Ivy League

Average Score: 989
Median Score: 985
Score Range: 30 (970 to 1000)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 0

Brown - 1000
Princeton - 996
Yale - 996
Harvard - 991
Columbia - 988
UPenn - 985
Dartmouth - 970


Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Average Score: 950
Median Score: 949
Score Range: 53 (922 to 975)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 1

Rider - 975
Loyola (MD) - 966
Siena - 961
Iona - 955
Canasius - 953
Manhattan - 953
Fairfield - 946
Marist - 936
Niagara - 929
St. Peter's - 922


Mid-American Conference

Average Score: 937
Median Score: 920
Score Range: 123 (858 to 981)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 4

Western Michigan - 981
Miami (OH) - 976
Akron - 970
Eastern Michigan - 964
Kent State - 953
Northern Illinois - 944
Buffalo - 943
Bowling Green - 928
Central Michigan - 923
Ohio - 910
Ball State - 892
Toledo - 858


Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

Average Score: 906
Median Score: 907
Score Range: 145 (834 to 979)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 9

Hampton - 979
North Carolina A&T - 938
South Carolina State - 921
Howard - 915
Maryland-Eastern Shore - 904
Bethune-Cookman - 903
Delaware State - 897
Norfolk State - 894
Florida A&M - 892
Morgan State - 890
Coppin State - 834


Missouri Valley Conference

Average Score: 952
Median Score: 934
Score Range: 76 (896 to 972)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 1

Drake - 972
Northern Iowa - 966
Illinois State - 964
Bradley - 961
Creighton - 960
Evansville - 957
Wichita State - 955
Southern Illinois - 945
Indiana State - 944
Missouri State - 896


Mountain West Conference

Average Score: 949
Median Score: 948
Score Range: 86 (905 to 991)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 2

BYU - 991
Utah - 990
Air Force - 963
UNLV - 961
TCU - 943
San Diego State - 938
New Mexico - 932
Colorado State - 914
Wyoming - 905


Northeast Conference

Average Score: 951
Median Score: 955
Score Range: 43 (933 to 976)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 0

Monmouth - 976
Sacred Heart - 975
St. Francis (PA) - 970
Robert Morris - 966
Mount St. Mary's - 956
Wagner - 954
Bryant - 942
Fairleigh Dickinson - 940
Central Connecticut State - 938
Long Island - 933
Quinnipiac - 933
St. Francis (NY) - 933


Ohio Valley Conference

Average Score: 932
Median Score: 920
Score Range: 109 (865 to 974)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 4

Austin Peay - 974
Eastern Kentucky - 969
Eastern Illinois - 954
SIU-Edwardsville - 952
Tennessee Tech - 940
Murray State - 932
Morehead State - 928
Tennessee-Martin - 923
Southeast Missouri State - 908
Tennessee State - 907
Jacksonville State - 865


Pac-10 Conference

Average Score: 952
Median Score: 946
Score Range: 68 (912 to 980)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 1

Washington - 980
Stanford - 976
Washington State - 971
Arizona State - 961
Arizona - 950
California - 948
UCLA - 948
Oregon State - 939
Oregon - 934
Southern California - 912


Patriot League

Average Score: 985
Median Score: 983
Score Range: 35 (965 to 1000)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 0

Holy Cross - 1000
Bucknell - 994
Lehigh - 994
Navy - 986
Colgate - 985
Lafayette - 981
Army - 977
American - 965


Southeastern Conference

Average Score: 947
Median Score: 933
Score Range: 82 (892 to 974)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 2

Kentucky - 974
Vanderbilt - 974
Alabama - 973
Ole Miss - 969
Florida - 964
Tennessee - 949
Mississippi State - 948
Georgia - 946
Auburn - 934
South Carolina - 930
LSU - 905
Arkansas - 892


Southern Conference

Average Score: 959
Median Score: 950
Score Range: 90 (905 to 995)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 2

Davidson - 995
Elon - 995
Samford - 985
Furman - 978
Appalachian State - 970
Wofford - 964
UNC-Greensboro - 959
Western Carolina - 959
Citadel - 948
Chattanooga - 932
Charleston - 916
Georgia Southern - 905


Southland Conference

Average Score: 932
Median Score: 929
Score Range: 57 (900 to 957)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 3

Sam Houston State - 957
Texas-Arlington - 954
McNeese State - 948
Stephen F. Austin - 946
Texas State - 944
Lamar - 934
Northwestern State - 930
Nicholls State - 927
Texas-San Antonio - 927
Central Arkansas - 908
Southeastern Louisiana - 904
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - 900


Southwestern Athletic Conference

Average Score: 892
Median Score: 896
Score Range: 89 (852 to 941)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 9

Alcorn State - 941
Prairie View A&M - 912
Alabama A&M - 911
Jackson State - 906
Arkansas-Pine Bluff - 899
Mississippi Valley State - 884
Alabama State - 883
Grambling State - 873
Texas Southern - 860
Southern - 852


Summit League

Average Score: 938
Median Score: 928
Score Range: 96 (880 to 976)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 3

Oakland - 976
North Dakota State - 966
South Dakota State - 964
IPFW - 955
Missouri-Kansas City - 947
Western Illinois - 946
Oral Roberts - 915
IUPUI - 895
Southern Utah - 880


Sun Belt Conference

Average Score: 937
Median Score: 918
Score Range: 132 (852 to 984)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 4

Louisiana-Lafayette - 984
Arkansas-Little Rock - 971
Middle Tennessee State - 964
Western Kentucky - 964
Denver - 958
Troy - 953
Florida Atlantic - 950
North Texas - 946
Florida International - 910
South Alabama - 898
Arkansas State - 895
Louisiana-Monroe - 852


West Coast Conference

Average Score: 947
Median Score: 943
Score Range: 84 (901 to 985)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 2

Gonzaga - 985
Portland - 969
Santa Clara - 965
St. Mary's - 953
San Diego - 951
Loyola-Marymount - 941
San Francisco - 910
Pepperdine - 901


Western Athletic Conference

Average Score: 935
Median Score: 941
Score Range: 70 (906 to 976)
# of Teams Below Minimum: 5

Boise State - 976
Hawaii - 957
Utah State - 950
Idaho - 942
Fresno State - 923
Louisiana Tech - 921
Nevada - 919
San Jose State - 917
New Mexico State - 906





Continue reading...

Nation's No. 1 recruit looking at Nevada?

Reports are starting to leak out that Nevada is in the mix to get Scout's and 247Sports' No. 1 player in the class of 2012.

It just so happens to be the wrong sport.

