The Only Conference Preview You Need To Read: The A-10

Summer officially ends on September 22nd, but for me, the end of summer always coincided with the end of August. Or when I had to go to school. (That first day was always the worst, wasn't it?) Anyway, school is right around the corner, which means that college basketball season is around the corner, down the street, through two lights, and on the left. Since we've all had a fight with our GPS at one time or another, we at BIAH will take this week to roll out our way-too-early, all-encompassing conference previews.

To browse through the other conferences, click here.


Preseason Awards

Player of the Year: Kevin Anderson, Richmond, Sr.

Anderson is the reigning A-10 player of the year, and for good reason. He led Richmond, a team good enough to earn a seven-seed in the NCAA Tournament, to a 26-win season and a third place finish in the league by averaging 17.8 ppg and putting up impressive performances (31 in a loss to Wake Forest, 29 in a win over Temple, 27 is a win at Xavier) against good competition. With his back court mate David Gonzalvez departing, that means there will be just that many more shots available for Anderson. But with the improvement that Justin Harper showed late last season, and with the possibility of Dan Geriot returning to his sophomore year form, Anderson will have some help. He is a cat-quick, 6' guard that can get into the lane against just about anyone. With an improved jump shot, Anderson will be near unstoppable at this level.


And a close second goes to: Chris Wright, Dayton, Sr.

Wright didn't develop as much as Dayton fans would have liked last season. He's still a tremendous athlete, that certainly hasn't changed, but the perimeter game that he needs to become a potential pro is not yet there. His jump shot needs a healthy dose of reliability, and his handle is not yet to the point where he can go more than one or two dribbles it take to get from the perimeter to the rim. That said, with Dayton losing seven seniors, Wright's usage is no doubt going to go up, and there is no reason why the 6'8" forward can't average 15 points and 9 boards for the Flyers even if his perimeter game doesn't improve. If it does, and Wright shows he can hit a jumper and be a threat putting the ball on the floor, he has as high of a ceiling as anyone in the league.

Breakout Star: Ramone Moore, Temple, Jr.

There are a number of interesting candidates that could slide in here -- Xavier's Mark Lyons, Richmond's Justin Harper, St. Louis' Cody Ellis, Rhode Island's Akeem Richmond, UMass' Terrell Vinson. But I like Ramone Moore, the reigning sixth man of the year in the league. Moore averaged just 7.6 ppg as a perimeter reserve for a team that saw their three perimeter starters average nearly 100 minutes combined. When he did get the opportunity -- a seven game stretch in February where Juan Fernandez was dealing with a severe blow to the head he took against Forham -- Moore saw him minutes increased, and responded by averaging 16 ppg over that stretch. With Ryan Brooks and Luis Guzman graduating, there are minutes -- and shots -- available for the 6'4" junior. I expect a big season out of him.

All-conference First Team:

• POY - Kevin Anderson, Richmond, Sr.
  
• G - Terrell Holloway, Xavier, Jr.
  
• G - Juan Fernandez, Temple, Jr.
  
• F - Lavoy Allen, Temple, Sr.
• F - Chris Wright, Dayton, Sr.
• F - Damian Saunders, Duquesne, Sr.
  

All-conference Second Team:

• G - Chris Johnson, Dayton, Sr.
  
• G/F - Delroy James, Rhode Island, Sr.
• F - Chris Gaston, Fordham, So.
• F - Aaric Murray, La Salle, So.
  
• F - Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure, Jr.
  

Freshman of the Year: Juwan Staten, Dayton

Staten comes to Dayton at the perfect time, as the Flyers lose their top four back court players. He is also the perfect point guard for a Brian Gregory team. Strong, athletic, and tough, Staten isn't afraid to mix it up defensively, but he is also a quite talented offensive player (top 100 nationally). He can get into the paint and finish, either around the rim or with a series of floaters and short jumpers. He can also draw defenders and create, and has enough range to keep the defense honest. Dayton is going to need a playmaker this season, someone that can create opportunities for others, and Staten could very well be that guy.

All-Freshman Team:

• G - Tyreek Duren, La Salle
  
• G - Daryl Traynham, UMass
• G - Langston Galloway, St. Joseph's
  
• F - Jordan Latham, Xavier
  
• F - CJ Aiken, St. Joseph's
  

What Happened?:

• Jim Baron's rough offseason: It started when Billy Baron, the son of the URI head coach, decided to not to follow his brother's footsteps in playing for their father. Instead, Billy opted to head to Virginia to play in the ACC. Then there was Kyle Cain, a talented 6'7" forward that became a hot commodity during his senior season. Baron let Cain out of his LOI, and he ended up at Arizona State.
  
  It gets worse. Baron has drawn some criticism for the way he has been recruiting as well. Baron didn't get word until September that Daniel West (a former Tennessee commit that sat out a year in Knoxville and spent last season at a JuCo) was eligible, while the two most highly touted freshmen that URI landed will not be suiting up this season -- PJ Lockridge did not qualify, while Tashawn Marby felt homesick and left school. In addition, junior Orion Outerbridge will be ineligible for the first semester.
  


• Jim Baron wasn't the only one with a rough offseason: St. Louis was supposed to be a team that would compete for an NCAA Tournament spot this year. Instead, they will be rebuilding, as their two best players -- Kwamain Mitchell and Willie Reed -- were both kicked out of school, most likely because of an alleged sexual assault that occurred back in May.


• Derek Kellogg cleans up the SEC: Kellogg has landed both Luke Cothron, a non-qualifier at Auburn that was a top 50 recruit, and Cady Lalanne, a non-qualifier at Georgia. Neither will be eligible this season, but if he can get them eligible for 2011, UMass could be a dangerous team.


• St. Bonaventure players get in a fight: Four players -- Malcolm Eleby, Lewis Leonard, Da'Quan Cook, and Brett Roseboro -- were linked to a fight that resulted in two men getting stabbed. All four were let off with fines and a disorderly conduct charge.


• Bobby Lutz gets the axe: Despite being the winningest coach in the history of the Charlotte basketball program, a couple of disappointing seasons had Lutz on the hot seat heading into the 2009-2010 season. It seemed as if Lutz had saved his job as the 49ers jumped out to an 18-5 record and seemed a lock for the NCAA Tournament. But after losing six of seven regular season games, getting bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, missing the NCAA's and the NIT, and declining an invitation to the lesser tournaments, Charlotte axed Lutz, who wound up at Iowa State with Fred Hoiberg. The 49ers replaced him with Alan Major.


• While we're on the topic of coaches: Fordham's Dereck Whittenburg was fired just five games into the season, and 28 year old Jared Grasso was given the reins of the program. Grasso did well to keep the Rams playing hard, but after he went just 1-22 in his 23 game tryout, Fordham elected to go with Hofstra's Tom Pecora instead.


• Transfers leaving and coming in: Duquesne lost three transfers this summer, but the name that really matters is third leading scorer Melquan Bolding, who will be headed to Farleigh Dickinson. Xavier, on the other hand, brings in a talent. Monmouth standout Travis Taylor, who averaged 17.8 ppg last season, will be joining the Musketeers in 2011.


• Tu?: While we're on the subject of Xavier, how about Terrell Holloway's name change. Holloway will be that much more important this season, as two members of Xavier's backcourt will miss the season -- Brad Redford tore his acl, while Justin Martin was a partial academic qualifier.
  

What's Next?:

• Can Temple win a tournament game?: The knock on Fran Dunphy since he has been at Temple has been that the Owls have been unable to win a game in the NCAA Tournament. He's 0-3, including last season's beat down at the hands of Cornell. With a team that looks capable of making another run to the NCAA's, will this be the year that Temple breaks through?


• How long until St. Joe's is relevant again?: The Hawks have not mattered nationally since Jameer Nelson and Delonte West graduated. And while Phil Martelli's club looks like they will once again be near the bottom of the conference, they do bring in a fantastic recruiting class. The question now becomes how long does it take for that excellent recruiting class to deliver excellent results on the court.


• How good will the Atlantic 10 be this year?: The isn't as top heavy as last season, as Xavier looks like they only team that will be top 25. But the A-10 is deep and balanced this year. Quite a few of last year's all-league players are back this season, and teams that project to the bottom of the league this year have enough talent to make one wonder if a tournament run is possible. Sure, its unlikely that La Salle or UMass makes a tournament run, but would anyone be all that surprised if either team finished in the top half of the league? What about George Washington or St. Joe's? There is quality basketball being played in this conference.
  

1. Xavier: The Musketeers will once again be a favorite in the A-10, but with Jordan Crawford bolting for the NBA and Jason Love graduating, there are going to be some big holes to fill. The newly-named Tu Holloway returns, and he has developed into one of the best point guards on the east coast. He's a playmaker with a knack for making clutch plays in crunch time. With Crawford gone, expect him to have a big season. X will have a fairly deep back court next season. Mark Lyons, a redshirt sophomore, is a talented kid that could shoulder some of the scoring load left by Crawford, and Dante Jackson has turned into a very solid role player, able to knock down an open three and lock up defensively. With Brad Redford (acl) and Justin Martin (didn't qualify) both out, freshman Jay Canty is going to be counted on quite a bit to provide quality perimeter minutes off the bench. The front court will be more of a question mark. Kenny Frease is a junior that came into Xavier with a lot of hype, but has not exactly lived up to that potential quite yet. Jamel McLean is a big time athlete and rebounder, but neither he nor Frease has proven to be much of an offensive threat. Andrew Taylor, a senior, played some big minutes against Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament, but he has not provided much production in his time with the Musketeers. Beyond that, it will be two freshmen -- Griffin McKenzie and Jordan Latham -- fighting for minutes. Xavier, once again, will be the class of the A-10, and if they get breakout performances from a couple people this year, could very well win, at least, a game in the NCAA Tournament.


