Over the coming weeks, we will be counting down our Top 50 teams in the country. Teams 26-50 will be posted in groups of five, while we will count backwards from No. 25 to the No. 1 team in the country. You can find a complete schedule of our 2011-2012 Season Preview coverage here. To browse through the rest of the Top 50, click here.
45. Kansas State Wildcats:
Last Season: 23-11, 10-6 (Big 12)
Head Coach: Frank Martin
Key Losses: Jacob Pullen, Curtis Kelly, Juevol Miles, Nick Russell
New Additions: Adrian Diaz, Thomas Gibson, Angel Rodriguez, Nino Williams, Jeremy Jones, James Watson, Omari Lawrence
Projected Lineup:
- G: Will Spradling, So.
- G: Rodney MacGruder, Jr.
- F: Nino Williams, Fr.
- F: Jamar Samuels, Sr.
- C: Jordan Henriquez-Roberts, Jr.
- Bench: Omari Lawrence, So.; Shane Southwell, So.; Martavious Irving, Jr.; Adrian Diaz, Fr.; Thomas Gibson, Fr.
Outlook: Jacob Pullen was, without a doubt, one of my favorite players to watch while he was a member of the Kansas State Wildcats. He was also one of the most valuable, as he almost single-handedly turned around K-State's season and led them to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That kind of player is nearly impossible to replace. Also gone is Curtis Kelly, however, and with the Wildcats being a year removed from the midseason departures of Freddy Asprilla and Wally Judge, Frank Martin's club may actually be better off with fewer distractions. There is still some talent on the roster. Sophomore Will Spradling and junior Rodney McGruder form a solid back court, and both should have big years with the added chances that Pullen's graduation frees up. St. John's transfer Omari Lawrence, Shane Southwell and Martavious Irving will give K-State some depth on the perimeter. The x-factor may end up being Nino Williams, a top 100 recruit that enrolled at Kansas State early but redshirted last season after getting two concussions. Jamar Samuels is an experienced and athletic power forward who, when combined with Jordan Henriquez-Roberts, give the Wildcats a front line with some potential. The front court depth is lacking, as two freshmen and a couple of JuCo transfers are their back ups.
44. Georgetown Hoyas:
Last Season: 21-11, 10-8 (Big East)
Head Coach: John Thompson III
Key Losses: Austin Freeman, Chris Wright, Julian Vaughn
New Additions: Tyler Adams, Otto Porter, Mikael Hopkins, Jabril Trawick, Greg Whittington
Projected Lineup:
- G: Markel Starks, So.
- G: Jason Clark, Sr.
- F: Hollis Thompson, Jr.
- F: Nate Lubick, So.
- C: Henry Sims, Sr.
- Bench: Tyler Adams, Fr.; Otto Porter, Fr.; Mikael Hopkins, Fr.; Jabril Trawick, Fr.; Greg Whittington, Fr.
Outlook: It will be a changing of the guard in DC this year as Chris Wright and Austin Freeman have finally graduated after what felt like a decade as Hoyas. With a talented recruiting class coming in, and eight underclassmen in the rotation, this may be a rebuilding season JT III's club, but that doesn't mean they won't be able to compete with some of the Big East's big boys. The two guys that Georgetown is going to rely on the most will end up being Jason Clark and Hollis Thompson. Clark has been the third option the past two seasons, while Thompson could end up being a breakout star. He's got some talent, and this season he will be able to play the three, his more natural position. Henry Sims showed some improvements as a junior, especially with his ability to pass from the high post, while Nate Lubick is a solid rebounder and defender at the four. It will be interesting to see what the freshmen group will provide, especially considering how much potential there is on the front court. Otto Porter, 6'9" combo-forward and a Missouri native, is the rookie you want to pay attention to. The x-factor for the Hoyas will be point guard Markel Starks. Georgetown's offense stagnated late in the season with Chris Wright broke his wrist because the Hoyas lost that guy that can create a shot. If Starks can fill that void, Georgetown has a shot to be a tournament team. One thing to note -- will Georgetown's brawl out in China bring this team together?
43. Northwestern Wildcats:
Last Season: 20-14, 7-11
Head Coach: Bill Carmody
Key Losses: Michael Thompson, Mike Capocci
New Additions: Tre Demps, Mike Turner, David Sobolewski
Projected Lineup:
- G: Tre Demps, Fr.
- G: JerShon Cobb, So.
- F: Drew Crawford, Jr.
- F: John Shurna, Sr.
- C: Luka Mirkovic, Sr.
- Bench: Alex Marcotullio, Jr.; Davide Curletti, Sr.; Mike Turner, Fr.; David Sobolewski, Fr.