Arik Armstead is a behemoth of a young man. The rising senior is 6'8", 280 lb, and committed to play football at USC. The problem? He wants to play college basketball.

“I’ve been playing basketball since I was 5 years old,” Armstead told Silver and Blue Sports. “So yes, it was my first love. I’ve always been around college and NBA guys ever since I can remember.”

USC has offered Armstead, who is arguably the best two-sport prospect in the country -- ESPN ranks him as the 33rd best power forward in the country, the opportunity to play both sports in college. At USC, he would be able to play football alongside his brother, Armond.

Guss Armstead, Arik and Armond's father, is known as one of the best basketball trainers on the West Coast. He also happens to be very close with Nevada head coach David Carter, whose program was the first to offer Arik a basketball scholarship. That still resonates with the youngster.

“Nevada was my first basketball offer, and like I said my Dad has a great relationship with Coach Carter,” Armstead told Silver and Blue Sports. “They’ve been friends a long time. College basketball is something I’ve always wanted to play, so why not? That’s one of the best matches I could imagine for me.”

If Armstead, who will make an official visit to Nevada, does decide to rescind on his commitment to USC and play basketball at Nevada, I wonder in the Wolfpack's football coach will try to convince Armstead to throw on some pads and hit the gridiron?


Continue reading...

Should the burden of a pay raise fall on the students?

College basketball programs are often criticized when they don't open up their bank accounts to keep a dynamic, up-and-coming young head coach around.

They are lauded when they do.

The most recent example of this is Wichita State's Gregg Marshall. After leading the Shockers to the NIT title and a second place finish in the Missouri Valley during the regular season, Marshall received a three-year extension and a $100,000 raise, meaning that he will be cashing $900,000 worth of checks annually until 2018.

Much of the reason behind Marshall landing this extension was due to his success on the basketball court -- when he first took over the program, the Shockers were buried at the bottom of the conference. But what cannot be ignored is that some bigger programs came poking around this offseason. Marshall's name was throw in the mix during both the NC State and Texas A&M coaching searches.

That's the same reason that Richmond's Chris Mooney, Butler's Brad Stevens, and VCU's Shaka Smart all got raises and extensions in the past two years. The lack of a raise played a role in Jim Larrananga's decision to leave George Mason for Miami.

It makes sense. Coaches are like people in any other profession. They want job and financial security while working at a place they enjoy in a city they can raise their family. Contract extensions are a great way to provide the first half of those requirements.

The issue is that someone has to pay for those contract extensions, which is a difficult thing to do considering that most athletic departments are already operating in the red. Many times, the money comes from private donors and boosters, like in Wichita State's case.

In VCU's case, however, is it possible that the burden has fallen onto the student's?


VCU has announced a student fee increase of $50 in part because they are increasing the athletics budget by $875,000, of which $733,000 is going to the basketball program. There was no increase in student fees prior to last season, but prior to the 2009-2010 school year, VCU increased student fees by $137, the fourth consecutive year that they did so. VCU also increased tuition for in-state students by $700.

Now, Smart's contract went from $325,000 a year to $1.2 million a year, which, when combined with the pay bumps for his coaching staff and the money that will be used to upgrade the basketball facilities, clearly means that the $733,000 earmarked for the hoops program will not cover the entirety of Smart's big payday. But its impossible to ignore the fact that this much more of the money that the university will be receiving from its students will be funneled to the hoops program mere months after the head coach signs a monster (for the CAA) new contract.

Is it fair to make the student's foot the bill to keep around a head coach?

For some -- the VCU hoops fans -- that answer is obviously yes. But there are over 32,000 full-time students at VCU (they were actually the largest school at the Final Four this year in terms of enrollment), and I'm willing to bet that there are quite a few of those 32,000 folks couldn't tell you the difference between Shaka Smart and Chaka Khan.

Should those students that don't care about the basketball program have to supplement the coach's income?
Continue reading...

Wednesday Morning Dump

The big news of the day had to do with the public release of the Academic Progress Rates. Dan Wolken of The Daily took the APR (Absolute Phony Reasoning) to task. Eamonn Brennan thinks that maybe the system is working. But overall men's basketball Academic Progress Rate scores were up five points this year. But schools that are strapped for resources, like many HBCUs struggle to meet the academic standards

- As previously noted, UConn did not meet the standards and will be docked two scholarships. Four other schools will be penalized for their low scores. UNC-Wilmington was also below the minimum score, but won't be penalized because they served their penalty in advance of the 2010-2011 season. Indiana scored a perfect 1000 on the APR, but then again, everybody on their team has been injured in the pasty two years, so they all better be getting their school work done

- A look at how the Big East schools did on the APR. A look at how the Chicago-area schools did. A look at how the SEC schools did

- Members of the Missouri basketball program are doing all they can to help the people in Joplin recover from the devastating tornado that hit the city on Monday. You can help donate by purchasing a "One State. One Spirit. One Mizzou" t-shirt. New head coach Frank Haith is going to Joplin to help rebuilding efforts. Kim English went to twitter to help raise awareness

- Jason King breaks provides insight on the top potential newcomers in the Big-Ten Conference

- Despite not having twelve member-schools, the Big XII will not change it's name

- The 2011-2012 season is roughly seven months away. But that doesn't mean we can't already make first impressions. Well, that's what Andy Bottoms did for the Big Ten

- In case you didn't read our most-recent edition of Hoops Housekeeping, Louisiana Tech high-flyer Olu Ashaolu is transferring to Oregon

- Due to a interesting NCAA rule barring players from attending schools which employ their former HS/AAU coaches for two years, Lamont "MoMo" Jones won't be able to attend St. John's next year. If you are confused, fear not (I am too), Rumble in the Garden has you covered

- Michigan State guard Russell Byrd is going to have surgery to fix an injury on his left foot, the same foot he broke his freshman year

- Fran Fraschilla continues to provide friendly advice to coaches in their first year at new high-major schools (Insiders Only)

- Tennessee is paying $7-million to coaches who no longer work at the University

- Speaking of Tennessee, Eric Angevine wrote a brilliant profile-piece on Cuonzo Martin and the tough task he faces in his first season at Tennessee

- The Naval Academy's athletic website gathered some reactions to the Ed DeChellis hiring from head coaches around the country. Black Shoe Diaries provides a robust list of potential replacements in Happy Valley. But the coaching search might not be as easy as Penn State thinks. As Ray Mernagh explains, the administration will need to show more commitment toward the basketball program in order to be successful

- A fantastic analytical breakdown of the contrasting styles of former-Washington State head coach Tony Bennett and current-Washington State head coach Ken Bone

- A Sea of Blue tries to take a look inside the soul of John Calipari

- Speaking of coach Cal, after watching Dirk Nowitzki drop 40-points in Game-4, the Kentucky head coach wants Dirk to visit Rupp Arena

- Morehead State has hired former-Slippery Rock assistant Jareem Dowling to be a member of Donnie Tyndall's staff

- The Detroit News gets to know new Eastern Michigan head coach Rob Murphy. The former-Syracuse assistant is out to revive a program that hasn't made it to the NCAA tournament since 1998

- As word continues to spread that the SEC will abandon it's basketball divisions, UConn head coach Jim believes that the Big East will adopt a divisional split. Could the Big East possibly expand their conference tournament to 17 teams?