2. Temple: The Owls had a fantastic regular season, using a stifling defense to win both the A-10 regular season and tournament title, only to once again flame out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. While Temple loses leading scorer Ryan Brooks, they should still have more than enough weapons to compete for the league title. Junior sharpshooter Juan Fernandez is back and should be expected to have a bump in production has he becomes the centerpiece of Fran Dunphy's perimeter attack. Big man Lavoy Allen, who flirted with the NBA Draft, also returns after averaging a double-double last season. Combine those two with talented junior Ramone Moore, who won the A-10 sixth man of the year award, and the Owls once again have a solid core. Michael Eric, a 6'11" Nigerian junior, has shown some promise and could develop into a nice sidekick for Allen, while sophomore Rahlir Jefferson is a talented swingman that seems to be a nice fit for Dunphy's defensive style. Temple was not all that deep last season, especially towards the end of the year as Craig Williams (who had knee surgery and is out for the first month), Scootie Randall, and TJ DiLeo really saw their minutes shrink. With two starters -- Brooks and Luis Guzman -- that combined for 68 minutes a game gone, Dunphy is going to have to find minutes somewhere, and it seems as if those three, plus incoming freshmen Aaron Brown and Anthony Lee, will be the ones competing for that time. Temple is always going to be competitive with their defensive ability, but there were times when this team struggled to score last season. With Brooks gone, that could become more of an issue. I think Temple will be a tournament team and a contender for the A-10 title, but they need depth, and another scoring option, to develop for that to happen.


3. Dayton: The Flyers had a disappointing finish to what seemed to be such a promising season. With all five starters returning and seven seniors on a roster with quite a bit of talent, most analysts predicted Dayton to win the Atlantic 10. But the Flyers, who ended up finishing seventh in the A-10, could never quite figure out how to execute down the stretch, as all 12 of their losses were by less than eight points. This year, Dayton essentially loses their entire back court as Mickey Perry, London Warren, Rob Lowery, and Marcus Johnson all graduate. Brian Gregory does have some talented perimeter players coming in -- headlined by four-star point guard Juwan Staten and two-guard Brandon Spearman -- but, as is the norm with freshmen, they may not be ready to contribute significantly immediately. Dayton did catch a break when Chris Wright made the decision to withdraw from the NBA Draft. A super athletic combo-forward, Wright was the Flyers leading scorer and rebounder last season, but he didn't quite develop into the star that many believed he would. Chris Johnson, Dayton's second leading scorer and another big wing, also returns, as does Paul Williams, who may sneak into the starting line-up this year. Inside, Kurt Huelsman, who started every game in his Dayton career, graduates, but the rest of the front court is back. Sharpshooting Luke Fabrizius, Devin Searcy, and sophomores Matt Kavanaugh and Josh Benson will likely all see minutes. I expect Searcy and Benson, in particular, to have good years. This Dayton squad lost quite a bit of talent, but they were a deep team the last few years. There is still talent on this roster, and while they may not be the favorite in the league, they will compete for an NCAA Tournament spot.


4. Richmond: While the Spiders lose David Gonzalvez to graduation, the good news is that reigning A-10 player of the year Kevin Anderson returns. A 17.8 ppg scorer last season, Anderson is a lightening quick 6' guard that can get into the paint against just about anyone. Shouldering more of the load this season without Gonzalvez, he could very well become a 20 ppg scorer this season. The question is going to be who steps up in the back court to replace Gonzalvez. The best answer may one of Chris Mooney's two freshmen guards, Cedrick Lindsay and Wayne Sparrow, as junior Frances-Cedric Martel is really the only perimeter returnee. Richmond's achilles heel last season was in the paint, as evidenced by the pounding they took from Omar Samhan in the NCAA Tournament. And, by and large, this will be the same group as last season. Much will be expected of 6'10" Justin Harper, a 6'10" forward with a nice perimeter touch. He averaged 10.6 ppg last season, but with his excellent play down the stretch, he will be counted on to pick up some scoring. Also returning in Dan Geriot, who is already a 1,000 point scorer, but struggled to regain the form of his sophomore year, when he averaged 14 and 7, after tearing his acl and missing the 2008-2009 season. Darius Garrett also returns, a slender 6'9" forward. You know what you are going to get out of Anderson, and if some of his teammates can pick up the slack and make up for the loss of Gonzalvez's production, this is a team that will compete for the league title once again.


5. Charlotte: Charlotte had an interesting season in 2009-2010. With three transfers leading the way, Charlotte got out to an 18-5 start and Bobby Lutz seemingly saved his job. But that didn't last, as the 49ers lost six of their last seven before being bounced by UMass in the first round of the A-10 tournament and decided to end their season after being passed over by both the NCAA and the NIT selection committees. Then Bobby Lutz was fired, and replaced by Alan Major. So what should you expect from the 49ers in 2011? Well, the good news is that they return their top three scorers, including one of the league's best front courts. BC transfer Shamari Spears proved to be a handful for A-10 foes, averaging 16.0 ppg and 5.9 rpg, while Chris Braswell had an excellent freshman campaign, averaging 9.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg. Also back is gunner Derrio Green, who is the epitome of the streak shooter. When he's on, he can go for 25 against anyone. When he's off, he might shoot 0-10. Experienced small forward An'Juan Wilderness also returns, but the x-factor for this team is going to be at the point. DiJuan Harris led the A-10 in assists, and he's gone. Jamar Briscoe, a sophomore transfer from NCCU that averaged 17.8 ppg (but just 2.6 apg) as a freshman, and Luka Voncina, a 6'4" Slovenian point guard, will be the two most likely to compete for the job. Voncina, however, has not yet been cleared by the NCAA. The other issue for Charlotte will be depth. Phil Jones should see some time inside, and Javaris Barnett returns as well, but this is not a deep team, especially with Charles Dewhurst and KJ Sherril battling knee injuries. There's talent on Charlotte. They have size and they will be able to put up points. But learning a new coach and system while dealing with point guard and depth issues is not easy. I think the 49ers will be a borderline tournament team, but I expect them to be too inconsistent -- springing a couple of upsets, losing a couple games they shouldn't -- to be a lock.


6. Rhode Island: While the Rams won 26 games last season, their year peaked in February when they had a record of 19-3 and say at 11th in the RPI. URI would proceed to lose six of their last ten in the regular season and miss the NCAA Tournament with a third straight late season collapse. Things didn't get better in the off-season as Stevie Mejia, one half of their point guard rotation, transferred and both Kyle Cain and Billy Baron, head coach Jim Baron's son, both opted to go to high-major programs. They will also lose two of their three leading scorers, Keith Cothran and Lamont Ulmer, to graduation while freshmen Tashawn Mabry (homesick) and PJ Lockridge (academics) are both off the URI roster. All hope is not completely lost, however. Delroy James has a chance to become a real star at this level as he will likely be the focal point of Baron's offense. Two other starters -- big man Will Martell and point guard Marquis Jones -- will both be back as well. Sophomore guard Akeem Richmond should be ready to slide into the starting lineup for Baron. Junior forward Orion Outerbridge was expected to be a starter, but it was announced in September he will miss the first semester due to academics. Someone out of this group, most likely Richmond, is going to need to become a reliable secondary scoring option, but on paper this is a pretty solid starting five. After that, the question marks pile up. If the three players mentioned above are ineligible, will the combination of Ben Eaves and Jamil Wilson, who broke his foot and is out until December, be enough back court depth? Can sophomores Ryan Brooks and Nikola Malesevic (who played a combined 33 games last season) and freshmen Levan Shengelia and Blake Vedder, a 7'3" project, be contributors at this level? In terms of talent, this team has enough to finish in the top half of the A-10. With a couple of players currently banged up (Martell, Shengelia), it will be interesting to see if URI has enough depth.


7. Duquense: The Dukes had a shot to be really good last season as they returned the majority of their roster from a squad that went 21-13. But they could never quite find any consistency, struggling to a 16-16 finish before being bounced in the first round of the CBI. That potential is still there this season, as Rob Everhart's team brings back the five of their top seven, headlined by Damian Saunders. Saunders is one of the best players in the A-10. A long, 6'7" forward, Saunders averaged 15.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, and led the conference with nearly 3 steals and 3 blocks per game. Also returning will be three talented perimeter scorers in Bill Clark (14 ppg), BJ Monteiro (11 ppg), and Eric Evans (10 ppg), although Evans will miss about eight weeks after fracturing his foot. Also expect sophomore wing Sean Johnson and freshman point guard TJ McConnell to contribute significant minutes in the back court as well. There are two issues for this Duquesne team. The first is depth, which wasn't helped when 6'9" freshman Derrick Martin was deemed a partial qualifier. This was basically a six or seven man team last year, and three of their rotational players -- Melquan Bolding, Morankinyo Williams (both transfers), and Jason Duty (graduated) -- are gone. Everhart did bring in a five-man recruiting class, but we will see if there is anyone that can contribute outside of Martin and McConnell. This Dukes team is especially thin up front, where any injuries or foul trouble to Saunders could really put the Dukes in a bad situation. The other issue is shooting. Duquesne may, legitimately, be the worst shooting team in the country. As a team, they shot just 26.1% from three and 60.4% from the free throw stripe. And their best three point shooter (the only player to shoot above 31%) and free throw shooter was Duty. There is talent on this team, and if they can put it together, this team can make some noise in the A-10. That is a big 'if', however.


8. La Salle: The Explorers were derailed by injuries last season, ruining what was expected to be a good season, but it could be a blessing in disguise for this year. For starters, it means experienced guard Ruben Guillandeaux will be back for another season -- he missed all but four games with a stress fracture. With Rutgers transfer Earl Pettis getting eligible and three talented guard recruits -- Tyreek Duren, Cole Stefan, and Sam Mills -- joining the mix, the Explorers figure to have a deep and talented back court next season which should help replace the loss of guys like Rodney Green and Kimani Barrett. Up front, Aaric Murray returns. Murray was a steal for John Giannini, a 6'10" center with range that was a consensus top 50 recruit. If he can be more of a post presence this season, and less of a spot up shooter, he should improve on his averages of 12.2 ppg and 6.6 rpg. Joining him up front will be Jerrell Williams, who averaged 10.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg, Steven Weingarten, and Devon White. The Explorers could end up being a sleeper in the A-10 if their talented freshmen live up to the hype and Murray develops into more of a true post.


