No. 20: 2009-2010 Team Preview: Minnesota Golden Gophers

2008-2009 Record: 22-11, 9-9 Big Ten (t-7th)

Key Losses: Jamal Abu-Shamala (3.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg), Travis Busch (3.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg)

Key Returners: Lawrence Westbrook (12.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg), Damian Johnson (9.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.9 spg, 2.0 bpg), Al Nolen (6.5 ppg, 4.3 apg, 1.9 spg)

Newcomers: Trevor Mbakwe, Rodney Williams, Royce White, Justin Cobbs

Lawrence Westbrook is an underrated leader for the Gophers.
(photo credit: Double the post)

There really is only one way to describe the 2009-2010 version of the Golden Gophers - balanced. Last season, there were 11 guys that averaged double figures in minutes played (with no one playing more than 27 per) and nine guys that averaged 5.0 ppg or more on a team that ranked 214th in terms of adjusted tempo last season. Put a different way, they got a lot of scoring from a lot of guys for a team that didn't score a lot of points.

The depth of Minnesota's roster this year is impressive, but the most important player on the court is going to be senior Lawrence Westbrook. Westbrook's game changed a bit last year as he developed into more of a scorer (he shot more, looked to pass less), and it seemed to pay off as Minnesota went 15-3 in games Westbrook bested his season average of 12.6 ppg. Westbrook, who was able to average 12.6 ppg in just over 24 mpg, is at his best when he is attacking. He is built like a running back (6'0", 195 lb of muscle) and is quick, which means that once he gets his shoulders by a defender he is getting to the rim. But Westbrook also has three point range, and made some strides in his mid range game as last season progressed.

Joining Westbrook in the back court is junior Al Nolen. Nolen is a quick little point guard capable of scoring when he needs to, but he is at his best when he is creating and running Tubby Smith's offense. Perhaps Nolen's most valuable attribute is his ability to harass the opposing point guard defensively (case in point: Kalin Lucas shot 7-24 and averaged just 11 ppg in two games against Minnesota). Ideally, Nolen will be a guy that averaged 7.5 ppg, 5.5 apg, turns it over less than twice per contest, and knocks down free throws down the stretch.

Perhaps Minnesota's most important player is going to be Damian Johnson. A 6'7", athletic wing, Johnson has arms that extend for days, which allows him to be one of the best all around defenders in the Big Ten. Johnson is also a threat on the offensive end, as he was the second leading scorer for the Gophers last season. Not a great shotter, Johnson is excellent around the rim, whether he gets there via a post-up, penetration, or an offensive rebound.

Starting inside for the Gophers will probably be a pair of 6'11" sophomores, Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson III. Iverson is a bit more polished offensively than Sampson is, but Sampson is more of a threat defensively as he is a bit longer and more athletic. The two complement each other really well when they played together last year. It wasn't uncommon to see Tubby allowing Sampson to step out to the perimeter while Iverson worked down low, as Sampson has pretty consistent range out to about 17 feet.

It may be a moot point for one of those two, however, as Tubby landed arguably his best recruit at Minnesota. Royce White is a 6'8", 240 lb forward out of Minnesota. White may very well take over a starting spot by the end of the season. He is a bruiser down low with a decent array of moves, but also has a fairly well-defined perimeter game for a kid his age. He can knock down a college three with time, and has shown the ability to get out and run the floor as well.

The place where Tubby is going to gain his biggest advantage is his depth, as the Gophers will likely have 12-13 guys that will be good enough to see minutes (although it is highly unlikely that will happen). Up front, 6'8" JuCo transfer Trevor Mbakwe (if he gets cleared to play) will provide some added muscle for the Gophers. Junior Paul Carter and freshman Rodney Williams, both long, 6'8" wings, will provide Tubby with plenty of athleticism (and highlights). Sophomore Devoe Joseph and senior Blake Hoffarber are the shooters. Senior Devron Bostick is the defensive stopper on the perimeter, and freshman Justin Cobbs may even see some minutes backing up the point.

Outlook: When you talk about this Minnesota team, what you have to mention is team play. They are patient offensively, working the ball around to find a good shot. They don't turn the ball over (Westbrook, who averaged just 2.1 t/o's, was the only player with more than two per game). They can play man just as well as a zone, in the full court just as well as in the half court, and seamlessly shuffle through defenses from possession to possession. They are as well coached and as smart as any team in the country. There are two problems, however. First of all, I don't know if the Gophers really have a go-to scorer. Is Westbrook ready (and capable) of taking that role? Will he be able to break his man down and get the Gopher's a bucket when they really need one? That is going to be important in a Big Ten conference with a lot of good defenses. The other problem is the fact that Minnesota plays in the very good and very balanced Big Ten. I could legitimately see the Gophers finishing anywhere from 3rd to 9th. Most likely, they are going to finish in the pack of three or four teams that will inevitably form two or three games behind Purdue and Michigan State. I'd expect in the neighborhood of 22-25 wins and another NCAA tournament trip.

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Emmanuel Negedu's career is over

Heart problems that caused Tennessee forward Emmanuel Negedu to collapse while racing teammate Bobby Maze on Sept. 28th will end his career. Tennessee will honor the rest of Negedu's scholarship.

After undergoing countless tests over the course of the last week, Negedu had a cardiac defibrillator implanted near his heart during a surgery on Tuesday.

Obviously, this is terrible news for Negedu.

But there is a silver lining.

He is alive.

And lucky to be at that. Quite a few college and professional athletes have died from having their hearts stop while working out (sometimes it hits way too close to home). Vols head coach Bruce Pearl has gone on record saying that Negedu's heart stopped for two minutes. If he hadn't been running on the football field and so close to the UT trainer's facilities, well, we won't speculate.

You have a new lease on life, E-Man. Take advantage of it.

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Harrison Barnes recruiting battle: where on Tobacco Road will he end up?

For those that are unaware, yesterday (October 5th) was the last day that college coaches were allowed to visit recruits in their homes. For the last 27 days, coaches have been in and out of the homes of the best recruits all over the country.