- Yesterday we mentioned the idea of a Horizon League/MAC Challenge (Well, we mentioned a link suggesting it, but you get the drift). Today, we bring you (well, somebody else does, we just provide the link) The CAA/Atlantic 10 Invitational (Once again proof that writers use the Morning Dump to find article ideas). Want more on a potential CAA/Atlantic-10 Invitational? Big Apple Buckets has you covered

- In order to provide more money for their popular basketball program (including their head coach's $1.2 million contract), Virginia Commonwealth will increase student fees

- In case you weren't already aware, the Kentucky/UNC game is going to be the must-watch game of the year (Well, outside of the game being played on the aircraft carrier)

- New UNLV head coach Dave Rice is hoping that the new home-and-home series with Arizona will revitalize a once-fierce rivalry

- Speaking of UNLV and non-conference opponents, the Runnin' Rebels will postpone their out-of-conference series with Louisville for two years. More on UNLV's 2011-2012 non-conference schedule

- Swish Scout provides great guide to the "Boom or Bust" guys in the 2011 NBA Draft: The ten riskiest players in the draft

- Rush The Court asks the age old recruiting question: Whose got next? (If you aren't a fan of the recruiting scene, like myself, this is your easy-to-read weekly update)

- NBADraft.net makes the case for the No. 1 overall pick: Derrick Williams and Kyrie Irving

- After interviewing Tennessee's Scotty Hopson, one NBA GM stated "He's from another planet" (Must be the haircut)

- Matt Norlander plays conference catch-up with The SEC. Jeff Brozello does the same with the ACC

- A 2011-2012 season preview for the Dayton Flyers. They will see a lot of turnover next year. Head coach Brian Gregory is gone and in is Archie Miller. But the big loss is Juwan Staten, who transferred to Penn State (but may change his mind in the wake of Ed DeChellis' decision to leave PSU in favor of the Naval Academy)

- A two part series taking a retrospective look back at the 2010-2011 season of the Hofstra Flying Dutchman Fightin' Charles Jenkins Pride

Continue reading...

Hoops Housekeeping: Olu Ashaolu headlines a list of notable transfers

Its been a while since we have done one of these, but it has also been awhile since there was this big of a flurry in player movement. Throw in the fact that the lazy half of BIAH was cut off from the outside world for the past five days -- major props to Troy for holding the site down -- and we need this recap just as badly as you do.

(UPDATE: So maybe we know the real reason that Ashaolu transferred to Oregon. From Duck Territory:

When asked about his trip to Oregon and what stood out the most to him Ashaolu gave an interesting and un-expected pick.

"I actually really liked the breakfast we had one time there," said Ashaolu. "I think we went to this place called The Original House of Pancakes and it was the best food I've had in a long time."

I gotta try those pancakes.)

Oregon has made as much noise on the transfer market as anyone in college basketball over the past year.

After Dana Altman was anointed Ernie Kent's replacement last summer, Matt Humphrey, Josh Crittle, Drew Wiley, and Jamil Wilson all transferred out of the program. Malcolm Armstead nearly transferred out of Eugene last summer, getting convinced by Altman to return to school before finally opting to leave the school this summer. And who can forget about the Michael Dunigan mess from a season ago.


It hasn't just been players leaving Oregon. The Ducks added the journeyman Jay-R Strowbridge for last season. This year, they do the same with for Minnesota Golden Gopher Devoe Joseph, as well as adding a big time JuCo recruit in Carlos Emory. Perhaps the most significant addition was made this afternoon, as Altman secured the services of Louisiana Tech transfer Olu Ashaolu.

"We have pieces there and I feel like I’m the missing piece,” Ashaolu told Justin Young of the National Hoops Report (a blog that, if you aren't currently reading, you should be). "[Dana Altman] expressed that he likes my versatility and he that he likes the fact he can move me around and be a mismatch problem. He said he will run a four out and one in. He said he wants to move me all around the court."

Ashaolu is a supremely athletic, 6'7" forward that averaged 14.2 ppg and 9.4 rpg last season as a junior. Since he graduated from school, Ashaolu tested the NBA Draft waters before withdrawing his name. He'll be eligible to play immediately at Oregon next season, which is a huge boost to the Duck's front court. EJ Singler (Kyle's brother) returns for his sophomore campaign after averaging 11.7 ppg as a freshman, and the athletic Tyrone Nored is back for his senior season. But Ashaolu's addition will help to off set the loss of Joevan Catron to graduation.

While Strowbridge and Armstead are gone in the back court, rising sophomore Johnathon Loyd was impressive in his minutes last season. Garrett Sim is back as well, and the addition of Joseph and top-25 guard Jabari Brown will give Altman a number of weapons at his disposal. Oregon, coming off of a surprising (in a good way) seventh place finish in the Pac-10 a year ago, looks to be headed to a top five or six finish in the expanded Pac-12 this season.

Its also a great sign for the Ducks' recruiting efforts.

Everyone in the country wanted Brown. Ashaolu's decision -- which was affected by Joseph's addition, as the two were teammates on travel teams growing up in Canada -- came down to Texas and Oregon. Even Emory was pursued by the likes of Baylor and West Virginia.


Polee to leave St. John's: Dwayne Polee will be transferring out of St. John's to return to California to "get through a health issue" with his family. Polee started 27 games for the Red Storm, averaging 4.4 ppg and 2.5 rpg in 14.9 mpg. His departure will leave the Johnnies with just one returner next season in Malik Stith. Steve Lavin's team graduated nine rotation players.


Luke Hancock decides to leave George Mason, Anali Okoloji decides to join: We talked about what Hancock's decision means for Louisville right here this morning -- although we failed to mention the move may have been affected by Pitino's decision to hire Kerry Keatts, Hancock's former prep school coach at Hargrave Military Academy, as an assistant. For the Patriots, the transfer puts them in a hole. They have no real point guard. Andre Cornelius brings the ball up, but he's not a playmaker, he's a spot-up shooter. Vertrail Vaughns had 11 assists in 32 games last season. In fact, with Cam Long graduating and Hancock leaving, George Mason's returning leader in assists was Mike Morrison, their starting center, at 1.7 apg. Replacing that playmaking will be a key for the Patriots. Corey Edwards, an incoming freshman from Christ the King High School, may be thrown into the role.