9. St. Louis: The Billikens were a surprise last season, winning 23 games -- 11 in A-10 play -- with a roster comprised of just freshmen and sophomores. With that roster essentially intact next season, anything less than an NCAA Tournament berth is likely going to be considered a disappointment. The problem is that the roster is not intact. The Billiken's two best players -- Kwamain Mitchell and Willie Reed -- are both off the team as a result of an alleged sexual assault. Those losses are devastating the Billiken's chances. Mitchell was far and away the best scorer for St. Louis. There will be some talent left. Kyle Cassity and Christian Salecich will both likely start, while Brian Conklin, Justin Jordan, and Paul Eckerle will also be counted on to play some big minutes. The x-factor for the Billikens will likely be 6'8" Cody Ellis, an Australian that missed the first 12 games waiting for NCAA clearance, but averaged 10.5 ppg and made the A-10 all-freshmen team anyway. Without Mitchell and Reed, Ellis is going to be counted on for a huge portion of the scoring load, as there isn't a lot of scoring left. The front court isn't as deep as their back court, as a couple of freshmen will play big minutes. The Billikens are a tough defensive team, although they struggle at times on the glass -- they will be small even for the A-10. If a couple of scorers develop alongside Ellis, maybe there is a chance for the Billikens to sneak into the top half of the league. But the tournament bid that was possible a few months ago is a pipe dream now.


10. UMass: While Derek Kellogg has had a rough start to his tenure in Amherst, winning just 12 games in each of his first two seasons, the future looks bright for the Minutemen. UMass was a very young team last season -- they started three freshmen and a sophomore -- and while the loss of Ricky Harris will obviously be a blow, this is a team that should be better in 2011. Second leading scorer Anthony Gurley, who was moved to the bench at the end of last season, is a guard that could develop into a big time scorer this season and help offset the loss of Harris. Sophomores Terrell Vinson, an athletic and versatile combo forward, and Freddie Mitchell, a shooter who showed flashes of potential, both should see a bump is shot attempts and production as well. Junior David Gibbs, who started 16 of 21 games at the point before breaking his foot, should be better with another season in the dribble drive offense while 6'10" Oregon State transfer Sean Carter is one of the better rebounders in the league. No matter how you slice it, that is a pretty good starting five in the A-10. With three star freshmen Daryl Traynham and Maxie Esho joining a bench that also includes Javorn Farrell, Sampson Carter, Gary Correjia, and Hashim Bailey, Kellogg will have some pretty solid depth to work with. UMass finished last season strong, beating Rhode Island, Charlotte, and giving Richmond a fight in the A-10 tournament. This team isn't yet ready to compete for the A-10 title, but you shouldn't be surprised if this group finishes somewhere in the middle of the league this year.


11. George Washington: GW loses leading scorer and rebounder Damian Hollis, but the Colonials return 10 of their top 12 players, all of whom averaged at least 10 minutes per game. The key is going to be rising sophomore Lasan Kromah. A 6'5" wing, he is the closest thing Karl Hobbs has to a go-to scorer on his roster. He'll be joined in the back court by point guard Tony Taylor, who is one of those point guards coaches love. He scores a little (9.4), he was third in the conference in assists (4.2), he doesn't turn the ball over, and he can defend. Joining those two in the back court will be Aaron Ware, Bryan Bynes, Tim Johnson, and Travis King along with freshman Dan Guest. Up front, Karl Hobbs will have a lot of size and a lot of bodies at his disposal. There aren't exactly any stars in the front court, but with guys like Joseph Katuka, Dwayne Smith, David Pellom, and Jabari Edwards returning, along with freshmen Daymon Warren and Nemanja Mikic, Hobbs has a lot of options. Once again, this is going to be a deep GW team that will play Hobbs' preferred uptempo pace. After back-to-back 13th place finishes in the A-10, GW made the jump last season and reached the CBI. While much of this year's success will be determined by what kind of player Kromah turns into and whether or not another scorer develops, it is safe to assume that GW will again be a team around .500 on the year.


12. St. Joseph's: On the surface, it looks like the Hawks could be in for another long season. They lose their top two scorers from a team that won just 11 games last year. That said, there is reason to be hopeful thanks to an excellent recruiting class brought in by Phil Martelli. It starts with CJ Aiken, a 6'9", top 100 forward, that should help to boost an interior that was truly overmatched last season. Joining senior Idris Hilliard, who averaged double figures last season, Todd O'Brien, and Carl Baptiste, this gives the Hawks a front line that will, at the very least, be more competitive than last season. In the back court, sophomores Tay Jones and Justin Crogile, who both saw significant minutes as freshmen, are back. With highly regarded recruits like Daryus Quarles, Langston Galloway, and Patrick Swilling joining them, there is quite a bit of potential for the future here. St. Joe's will be young this season, but if there freshmen come in ready to contribute there is an outside shot for this team to make a run at the top half of the league. More likely, however, I think the Hawks finish somewhere below .500, although the future does look promising.


13. St. Bonaventure: The Bonnies have a potential star in 6'9" center Andrew Nicholson. After winning the A-10 rookie of the year award, his sophomore campaign was quite impressive as well, as he finished the year with averages of 16.4 ppg and 7.1 rpg. But with Chris Matthews and Jordan Hall both graduating, the Bonnies have some serious question marks with the rest of their lineup. For starters, is there anyone else that can be an impact player on the interior? Junior Da'Quan Cook has potential, but has been maddeningly unproductive in his first two seasons. Marquise Simmons, Brett Roseboro, and Jake Houseknecht haven't proven to be reliable enough to contribute significant minutes. The other question is in the back court, where the Bonnies are going to need someone to step up and become a scorer. The best option may be Michael Davenport, a 6'4" junior that showed some flashes as a sophomore, averaging 8.4 ppg. Juniors Ogo Adegboye, who has reportedly looked impressive this summer playing for Great Britain, and Malcolm Eleby will likely battle for the starting point guard spot. Sophomore Demitrius Conger showed some potential as well, and two freshmen -- Sam deHaas and Matthew Wright -- could also see some time. Keep in mind, this St. Bonaventure team may also have to deal with some suspensions from the fight this summer. Nicholson should be enough to get this club some wins, but I expect much of the same from the Bonnies this year -- thorough mediocrity.


14. Fordham: The Rams were dismal last season, finishing the year just 2-26 and without a win in A-10 play. There were two bright spots, however. Chris Gaston proved to be a serious threat, averaging 18.0 ppg and 11.4 rpg and winning the A-10's player of the year award, while Brenton Butler returned from a knee injury to averaged 16.5 ppg. Both of them return, as does third-leading scorer Alberto Estwick. Gone, however, is Jio Fontan, the Rams star point guard who transferred to USC midway through the year. Also gone is Lance Brown, who started a majority of Fordham's games. The good news is that Fordham did have a number of young guys contribute last season, and with a solid recruiting class coming in, there's hope for the future for new head coach Tom Pecora. But its difficult to think Fordham will be all that much improved next season.

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John Pelphrey's decision to take on BJ Young could be a risky one

I was all set to wax poetic about John Pelphrey's recruiting job over the weekend.

Pelphrey was able to land a commitment from talented 6'3" guard BJ Young, who sits at 25th on our consensus recruiting rankings list. Young is a big time scorer who excels when he has the ball in his hands and is able to slash to the rim. While his range must improve, he has a decent mid-range game. He's a scorer, but there is potential for him to be able to play the point.

BJ Young, a top 25 recruit with some baggage, has committed to Arkansas.
(photo credit: Louisville C-J)

Reading this, my mind started to race. When Young gets to Arkansas, he will be joining a team that already has Rotnei Clarke and Marshon Powell. If Pelphrey can manage to get two years with that core of players, along with anyone else he is able to recruit in that period of time, its impossible to say that things aren't looking up for the Arkansas program.

Then I saw this in Jeff Borzello's article at NBEBasketball:

He had zero offers prior to the spring, and has only played a half-season of high school basketball due to a transfer and academic troubles.

So I spent some time on google, and found this from Dave Telep:

Young hasn't played much high school basketball. Because of transfers and academics, he’s missed a good portion of his high school career.

I don't know BJ Young. I don't know all that much about him. Seeing as he made a meteoric rise since the spring, I'm probably not alone in that regard.

What I do know is that the Arkansas program has been in the news more for off-the-court issues than for on-the-court performance. The last few years, they have been plagued by suspensions -- academic and behavioral, highlighted by a rape allegation last summer and an accusation of academic scandal.

Like I said, I don't claim to know anything about Young. I'm not saying that he is a bad kid or that he is dumb or that he will cause trouble when he gets to Arkansas. But Young, clearly, is a risky pick up. Just look at what Will Barton went through this summer to be cleared at Memphis. Or what Josh Selby is currently going through. Or what Mike Anderson is going through, knowing he won't have Tony Mitchell this season.

Hopefully, knowing that he has a chance to get a free education will be a wake-up call for Young. We all make bad decisions when we are younger, and based on some of the quotes I have seen (When asked by Telep why he committed so early, Young said "I'm ready to focus on school and taking more visits would have hurt (my academics).") it appears as if Young is ready to buckle down and get himself eligible.

He has a year. A lot can be done in a year.

Pelphrey has worked hard to get his program's academics up to par. Their four-year APR rating was 888 after the 2009 season, but he got a bump to 933 (above the required 925) after 2010.

I'm not saying that Pelphrey shouldn't have gotten a commitment from Young. If he didn't, someone else would have; Young is a talented kid. But the risks involved, especially for a program that has had the off-the-court issues that Arkansas has had lately, needs to be noted.

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Tuesday Morning Dump

Here's to hoping everyone had a relaxing weekend off. We here at BIAH headquarters certainly did. Let's get back to college hoops now, shall we?

- Your must read pf the day comes from Ray Holloman over at Fanhouse. Holloman went through and picked his all-american team of players that were regarded as less-than three-star recruits. There is some serious talent in this group.

- It seems as if Louisville's weekend with a star-studded crop of recruits went well. Chane Behanan, a Kentucky native and top 40 recruit, will be announcing today at 11 am ET, while Duece Bello told Jody Demling that he will take his time to make a decision.

- Awesome blog post from Ronald Nored of Butler on his experience during Butler's run to the title game. While the entire post is a great read, there are two anecdotes in there that are hilarious -- how he narrowly avoided being hit by a train and his time spent stuck in an elevator.