Outlook: There is an argument to be made that Juice Thompson, a four-year starter at the point for the Wildcats, will be the most difficult player to replace in the Big Ten next season. Everything revolved around Thompson, especially while Shurna was battling his ankle injury, and he was the unquestioned leader. Two freshmen -- Tre Demps and David Sobolewski -- were brought in to fill the void, but if they are unable to play that role, junior Alex Marcotullio will likely have to slide over and handle the point. The good news is that Bill Carmody's offensive system doesn't necessarily need a point guard; all they need is someone to get them into their continuity sets. If Northwestern is ever going to make an NCAA Tournament, this is the year. John Shurna was having a sensational season before he hurt his ankle. Drew Crawford has the potential to be an all-Big Ten player. So does JerShon Cobb, who averaged 7.4 ppg as a freshman despite being beat up most of the season. Luka Mirkovic is a solid and experienced big man, while Marcotullio and Davide Curletti will provide some depth. Northwestern has so many three point weapons that when they get hot, they will be able to play with anyone in the country.
42. Butler Bulldogs:
Last Season: 28-10, 13-5 (Horizon)
Head Coach: Brad Stevens
Key Losses: Shelvin Mack, Matt Howard, Shawn Vanzant, Zach Hahn,
New Additions: Roosevelt Jones, Jackson Aldridge, Kameron Woods, Andy Smeathers
Projected Lineup:
- G: Ronald Nored, Sr.
- G: Chase Stigall, Jr.
- G: Chrishawn Hopkins, So.
- F: Khyle Marshall, So.
- F: Andrew Smith, Jr.
- Bench: Garrett Butcher, Sr.; Emerson Kampen, Jr.; Erik Fromm, So.; Roosevelt Jones, Fr.; Jackson Aldridge, Fr.
Outlook: Butler will be an interesting team to keep an eye on this season. After making back-to-back national title games, the Bulldogs lost their two stars -- Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack -- and two other key back court players. With a young team this season and Arkansas transfer Rotnei Clarke ineligible until next year, this will be a rebuilding year. But there is still a chance this club competes for their league title and an NCAA Tournament trip. It starts up front, where Andrew Smith has developed into a rock on the block and Khyle Marshall has the potential to be Butler's next star. Ronald Nored, the team's unquestioned leader, is back to anchor a back court that includes a couple of young guys -- Chase Stigall and Chrishawn Hopkins -- that had promising moments last season. Garrett Butcher, Emerson Kampen and Erik Fromm provide Brad Stevens with some depth up front while freshmen Roosevelt Jones and Jackson Aldridge -- who led Australia to a U-18 title -- give the Bulldogs even more young perimeter talent. The future is bright for Butler, but how far away that bright future is is unclear.
41. Clemson Tigers:
Last Season: 22-12, 9-7 (ACC)
Head Coach: Brad Brownell
Key Losses: Demontez Stitt, Jerai Grant
New Additions: Devan Coleman, TJ Sapp, KJ McDaniels, Bernard Sullivan, Rod Hall
Projected Lineup:
- G: Andre Young, Sr.
- G: Tanner Smith, Sr.
- F: KJ McDaniels, Fr.
- F: Milton Jennings, Jr.
- C: Devin Booker, Jr.
- Bench: Bryan Narcisse, Sr.; Bernard Sullivan, Fr.; Devin Coleman, Fr.; TJ Sapp, Fr.
Outlook: Given the loss of Trevor Booker to the NBA and the change in coaching staff, its more than reasonable to say that Clemson's 22 win season and trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament can qualify as a resounding success for Brad Brownell in his first season. What's more impressive is that his team seemingly got better as the season progressed, meaning that his players really started buying into his system, which is focuses on half-court defense as opposed to Oliver Purnell's up-and-down style. This year, however, the Tigers will be quite young. The team will be anchored by their senior back court of Andre Young and Tanner Smith, two solid, well-rounded and experienced ACC guards. The rest of the perimeter rotation will be made up by freshmen -- TJ Sapp, Devin Coleman, KJ McDaniels, Rod Hall. The front court will be more experienced, with juniors Milton Jennings and Devin Booker likely starting. Those two both had hype as recruits, but have yet to live up to that potential. Senior Bryan Narcisse -- an athletic, 6'6" ball of energy -- and freshman Bernard Sullivan will provide Brownell with depth up front.
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Tuesday, September 27, 2011
2011-2012 Top 50 Countdown: Nos. 45-41 |
How former teammates Tim Abromaitis and Greg Mangano went from unheralded recruits to members of Team USA |
There is an argument to be made the UConn has been the best basketball program in the country over the last 12 years.