In other Mason news, Paul Hewitt did land Anali Ojokoli, a Seton Hall transfer that averaged 1.9 ppg last season. He'll be eligible in 2012-2013.


UNLV lands another talented recruit from SoCal: Over the weekend, Ryan Greene scooped the news that Bryce Jones, who transferred out of USC this January, would be joining the UNLV basketball program. Jones, a 6'5" shooting guard that was a top 100 recruit in 2010, averaged 11.2 ppg over the Trojans from 10 games, but left after a couple of altercations. Jones, who will be eligible for the 2012-2013 season as a sophomore, joins Mike Moser and Chace Stanback, who transferred from UCLA, as SoCal sendoffs in the program. Oscar Bellfield and Justin Hawkins are also from the same area.


Ryan Harrow, Alex Johnson, and NC State: Ryan Harrow made headlines when he announced his decision to transfer out of the NC State program back in April. It now appears as if he will make his decision on where he will continue his college career this week, with Kentucky, Texas, Georgia, and Louisville as the final contenders. Harrow's transfer left the Wolfpack with a hole at the point. In his place, Mark Gottfried has brought in point guard Alex Johnson. Johnson is a 5'10" point guard that averaged 13.3 ppg at Cal St.-Bakersfield last year. Johnson has already graduated, which means that he will be eligible immediately as a senior for the Wolfpack. He will likely fill the void at the point guard position.


Momo Jones likely won't be headed to St. John's: When Jones announced his decision to transfer out of Arizona last week, the general consensus seemed to be that he would be headed back to St. John's in his native New York. But thanks to a rule that the NCAA instituted last summer, the Johnnies won't be an option for Jones. His high school coach, Moe Hicks, is on the St. John's staff and since he was hired last summer, the two-year period banning recruits from following coaches they had at the amateur level is still in effect.


Jordan Latham lands at Loyola MD: Xavier transfer Jordan Latham, who averaged just 4.8 mpg as a freshman, has decided to join the Greyhounds. He'll be eligible in 2012-2013.


Another hit for Utah: New Utah head coach Larry Krystowiak has granted Josh Sharp a conditional release from his scholarship. Sharp has spent the past two seasons on an LDS mission, and wants to be recruited again after Jim Boylen's firing. That's now seven layers who the other Coach K has released from their scholarship.
Continue reading...

Luke Hancock to Louisville is a bigger deal that you think

You may have missed the news over the weekend -- its the end of may, and players transferring out of CAA schools are hardly the biggest priority in the sports world at this time of year -- but Luke Hancock finally settled on Louisville as his landing point after opting to leave George Mason in the wake of Jim Larrananga's departure to Miami.

Hancock is by no means a super star. He averaged a modest 10.9 ppg, 4.3 apg, and 4.2 rpg and shot 35.9% from three as a 6'5" wing for the Patriots last season. He is not a program changing transfer.

But he is a perfect fit for Rick Pitino's system at Louisville. Hancock was, by definition, George Mason's starting small forward last season, but he was also their most important playmaker. Down the stretch of the season, he was one of the guys with the ball in his hands at the end of a clock or when George Mason needed a basket. He almost played the role of the point guard.


If you don't believe the kid has talent, ask Louisville's Big East brethren Villanova, who were the recipients of 18 points and five assists -- including the game-winning three -- from Hancock in the round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament.

Hancock is a perfect fit for the Louisville system. Rick Pitino wants to spread the floor. He wants players that are able to create off of the dribble, either for themselves or to find an open teammate, and he wants his players to be able to knock down an open, catch-and-shoot three. That's Hancock to a T. Throw in the fact that he's a 6'5", athletic wing -- the kind of player that will be effective in Louisville's press and 2-3 zone -- and its not hard to see what the two were a perfect fit.

Hancock will not be eligible to play until the 2012-2013 season -- the fact that Jim Larrananga is allowed to change jobs and coach immediately and Hancock is forced to sit out a season as a transfer is ridiculous, but also a different post for a different day -- so think of him as a recruit in the class of 2012. Think of him joining sophomore Wayne Blackshear and senior Peyton Siva on the Cardinals' perimeter with Gorgui Dieng, Chane Behanan, and Zach Price patrolling the paint. Now think of that team if Rodney Purvis decides to recommit to Louisville.

Transfers like Hancock's always seem to fly under the radar.

But rest assured that in January of 2013, as Big East play gets rolling, Hancock's name will be one you will hear referenced.
Continue reading...

Tuesday Morning Dump

- Just when we thought the coaching carousel just might be slowing down for the final time, Penn State coach Ed DeChellis decided to leave Happy Valley in favor of the Naval Academy. This becomes more riveting because earlier in the off-season Penn State announced that Dayton's standout freshman Juwan Staten would be transferring in. Now that DeChellis is out, Staten's future is again a mystery. Mike Miller wonders why DeChellis would take a step back (A lateral step at best) in going from the Big Ten to the Patriot League. Penn State looked to be making strides the pasf couple of seasons. But with DeChellis' departure, what can we expect from PSU hoops?

- Cross-conference series should be more prevalent during non-conference play. We have the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the Big East/SEC Invitational and the MWC/MVC Challenge. How about the addition of a Horizon League/MAC Challenge?

- It's no secret that Tennessee may struggle next year. They have a new head coach, a brutal non-conference schedule, and, as Halcyon Hoops explains, returns almost no proven production

- Jason King profiles the top newcomers in the ACC in 2011-2012

- Rice High School in New York City, the Alma Mater of Kemba Walker, Felipe Lopez and Kenny Satterfield, is on the brink of closing

- I'm not sure why this matters at all. But apparently Toby Keith, the country music superstar, supports Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger

- Jimmer Fredette's girlfriend is on twitter, and she has a thing for scorers

- It seems like statues are all the rage these days. Every famous or psuedo-famous athelete is pining for one. If we had to erect a statue for one college basketball player, who would it be?
- On Friday, it was announced that George Mason's Luke Hancock would be transferring to Louisville. Eamonn Brennan explains why Hancock's transfer could be huge for the Cardinals

- Six-foot-seven Utah forward Josh Sharp might not return to the Utes program

- Anali Okoloji, formerly of Seton Hall, has decided to transfer to George Mason

- Michigan's Darrius Morris wants to prove to future UM recruits that playing for Jon Beilein will make them a better player