- Korie Lucious caught a break -- over the weekend, he was able to plead out to reckless driving after getting pulled over and charged with a DUI. He's only 20.

- Kyle Singler had arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Apparently, it was minor and he will be ready for the season to start.

- The big news of the day seems to be that UConn will, finally, be responding to the NCAA's notice of allegations regarding the recruitment of Nate Miles and his association with former UConn manager-turned-agent Matt Nochimson. The date has already been pushed back twice.

- Video from the roast of Bob Huggins. Its ok, but by far the funniest moment is at the 1:40 mark, when Ron Everhart falls heading up to the stage. 50% chance it was intentional...

- While we're on the topic of UConn recruiting, they have added German recruit Niels Giffey to the roster for this season, and hosted Tyler Harris on a visit. Hopefully, all was done without the help of an agent or illegal phone calls.

- Speaking of investigations, the findings of the investigation into Eric Bledsoe's academics is expected to be announced this week.

- It seems as if Florida's Kenny Boynton will be opting to play more as a scorer than as a point guard this season. That's probably the correct decision for Boynton, who spent last season trying to prove he was more than just a guard that could put up points. Boynton is a talent, and with a lack of back court depth this season, Billy Donovan is going to need him at his best.

- We linked this up Friday, but there will be no divisions for Big Ten basketball. Coaches are happy about it. Me too.

- So, did you ever wonder if Gary Parrish has taken a leak in public? Find your answer here.

- It seems early reports were wrong, and top point guard recruit Quinn Cook did not actually tear his acl.

Interview with Brandon Knight:

Brandon Knight - Kentucky's Hero from The Hoop Doctors on Vimeo.

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Kelly Olynyk's coming out party

Canada is not known nationally as a basketball powerhouse. While US colleges are beginning to mine some of the younger talent of our neighbors to the north -- Cory Joseph, Tristan Thompson, and Myck Kabongo are all headed to Texas, while guys like Andy Rautins and Kris Joseph made their names on national stage last year -- that success didn't translate at the World Basketball Championships.

Canada was eliminated, after losing all five games in Group play.

There were some positive signs to take out of the trip, however, particularly if you are a Gonzaga fan.

The Zags are losing an all-american guard in Matt Bouldin this season. Despite that loss, many believe that Gonzaga will, once again, but a top 25 team nationally and the class of the WCC. The biggest reason for that is Few's front line.

By now, everyone in college basketball should know the name Elias Harris. He's an super-athletic 6'8" power forward from Germany with post moves and a perimeter game. A rising sophomore, Harris seems destined to be Gonzaga's next NBA Draft early entry. He is already drawing comparisons to guys like Josh Howard, and I don't think anyone will be surprised to see him go in the first round when he finally does turn pro.

And then there is Robert Sacre, who played on the Canadian national team at the WBC. A seven foot behemoth, Sacre was a double digit scorer and a legitimate post threat last season. While he started for Gonzaga, he hasn't been the most impressive Zag this offseason.

That award would go to Kelly Olynyk, the 6'11" rising sophomore who had a bit of a coming out party this past week. After barely playing in Canada's first two WBC contests, Olynyk became a key piece over the last three, averaging 11 ppg and 3.7 rpg in just over 20 minutes per game. He went for 13 against France and had 14 against Spain in the final game.

Now, I don't really care all that much about the WBC. What we should all take out of this, however, is that Olynyk, who plays behind Sacre at Gonzaga, got significantly more minutes and was significantly more effective that Sacre on this Canadian team. If Olynyk can transfer that success back to the Pacific Northwest, Gonzaga will have arguably the best front line on the West Coast, and one of the better front courts in the country.

With Demetri Goodson, Steven Gray, and Mangisto Arop also returning, Gonzaga looks like they are going to just keep on winning.

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Wild Bill Sproat, even when near death, is a Utah State diehard

We got some bad news over the summer as everyone's favorite Superfan, Utah State's Wild Bill Sproat, who has spent the last few months in the hospital with an enlarged heart.

In this blog post, Wild Bill take you through his ordeal. Some of it is pretty scary (He had a blood clot in each ventricle and in his lungs? Yeesh...) while some of it is downright hilarious.

After a long week under heavy sedation in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, I was removed from life support and was able to see my family. I don’t remember a thing from that week but have been told about my crazy antics. Turns out, I know sign language (and I’m not talking about the middle finger). I guess I was using sign language to communicate with people and one doctor though I might be deaf … who knew I could sign?

If that's true, that is incredibly funny.

This little diddy, while terrifying on one hand, shows why Sproat is the definition of a Superfan:

The Wednesday after I was released from ICU I was on my regular floor talking with my sister and a friend when I noticed my vision was going out, I asked my sister to get the nurse then I passed out. My heart stopped and I had no pulse for seven minutes. After a few minutes of CPR, right before they were about to hit me with the defibrillator I woke up and the first thing out of my mouth was, "there better not be any BYU fans in here, if so I think I'd rather die!" That gave the doctors and nurses a little shock. I really don't hate BYU I just don't think they should be allowed to breathe the same air as the rest of us.

Get better soon, Wild Bill. We are looking forward to some new costumes.



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Mike Brey, wearing a kilt for charity

I'm all for supporting charity, and apparently so is Mike Brey.

Notre Dame's head coach has joined up with the Ronald McDonald House to participate in a fundraising effort that will allow the family of a critically ill child to stay over night at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. Brey is one of 12 men to join a competition called "Men in Kilts".


This is how it works: A vote costs $50, and you pick which man you think wears the kilt the best. Simple, right? Brey needs all the help he can get right now, as he currently has just 13 votes, 108 behind the leader.

The best part?

If he wins, he will coach the first half of Notre Dame's first exhibition game in a kilt. So open your checkbooks, ladies and gents. Its for a good cause, and we will certainly all get a laugh from it.

As Brey said, "After 10 years in mock turtlenecks, I am excited to change my look and participate in the first 'Men in Kilts' event."



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Friday Morning Dump

- Usually, going from a BCS school to a mid-major can be seen as a demotion or down-grade. But as Andy Katz explains, Greg McDermott's move from Iowa State to Creighton is anything but that. In fact, I'd argue that Creighton is a better job than Iowa State.

- Interesting read here from CNN on Arsalan Kazemi, a 6'7" Iranian forward from Rice University, on what it is like being an Iranian basketball player in the United States.

- UConn got another extension for their deadline to respond to the NCAA's Committee on Infractions. They now have until September 7th, also known as Tuesday. UConn signs 19-year-old German swingman Niels Giffy. UConn has a solid incoming class, including Giffy, Shabazz Napier, Jeremy Lamb and Roscoe Smith.

- Yesterday we told you about Rush The Court's ingenious Big Four State Tournament idea. Today they provided us with the final match-ups of the first round. The tournament is such a big hit that other blogs are breaking down the "action"

- Will UNC's basketball program be investigated since the football program was found to be committing numerous NCAA violations? Roy Williams says no: "I would like to say I'm 100 percent certain, but making statements like that just comes back to bite you," Williams told Sporting News. "From every conversation we've had, I don't think we've been involved at all."

- As a die-hard Hoya fan, I don't mind seeing this at all. But as a realistic hoops brainiac I just don't think this is going to happen. But please, oh please, let me be wrong.

- Forgot to mention this yesterday -- the Big Ten's football divisions were announced, but there will be no divisions for basketball with Nebraska joining the league.

- Austin Rivers will be visiting Kansas.

- Speaking of Georgetown, they offered a scholarship to Ryan Arcidiacano, the 45th-ranked player in the class of 2012

- Da'Sean Butler tried his hand at writing children's stories. He failed. Miserably.

- Drexel is moving on.

- A preview of the top shooting guards for the 2010-2011 season. Atop the list are Colorado's Alec Burks, tOSU's William Buford, Georgia's dunk-machine Travis Leslie, and Texas' Jordan Hamilton, just to name a few.

- Hofstra lands Rhode Island transfer Stevie Mejia. The 5-foot-9 point guard was a former Massachusetts player of the year, and will have to sit out the season before finishing up his last two years of eligibility.

Marquette's basketball team is providing an all-access pass for a "Hard Knocks" style reality show.



Renaldo Wooldridge, aka Swiperboy, put out another song:



Marquis Teague is going to be good:



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Derek Kellogg is cleaning up the SEC's mess

Derek Kellogg has not had the best start to his head coaching career.

In 2008-2009, his Minutemen struggled through a 12-18 season, although they did knock off then-defending champion Kansas. Last season wasn't much better, as UMass finished just 12-20. And while UMass brings back the majority of their rotation, they will be conspicuously without Ricky Harris, who was just seven points shy of averaging 20 ppg on the season.

But the good people of Amherst do have something to look forward too. Kellogg is proving to be a serious recruiter. His 2009 class was impressive, as top 100 recruit Terrell Vinson headlined a five-man class where each player received at least a three-star rating by Rivals (Vinson was a four-star).

Derek Kellogg has been doing a great job on the recruiting trail.
(photo credit: NCAABBS)

This season, Kellogg brings in three more three-star recruits, with 5'8" spark plug Daryl Traynham, who cracked the Rivals top 150 list, leading the way.

With second leading scorer Anthony Gurley also coming back, UMass has talent on their roster this season. I doubt I'm the only one that thinks this team could be a sleeper in the Atlantic 10 this season.

But wait.

There's more.

Cady Lalanne is an 6'7" forward that showed enough potential to draw interest from a number of major college programs before committing to Georgia last October. But Lalanne couldn't get academically eligible at Georgia, and as the SEC does not allow Prop-48 players (Prop-48 requires incoming student-athletes to reach certain academic standards, and if they aren't met, the athlete can become eligible if they have a 2.0 GPA after their freshman year), Lalanne needed to find a different school.

Along came Kellogg, who scooped up Lalanne two weeks ago.

But wait.

There's more.

Luke Cothron has as much potential as just about any power forward in the class of 2010. He's big, he's athletic, and he has the skills to be a face up forward. But he also has attitude and effort problems, and after bouncing around during high school, Cothron committed to, then de-committed from, NC State before signing with Auburn. But like Lalanne, Cothron was not cleared academically. And like Lalanne, Cothron is expected to go from the SEC to UMass.