In that time frame, Jim Calhoun's club has won three National Titles and made four Final Fours. Throw in two more Elite 8's and another Sweet 16, and UConn has made it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament seven times in the last dozen seasons. Now toss in the four Big East Tournament titles, the five Big East regular season titles and the 16 players that have been selected in the NBA Draft in that span, and you have a program that has dominated in the best conference in the country despite having to completely rebuild their roster twice in the last five years.
What makes the UConn program's success all-the-more impressive is that Calhoun has been able to consistently stock his roster with talent despite coaching in an area without a natural recruiting base. In other words, the Huskies have to bring in players from around the country because high school basketball in Connecticut is, generally speaking, not overloaded with that kind talent.
Rarely do you see Connecticut natives playing major minutes for the Huskies.
That's not to say there isn't talent in the state. This season the Huskies will actually have two contributors that grew up in the Nutmeg State -- Tyler Olander, a sophomore returner that started the national title game, and Andre Drummond, the nation's best post recruit that hails from Middletown. Drummond played AAU ball with Kris Dunn, the top point guard in the Class of 2012 and a New London native currently committed to Providence.
Players of that caliber tend to be the exception, however. Not the rule. Connecticut puts out their fair share of scholarship players, but they aren't necessarily national names. Usually you get a mix of guys that excel at the mid-major level -- kids like TJ Robinson, a product of Kolbe Cathedral in Bridgeport that averaged a double-double for Long Beach State as a junior -- or that can contribute as a role player at the high-major level -- think Olander, who only played seven minutes in the title game after starting.
No one expected much more than that out Tim Abromaitis or Greg Mangano.
They certainly didn't expect those two to be the reason Connecticut was one of just two states to put multiple players on the USA's World University Games team.
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"Everyone thought he was a Patriot League or Ivy League kid," Kevin Kehoe, the head coach of the Connecticut Gold AAU program, told me over the phone. "Nobody thought he was a Big East kid."
"They said he was crazy for going to Notre Dame."
Early on in his college career, the doubters appeared to be correct. As a freshman, Tim Abromaitis saw the court just 12 times, playing a whopping 40 minutes and scoring all of 20 points on the season. Those numbers didn't budge during his sophomore year as Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey opted to redshirt him, which only made the people that criticized his decision to play in the Big East look that much smarter.
And while it appeared, on the surface, like Brey was trying to atone for a mistake on the recruiting front, using the redshirt was a calculated move. You see, Notre Dame was loaded in the front court in the first two years Abromaitis was in South Bend. The name that everyone is going to recognize is Luke Harangody, who was one of the most productive big men in the last decade. But kids like Rob Kurz, Zach Hillesland, Ryan Ayers and Luke Zeller were all talented and experienced players that happened to play the same position as Abromaitis, clogging up the depth chart.
The redshirt season was as much about maximizing Abromaitis' eligibility as it was about him needing the season to improve.
That said, spending a year working on his game and on his body did have some impressive results. Abromaitis has developed into one of the best shooters in the league, knocking down 42.9% of his threes while averaging 16.1 ppg and 15.4 ppg the past two seasons.
"It was huge," Abromaitis said of his redshirt year in a phone interview last week. "When I first heard Coach Brey say he thought it would be a good idea for me to sit out the year and get a redshirt, its not the thing you want to hear because you want to be out there playing and contributing."
"But in the long run, I can’t say I regret it at all, because I was in the weight room and I was out on the court for extra workouts pretty much every day. Once my junior year came and I was playing right away, it felt like I had taken three years off, so I was just ready to go and felt so much better as a player. I was just confident in myself."
That confidence was a direct result of the amount of time he spent working on his game as the redshirt season afforded him an opportunity to fine-tune and develop his skill-set. His breakout junior year (which was his sophomore season, Notre Dame lists players not by eligibility but by grade) caught fans and media around the country off-guard, but those that know Abromaitis weren't surprise. The expected it.
"You just knew that Timmy was going to do whatever it took," said Kehoe, who coached Abromaitis and his brother in AAU and remains very close to the family. "God didn’t bless him with unbelievable athleticism, but he did bless him with a work ethic."
Hard work has never been an issue for Abromaitis. This is the same kid that got the keys to the gym from his high school athletic director so he could get in 6:00 am workouts before going to class. This is also the same kid that graduated from the Mendoza College of Business at Notre Dame in three years with a degree in finance and a 3.73 GPA. Last year, he finished up an accelerated MBA program with a concentration in corporate finance. As a fifth-year, he's taking it easy and simply enrolled in a full load of graduate courses as an unclassified graduate student.