- St. John's high-flying freshman Dwayne Pollee II has decided to transfer in order to help take care of a family health issue

- USC guard Bryce Jones has decided to transfer to UNLV. The six-foot-five guard will have three years of eligibility remaining, beginning with the 2012-13 season

- According to his AAU coach, former-Wake Forest big-man Tony Woods will decide his college future in June

- North Carolina State lost a valuable piece to their roster when guard Ryan Harrow decided to leave. But the Wolf Pack might have found their missing piece with the addition of Cal-Bakersfield transfer Alex Johnson. Speaking of Harrow, it is likely that he will make his college decision later in the week

- Loyola College has had a decent amount of success with transfers in the past, and with Xavier's Jordan Latham on his way in, the trend could continue

- Murray State has promoted assistant Steve Prohm to replace Billy Kennedy as head coach of the Racers

- On Friday, Vermont officially named John Becker the new head coach at Vermont. The former-Catamounts assistant coach is more than ready for the challenge at hand

- Fran Fraschilla provides some words of wisdom for a trio of head coaches as they embark on their first season at a new school (Insiders Only)

- Matt Norlander fills us in on all the off-season happenings in the big East . Eric Angevine does the same for the Pac-12

- I liked to an article about this on Friday and apparently somebody thought it was good enough to do a write-up about it. Rutgers coach Mike Rice took his team (and some visiting recruits) out for a night of competitive bowling

- A breakdown of the Idaho Vandals roster for the 2011-2012 season

- Rush The Court takes a look back at the valencia-orange-hued Syracuse jerseys from the 1980s

- !!!NEW Club Trillion post!!! Titus addresses the current violation issues at tOSU

- Well, it looks like I won't be getting a credential to the UNC/UK tilt. The game is seven months out, yet all the media credentials have been given out


Kyle Singler provides the trick shot video version of The Rapture



Continue reading...

Saying Goodbye: Nolan Smith

In this world of NBA Draft early entry and one-and-done freshman, it is difficult to become attached to a college star. They simply don't hang around long enough. But when they do, that player becomes the fan favorite. There is nothing like watching a kid develop from a overwhelmed freshman into star as a senior. Those are the players that the fans connect with.

We reached out to some of the blogosphere's best, and over the next couple of weeks we will be running a series of posts saying goodbye to some of the country's best seniors.

Our eighth installment of the 2011 series is being provided by Seth Curry Saves Duke. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, I highly recommend you do: it's insightful, entertaining, and well-written. You can hit them up on twitter at @SCurrySavesDuke

Eight points. 3-14 from the field. Two assists. Six turnovers.

That was Nolan Smith’s line in the last game of his college career. While the Arizona Wildcats celebrated their resounding Sweet-16 victory, Nolan stood on the sidelines with a shattered heart. In the two awful hours preceding the end, he could be seen staring ahead, unblinking, those huge, brown eyes held open in white alarm. It was the unmistakable expression of fear. His own baffling inability, along with the Wildcat barrage, left him shell-shocked.

It was a moment to make you question the cosmic justice of the world. As an ending, this was absurd, obscene, and existentially cruel.

Nolan was the humble kid with the ubiquitous smile who returned to Duke because he loved the school and coveted a second national championship. He was the player whose sheer resilience and willpower altered the course of his college career, transforming him from a timid freshman who nearly left his school into the ACC Player of the Year. He was the owner of a newfound swagger that somehow never strayed into arrogance. He was the guy with a rare but wonderful sense of humor, the oddball with the soft, almost delicate voice. He was the shooting guard forced to learn a new position when Kyrie Irving wounded his toe, and who played the point so well that Duke won the ACC championship and earned a 1-seed in the west region. He was the cool, powerful warrior who suffered the loss of his father at a young age and created a spectacular career in the wake of the tragedy.

Players like Nolan Smith deserve a storybook ending.

Instead, it all broke down. As Arizona relentlessly revealed every weakness of an imperfect team, Nolan displayed an odd passivity. An unlucky beginning snowballed into a nightmare—a final performance so meek, and so aimless, that empathetic Duke fans everywhere longed for the mercy of the buzzer. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving was back at the point, running a one-man offense and proving to the world that yes, his draft stock should remain sky high. Coach K watched stoically from the sideline as his team floundered under the new leadership of an admittedly wonderful prospect who had, when you thought about it, only cheered in street clothes during the formative days of February. It was almost like witnessing a coup; King Hamlet toppled, and Claudius the usurper leading Denmark to ruin.

But as quickly as the shock of Nolan’s failure set in, it wore off. The whistle blew, the loss was final, and the legacy was intact. Today, these descriptions of his saddest hour must be forcefully dredged from the murky regions of memory, and to those deep realms they shall now return.

Because what we’ll remember about Nolan Smith is the greatness, and how different it was from other forms of greatness. We’ll remember the utter lack of machismo, a rare absence he replaced with joy. We’ll remember the way he attacked, the lethal crossover giving way to the slicing drive. We’ll remember the pure shot, devastating and beautiful. We’ll remember the wizened face, as though a mischievous old man had possessed the liquid body. We’ll remember the euphoria; the inspired genius of his better days.

And I’ll remember three specific games long after the sound of his name has faded in Durham.

1. Duke vs. Baylor, March 28, 2010, Elite Eight.

Nolan led the team with 29 points, including 17 in the second half, to save Duke from what had become its annual tournament fate—an early exit at the hands of a surging, athletic opponent. This game raised all kinds of red flags, in particular because it was being held in Houston before a hostile crowd. With four minutes left, Duke trailed by two and seemed to be wilting beneath the roars. History was repeating itself with horrible precision. Then Nolan scored seven straight points, Duke regained the lead, and fate was cheated. A week later, the journey he preserved in Texas ended in Indiana when Gordon Hayward missed a half-court shot.

2. Duke vs. North Carolina, March 5th, 2011.

On that night, Carolina triumphed at the Dean Dome by double digits. They were hungry for a victory, and their fans were admirably rabid. Duke would later beat the Heels in the ACC Tournament to secure the season series, but they had to endure a shellacking first. Still, standing amid a sea of powder blue in the upper decks, I did experience islands of pleasure in the swelling misery. These came courtesy of Nolan Smith, who scored 30 points and proved beyond a doubt that whatever the outcome, he was the best player on the floor. His quality prompted brief lulls in the Tar Heel noise machine, forcing the exultant fans to pause, momentarily, and consider how the hell someone could be that good.