Now, neither Cothron or Lalanne (Cothron and Lalanne ... has a nice ring to it, no?) will be eligible until 2011. And there's something to be said about the potential of a recruit that is unable to get eligible in college -- especially one with the red flags of a kid like Cothron. But talent is talent. Kellogg is a protoge of John Calipari, who has seemingly perfected the art of coaching questionable characters with talent.

With a roster that will lose just one significant piece this year (Gurley), and a full year for Kellogg to bring in another recruit of two, the future looks bright for the Minutemen.

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Arizona State catches a break, gets Rihard Kuksiks back

Herb Sendek caught a huge break on Thursday as Rihards Kuksiks decided to return to Tempe for his senior season.

Kuksiks was the Sun Devils leading scorer last season, but there were concerns that the 6'6" Latvian sharpshooter would opt to play professionally in Europe instead of returning to school. He spent much of August in Europe competing for Latvia in the 2011 European Championships, which increased the speculation that he wasn't coming back.

Rihard Kuksiks has decided to return to Arizona State.
(photo credit: AZStarnet)

If Kuksiks had departed, it wouldn't have been a shock. Leaving college to, essentially, play in basketball's minor leagues abroad is slowly becoming a fad. Last summer, Nick Calathes, Terrence Oglesby, and David Huertas all left school for an overseas contract. This year, Manhattan's Rico Pickett and UC-Riverside's Kyle Austin have both headed abroad, while reports have Michael Dunigan going to Israel. Greedy Peterson is headed to Greece, but he was kicked out of school.

But Kuksiks is coming back, which means that Arizona State will have their best shooter. Kuksiks will help to keep the floor spread for slashers like Ty Abbott and Trent Lockett.

Arizona State has a really good group of player on their perimeter. There is scoring, there are shooters, there are athletes. When this club gets hot, they are going to be tough to beat.

When I wrote my Pac-10 preview a week ago, I did it under the impression that Kuksiks was gone. I picked Arizona State sixth. Now, that looks like it is too low.

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Tony Mitchell ineligible the first semester

Missouri got some bad news today as their star recruit, 6'8" forward Tony Mitchell, was ruled ineligible for the fall semester. If you remember, Mitchell was the player involved in the academic scandal at Dallas' Pinkston High. He was not allowed to graduate once the circumstances around the way he earned eligibility there as a senior, and his 52 absences in one school year, came to light.

According to a Jeff Goodman source, Mitchell isn't permanently ineligible for this season. But the NCAA isn't through reviewing his case yet and the deadline to enroll in classes at Mizzou came and went on Monday.


This is a big blow to the Tigers, but keep in mind this team does return four of their top five scorers, including leading scorer Kim English. And even with Mitchell, it was doubtful the Tigers would have made a run at the Big XII title.

The best case scenario for Mitchell is that he takes cares of his academic requirements while he sits out the first semester, getting himself eligible come December.

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Thursday Morning Dump

- Rutgers is really making a splash on the recruiting trail this summer. Mike Rice has already brought in two four-star recruits in Malick Kone and Kadeem Jack, along with Derrick Randall, who is top 150 according to Rivals, and yesterday he landed a commitment from another four star recruit in Myles Mack. The kids are class of 2011, and recruiting classes don't make a program relevant, but this sure is a good way for the Scarlett Knights to start rebuilding. Or, well, building.

- Rush The Court has a fantastic series they are doing called the Big Four State Tournament. They really raised the bar with this one. Fantastic stuff.

- Dave Bliss, The former Baylor coach who tried to cover up a team murder by accusing a player of selling drugs, is opening up to the public about the 2003 ordeal.

- Gregg Doyel is a surly writer for CBSSports.com known to speak his mind. His comments here about Bruce Weber -- he blames Weber for the whole Anthony Davis soap opera from last month -- are pretty inflammatory.

- Jeff Goodman informs us on the scary-good roster assembled at South Kent Prep (CT).

- Goodman also tells us why the NCAA chose the wrong guy to lead the NCAA basketball focus group.

- Quinn Cook, a top 30 recruit in 2011, is out three months with his partially torn acl.

- Another Big Ten expansion-related post, but this one features statistics and a map. Everybody loves maps.

- Mikael Hopkins will announce his college selection on November 1st.

- Cody Zeller has scheduled the dates for his official visits. He will visit Butler first (10/9 - 10/11) then North Carolina (10/15 - 10/17), followed by Indiana (10/29-10/31). Methinks the Indiana Haloween party is gonna be off the chain.

- The all-time leading scorer in Western Michigan history, David Kool, will join the Broncos as undergraduate assistant coach.

Jim Boeheim was on one of my favorite shows, Man vs. Food. In another life, that would be my dream job. Getting paid to stuff your face? Yes please.



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Reactions to BYU's move to the WCC

By now, you're heard about it. BYU has left the MWC. They are headed to the WCC. Gonzaga now has competition. The league has a better overall profile. Their ESPN becomes that much sweeter.

We posted our thoughts on Tuesday. Here's what everyone else is saying:


Mike DeCourcy, The Sporting News: Gonzaga has managed to supersede the league's middling RPI ranking to earn solid NCAA Tournament seeds in recent years but always has fought the perception that it is treading water or retreating during the conference schedule. The Zags even established a series with Memphis of Conference USA that is positioned within each team's conference season so they both face a high-level challenge on the way to Selection Sunday. Now, the Zags will have two big-time games against the Cougars, who've averaged among the top 20 Division I teams in attendance for three consecutive seasons and have reached the NCAAs four years in a row.


Andy Katz, ESPN.com: Adding BYU is a major coup for the WCC, which is expanding to nine teams and adding a new member for the first time in 30 years, when it added San Diego and Gonzaga. The WCC will increase its 14-game men's basketball schedule to a true round-robin 16-game schedule for the 2011-12 season. The WCC will have to move the dates of its conference tournament, at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, since the semifinals have traditionally been held on Sunday and the final on Monday. BYU is not allowed to play on Sundays. The WCC now has a major presence in Spokane, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco-Oakland; Los Angeles; and Salt Lake City. "This transforms the league with one move," said one source with knowledge of the situation.


Gary Parrish, CBSSports: Think about it: The Zags have won 10 consecutive conference championships, but folks discount the titles each year because they're mostly examples of what happens when one school overwhelms its league brethren in funding, facilities and commitment in general. When Gonzaga wins, we yawn. When Gonzaga loses, we rip. And though nobody would ever argue it's a bad setup (because it's actually a tremendous setup, which is among the reasons Few has passed on several job opportunities in recent offseasons), it must be frustrating to feel as if you must apologize for loading the trophy case year after year. Come next year, those days are over. The Zags might not win every WCC title over the next decade, but each time they add one you'll now be required to take it seriously. The addition of BYU (for the 2011-12 season) gives the league a second marquee program that operates at a high level, and it will give Gonzaga at least two and possibly three additional games each year against a school that's made the past four NCAA tournaments. That's the upside Few believes outweighs any potential negatives.


Jeff Eisenberg, The Dagger: The lingering question facing the league's other programs is whether BYU's arrival will help the rest of the WCC bridge the gap with Gonzaga or further widen the gap between the haves and have-nots. Saint Mary's made a surprise run to the Sweet 16 last season and San Diego and Portland have enjoyed successful spurts, but no team has consistently matched Gonzaga's success during the past decade.


Eamonn Brennan, ESPN.com: But what we're interested in is college basketball. To that end, it's difficult to say whether this is a wholly positive step for BYU hoops. But it's also hard to see it as a negative. Sure, the WCC is filled with teams whose arenas don't come close to the Mountain West's average hoops home, and BYU is going to be playing in front of high school-esque crowds for much of its regular season. Can BYU put together a schedule tough enough to keep it among the nation's elite? Can it dominate the conference enough to be consistently considered one of the best mid-majors in the country? (And now that it's in the WCC, is BYU actually, like, a real mid-major?)


Matt Norlander, CHJ: From a basketball perspective and what it does to the Cougs' strength of schedule, it's a demotion, no question. The Mountain West has produced multiple legitimate tournament-caliber teams over the past half-decade, while the West Coast Conference has occasionally given us an inconsistent second fiddle to Gonzaga but not much more. Top to bottom, the MWC is/was a better basketball league. Now, if Portland and St. Mary's can continue to ascend, the gap is not so grand. That remains to be seen. As of now, the Cougars will not be facing teams that can equate to UNLV, San Diego State, New Mexico and Utah on a year-in, year-out basis.


Jon Wilner, Mercury News: What’s next for the WCC? Will it expand to become a 10 team league … and find a travel partner for BYU? You don’t expand just to expand — the right fit has to be available. Is Seattle, Pacific or Denver, the right fit? The WCC has been exploring its expansion options for more than a year and didn’t see reason to invite any of those teams, so why jump now? Remember, every team you add means two more conference games, which means two fewer non-conference games. That’s OK if the additions are two conference dates with BYU, because that helps your RPI. But you don’t want to add two conference games against a RPI 150+ team and thereby lose the opportunity to play two non-conference games against, say, RPI 50-100 teams.

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The Only Conference Preview You Need To Read: The MWC

Summer officially ends on September 22nd, but for me, the end of summer always coincided with the end of August. Or when I had to go to school. (That first day was always the worst, wasn't it?) Anyway, school is right around the corner, which means that college basketball season is around the corner, down the street, through two lights, and on the left. Since we've all had a fight with our GPS at one time or another, we at BIAH will take this week to roll out our way-too-early, all-encompassing conference previews.

To browse through the other conferences, click here.


Pre-season Awards

Player of the Year: Jimmer Fredette, BYU

This one isn't even all that close. Fredette averaged 22.1 ppg and 4.7 apg last season while shooting 44% from three and 89.6% from the line. He is a big time scorer with out-the-gym range. Fredette has a tremendous handle, and is a crafty finisher in and around the rim. What Dave Rose likes to do with this team is, essentially, spread the floor and allow Jimmer to operate. He can get into the paint, and if the defense collapses on him, he can kick out to the open shooters. If there is a knock on Fredette, its his defensive ability and his toughness. Fredette missed time -- a couple of games, a second half during conference season -- due to a couple of different illnesses. Regardless, this is an extremely talented kid that will put up impressive numbers for a team that competes for the conference title. He's a potential first-team all-american, which don't come around the MWC all that often.