The process is usually pretty simple - a coach comes in the home of a recruit and tries to impress the family with, among other things, a spiel about how great his team, and his university, is. When it is done, the coach tries to lock up a commitment from that recruit. If there is no committing to be done, the coach tries to land an official visit from said recruit. When he finishes this little song and dance, he is off on his merry way to try and persuade another young mind that his school is the place to be.

Pretty standard stuff, and usually nothing too exciting occurs.

Unless, of course, you are the best player in the country.

Then something exciting always occurs.

Take Harrison Barnes for example.

Harrison Barnes has Roy Williams at his beck and call.
(photo credit: SLAM)

Duke has long been considered the favorite to land Barnes, who many consider to be the best player in the country. But last month Barnes attended UNC's alumni game and was smitten by the chance to rub elbows with Michael Jordan, as any 17 year old basketball player, regardless of talent level, would be.

In an effort to get the last word in edgewise, Coach K requested that he be the last coach to have an in home visit with Barnes. That visit took place yesterday evening, and apparently had quite an effect on Barnes.

Enough of an effect that he decided he needed to meet with Roy Williams one more time face-to-face.

So Barnes calls the UNC athletics office, but Roy Williams is not in. Someone locates Williams, tells him that Barnes wants to see him, and before the night is over Williams makes it to Ames, Iowa via private jet to have one last sit down with Barnes before the season beings.

Think about that. Roy Williams, who was more than likely on his way home on a Monday evening, dropped everything and chartered a plane to Ames, Iowa, just to have a chance to be the last coach to talk to this kid before the contact period ended.

Ahhh...

There is nothing better than a good old-fashioned recruiting war.
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Gus Johnson added to NCAA Basketball 10

Not that I am necessarily going to run out and buy it, but it is still pretty impressive that Gus Johnson's screaming voice can even make a video game exciting.



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Jeff Sagarin's ranking of the all-time greatest college basketball programs is pretty bad

Today, the ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia will hit book stores. Safe to say, if you are a reader of this blog, then those 1,232 pages of college hoops history is required reading, a must on your Christmas wish list.

What is sure to be the most contentious part of this encyclopedia, however, is Jeff Sagarin's rankings of the all-time greatest college basketball programs. If you don't recognize the name, Sagarin is the guy that crunches numbers for USA Today, running a season's worth of stats through his computer to determine rankings in just about every sport that matters.

Now, I have a lot of respect for what Sagarin does. It takes a great deal of time, effort, and smarts to put together these rankings.

But this list exemplifies heo problem of computer rankings of any kind.

Namely, it doesn't come near passing the eye test.

You see, the formula that Sagarin used only factored in wins, losses, and margin of victory/defeat. NCAA Tournament wins, regardless of when they occurred, counted double. In other words, UNC's win over Michigan State in last year's title game was worth just twice as much (according to Sagarin's formula) than their season opening win against Penn.

Does that make any sense to you?

As a result, some of the rankings seem a bit off:

• First and foremost, Illinois was ranked sixth overall, one spot ahead of Duke. I realize that prior to Coach K's arrival in Durham, the Blue Devils were not the powerhouse they have been under his tutelage. Yes, Illinois has always been good, but they've never been good enough to win a title in their five trips to the Final Four. Duke has, three times. They've also lost in the Finals six more times, and made the trek to the Final Four another five times. Which is the better program again?
• The Big Ten has eight schools in the top 15. Eight! And who comes in 15th? Michigan State. Ranked ahead of the Spartans (who have reached seven Final Fours, winning twice) are teams like No. 10 Iowa (three Final Fours, none since 1980 and no regional finals since 1987) and No. 14 Minnesota (their only Final Four was stripped from the record books).
• Staying in the Big Ten, can you explain to me how Northwestern, who has never (I repear, never) made the NCAA tournament gets ranked ahead of Providence and their two Final Fours? Or how Wisconsin, who went from 45 years between tournament appearances from 1948 to 1993, somehow came in No. 28, ahead of teams like No. 32 Arkansas (29 tournaments, six Final Fours, one title) or No. 42 Georgetown (five Final Fours, one title)?
• Now, take a look down at the bottom. The College of Charleston is the second to last team in the rankings, behind, well, a whole bunch of teams that have never made the tourament, let alone reached it four times.
  

There is much (much, much, much) more wrong with the way these rankings shook out, but I'm not going to get into it.

Why?

Because this is a flawed system. Too much stock is put into basketball played during the years of an eight team NCAA tournament, when segregation was still in effect. College basketball became a national pasttime in 1979 when Bird-Magic had there first of many epic duels. Not enough stock is put into success in the NCAA Tournament, which is where coaches, players, and programs cement their legacy.

But more than anything, this list just solidifies the notion that computer rankings are always going to be flawed. While it succeeds in the goal of taking away the "human factor", it also takes any common sense out of the equation.

Ask anyone that knows anything about college basketball history to name their top six college basketball programs, and they are going to rattle off to you (in some order) Duke, UNC, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, and Indiana. I could sit here and argue all day about the merits of Kentucky versus UCLA, or whether Duke and UNC should get a reprieve for being in the same conference, or how much the recent coaching problems at Indiana should have an effect on their ranking.

There is one thing, however, that no one can provide a justified argument for.

And that's leaving one of these schools out of the top six.
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Tuesday Morning Dump

They will definitely be going on a second date; "a bag of cocaine “shot out” of his backside"; great story if you're a dog lover; those cops are in a bit of trouble.

- A friend and former teammate of mine was diagnosed with a pretty serious form of cancer a few months back. This is his blog chronicling his battle. Pretty inspiring stuff.

- BJ Monteiro, a sophomore guard from Duquense, was arrested for an August incident in CT where he and a couple friends allegedly stole a laptop, iPod, and money from a party.

- Quite a few NBA guys head back to campus to take classes in the summer.

- Scott Martin's replacement at Notre Dame.