3. Duke vs. North Carolina, February 9, 2011.

Carolina rode a series of strong victories into Cameron Indoor Stadium, and their excellence was on full display as they staggered the Devils and took a 43-29 halftime lead. In every sense, Duke had been outclassed. Then Nolan came out ablaze and scored 22 second half points, setting off a series of increasingly thunderous detonations that culminated in Duke’s best regular season victory in years. Along with Seth Curry, he shot the Tar Heels right out of the building.

We’ve all seen great players make it rain, but that’s for mere mortals. On February 10th, the morning after, a light dusting of white covered the ground in Durham. You can believe what you want—I say Nolan Smith made it snow.


More from "Saying Goodbye"

2011: Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech
2011: Josh Harrellson, Kentucky
2011: DJ Kennedy, St. John's
2011: JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore, Purdue
2011: Matt Howard, Butler
2011: Keith Benson, Oakland
2011: Preston Knowles, Louisville Continue reading...

Monday Morning Dump

If you are reading this, it means the Rapture didn't happen.

Better luck next year.

- UConn is down to just ten scholarships for next season after the Academic Progress Rating came in below 925. The way the APR score is determined is actually kinda interesting. Because of this penalty, Jim Calhoun has to give back roughly $175,000 in coaching bonuses. Calhoun has also stated that he's currently 55/45 on returning to the sidelines next year

- The SEC will consider eliminating basketball divisions. The last three West Division Champions (Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss) all failed to reach the NCAA Tournament

- Eric Angevine takes a look at the highs and lows from the NBA Combine measurements. Draft Express analyzes some of the intriguing numbers. You can check out the entire measurements list here

- Dana O'Neil provides another must-read of the day. This time, she details the desire of Penn's Dau Jok to give back to his community

- Jay Bilas put together a great list of the most under-appreciated coaches in the country (Insiders Only)

- Former-UNLV star Lewis Brown is content with being homeless

- George Mason guard Luke Hancock, the man whose 3-pointer lifted the Patriots over Villanova in the first round the NCAA tournament, has decided to transfer to Louisville

- According to Jimmer Fredette, Brandon Davies will return to BYU next season

- Indiana forward Bobby Capobianco is transferring from Bloomington. the sophomore averaged only six minutes per game last season, but was named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team

- Isn't next season suppose to be "a rebuilding year" for Cunozo Martin and Tennessee? Well, with a non-conference schedule that includes a loaded Maui Invitational field (Duke Kansas, UCLA, Michigan, Georgetown), Memphis, Pittsburgh and Oakland, the Vols are going to have to rebuild on the fly

- Western Kentucky freshman guard Brandon Peters is leaving the program. He is the 11th WKU basketball player to leave the program before exhausting on-court eligibility since 2008-09

- Several Alabama players are using the off-season to heal reoccurring injuries. Andrew Steele is being closely monitored after suffering a fourth concussion. Ben Eblen had a deviated septum fixed in May. Tony Mitchell had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April and will be healthy for summer training. Trevor Releford had surgery to repair a sports hernia that was diagnosed early in the season.

- TCU forward Nikola Cerina is transferring to Northwestern. (He must be a fan of the black/purple color scheme)

- Duke Mondy has been dismissed from the Providence basketball team as the result of a "coaching decision. He was suspended for four games at the end of his sophomore season, and becomes the fifth player in the seven man class recruited by former coach Keno Davis to leave the college after only two seasons

- Former Wake Forest players Gary Clark and Jeff Teague are considering taking legal action against NBC and the woman who has accused them of being involved in a sexual assault case

- The Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League are interested in the coaching services of former-Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl

- Butler is the Boise State of college basketball and Brad Stevens is the Chris Peteresen

- Arizona coach Sean Miller stated that his team will be fine without Lamont "MoMo" Jones next year

- Wichita State's Greg Marshall is the latest mid-major coach to get a pay raise. After leading the Shockers to the N.I.T Championship, Marshall was rewarded with a new contract that will keep him at the school until 2018

- Bill Self continues to defend himself over allegations of trying to sabotage Josh Selby's draft stock

- Former-Maryland assistant coach Rob Ehsan will stay in the ACC, joining Seth Greenberg's staff at Virginia Tech

- Gary Williams, the recently-retired head coach at Maryland, gave the commencement speech at graduation in College Park, Md. His remarks: "Beat Duke"

- It came out on Friday that in 2009, an Iowa State assistant coach used his frequent flyer miles to buy a player a round-trip plane ticket.

- DeAndre Daniels still won't tell us where he is going to attend college (Seriously, this is getting out of hand)

- The recruiting gurus at ESPN provide a list of the biggest surprises of the 2011 class

- Rush The Court provides your weekly recap of the recruiting scene

- Washington's Isaiah Thomas could become the second shortest person drafted since 1989. The other one? Washington's Nate Robinson

- Kawhi Leonard a potential top-10 pick, got mixed reviews at the NBA draft combine

- A 2011-2012 season preview on St. Bonaventure's and their sensational scorer Andrew Nicholson

- A great-read from A Sea of Blue on how Bob Knight's slander has affected the media's perception of Kentucky's focus on academics

- Uh Oh, Len Elmore took at shot at Kentucky academics. This could get ugly. And speaking of ugly, Bobby Gonzalez's siter Linda took to the interwebs to bash writers who bashed her brother. I guess crazy must be genetic.

Continue reading...

Friday Morning Dump: End of the World Edition

If the World does come to an end this weekend, consider this your final Morning Dump. It's been an honor and a privilege.

But since that's not going to happen, we will see ya'll on Monday.

- There may be no person better suited to write a "six degrees of separation" article than Luke Winn. He explains (brilliantly I might add) how the firing of John Pelphrey at Arkansas is still affecting the college hoops scene months later

- In Andy Katz's Daily Word he provides detail as to why John Calipari decided to accept the head coaching position of the Dominican Republic's national basketball team

- Earlier in the week, the match-ups for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge were announced. On Thursday the pairings for the Big East/SEC Invitational were released. This year, 12 teams from each conference will compete over the course of three days.

- The Today Show aired their piece about Maggie Hurt, the ex-Wake Forest student who said the University tried to brush her sexual assault claims "under the rug"

- Matt Norlander believes it might be beneficial for the Big Ten to start conference play a month early

- The National Hoops Report put together a great list of 10 potential sleepers in this year's draft

- Eamonn Brennan explains that NCAA President Mark Emmert is not a fan of the one-and-done

- St. John's has had problems in the past. They couldn't recruit, they could win games, they couldn't stay out of trouble. Now the Red Storm are on the up-and-up, so what's their problem?