And a close second goes to: Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State

Leonard is a specimen. He's a 6'7" athlete with long arms and he knows how to use those tools. He's really aggressive going to the glass, which sets the tone for the rest of his SDSU teammates, and is a terror when he gets out in transition. What sets Leonard apart from other big men in the MWC is that he plays, and projects at the next level, as more of a perimeter player, a Gerald Wallace kind of guy. Last season, most of his production came as a result of his tools -- offensive rebounds, transition buckets, getting into the lane and elevating over defenders for a short jumper. Most players make their biggest jump between their freshman and sophomore years, and I expect Leonard to make that jump if he has improved his offensive repertoire. A better jumpshot, more fluid offensive moves, and an improved back-to-the-basket game (he plays the three quite a bit for this team) would make him arguably the best player on the west coast and a much more ideal NBA prospect.

Breakout Star: Dairese Gary, New Mexico

Last year, all anyone talked about for New Mexico was Darington Hobson's talent and the big shots hit by Roman Martinez. But flying under that radar was Gary. Gary reminds me a bit of Chauncey Billups. He is a strong, athletic point guard that plays with great control. He can get to the rim and is excellent at drawing fouls and getting to the line, but he's not overly aggressive. He can knock down threes, but he doesn't force too many. And most importantly, he makes big shots and shows up for big games. He averaged 20 in the Lobo's last seven games, and put 25 and 23 on BYU in the Lobo's two wins. Steve Alford is going to need Gary to step up before Drew Gordon gets eligible, and even when Gordon is on the court. New Mexico doesnt have a ton of playmakers this season, so expect big numbers, and a number of big shots, out of Gary this season. (Ed. Note: We are aware Gary was a first team all-conference player, but how many people outside of New Mexico -- and apparently BYU -- knew, or knows, who this kid is?)


All-Conference First Team

• POY - Jimmer Fredette, BYU, Sr.
  
• G - Dairese Gary, New Mexico, Sr.
• G - Tre'Von Willis, UNLV, Sr./Ronnie Moss, TCU, Jr.
• G - Jackson Emery, BYU, Sr.
  
• F - Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State, So.
• F - Drew Gordon, New Mexico, Jr.

All-Conference Second Team

• G - Oscar Bellfield, UNLV, Jr.
  
• G - Chace Stanback, UNLV, Jr.
• G - Afan Muojeke, Wyoming, Jr.
  
• F - Andy Ogide, Colorado State, Jr.
• F - Malcolm Thomas, San Diego State, Sr.
  

Freshman of the Year: Alex Kirk, New Mexico

Kirk was a bit of a steal for Steve Alford. A ranked recruit (he is in or around the top 100 on most of the major recruiting sites) that was pursued by a number of big time programs, Kirk is a 6'10" forward with excellent range on his jump shot. He's solid when operating in and around the paint, and looks to be a decent defender as well, but it is his jump shot that makes him so valuable to New Mexico. Alford likes to run an offensive with a spread floor, and with a post talent like Drew Gordon joining the fray in December, keeping space in the paint would be ideal. Kirk is an excellent shooter out beyond the three-point line, which means that not only will pick-and-pops with Dairese Gary be a weapon in Alford's arsenal, Kirk will force a defender to stay close to him. Expect Kirk to see a lot of important minutes this season.

All-Freshman Team

• G - Kendall Williams, New Mexico
  
• G - Kyle Collinsworth, BYU
• G - Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State
• F - Karam Mashour, UNLV
  
• F - Chad Calcaterra, Colorado State
  

What Happened?:

• The MWC blew up, in the bad way: 2010-2011 will be the last season of the MWC as we know it. As of 2011, Boise State, Fresno State, and Nevada will be joining the league from the WAC, while BYU is headed to the WCC (for basketball) and Utah will become a member of the Pac-10. Egads, it was complicated. The MWC went from arguably the best league outside of the Big Six to close to collapse to barely surviving. The question now: what happens next?
  


• Tre'Von Willis got slap happy: Willis was arrested over the summer for allegedly beating up his girlfriend. Willis received a one game suspension after pleading out to a lesser charge.


• BYU's back court depleted: The Cougars were going to have one of the best back courts in the country this season. Then Michael Loyd Jr., the dynamic back-up guard that exploded onto the national scene with big performances when Jimmer Fredette was sick and a 26 point performance in BYU's first round tournament win over Florida, was told to pack his bags. Tyler Haws was told to pack his bags as well, expect Haws is headed to the Phillipines to complete his LDS mission. Oh well. Fredette and Jackson Emery is still pretty solid.


• SDSU scheduling woes: The Aztecs will likely be the MWC favorite in the majority of the preseason polls. Why can't they put together a legitimate non-conference schedule?


• Transfers galore: Right now, the MWC is the go-to conference for major conference transfers looking for a new start. UNLV has Chace Stanback and Mike Moser (UCLA), Derrick Jasper (Kentucky), Quintrell Thomas (Kansas), Tre'Von Willis (Memphis), and Tyler Norman (Iowa State). Colorado State has Andy Ogide (Ole Miss) and Wes Eikmeier. Wyoming brought in Djibril Thiam from Baylor and Leonard Washington from USC. Hank Thorns is headed to TCU from Virginia Tech. San Diego State has Xavier Thames (Washington State) and Brian Carlwell (Illinois). New Mexico was the most active this offseason, bringing Drew Gordon (UCLA), Emmanuel Negedu (Tennessee), and Demetrius Walker (Arizona State). Yes, that Demetrius Walker.
  
  The most interesting story? Either Brian Carlwell, Emmanuel Negedu, or Demetrius Walker, although Leonard Washington did this.


• Will Brown's letter: This was just weird.
  

What's Next?:

• A memorable ending to the MWC: As we mentioned earlier, this will be the final season that the MWC looks like the MWC we in the college basketball world have grown to love. Can these clubs send the league out in fashion? Last season, four teams made the NCAA Tournament. This season, those same four look to be capable of making another tournament run. Wouldn't that be something? Breaking up a league that sent four teams to the tournament in back-to-back seasons? Breaking up what is probably the best conference out west?
  


• A battle up top: I think San Diego State is the best team in the conference. But BYU has the best player, and New Mexico looks like they will once again be a force to be reckoned with, especially with Gordon gets eligible in December. All three of those teams have a very real shot at winning the conference title. What if Tre'Von Willis is allowed to participate this season? There could very well be a four-way battle in the final week of the season for the MWC title. That would be fantastic.


• Another battle up top: Jimmer Fredette seems like the safe bet for preseason player of the year, but its not a sure thing. Kawhi Leonard is a beast. Dairese Gary is one of the most underrated guards in the country. Drew Gordon should have a big season. Tre'Von Willis? Ronnie Moss? Afam Moujeke? There are soe very good hoopers in this league.
  

1. San Diego State: SDSU has an absolutely loaded front line, one that is good enough to be considered among the best in the country. It starts with sophomore Kawhi Leonard, who is one of the country's best kept secrets. A 6'7" power forward, Leonard is already one of the best rebounders in the league thanks in large part to his great wingspan and athleticism. He has the tools to be a combo-forward, and as his offensive repertoire develops, he will only get better. Joining Leonard up front are seniors Billy White and Malcolm Thomas, both of whom averaged double figures last season, and Brian Carlwell, a 6'11" center. With that group, the Aztecs are once again going to be a team that goes hard to the offensive glass (8th in the country in OREB% last season). The back court was where SDSU had a bit of an issue last season, as they didn't have a ton of shooting threats. Their best back court player is DJ Gay, a 6' point guard that will be counted on as Steve Fisher's primary ball handler and creator. He did average 10 ppg and 3 apg, but a bump in his ability as a creator would help improve SDSU's efficiency on their first shot. Chase Tapley does return as well, and with the addition of freshman Jamaal Franklin and Washington State transfer Xavier Thames, Fisher will have more options in his back court this year. SDSU will be the popular pick as MWC favorite.


2. BYU: The good news is that the Cougars will bring back Jimmer Fredette, their dynamic point guard that had declared for the draft back in April. Fredette may very well be the most exciting player in the country. He's not overly quick or athletic, but he is a lights out shooter off the catch or the dribble with range for days, he has ankle-breaking handle, and he has a crafty game in and around the paint. The bad news is that BYU loses quite a bit outside of Fredette. Jonathon Tavernari and Chris Miles graduated, the talented but enigmatic Michael Loyd Jr. got the boot, and Tyler Haws will be taking two years off for his Mormon mission. The Cougars do get Jackson Emery, who may actually be a better shooter than Fredette, back for his senior season to join Fredette on the perimeter. Junior Charles Abouo also returns, but the key may be the development of freshmen Kyle Collinsworth and Anson Winder, who were both fairly highly regarded high schoolers. Up front, Noah Hartsock and Brandon Davies will both return, as does 6'10" junior James Anderson, who has played limited to this point in his Cougar career. Chris Collinsworth, a 6'9" sophomore (and Kyle's older brother) that just got back from his two-year mission, will also be back. No one on the Cougar front line has much scoring prowess, but there are some big, physical bodies that will be able to bang on the block with just about anyone. Fredette alone is enough to make BYU a contender in the MWC, but the issue is going to be replacing the pieces they lost. Haws and Tavernari, who played some power forward for the Cougars, were good enough shooters to spread the floor and let Fredette have space to operate. Loyd was a dynamic scorer that was able to complement Fredette and provide Rose with playmaker insurance if Fredette got hurt or tired. The Cougars will be in the mix all season long, but I'm not convinced that this team will be as good as they were last year.