- Criminal charges, stemming from a fight in his hometown Torrington, CT, against Jordan Williams, a freshman at Maryland, have been dropped.

- New Mexico lands top 100 recruit. So does K-State.

- Big Blue Madness soldout in 45 minutes.

- Trial date set for Gillispie's DUI case.

- Former GW walk-on Dior Toney is the life of the party.

- Antwaine Wiggins of the College of Charleston tore his acl.

- Deadspin has it out for TMZ. In other news, the man that videotaped Erin Andrews got home confinement.

- Former NBA agent disbarred.

- Braylon Edwards assaults LeBron's friend, LeBron calls him childish.

- The 911 call from Miguel Cabrera's wife.

- This kind of reaction is frowned upon in the press box. Unless you're Bobby Hebert.



- Rodney Harrison tells Tom Brady to take off the skirt.


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2009-2010 Team Preview: Vanderbilt Commodores

2008-2009 Record: 19-12, 8-8 SEC (t-7th)

Key Losses: George Drake (5.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg)

Key Returners: AJ Ogilvy (15.4 ppg, 7.1 ppg), Jermaine Beal (12.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.2 apg), Jeff Taylor (12.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg), Brad Tinsley (11.0 ppg)

Newcomers: John Jenkins

AJ Ogilvy will anchor the Commodores, who bring back essentially everyone.
(photo credit: VUCommodores blog)

Vanderbilt brought in one of the best recruiting classes in the country last year, and when paired with veterans AJ Ogilvy and Jermaine Beal, those freshman helped lead the Commodores to a reasonably successful season given their youth. With basically everyone returning, Vandy could be a sleeper in the loaded SEC East.

Vanderbilt's success this season will start with the interior play of Ogilvy. As a freshman, Ogilvy was the horse inside for a highly ranked Vandy team. While the Commodores last season did not come near the success of that '07-'08 squad, Ogilvy continued to prove himself a force in the paint. There may not be a more skilled low post player in the country. Mechanically and fundamentally, he has all the tools you want in a back to the basket big man. Far from the world's best athlete (the biggest knock on his game is his lack of leaping ability and a slow first step), Ogilvy gets by thanks to a dazzling array of post moves. If he can continue to improve his face-up game and jumper, he could be a monster this year thriving in Vanderbilt's Princeton-style offense.

Joining Ogilvy up front is a slew of guys standing about 6'8". The best of the bunch is sophomore Jeff Taylor. Taylor, who is originally from Sweden, was one of the best freshman in the country you never heard about last year. His long, 6'7" frame already has NBA scouts drooling (he was named the best NBA prospect in the SEC by Draft Express). Taylor is a phenomenal athlete, excelling in the open floor and on the defensive end. While his skills have yet to catch up to his tools, Taylor should be effective running back door cuts and attacking the offensive glass in Kevin Stallings system. Taylor is going to be key in helping Vandy match up with the oustanding athleticism of teams like Tennessee, Kentucky, and Florida.

The Commodores front court will be deep this year. Junior Darshawn McClellan and sophomores Steve Tchiengang and Fetsus Ezeli were all part time starters last year. Given Ogilvy's so-so defensive ability (and the fact that he has is a bit foul prone), these three will be counted on for toughness inside, both defensively and on the glass, and their 15 combined fouls.

Senior leader Jermaine Beal will once again be the rock at the point for the Commodores. Beal is everything you look for in a point guard in this type of system. He is a good decision maker (3.2 apg, 2.0 a:t/o ratio), can create at the end of the shot clock, and last year showed the ability to be a spot-up three point shooter. He is a physical guard with a great understanding of the system and how he fits into it.

Joining him in the back court will be sophomore Brad Tinsley, who proved as a freshman to be one of the best spot-up shooters in the league as he tied a school-record of 69 3's by a freshman. That shooting prowess will help keep the floor spread for Ogilvy inside. The Commodores really have just two other returners on their perimeter - Lance Goulbourne and Charles Hinkle. Goulbourne, who is 6'8", is an athletic wing with a bit more of a polished perimeter game than Taylor. He had a promising freshman year despite a bout of mono early in the season. Hinkle is a tough defender who can guard multiple positions and will provide Stallings with the ability to use different line-ups. He is the typical glue guy most teams need.

Perhaps the x-factor for this year's team will be freshman John Jenkins. Jenkins, who was a top 25 recruit, is a big time scorer and shooter, averaging over 40 ppg as a senior in high school (he had 30 in every game). His offense is geared around his exceptional shooting ability, which extends well beyond the three point line, although he has shown some ability to put the ball on the floor and pull-up in the mid-range. He will remind a lot of Vandy fans of Shan Foster. He fills a hole for the Commodores as a big-time scorer on the wing.

Outlook: Vandy will be an interesting team to keep an eye on this season. They return basically their entire team. But so does the rest of the SEC. Case in point: while the Commodores will be a borderline top 25 team in the preseason, they are arguably the fifth best team in the SEC East. They are not only deep and talented, you would be hard-pressed to find a more balanced team in the country - a big-time low post scorer, a experienced senior leader at point, multiple shooters on the perimeter, and enough size and athleticism to match up with just about anyone. I really like this team, and would expect them to hang around the top of the SEC. 25 wins and a 4-6 seed come tournament time is not a stretch by any means.
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Monday Morning Dump

Polygamist circumcises three of his sons and himself; the guy that kidnapped Elizabeth Smart still hasn't gone to trial; he doesn't seem like a very nice guy; journalist turned college football player; this story may make you swear off ground beef;

- Ex-Michigan star Rumeal Robinson swindled his adoptive mother out of her home.

- Daniel Bejarano, a top 50 recruit who decommitted from Texas last week, is looking at his home state schools Arizona and Arizona State.

- Fellow Dominicans Edgar Sosa and Francisco Garcia have established a solid friendship. Katz also looks at Greivis Vasquez and Gregory Echenique's influence in Venezuela.

- Cornell assistant Zach Spiker gets Army head job.