That's probably fair. It took him less time to graduate and earn an MBA from Notre Dame than it took me to get my bachelor's degree.
"I think it started from my family and my brother," Abromaitis said when I asked him where he got his work ethic. His brother played at Yale and his father played for UConn and then the New Jersey Nets. "Even before high school. Its something that I’ve always [taken pride in]."
"Its something that Notre Dame really prides itself on too. We’ve had a lot of guys here since I’ve been here that were kind of in my situation. [Success] didn’t come for them right away and they weren’t these highly touted guys, but working hard just got it done for them. So I’m kind of following their lead with that."
Abromaitis is starting to reap the benefits of that hard work. In addition to making the Team USA's World University Games roster, he's been named all-Big East the past two seasons, making the third team in 2011. He's got an outside shot at winning Big East Player of the Year as a senior if he has a big season and is a virtual lock for a long career in Europe if he can't latch on with an NBA team when he finally leaves school. Perhaps most impressive is that he's been a two-time academic all-american first-teamer and won the Big East scholar-athlete of the year award in back-to-back seasons, the first athlete to do that since Emeka Okafor of UConn in 2003 and 2004.
He hasn't just transformed his game to that of an NBA prospect. He's educated himself to the point that every Wall Street firm in the country will come calling when his playing career is over.
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Greg Mangano knew he wanted to go to Yale.
It wasn't a lifelong dream, mind you. In fact, it wasn't until he realized that he could turn basketball into an Ivy League education that the idea of being a Yalie started to grow on Mangano. He's a native of Orange, CT, which is a 15 minute drive in rush-hour traffic from Yale's New Haven campus.
"Once I got into the process of looking into schools and everything, it was eye-opening that I had the opportunity to go to a school like Yale," Mangano said in a phone interview last week. "When I was a kid, not so much. A lot of that was just because I’m from here. I always thought it was just a little to close to home for me to go, and I wanted to get a little further away."
"When Yale [...] told me that I could play there if I wanted to, [...] I just figured that was kind of an opportunity that you couldn’t turn down. As much as I would love to play basketball for as long as I can, something could happen tomorrow [to end my career]. I just figured having an education to fall back on was just as important."
Mangano committed to Yale early -- before he had even started his senior year at Notre Dame HS in West Haven -- so he is not sure what kind of offers he would have received. The summer after his junior year is when Mangano really started to garner attention from Division I programs, and he chose Yale, an Ivy League school that doesn't offer athletic scholarship, over about 20 other low- to mid-major programs that had offered him a full-ride.
One of those programs that offered a scholarship? Davidson, right in the middle of the Seth Curry years. That should tell you what being a Bulldog meant to Mangano.
Like Abromaitis, Mangano's collegiate success didn't come immediately. He played limited minutes off the bench as a freshman before becoming a stalwart in the rotation as a sophomore, but it wasn't until last season, as a junior, when everything clicked for Mangano. With Yale losing their three leading scorers from their 2009-2010 team, Mangano but the squad on his back. He averaged 16.3 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 3.0 bpg while shooting 36.6% from long range while leading the Bulldogs to a third-place finish in the Ivy.
"He's really good," Yale assistant coach Jamie Snyder-Fair said. "I don't know if he is going to get drafted, but he's got a shot to make an NBA team. He's 6'10", he blocks shots, he can handle it a little bit on the perimeter, he can shoot from anywhere on the court, he’s pretty athletic."
"He had some monster rebounding games last year, and he rebounds the ball above the rim. He doesn’t let the ball come to him, he goes and he gets the ball every single time."
Mangano was good enough last season that he decided to declare for the NBA Draft without signing with an agent. He didn't get any workouts with NBA teams -- most knew that he wasn't going to be keeping his name in the draft -- but he had a number of teams call and inquire about him. Making Team USA increased the buzz and helped to raise Mangano's national profile, but he will be facing an uphill battle in an effort to get drafted. Even with Jeremy Lin of Harvard making the Golden State roster, few, if any, NBA scouts are looking at the Ivy League for NBA prospects.
Without playing on national TV every night, its difficult to establish your name on the NBA's radar.
"I think the goal for us is to try and get him invited to Portsmouth next year," Snyder-Fair said.
Before that happens, Mangano has a season to play with the Bulldogs. And if he is to be believed, the time that he spent with Team USA has made him a better player. Frankly, its not all that surprising. I'd imagine playing against some of the best players in the country for two three-hour practices every day at the USA basketball facility in Colorado Springs will do that. As will getting coached by Brad Stevens, Matt Painter, and Cuonzo Martin for six hours every day.