- It is no surprise that all the talk at the NBA combine surrounding Washington State's Klay Thompson had to deal with marijuana

- Georgia's Travis Leslie will probably end up being on an NBA roster next year. But he is not waiting until then to start jawing with other pros

- Duke guard Kyrie Irving, projected as the top pick in the draft, has decided to skip the on-court tests at the NBA draft combine. Irving has also stated that he still plans on getting his college degree

- Where will Jimmer end up? The Big Lead has ten destinations in mind

- Kyle Allums, the transgendered basketball player at George Washington, has decided to call it quits on college hoops due to reoccurring injuries

- Former-Georgetown guard Vee Sanford has officially announced that he will transfer to Dayton

- Tennessee has landed former-Pitt forward Dwight Miller, who spent last season playing in junior college

- Former-UConn forward Jamal Coombs-McDaniel is sorry for his marijuana arrest and just wants to move on, which means leaving UConn

- Providence's Marshon Brooks can score. There is no question about that. He dropped 40+ on Georgetown and 50+ on Notre Dame last season. But is he worthy of a first round pick?

- Bill Self finds it preposterous that some people believe he sabotaged Josh Selby's draft stock

- Radford head coach Brad Greenberg has resigned after four seasons at the helm. Greenberg was suspended for the last four games of the season for NCAA violations tied to impermissible team travel and associated extra benefits for an ineligible player

- Last year, New Orleans made the transition from DI to DII because of athletic funding, and now the team has lost their head coach> Joe Pasternack, a former assistant at California, has been hired at Arizona to replace Archie Miller, who left to take the head coaching job at Dayton

- Assistant coaches Tony Benford of Marquette and Tavaras Hardy of Northwestern have each earned promotions to associate head coach

- Basketball Prospectus provides a detailed breakdown of the Pac-12 representatives in this year's NBA draft

- An analysis of Purdue's 2011-2012 non-conference schedule. The schedule features match-ups with Xavier, Butler, Miami and will play in the Puerto Rico Shootout

- Seton Hall has released their 2011-2012 non-conference schedule

- A pretty solid rendition of the College Hoops Bucket List. The only glaring omission I notice is The Pit at New Mexico

- Another day, another mock draft

- A hilarious recount of the NCAA tournament game between Ohio State and Kentucky


Continue reading...

UPDATE: Today Show to feature a girl accusing former Wake Forest players of rape w/ VIDEO

UPDATE: According to a report from the Winston-Salem Journal, the players involved were Gary Clark and Jeff Teague. The student in question traveled with the basketball team to Miami for the NCAA Tournament games. In the hotel, she ran into Teague in the hallway. From the WSJ:

According to the report, the student told investigators that on the morning of March 21 she was heading back to her hotel room when she ran into Teague, who was sitting in the hallway. They talked and Clark joined them, the report said. Clark and Teague asked her questions about performing oral sex, and she told Teague that she liked him, the report said.

Teague asked her if she wanted to go to his hotel room with them, and they did, the report said. Clark and the student went into the bathroom, and Teague closed the door and stayed outside, the report said.

The student said that Clark dropped his pants and asked her to touch his penis. She refused, then Clark asked her to perform oral sex on him, the report said. The student told investigators that she did perform oral sex on Clark because she felt she had no choice, according to the report.

Afterward, Teague walked her back to her hotel room and asked her what happened. When she told him, Teague hugged her, kissed her on the neck and left.

She didn't file the charges until two days later when the team returned to the Wake Forest campus. Miami police investigated the incident, but declined to press charges because "there was no physical evidence and corroborating witnesses, the student didn’t report the allegations immediately to police, and Clark denied the allegations."

UPDATE II: Blogger So Dear has posted a letter that was apparently sent by the parents of the girl that was assaulted:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

According to the good folks at the blog Blogger So Dear, a Wake Forest student will be appearing on the Today Show on Thursday to discuss being raped by two members of the Wake Forest basketball team back in 2009.


The assault allegedly occurred the night before Wake Forest opened up the 2009 NCAA Tournament with a loss to No. 13 seed Cleveland State, 84-69. It was the end to a roller coaster of a season for the Demon Deacons. Led by future first round picks Jeff Teague, James Johnson, and Al-Farouq Aminu (along with another future NBA player in Ishmael Smith), Wake had climbed all the way up to No. 1 in the nation. But after struggling down the stretch of the season, the team was knocked out in the first round of both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.

It is difficult to speculate whether or not this attack had anything to do with the early exit. The team had been tumbling for a couple of months before the tournament had started. The loss was an upset -- and the beat down that Wake received was unexpected -- but it was far from a shocking result.

There isn't much else out there about what happened as of now. We'll update this story as more news comes out.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE III: Here is the much-anticipated report from from The Today Show which aired Thursday morning. We will provide more news and notes as the analyses continue to roll in.




Continue reading...

Gus Johnson Won't Watch March Madness

Way to CBS, way to go.

A few weeks back, it was announced that Gus Johnson, the broadcaster synonymous with March Madness, could not reach an agreement with CBS for a new contract, and therefore would no longer provide play-by-play for college basketball games on the network.

That alone is bad enough.

But, according to a New York Times article published on Thursday, Johnson will not be watching next season's NCAA Tournament either.

He said he would miss the N.C.A.A. tournament, but he does not plan to watch next March, the same way he did not watch the Knicks until January or so. But Johnson also reiterated that he did not fear leaving the tournament “that made me.” He described his split from CBS as amicable, a necessary step.

Like in many relationships that end in a messy break-up, sometimes it is necessary to stay away from anything that might serve as a reminder to the falling out. And unfortunately for Johnson, this means not watching March Madness.

But why should Johnson's decision to not watch next season's tournament effect you?

Well, because there will come a point next March when a Belmont or a Wofford rallies back from down-7 in the last minute to force overtime against a Kansas or a Kentucky. All hell will be on the cusp of breaking loose.

As CBS goes to commercial, your buddy will say something along the lines of "I wonder what Gus Johnson is saying right now" or "Somebody get Gus-Jeezy on the phone and tell him he's needed in Lexington!"

Then you will remember that he's probably in the backyard having a catch with his son, or at Home Depot getting some new tiles for the kitchen floor. You will realize that Gus Johnson, the man that perspires March Madness, has no idea what is going on.

It's during moments like these when you will realize just how much CBS screwed up.

Yeah, it doesn't seem like a big deal now, but you just wait.

March will never be the same again.

Continue reading...

Thursday Morning Dump

Another busy week of off-season hoops news. Today on the Today Show, the former Wake Forest student will recant her tale of alledged sexual assault that took place in Miami during the 2009 NCAA tournament. If you are free in the morning, be near a TV set. (I have not the slightest clue when The Today Show airs, nor do I know which channel it is on)

- The NBA Draft had to be fixed, right? I mean, the Cavaliers got sucker-punched when LeBron left town, and their sob story lasted the entire season. What better way to heal their wounds than by giving them the No. 1 overall pick?