- The best player in the country, class of 2011 recruit Michael Gilchrist, visited Villanova. Top 25 recruit in 2010, Georgia native Jelan Kendrick, was at the LSU-Georgia game.

- Good read on the people waiting in line for Big Blue Madness.

- The guy that filmed Erin Andrews was caught, but Deadspin questions whether he could have been caught sooner.

- Overworked college refs.

- Jeff Goodman says the SEC will be good. We told you this over the summer.

- Gary Parrish says extensions for college coaches is simply a recruiting ploy.

- Binghamton athletics to be reviewed.

- The NY Post tries to interview Burress in prison, doesn't go well.

- Eli Manning signed his name in the Cowboys new stadium.

- Common disses Brady Quinn at a show in Cleveland ... with Quinn in attendance.

- Big hit to end the Notre Dame-Washington game on Saturday.




- David Letterman was blackmailed.



- That had to hurt.



- 200 foot putt.


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2009-2010 Team Preview: Maryland Terrapins

2008-2009 Record: 21-14, 7-9 ACC (7th)

Key Losses: Dave Neal (8.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg), Braxton DuPree

Key Returners: Greivis Vasquez (17.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.0 apg), Landon Milbourne (11.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg), Eric Hayes (10.3 ppg, 3.2 apg)

Newcomers: Jordan Williams, James Padgett

Fiery PG Greivis Vasquez will try to lead Maryland to their second straight tournament.
(photo credit: Washington Post)

In late January last season, after the Terrapins had lost four of five, speculation over the job security of head coach Gary Williams came to a head as he and the Terp's athletic director had a very public feud in the media about the reason a couple recruits were not allowed into Maryland. But the Terps were able to rally at the end of the season, knocking off a couple of the ACC bigwigs en route to a trip to the NCAA Tournament's second round and earning Williams a contract extension.

The Terps hope to carry some of that momentum into 2009-2010 as they return basically everyone. They caught a break when Greivis Vasquez, their leader and a potential first team all-american, decided to return to College Park for his senior year. Vasquez is a bit of an enigma. There may not be a more passionate player in the country, but that passion does not always manifest itself in the right way; Vasquez has a reputation for being vocal with opponents, the media, and the fans (sometimes even Maryland fans), and not necessarily in a good way.

The thing you cannot deny about Vasquez is his talent. While he has been inconsistent from game to game throughout his career, when he is clicking he can take over against any team in the country (case in point: the 35 point, 10 board, 10 assist, 3 steal, and 3 block performance he had in an OT win over UNC last year might have been the best all-around game of the '08-'09 season). There isn't much Vasquez can't do on the offensive end, but his biggest problem might be that he knows that. He has three point range, can score in the mid-range, is able to drive and find the open man and can also finish around the rim. The problem is the degree of difficulty of the plays he tries to make. For example, during his breakout sophomore season, Vasquez averaged 6.8 apg, but also 4.4 t/o's. As a junior, he averaged just 5.0 apg, but cut his turnovers to just 2.8 per game. That was a result of better decision making - he didn't try to make the spectacular play as often, instead making the smart pass even if it didn't draw the wows. If he can continue to mature in his play and decision making, a 20, 6, and 6 season is not a stretch.

But Vasquez can only take the Terps so far by himself. As a team, Maryland had two major issues last year - they did not have really have a second option offensively and they were small on the interior. The Terps lost both Dave Neal and Braxton Durpree, returning just Dino Gregory in the paint. I did like some of what I saw from Gregory in the limited minutes he got last year, but he is going to be counted on for much, much more production this year in an expanded role.

Williams did address the issue up front, adding two big man recruits. The better of the two is Jordan Williams, a 6'9", 250 lb Connecticut native (you may know him as this kid). Williams does show promise, as he is a big body that he can get out and run the floor but also absorb contact in the paint. If he can improve his conditioning (aka trim the baby fat) and continue to improve his developing back to the basket game, Williams could be a significant factor for the Terps this year. The other newbie is James Padgett, a 6'8" athlete from Lincoln High School in NYC. Padgett is raw on the offensive end, but he has long arms, some serious hops, that NYC mean streak, and he plays hard. He will provide a Maryland with some excellent energy off the bench. Also expect 6'9" junior Jerome Burney and 6'10" Steve Goins to compete for minutes.

The two most important players for this Maryland team will probably be seniors Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne. Both have been solid role players for the past two seasons, but if Maryland has any hope of competing for what is a wide open ACC title, they are going to need to have a second legitimate scoring option. The issue is that both guys are stuck in a bit of a tweener role. Milbourne is a swingman, most effective when he can slash to the basket and utilize his length and athleticism, but he has been forced to play a lot on the interior as Maryland has lacked size. While it could be to his advantage when he is guarded by a four (he can get by his man), he does not yet have a perimeter shot that is consistent enough to be respected. Hayes has basically been a spot up shooter for the Terps the last two seasons, but he can do much more than that when given the opportunity. He can create shots for himself and others, but he is most effective playing on the ball, which he can't do as much playing with Vasquez.

The one place Maryland is set is with perimeter depth. Adrian Bowie, Sean Mosley, and Cliff Tucker are all capable players on the perimeter. While they each bring a different skill set to the table (Bowie is the most dangerous penetrator, Mosley is a shut down defender, and Cliff Tucker, at 6'6", is probably the most versatile and best shooter), what they give Gary Williams is the ability to use a variety of different combinations on the perimeter.

Outlook: With Greivis Vasquez on the court, Maryland is going to have a chance to win every single game they play. But, as they proved last year, they are also capable of throwing up as poor of a showing as anyone in the country (losses to Morgan State and to Duke by 40). Maryland has to be in the conversation as a sleeper in a wide open ACC, but unless a secondary scorer emerges and their inexperienced front line develops, Maryland will probably be a middle of the road ACC team and headed to the NCAA tournament.
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Has Bill Self lost control of the Jayhawks?

The Kansas men's basketball players cannot keep their names out of the news.