3. New Mexico: The Lobos, who had a disappointing end to a 30 win season last year, lose MWC player of the year Darington Hobson and sharpshooting Roman Martinez. In their stead comes Emmanuel Negedu and Drew Gordon, both of whom were top 25 recruits in 2008. Negedu's plight has been well documented, but he is a strong, athletic forward that will help New Mexico on the glass and in the paint defensively. Gordon will likely be better. A 6'9" power forward that averaged double figures at UCLA will have spent a full year developing his game by the time he gets eligible in December. Gordon also underwent knee surgery this offseason, but he should be ready to go before he is eligible to suit up. Its difficult to imagine that Gordon won't be a dominating force in the MWC. AJ Hardeman, a 6'8" forward that played significant minutes last year, is also back. Freshman Alex Kirk, a 6'10" forward that reminds some people of Wisconsin's Keaton Nankivil, could be the x-factor along the front line, as his shooting touch can spread the floor will make him a nice complement to Drew Gordon inside.. With this strength in their front court -- particularly Gordon -- don't be surprised if New Mexico looks to get the ball inside more often this season. The Lobos return their starting back court. Dairese Gary is a strong, athletic point guard who loves to have the ball in his hands late and reminds me a little bit of Chauncey Billups. He was a 1st team all MWC performer, and played his best basketball down the stretch. Long range threat Phillip McDonald returns as well. The issue for this New Mexico team will be developing depth. Will Brown and Nate Garth are no longer on Steve Alford's roster, which means that seldom used returners like Chad Adams, Jamal Fenton, and Curtis Dennis, along with Alford's four incoming freshmen, are going to be fighting for minutes. The Lobos have talent at the top of their roster, and as long as Alford can develop some depth, this team will be in the mix for the MWC title when Drew Gordon gets eligible.


4. UNLV: UNLV's season was seemingly in jeopardy over the summer when Tre'Von Willis was accused of assaulting and choking a woman at an off-campus apartment. But last month, Willis plead out to reduced charges and got handed a one (non-exhibition) game suspension, meaning that UNLV's leading scorer -- and the most dangerous offensive weapon in the MWC not named Jimmer -- will play for Lon Kruger this season. Willis was far and away the best scorer on the UNLV roster last season, but that doesn't mean there isn't talent here. Chace Stanback should be counted on to develop a more predominant scoring role, while point guard Oscar Bellfield and wing Derrick Jasper -- who should be fully healthy -- are both talented enough to improve on their numbers from a year ago. Don't be surprised if sophomore Anthony Marshall has a big year, while freshman Karam Mashour should also see some minutes. With the notable exception of Kendall Wallace, who tore his acl, the Rebel's entire back court returns. The issue for UNLV will be in the front court. Darris Santee graduates and Matt Shaw was kicked out of the program. Brice Massamba does return, and redshirt freshman Carlos Lopez will be eligible. The key, however, may end up being Kansas transfer Quintrell Thomas, who gets eligible this year. Thomas was a top 100 power forward out of St. Patrick in New Jersey, and should provide the Rebels with some much needed muscle inside. Even without Willis, this is a team that plays a similar style to last season, spreading the floor and allowing their talented perimeter players to make things happen.


5. Colorado State: The Rams will be an interesting team to watch this season. They went just 16-16 last year, but those 16 wins were equal to head coach Tim Miles production his first two years in Fort Collins. They went 0-9 on the year against the MWC's four tournament teams, but they cleaned up against the bottom of the league and finished fifth in the standings. But most importantly, they bring back the majority of their roster. Four starters return, including senior forwards Andy Ogide and Travis Franklin, who were both double digits scorers a year ago. Pierce Hornung and Greg Smith will provide depth, but the real test will be whether big men Trevor Williams, a 7'0" redshirt freshman, and Chad Calcaterra, a 6'10" three-star recruit, are ready to compete at this level. Sophomore Dorian Smith is back. He had a very good year as the Rams' primary ball handler, leading the team in minutes, points, and assists. Sharp shooter Adam Nigon returns, as does Andre McFarland, who dealt with back issues all last season. Rounding out the back court rotation is Jesse Carr (returning from an injury last season), Wes Eikmeier (an Iowa State transfer), and freshmen Maurice Wiltz and Dwight Smith. This is going to be an experienced team that finally got a taste of the postseason, even if it was the CBI. They need Smith to develop into a go-to scorer, and they need Calcaterra or Williams to develop into a contributor, but if you want to pick a sleeper in this league, Colorado State is your team.


6. TCU: The Horned Frogs are going to have a tough time improving on the year they had last season -- five conference wins -- but it won't be Ronnie Moss' fault. After averaging 15 points and 6 assists last season, Moss was a second team all-MWC performer. He will be joined in the back court by Hank Thorns, a 5'9" Virginia Tech transfer that started part-time for the Hokies. Beyond that, much of the Horned Frogs depth is going to come from newcomers -- Jarvis Ray is a 6'6" freshman guard, while JR Cadot and Sammy Yaeger are JuCo transfers that will provide some depth at the off-guard spot where TCU will be looking to replace the shooting of Edvinas Ruzgas. Up front is an even bigger question mark as the team's leading rebounder, Zvonko Buljan, graduated. Nikola Cerina and Garlon Green both had decent freshman seasons that could turn into promising sophomore years, but after that its a bunch of question marks. Freshman Amric Fields, JuCo transfer Andre Clark, and Howard transfer Cheick Kone (who is coming off of knee surgery) should help with size and depth. Expect a big year from Moss without a lot of wins to show for it.


7. Wyoming: Last year was a rough one for Wyoming. Leading scorer Afam Muojeke blew out his knee midway through the year and two players -- starter AJ Davis and Thomas Manzano -- left the team mid-season. The good news is that much of that roster returns, although bringing back a group that won just 10 games isn't awe-inspiring. As I said, 6'8" wing Muojeke is back while sophomore Desmar Jackson, who showed some signs of being a player as he filled in Muojeke's scoring role, also returns. JayDee Luster will man the point, while Adam Waddell and Djibril Thiam look to be the starters in Wyoming's front court. Its difficult to imagine Wyoming making the jump to contender this season, but with the pieces they have coming back -- especially a healthy Muojeke, who led the Cowboys to an 8-8 start -- Wyoming should be (much) more competitive in league play.


8. Utah: After an incredibly inconsistent 2009-2010 season, Jim Boylen's last season in the MWC looks like it will be a rebuilding one. Luka Drca and Kim Tillie have graduated while Carlon Brown and Marshall Henderson have transferred, meaning that the Utes lose four of their top five scorers and essentially all of their back court. The guys that do return -- Shawn Glover and Jace Tavita -- averaged a whopping 4.8 ppg in over 32 combined minutes. Of Boylen's nine newcomers (five of who are freshmen), seven are either guards or wings, which means that there will be some serious competition for minutes and plenty of available shots. The front court does return some big bodies -- 6'8" Jay Watkins, 7'0" Jason Washburn, and 7'3" David Foster (who averaged 4.0 bpg). The front court for Utah has some size and talent, but how good the Utes are this season is going to depend on what they can get out of the new guys in their back court.


9. Air Force: The Falcons weren't just bad last season. They were terrible. They won just two games in conference play, both again Wyoming (who went 3-13 in the league), one of which came during the MWC tournament. Their best win last season came against Niagara. And they lose leading scorer Grant Parker. But there is reason for optimism here. For starters, Air Force was pretty solidly decimated by injuries last season. Eleven different players started a game -- Parker missed ten games, while third leading scorer Tom Fow missed four and starting center Sammy Schafer suffered a concussion so serious he missed the last 28 games of the year -- which means that there are a number of kids with real game experience on this roster. It was also a young roster last season. Fow and Evan Washington are both tough and fairly talented seniors that return to anchor the roster, but the rest of the rotation (which included a whopping 21 players in 2009-2010) will essentially be made up of sophomores with a few juniors sprinkled in. There is room for improvement here. Air Force put up some good fights last season in conference play -- they nearly knocked off New Mexico twice -- but they didn't have the scoring power to spring an upset. The Falcons should more competitive, but without a major influx of talent (which isn't coming this year) their best case scenario is a .500 season with a handful of league win.

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Wednesday Morning Dump

- Must read of the day -- this scathing column from Jeff Jacobs of the Hartford Courant ripping UConn athletics. We've been saying the same thing since May.

- I know it is in Hebrew, which likely means you can't read it, but what this article right here is saying is that Oregon's Michael Dunigan is close to signing a contract with Hapoel Jerusalem. Dunigan has been an enigma for the Ducks in his two seasons, dominant at times but maddeningly inconsistent. Dunigan isn't the first college player to make, or consider, a move abroad -- Providence's Greedy Peterson was kicked off the team and went to Greece, Manhattan's Rico Pickett will play in the Ukraike, while UC-Riverside's Kyle Austin is bound for Spain. Of note, perhaps the most interesting part of Dunigan's potential move is that he is in good academic standing with the university. We shall see if this pans out.

- Perhaps the most interesting news of the day (outside of BYU and the WCC fiasco) comes from NYC, where Steve Lavin and Mike Rice are already making waves. Lavin was able to land Moe Harkless, a very highly recruited Queens native, while Mike Rice brought in Kadeem Jack, a top 50 recruit from Rice High School. You want to get NYC area college basketball relevant? Keep the talent from New York in the area. This is a good start.

- Great read from Dana O'Neil of Wake and their hiring of Jeff Bzdelik. A couple of old links -- Jeff Goodman on Fran Dunphy and Chandler Parsons, Gary Parrish with more on Sonny Vaccaro, Mike DeCourcy on Virginia Tech, and Andy Katz on Enes Kanter and Will Barton.

- Interesting stuff here from High School Hoop, as Jason Jordan caught up with a couple recruits and asked them about Worldwide Wes.

- UNC has a new twitter policy, and its already claimed its first victim.

- Quinn Cook, a top 50 national recruit, partially tore his acl in the waning moments of the BOOST Mobile Elite 24 all-star game and will miss your months. Tyree Graham, a junior point at Rutgers, will undergo knee surgery as well.

- It sounds like Minnesota and Tubby Smith are ready to go.

- Matt Norlander with a great story from Cancun where Valpo went on a recent trip.

- That's a big effing screen.

- Butler's Willie Veasley is headed to Japan.

- Pics from Marcus Jordan's night in Vegas.

- Temple loses two forwards, none of which are Lavoy Allen.
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BYU to leave the MWC, head to the WCC in basketball

It's official.