- According to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, the one-and-done rule may not go anywhere. Some like it, some hate it, but everybody wants a solution.

- Doug Gottlieb takes a look at some of the transfers who could have an immediate impact this season (Insiders only)

- Rush the Court does an excellent job detailing the landscape of the current recruiting scene. Recruiting blogger extraordinaire Jeff Borzello updates us on a busy day of college decision-making

- A top ten list of the schools that will benefit the most from JuCo transfers

- In wake of the news that Coach K made $4.7mil during the 2009-2010 season, Marty Nichollson provides some interesting insight on the salaries of ACC head coaches

- Mike DeCourcy provides his list of winners and losers from the 2011 recruiting battles. DeCourcy also ranks his top ten recruiting classes

A bunch of links after the dump, so don't stop here

- The wiseguys are giving UNC and Kentucky the early edge to win it all in 2012

- The field has been set for the 2011 Legends Classic. Texas, Vanderbilt, North Carolina State and Oregon State headline the fifth annual event

- With the addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten, the conference will now have a conference championship game in football, and the game is likely to be held at either Solider Field or Lucas Oil Stadium. The conference basketball tournament has been held at both the Conseco Fieldhouse and the United Center since 2002. Should the conference hoops finale find a permanent home?

- Texas lawmakers approved the law that would force unethical sports agents to long prison sentences

- The trial of former Seton Hall players Robert Mitchell and Kelly Whitney enters it's sixth day, and from the look of things, somebody isn't telling the truth

- Chris Singleton, formerly of Florida State, is going to start his own line of clothing. The lock-down defender no longer has to worry about NCAA regulations of student-athlete earnings

- Georgetown transfer Vee Sanford has decided to attend University of Dayton. The sophomore guard visted the school earlier in the week and had his mind made up quickly

- More transfer updates on George Mason's Luke Hancock

- Colorado State head coach Tim Miles has been given a three year extension. Mile has steadily increased his team's win total over the past four seasons. His team won zero conferences games in his first year, seven in his second, and nine in each of the past two seasons. Still don't believe that he got an extension? Check out the coach's twitpic.

- Earlier in the week, Xavier assistant coach Pat Kelsey announced he would be leaving the coaching profession to spend time with his family. What does this mean for Xavier, and who will they get to fill the void?

- Team-bonding is a under-valued commodity. Rutgers head coach Mike Rice is in the process of changing the culture of the program. That's why he took his team bowling and made the losers do push-ups. New Jersey hoops writer Mike Vorkunov is the subject of a solid Rutgers-based Q&A session

- As expected, Mark Turgeon has hired Scott Spinelli as an assistant coach at Maryland. Spinelli was a long-time assistant under Turgeon at Texas A&M, and will former-Kansas State assistant Delonte Hill as a new member of the Terps bench

- As Mike Miller points out, Bryce Drew, the player synonymous with Valparaiso basketball, will try to prove that he is more than just a tournament buzzer-beater

- UConn head coach Jim Calhoun will make a decision on his coaching career sometime in June

- Bill Self, the head coach at Kansas, believes his job is better than most NBA coaching gigs, and is not likely to leave Lawrence any time soon

- It seems as if long-time assistant coach Pat Fillen is out at Alabany. Apparently he was relieved of his duties in March

- Justin Young provides a great Q&A session with Steve Payne, the new head coach at Tennessee Tech

- James Dickey is in his second year as head coach at Houston. The Cougars will add seven new players to their roster this season after going 12-18 a year ago

- Phil Martelli Jr., the son of St. Joseph's head coach Phil Martelli Sr., has joined the Delaware Blue Hens coaching staff

- Just because Devon Beitzel is short, white, went to school out west, plays the point and can shoot lights-out, doesn't mean you should call him "little Jimmer"

- A great collection of notable quotables from the always-entertaining Lamont "MoMo" Jones. As you should all know by now, Jones has decided to transfer out of Arizona and is looking to land at a school back on the east coast

- North Carolina State transfer Ryan Harrow will make his college decision before the end of the month

- Florida Gulf Coast has gained the services of former-Iowa State forward Eric McKinght

- Yesterday, highly-touted recruit Trevor Lacey announced his intentions to attend Alabama. With the signing, expectations of the Crimson Tide program have been raised even more after a solid season of growth under head coach Anthony Grant

- Washington could end up snagging former-Maryland commit Maritn Breunig on the final day of the spring signing period

- I was under the impression that DeAndre Daniels was going to make his decision today, but like every other step in his recruiting process, it remains a mystery

- Zeke Chapman, the son of former NBA'er Rex Champman, has committed to Ball State

- Enes Kanter did not play a single minute of sanctioned basketball last season, yet is still projected to be a top-5 pick in the draft. Lost Letterman believes we need to watch out for the red flags

- San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard is shooting up draft boards and could land as high as No. 6 with the Washington Wizards

- Is Jeremy Tyler, who went overseas instead of going to school, worthy of a first round pick?

- Other than Jimmer Fredette, no player was as dangerous a scorer as Washington State's Klay Thompson. After deciding to stay in the draft, Thompson's name has crept up draft boards. But is he worthy of a lottery pick?

- A draft profile on Maryland sophomore Jordan Williams. Williams improved leaps and bounds between his first two seasons at Maryland but still primarily a back-to-the-basket scorer. However, if Williams continues to improve at the same rate, we may look back in a few years and be perplexed why he was chosen so late

- Another day, another mock draft

- A post-deadline look at the Pittsburgh Panthers

- A preview of the 2011-2012 season for the Rhode Island Rams

- Eamonn Brennan fills us in on the pre-season tournaments that are taking shape

- I thought Juwan Howard retired years ago. But apparently he's still kicking, and is the Fab-5's last chance to get a championship ring

- The Mikan Drill provides a look at the X's and O's of Valparaiso's in-bounds play

- What was the best game of the NCAA Tournament? The guys at Every Month Should Be March fill us in on their choices

- It's because of headlines like this that newspapers are going out of business (But it's about Josh Harrellson, so I guess it's kinda OK)

- Sadly, Ballin' is a Habit did not make the top-15 list for sports online web traffic in the month of April (I bet we were in the "First-Four Out")

- A lot of people don't like Kyrie Irving. I'm not sure if it's because he went to Duke or what. Check out video of Miss Hawaii threatening Irving via YouTube (You can't make this type of stuff) up) I'm not sure if she won a "Miss Hawaii" contest or if she just goes by the name "Miss Hawaii". In fact, I'm not sure about a lot of this.
Continue reading...