This time, it was Brady Morningstar, who was arrested for a DWI early Saturday morning. Morningstar, a former walk-on who started last season and was expected to provide depth in the Jayhawk's back court this year, was suspended for the rest of the first semester. He will be allowed to practice, but he won't be eligible to play in games or travel until mid-December.

Brady Morningstar was arrested for DWI.
(photo credit: Kansan)

This underlines a bigger issue for Bill Self. Namely, his player's cannot seem to stay out of trouble. Over the last two seasons, the transgressions of his players have turned this team into a public relations disaster.

• In the summer of 2008, Sherron Collins missed a court date stemming from a 2007 incident where a woman accused him of exposing himself and rubbing up against her in an elevator. The charges were eventually dropped when Collins threatened a counterclaim (full disclosure: by all accounts, Collins appeared innocent, the issue was missing a court date).
• Last September, Markieff Morris was arrested for shooting a woman with a BB gun from his dorm room window when he was drunk.
• Chase Buford, a junior preferred walk-on for the Jayhawks, was arrested in July for DWI.
• Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers were thrown out of the NBA's Rookie Camp after they were caught in their hotel room with weed and women.
• Speaking of Arthur, reports came out last summer that his grades were changed while he attended high school in Texas. After initially being cleared of any wrongdoing, the investigation was eventually reopened.
  

But, clearly, the biggest issue here is the fighting last week (where police have opened up a disorderly conduct investigation) between Self's players and the KU football team. By now, everyone has heard about the two skirmishes (Facebook updates and all), but late Friday night the Lawrence Journal linked two more incidents (and one more basketball player) to the fighting.

Now, this is where is gets a bit confusing. Try to stay with me here.

Apparently, after the second of the three incidents last week, a 19 year old man named Guy Lipscomb (who a KU student) threatened two women, a current and a former track team member, with a gun and was subsequently arrested. The victims of that threat were also involved in an incident back in July.

This is where the story becomes interesting. On the night of July 25th, Andrea Johnson, 25, was cited for misdemeanor battery after assaulting one of the women that was threatened by Lipscomb. Of the witnesses listed, one was the other woman that was threatened (who RTC speculates is this woman) and another was Chalmers, who was back in town for a golf event.

Oh, and Chalmers and Johnson just so happen to have a kid together.

Was one of the track athletes dating a football player? Is that where this most recent incident of antimosity between the two teams came from? Is there a link between the incident involving Johnson, the incident involving Lipscomb, and the basketball teams? The police think there is.

What I do know is that Chalmers is now the fourth player - along with Tyshawn Taylor, Sherron Collins, and one of the Morris twins - to be explicitely linked to the fighting, while the Kansan identified "the Morris twins, Mario Little, Sherron Collins, Tyshawn Taylor, Brady Morningstar, Travis Releford, Tyrel Reed, Thomas Robinson, Elijah Johnson and many other players" as being involved in the brawls. While no basketball players have been cited in any of these incidents, the company you keep reflects quite a bit on your own character.

Now, that is a lot of issues for one program in such a short period of time (is anyone else looking forward to see what kind of creative signs the fans at K-State and Oklahoma can come up with?), and, undoubtedly, Bill Self is going to receive criticism for losing control of his basketball team.

I don't think that is the case.

In fact, I think this latest incident shows that Self is regaining control over his team.

Self has laid down the law for his team. He has instituted a much stricter set of rules for his team, including a curfew which Morningstar broke, with a strict set of punishments for violating team rules.

So not only did Morningstar drive drunk and get caught (which is enough in and of itself to warrant a suspension), he was did it while knowingly breaking a new, week-old set of team rules and was punished accordingly. And if you don't think that this punishment was serious, think about this: during the season's early games, college coaches determine their rotation. By the time the new year comes around and conference season starts, most teams have reduced their rotation to about eight or nine. Morningstar will not only be starting his season a month and a half late, he will be missing the games in which players prove themselves worthy of minutes.

Should I mention that Kansas might be the deepest team in the country this year?

To say all of that in fewer words, this punishment will more than likely wipe out the 2009-2010 season for Morningstar.

You don't think that punishment sends a message?
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Notre Dame's Scott Martin tears his acl

Notre Dame got some terrible news on Friday as they received the word that junior forward Scott Martin tore the acl in his left knee.

The injury occurred during the team's pre-season practice on Thursday. In a 5-on-5 full court drill 10 minutes in, Martin crumpled to the ground after coming to a jump stop.

The injury is not only a devastating blow to Martin, who sat out all of last season after transferring to South Bend from Purdue, but to the Notre Dame team. The Irish were already thin up front. While no one will ever consider Martin a bruiser in the paint, he is 6'8" with the ability to play the four defensively.

Head Coach Mike Brey was also counting on Martin for his scoring ability, calling him the most talented offensive player the Irish have had since Troy Murphy. Junior Tyrone Nash will more than likely move into Martin's starting spot. Juniors Tim Abromaitis and Carleton Scott and three freshmen - Mike Broghammer, Jack Cooley, and Tim Knight - will compete for minutes off the bench.
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2009-2010 Team Preview: Siena Saints

2008-2009 Record: 27-8, 16-2 MAAC (1st)

Key Losses: Kenny Hasbrouck (14.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg)

Key Returners: Edwin Ubiles (15.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg), Alex Franklin (13.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg), Ryan Rossiter (10.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg), Ronald Moore (8.7 ppg, 6.4 apg)

Newcomers: O.D. Anosike, Jonathon Breeden, Davis Martens, Denzel Yard

Senior Edwin Ubiles will lead the Saints in '09-'10.
(photo credit: cityrocks.org)

The Siena men's basketball team is in the midst of the best run in the history of their program. And despite losing guard Kenny Hasbrouck, the 2009 MAAC player of the year, that run should continue during the 2009-2010 season.