Gonzaga will need to make room. They are no longer alone at the head of the WCC table.

After two weeks of speculation, BYU finally pulled the trigger, as they will officially become a football independent, sending the rest of their sports teams to the West Coast Conference in the 2011-2012 school year.

The question now becomes what happens to the MWC and the WAC. The MWC has lost Utah and BYU, meaning they lost their stranglehold on the Salt Lake City markets, but they will add Boise State, Nevada, and Fresno State. It seems likely that the conference will survive as the WAC reinvented, although the pipe dream of an automatic qualifier into the BCS is dead.

For the WAC, the situation is much more dire. Will they be able to keep the remaining six teams -- Utah State, Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico State -- as members? Will the MWC poach Utah State? Can they bring in a couple of schools from Conference USA? BYU's decision could be the spark that sets off a chain reaction that will drastically alter the landscape of college basketball's second tier conferences.

As far as basketball is concerned, the 'Zags are well into their second decade of basketball dominance in the WCC. And while the addition of BYU will likely change that, this should still be a major boost to the WCC and, in turn, the Gonzaga program. From our post earlier today:

For starters, BYU is always going to play Utah State, who is a perennial NCAA Tournament threat (two at-large bids and four tournament overall in the last six seasons), so by joining a different conference, they aren't going to be losing a quality resume game. And by joining the WCC, BYU would make the league a perennial two-bid conference, with the potential -- with St. Mary's and the recent successes of teams like Portland, San Diego, and even upstart Loyola Marymount -- for even more.

BYU is much bigger -- 33,000 students, while no one in the WCC has even 10,000 -- and could complicate things with the religious aspect -- BYU is a mormon school, while seven of the eight WCC schools are Catholic while Pepperdine is affiliated with the Church of Christs -- but the WCC is still the Cougars best option.

And don't forget about the league's ESPN deal, which allows Gonzaga to get quite a bit more national exposure than BYU gets in the MWC even if it is coming around midnight on the east coast.

This is huge for the WCC.

Even with St. Mary's emergence and the potential shown by Loyola Marymount and Portland in the last couple of seasons, the WCC has essentially been a one team league. Adding BYU gives them two teams that will almost assuredly be in the NCAA Tournament on a yearly basis. And if St. Mary's can continue their ascendance to becoming an elite mid-major program, the WCC will have a 1-2-3 atop their league that will rival that of the A-10, Conference USA, the MWC, and the MVC, other leagues that are generally considered the first step down from the Big Six.

This should help the conference as a whole, as well. Not only are they adding the Salt Lake City market -- the WCC now can claim residence in Salt Lake City, Spokane (and by default Seattle), Portland, LA, and the Bay Area -- they are doing it at a time when their ESPN deal needs renegotiating. More exposure and better competition makes the conference better. In turn, does that mean that the league's lesser programs can start recruiting at a higher level? Can Santa Clara now get into the conversation when it comes to some of the best players in California?

Think about it. What would the difference be between C-USA and the Sun Belt if Memphis, and to a lesser degree UAB and UTEP, weren't in the league? What would the A-10 be if Xavier, Temple, Dayton, and St. Joe's left? Would the remnants be all that much better than the CAA?

The WCC just became a top ten conference nationally. How's it feel?

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NCAA Tournament heroes Korie Lucious and Joe Mazzulla both get arrested

The end of August in college towns only means one thing -- the students are back. And if you harken back on your days as a collegian, I think you'll remember some pretty legendary nights during those first days back at school.

No one has home work yet and many finally feel the freedom that comes with being released from a summer in your parents house. You head to a party, the booze is flowing, you're with all your friends, you see that cute blonde you had such a crush on. Basketball players aren't immune to it just because everyone knows who they are.

But they aren't immune from suffering the consequences when they aren't responsible after they put a few away, either.

Take Korie Lucious, for example. At 2:20 am, on Monday morning, Lucious was arrested for drinking and driving. He blew a 0.09. The legal limit in Michigan is 0.08, which means that Lucious' crime in and of itself is not horrific. He wasn't driving blacked out; he simply had one beer too many. It seems as if he was at least attempting to be responsible. I'm not justifying what he did, but, well, I guess I am downplaying it a little. There's a difference between slapping someone in the face and hitting them over the head with a baseball bat, just like there's a difference between blowing a .20 and a .09 when you are pulled over for a DUI.

Korie Lucious hit the game-winner against Maryland in the 2nd round.
(photo credit: NY Post)

The bigger issue is that Lucious doesn't turn 21 until November 5th, which completely changes the context of the charges. Not only was he driving over the legal limit, but he was driving over the legal limit as a 20 year old. That's a much different story.

Lucious was given a ticket for Operating While Intoxicated. Tom Izzo released a one sentence statement, simply saying "We're aware a ticket was issued, and we're still gathering information." According to the Detroit Free Press, "Lucious posted bond of $200 and has 10 days to be arraigned in East Lansing’s 54-B District Court."

And then there is Joe Mazzulla and Dalton Pepper from West Virginia. Both Mazzulla and Pepper were issued citations for urinating in public in downtown Morgantown on Saturday.

For Pepper, this doesn't seem like that big of a deal. He will likely face a fine, a (stern) warning from Bob Huggins not to mess up again, and will almost assuredly get himself into shape with the sprints he is going to be forced to complete.

It will be a little different for Mazzulla. This is the third time the feisty point guard has had a run in with the law since he has been a Mountaineer, and all three times have seemingly involved drinking. Two years ago, Mazzulla was arrested when he and Cam Thoroughman got into a scuffle with some off duty cops at a Pittsburgh Pirates game. Last April, Mazzulla was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman in a Morgantown bar. He was suspended for much of the summer before finally being reinstated to the team in early September.

Joe Mazzulla had 17 points against in Kentucky in the Elite 8 to send WVU to the Final Four.
(photo credit: AP)

Public urination is one of the pettier offenses someone can commit. Every single male that has ever set foot in a bar has peed between cars, or down an alley, or on a tree, or in a bush, or somewhere else that is wildly inappropriate during a night out. It happens. And if you happen to get caught, you have to suck it up, pay the fine, and pay more attention to where the cops are when you decide to whip it out.

But for someone with Mazzulla's prior arrests, the punishment will likely be more severe. Huggy Bear certainly can't be pleased that the kid that is supposed to be his team's senior leader now has as many alcohol-related offenses as he does years of eligibility used.

Huggins released a statement saying that he is aware of the incident and that it will be handled internally.

Mazzulla, Pepper, and Lucious are college kids. They made the same mistakes that so many college kids around the country do every single weekend of the school year. Do they deserve to be punished? Absolutely.

But let's keep it all in perspective.

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How do timeouts effect end-of-game possessions?

Last week, the guys over at Harvard Sports Analysis Collective -- a must-bookmark if yo haven't already -- put together an interesting study that looked at fouling when a team is up three late in the game. We had our disagreements with that study, but the HSAC has come out with two more that, in our not-so-humble opinions are spot-on and quite worthy of a read.

Both studies took a look at the use of timeouts during end-of-game situations -- the first strictly looked at the likelihood of being fouled on a final possession if a timeout was called, and the second looked at how scoring was affected by a timeout when the game in tied on the final possession -- and both studies overwhelmingly say that it is in the best interest of the team with possession not to call a timeout.

Teams were much more likely to draw a foul if they did not call a timeout before that possession. Teams drew fouls on 13 percent of end-of-game possessions when they did not call a timeout. Teams that called a timeout only drew fouls on 8 percent of their possessions. This difference was strongly statistically significant (p=0.001). (Edit: as a commenter points out, I should mention that I did not include plays were the deficit was 3 points so as to avoid being biased by intentional fouls). via

In my 2009-2010 dataset, 452 teams fit the above criteria. 235 of those teams called timeout, 217 did not. Of the teams that called timeout, only 35.7 percent scored on the subsequent possession. Teams that did not call timeout scored 53.0 percent of the time. A simple two sample t-test with unequal variances shows that this difference is strongly statistically significant (p=0.0002). ... Teams that called timeout scored an average of 0.773 points per possession whereas teams that did not call timeout scored an average of 1.06 PPP. Another hypothesis test showed that this difference, too, was statistically significant (p=0.022). via

Now, I happen to agree wholeheartedly with these results.

Things are chaotic in the final seconds of a close basketball game, especially games with something significant on the line -- a place in the conference standings, advancing in a tournament, or even simply earning a good, non-conference win -- and a loud and rowdy crowd in attendance. By pushing the ball up the floor, the goal is to catch the defense off-balance. Maybe you get the ball in the hands of a scorer who has a chance to attack a defender that is back-pedaling. Maybe a guard gets caught in a mismatch with a post player. Maybe the defense fails to locate their man, leaving a shooter with an open look.

The textbook example came in the second round of last year's tournament when Michigan State beat Maryland. Take a look at how this play develops:



After Greivis Vasquez scores to put Maryland ahead, Draymond Green brings the ball up the floor, and Adrian Bowie leaves his man (Korie Lucious) to try and hound Green on his way up the court. This creates a situation where no one matches up with Lucious. Green hits him on the wing where Lucious had a very good look at a three, but instead throws a pump fake at Landon Milbourne who is running at him, takes one dribble to his left, and gets even better look at a rhythm jumper from the top of the key.

Game over.

On a final possession situation like that, including situations where there is more time left on the clock than 6.5 seconds, it is difficult to design a play that is going to get a good look for your team. In general, even if a time out is called, a coach is going to have to rely on his team to make a basketball play. He is going to need someone to step up, beat his man, and draw a foul; or knock down a jump shot; or draw a defender and find the open player. Whatever the case may be, a final play like the one above is more about the talent of the players involved and the preparation the coach gave them throughout the season than it is about specific coaching on that specific possession.

By not calling the timeout, Tom Izzo put the pressure on the Maryland defense. They were flustered and their defense broke down. It allowed Lucious to get a good look at a three.

If you are a coach, you are in need of a basket to win/tie a game on a final possession, and you need to rely on your kids to make one play to get that bucket, wouldn't you rather them go against a defense that isn't set than a defense that is?

Regardless, these two studies are certainly worth the click. We will be bringing you more as they post more.

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