The biggest reason for that is small forward Edwin Ubiles. Ubiles, who has made two straight all-MAAC first teams, is probably the best returning player in the conference. Standing 6'6", Ubiles is widely considered the most athletic player in the conference. While his game is centered around his aggressiveness attacking the rim and defending, Ubiles has shown the ability to knock down perimeter shots (although, his 3PT% dropped from 42% to 31% last year).

But Ubiles will be far from the only weapon on the Saints roster. Joining him up front is Alex Franklin and Ryan Rossiter. Franklin is a muscle-bound, 6'5" senior that plays a good three inches taller than he is. An excellent rebounder for his size, Franklin has a knack for being able to score down low against much taller players. Rossiter had an excellent sophomore campaign, averaging 10.0 ppg and 7.9 rpg. He is a good complement to Franklin along the front line as he longer and has a bit more of a face-up game than Franklin.

Two freshmen should also contribute up front. Davis Martens, who will have to sit out the first 12 games of the season after playing with professionals in his native Germany, is a 6'9", 220 lb center with range out to the three point line. He is strong down low, but still needs to develop more of a back to the basket game. O.D. Anosike, a 6'7" freshman from Staten Island, is the only other player on the roster over 6'5".

The Saints back court is where a lot of the question marks come into play. They return tournament hero Ronald Moore, a senior point guard who has started all four years with the Saints. He is not a great scorer (averaging right around 8 ppg for his entire career), but Moore is an excellent creator that doesn't make bad decisions with the ball (6.4 apg, 2.9 a/to ratio).

The issue in the back court is where the Saints will make up the shooting and scoring they lose with Hasbrouck. The first option will probably be junior Clarence Jackson. Jackson has shown flashes of being a big time scorer (he averaged 8.7 ppg in just 14.3 mpg), including a 28 point outburst against St. Joe's. But he is considered a shooter (142 3's attempted in 514 minutes), and has yet to hit even a third of his three point attempts for a season. If he can get more consistent from deep (which should happen with the more consistent minutes he will receive this year), its not a stretch to think that Jackson could become a dangerous weapon on the perimeter.

Sophomores Kyle Downey and Owen Wignot will be the Saints first two options off the bench in their back court. Wignot has the potential to be quite a player at this level. At an athletic 6'5" (he was a high and long jump champ in high school), Wignot also possess range beyond the three point line. But until he adds something to his game besides hops and a jumper, he won't be much more than a role player. Downey is a heady player. He's not going to blow you away with quickness, athleticism, or scoring ability, but he is a smart kid that knows how to play and won't make many mistakes. Also keep an eye on freshman Jonathon Breeden, a quick 5'11" point guard that can makes plays in the lane. With the talent the Saints have along their front line, a point guard that can get in the lane and find people is a valuable asset.

Outlook: You know what you are going to get with this Saints team. They are strong inside and loaded with experience. The biggest question mark is going to be where they replace the scoring ability they lost on the perimeter with Hasbrouck's graduation. If guys like Jackson and Wignot can fill the void, this is a team that could make some more noise in the NCAA Tournament. The Saints won't play as tough of a non-conference schedule this season (Temple, St. Joe's, Northern Iowa, Georgia Tech, St. John's, BracketBusters), so unless they can sweep those six games, this group is probably going to have to win the MAAC to earn a bid. That will be easier said than done, as Niagara will be very good this year as well.

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Memphis lands another elite recruit

One of the things they teach you in Recruiting 101 is to land the talent in your area.

Josh Pastner has been doing just that.

Not even a month after Joe Jackson, a consensus top 20 recruit (12th by Rivals, 17th by Scout) and Memphis native, committed to the Tigers, Pastner has landed another elite recruit from the Memphis area.

Chris Crawford (66th by Rivals, 38th best SG by Scout), another Memphis native who teamed with Jackson on the Memphis Magic AAU team that won the Super 64 tournament in Vegas (he hit the game winner), committed to the Tigers last night.

Memphis native Chris Crawford has committed to play for his hometown Tigers.
(photo credit: Memphis Roar)

Pastner also landed Will Barton, a consensus top 10 recruit from Baltimore, and his brother Antonio, who both committed to Memphis back in June.

Crawford's signing only bolsters what many, including myself, already believed would be one of the best back courts in the country for 2010. Jackson, Barton, Elliot Williams, Roburt Sallie, and now Crawford? If Pastner can get Will Coleman to return for his senior season and Angel Garcia to recover fully from a torn acl, he is probably one more big man away from having another top 10 team in Memphis.

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Kyrie Irving interview with High School Hoops

Earlier this week, we wrote about the possibility of Coach K landing one of the best recruiting classes in 2010. In that post, we mentioned that many sources believed Kyrie Irving was really close to committing to the Blue Devils.

Well, Irving confirmed many of those rumors in an interview with High School Hoops:

Well, I’ve got that feeling with Duke, but I want to go on a few more visits to compare it all. I’m not ready to commit yet. I just want to make sure everything is right. Duke and Indiana were my top two schools, and Duke is up there, but I like the other schools too.

I guess you could say that I’m leaning toward Duke. I’m just not ready to commit. It was my first visit and of course I’m really high on them and like I said I have that feeling, but I think it’s only smart to compare it to something.

That's not all, Duke fans. Irving also talked about the fact that he and Austin Rivers, one of the best players in the class of 2011 who is committed to Florida but made a recent visit to Durham, have established a strong relationship:

We talk like every other day. We developed a relationship over the summer. It would just be real cool to play with another great point guard. It would make the transition to college a lot easier. Especially a guy like him, he can shoot the crap out of the ball. It would be really cool to play with him in college.

It seems like Kyrie Irving has his head screwed on pretty straight. If he does end up at Duke, he will be their most talented guard since Jay Williams.

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Friday Morning Dump

Umm, is this a real story?; even google is racist, apparently; beat brain cancer and get cut from your basketball team, gotta love youth sports; the seven types of women you sleep with in law school; political sex scandal; awful;

- Sad story, but a bit inspiring.

- This is such a great story.

- Rick Pitino is still giving motivational speeches.

- Negedu is released from the hospital.

- Extensions: Louis Orr at Bowling Green, Ed Dechellis at Penn State.

- Mike Rosario and Denis Clemente should become household names this season.

- St. Joe's freshman Justin Crosgile tore a ligament in his thumb.

- The Ford Field pants-dropper explanation.

- Q&A with Bill Simmons.

- Boise State in the BCS title game would be terrible for people that hate the BCS.

- LeGarrette Blount might be reinstated.

- A simple "I don't have any cash on me" would have sufficed.



- Katt Williams is hilarious.




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No more conditions allowed on Letters of Intent

Letters of Intent (LOI's) are a tricky subject in the realm of college athletics. Run by the Collegiate Commissioner's Association out of the NCAA's Indianapolis headquarters, the National Letter of Intent program is a voluntary system that was put in place to, essentially, end a prospect's recruitment.

Its benefits are twofold; not only is a recruit able to end the constant stream of phone calls and letters from college coaches (well, theoretically at least), it allows those same college coaches a degree of certainty of what their incoming class will look like. In other words, if Bill Self has a point guard in the class of '10 sign an LOI, he can stop recruiting point guards.

DeMarcus Cousins made headlines when he refused to sign with UAB.
(photo credit: AL.com)

As Josh Selby proved this summer, a commitment from a recruit is worth nothing more than the hand it was shaken on. Signing an LOI binds the recruit to the school, with eligibility penalties if he/she does not spend a full year at that institution.

But over the last year, a couple high profile recruits have made headlines due to their LOI's.

Back in November, Seth Davis of SI brought to light an issue with UAB's recruitment of DeMarcus Cousins. You see, Cousins had committed to play for the Blazers, but he refused to sign his LOI unless the school included a clause which allowed Cousins to be released if head coach Mike Davis was no longer the coach.

LOI clauses once again came into the national spotlight this spring when Xavier Henry (and subsequently Nolan Dennis) were allowed out of the LOI's they signed with Memphis when John Calipari left town for Kentucky. Henry and Dennis have since enrolled at Kansas and Baylor, respectively.

Deals such as these will no longer be allowed as the National Letter of Intent Policy and Review Committee has sent a memo to member institutions banning the practice. The memo, which was provided to the Sporting News by a DI coach, states that if any school or any of the school's employees "offers additional conditions, the prospective student-athletes NLI is subject to being declared null and void along with possible institutional penalties." If an athlete wants out of their LOI, they will have to submit a request form, which has been the standard procedure.

Violations of this rule could result in expulsion from the NLI program.

There are a lot of positives with this rule. It eliminates some of the preferential treatment that blue chip recruits receive; the only kids that would have had enough pull to land this type of addendum are the best of the best (sometimes that doesn't even matter - Cousins is a consensus top five recruit and he couldn't get one in his LOI to a C-USA school). It will also be beneficial for guys like Josh Pastner, Calipari's replacement at Memphis, who saw one of the best recruiting classes ever vanish before his eyes as most of Coach Cal's recruits backed out once he left.

The problem that arises is that these kids are not choosing the school they want to go to based on, well, the school. Their choice is centered on which coach they want to play for. This goes against the entire concept of a student-athlete because it makes it obscenely obvious the recruit doesn't care about the schooling he receives or classes he can attend.

But consider this - these kids are choosing a school based on where they think they can receive their best basketball education and who they think is the best basketball "professor". Being a professional basketball player is a profession that can make you a lot of money in a short amount of time. If you want to play for a John Calipari or a Roy Williams (or whatever coach you think will give you the best chance of making the NBA or becoming a successful pro overseas) and that coach leaves the school, isn't it fair to allow the kids enroll at a school with a coach they want to play for (as opposed to whoever the institution hires as a replacement)?

Would anyone complain if a top 10 high school student decided he didn't want to go to Yale because the professor he wanted to study under left?

And that doesn't even take into account the fact that most schools have a drop off in performance when they undergo coaching changes. What if that recruit doesn't want to take part in the rebuilding process while that coach builds a program around "his recruits"?

My hope is that this rule was simply implemented so that the NLI regains control over their program; and that if a recruit no longer wants to attend a certain school due to a coaching change, they will grant him/her their release.

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Thursday Morning Dump

NFL players that need a career change; yup, that's a dead whale; "a nude man covered in feces", seriously; blows off hand making homemade bomb; NYC's ten worst roads and bridges; scary; of course this is in Oklahoma; youth magnet cities; alzheimer's more prevalent in football players.

- No decision yet on Emmanuel Negedu's future.

- Dana O'Neil catches up with The Show.

- Gary Parrish must have seen what I wrote Tuesday.

- Utah coach Jim Boylen.

- Blue Ribbon all-americans and top 25.

- Jared Sullinger, meet him.

- Gani Lawal leads Ga Tech.

- Victory celebration results in missing helmets.

- Big Ten preview.

- Roscoe Smith cuts list to Duke, UConn, and Georgetown.

- Should papers forbid their writers from going on ESPN?

- Video of Joe Mauer tipping pitches.

- Gregg Doyel goes out on a limb.

- At the 2:05 mark, Stuart Scott with a freudian slip?



- Tsunami destruction.



- Tough way to lose.



- Absorb Blake Griffin's power.


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Renardo Sidney's case to Congress?

Today is September 30th, which means that on Friday, we will officially be two weeks from the start of college basketball practice.

Do a little math, and you realize that Don Jackson, the lawyer representing Renardo Sidney, has all of 16 days to get his client eligible if Sidney wants to participate in pre-season practices with Mississippi State.

Having already played the race card, Jackson does what any reasonable lawyer does when he is trying to speed up a case: threatens to take it in front of Congress...?

No, seriously.

He really is.

Why?

Well, once you peal back the legalese mumbo jumbo, Jackson's basic argument is that the NCAA disproportionately targets black student-athletes when dealing with eligibility issues.

Personally, I could care less whether or not this is a valid point (which I don't think it is - do you think Jackson realizes that there is a disproportionate of student-athletes playing the sports people care about, i.e. football and basketball, are black?). The real question is whether or not this is the best route for Sidney's representation to take if they want him to play college hoops this season. From John Gasaway over at Basketball Prospectus:

Jackson has loudly and repeatedly vowed to take legal action to get his client on the court for the Bulldogs this season. Call me naive, but I had rather assumed the legal action would consist of finding a sympathetic judge to issue an injunction, court order, or anything else that would create the needed five-month window to get this kid through his one-and-done year. After all, judges issue questionable orders all the time. Many of them are overturned later, but that process takes time–weeks and months during which Sidney could be dominating the SEC West. I thought Jackson was headed down this road.

Silly me. Jackson instead thinks the wise course here is to haul the NCAA before Congress on charges of "selectively harsh treatment against African American student athletes." I have no doubt Jackson can round up some sympathetic ears on the Hill and hold some rollicking good press conferences. But let’s be frank: The chances of Jackson securing from Congress the needed "legislative intervention" (Jackson's words) on behalf of Renardo Sidney are exactly zero. Or should be. If our nation’s elected officials actually table discussion on Afghanistan, our health care system, reforms in financial regulation, and Iran's nuclear capability to spend time pondering whether or not Renardo Sidney should be allowed to play college basketball, they will have one angry constituent on their hands, regardless of whether they mandate or prohibit Sidney’s presence on the floor.

The way I see it, Jackson is probably doing the best job he can. In my mind, corruption in amateur basketball and college basketball recruiting has reached a level almost on par with steroids in baseball; I don't necessarily believe everyone is dirty, but given the number of scandals that have come to light over the past year, I'm at a point where any rumor equals truth.

In fewer words, I think Sidney probably did something illegal. Jackson knows this. And he also knows that, if he were to turn over the documents that the NCAA is requesting, they would find out about these illegal deeds, rendering Sidney ineligible to play.

If this theory of mine is, in fact, true, then Jackson is probably throwing around the race card and this notion that he is taking Sidney's case in front of Congress because he is trying to get people - the media, the fans, the NCAA - to focus on those things instead of the fact that Sidney should be ineligible.

Could this be a sign of how dire Renardo Sidney's straits actually are?

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Is anyone else sick of hearing about Binghamton?

First, Emanuel Mayben was kicked out of school. Then, five more of his teammates got the boot. And yesterday, news came out that the Binghamton Zoo was offended by the comments made by AD Joel Thirer referring to the basketball team as a "zoo".

And now, it seems as if the university is not yet done cleaning house.

Sally Dear, an adjunct lecturer who has taught Human Development at the school for 11 years, was fired Tuesday. The school says she was let go due to “uncertain fiscal environment” and “strategic reprioritization of resources across the university.”

As you might imagine, Dear disagrees. From The Quad:

"I'm being fired for being ethical," Dear said. "I have no doubt about that whatsoever."

Seven Binghamton men's basketball players majored in human development last year, and Dear said she believed some of them received preferential treatment.

"They know that people have been covering up for the athletes and not holding them to the same standard for other students," Dear said. "They know that athletes who are not passing classes have been given independent studies to carry them through.

Not making sense to you?

Take a look at this article by Pete Thamel of the NYT from back in February in which Dear provided some pretty inflammatory accusations:

Sally Dear, an adjunct lecturer at Binghamton, said that her experience last semester with three men's basketball players in her Human Development 304 class had frustrated her to tears. They were a continual nuisance, she said, missing classes and appointments, or arriving late and leaving early. Dear, who has a strict attendance policy, also said Broadus once showed up to check that the players were in class, something that had never happened in her 10 years of teaching.

Dear said she stopped teaching numerous times because of their disruptive behavior. When she caught one player text-messaging during class, she recalled, he said he was receiving a message from his coach.

"All I know is the aptitude and the attitude that are displayed in the classroom," Dear said. "I would have preferred to see a more academically prepared and serious student."

Dear would not reveal the players' names or grades, citing privacy rules. Under Dear's policy, students are dropped a full grade after three absences. After the players missed three of her classes, Ed Scott, the associate athletic director for student services, questioned her right to drop their grades.

Dear was unhappy that their playing schedule had not been made available to her at the start of the semester so they could plan for the absences.

"I felt pressure to cut them breaks that weren't available to other students," she said, adding that Scott sent e-mail messages and called relentlessly to question her grading policy.

"That was uncomfortable and inappropriate," she said. "My expectations were called into question, and I was being essentially asked to bend the rules or overlook them or not apply things equally."

That's not the end of it. Binghamton AD Joel Thirer resigned today. As Pat Forde tweeted, maybe Thamel should help Thirer pack up the things in his office.

Players putting students into comas and selling coke, AD's resigning, ex-professors lashing out at the school, and zookeepers writing letters to the press trashing the university? And this is supposed to be the cream of the SUNY system?

Could head coach Kevin Broadus be next?

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Wednesday Morning Dump

The bathroom floor (NSFW) at the new Cowboys Stadium sounds like a great place; DMX is an MMA fighter?; the delivery girl must have been hot; machine gun social; the Chicago leg rubber; I get the feeling that this is a really bad idea; shouldn't have driven into a sinkhole.

- Devin Ebanks is more than just a scorer.

- Neither side moving in Renardo Sidney soap opera.

- Myles Brand tribute at Indiana.

- Florida gets commitment from Casey Prather.

- Four finalists for the Army job.

- Calhoun talking with UConn about a multi-year contract.

- Maryland freshman Jordan Williams was arrested for assault in August.

- Emmanuel Negedu stayed in the hospital Tuesday night as well.

- Tony Mitchell cuts list down to ASU, Georgetown, and Kansas State.

- Kenyon Martin is not a thug.

- Chuck Knoblauch hit his wife.

- Pole vault fails. Yes.

- Junior Seau in a bull ring.



- Conan O'Brien takes a fall.



- Nice work Jets fans. I can only hope that Yankees fans will do the same.



- Ref pees on the soccer pitch.



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