Mangano said that he "definitely" took the coaching advice to heart and improved some of his fundamentals. But that's not the most important thing he learned with Team USA.
"I learned how to consistently play a lot harder than I was playing," Mangano said. "Its not that I wasn’t playing hard last year in the Ivy League or out of conference games. It was just out there, playing against the kind of caliber kids I was playing against, if I didn’t pay as hard as I possibly could on every possession, [I got] exposed."
"They are just stronger, quicker, faster, more athletic than the people I have been playing with so to make up for that I just had to play hard."
The end-game for Mangano is, he hopes, the NBA. Its the goal of every kid that touches a basketball growing up. But as of now, his attention is focused squarely on the team's sitting in front of him in the Ivy League standings. Yale brings back the league's most dominant player and four starters from a team that finished in third last year and split with Harvard. So where is the hype for the Bulldogs?
"There are articles posted in our locker room right now. There’s no question about it I take offense to [people ignoring us]," Mangano said. "I had the same issue last year as well. While I received some honorable accolades personally, for a team that lost our captain and our senior leader last year, to finish the year in third place as a team that was picked fifth or sixth I think speaks a lot about the team that we have, myself and the team surrounding me. And none of them got recognized, for second team or even honorable mention. I thought that was a little disrespectful."
"But I think that’s good for us. It's something to motivate, and if some guys need that extra motivation, it's right there for them."
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Mangano and Abromaitis have a history.
Not only did they play together for a summer with the Connecticut Gold AAU team, but Jason Abromaitis, Tim's older brother, played at Yale and still returns upon occasion to play in open gyms.
"I knew him pretty well, being another Connecticut kid," Mangano said. "It was nice when I saw the roster and the list of people that got invited that he was going out there. We had kept contact over the years."
There was more to it than simply knowing another player on the team. For Mangano and Abromaitis, it was a point of pride. It gave them bragging rights. For every AAU team and every state in the country, the Connecticut Gold was the only program with two alumni wearing the red, white and blue at the World University Games.
"We definitely brought up a few times that we were the only state and the only AAU team that had two guys that knew each other before and came from the same team," Abromaitis said. "It was definitely kind of cool to think about that because you don’t think of the Gold as a national powerhouse team."
The Connecticut Gold program is no stranger to sending players to college. In the 20 years that Kehoe has been running the program, over 150 players have gone on to play some level of college basketball. Some end up at big-time programs -- Jeff Farmer played at La Salle and Northeastern, Jeff Viggiano was a starter at UMass, Joe Trapani was all-ACC for Boston College the past two seasons. Most just meander their way through the college basketball underworld -- like one BIAH writer who happened to play a measly two-and-a-half seasons at Vassar.
But the Gold is far from what you would consider a big-time AAU team. They don't even have a sponsorship from a shoe company.
"I would like to say yes," Kehoe said when I asked him if there was a Connecticut Gold way, "but I don't know if we had the blueprint or we just followed [the kid's] lead. Did we make them follow what we believe? Did we morph the kids we brought in? Why didn't they choose the big-time AAU programs?"
"I'm not ready to say we have the blueprint. It was just finding the right people that were committed to being good."
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Tim Abromaitis and Greg Mangano are nothing but under-recruited over-achievers.
And I don't mean that maliciously. I mean that as a compliment.
"Coming into college, I don't really know what I was expecting in terms of basketball and playing time and scoring and wins," Abromaitis said. "I knew that Coach Brey was a great coach and was someone that could develop me. I just trusted that and kept working hard."
"I wouldn't say that I surprised myself, but I don't know if I was fully expecting to have the level of success I've had."
Part of the reason that recruiting is such an inexact science is that its impossible to measure how badly a kid wants to be good. If a player has all the physical tools in the world -- height, length, strength, speed, leaping ability -- but he doesn't has the desire or the discipline to spend hours upon hours in the gym developing his basketball skills, he'll never reach his full potential as a player.
On the other hand, you have the kids that aren't quite as physically gifted squeezing every drop of potential out of themselves by spending every waking hour perfecting the details -- getting the correct footwork on a new post move, creating that extra six inches of space that will allow them to get a shot off, doing those extra squat reps to get their lower body strong enough to hold position.
That's the difference. That's what set Abromaitis and Mangano apart. That's why they were able to go from kids that were an afterthought on the recruiting trail to representing their country at the World University Games.
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Tuesday Morning Dump |
- Your read-of-the-day comes from Money Players. They breakdown the recent literary spat between Seth Davis and Taylor Branch
- Jason King dishes on the ten most interesting questions heading in to the 2011-2012 college basketball season
- Kentucky is thinking about scheduling a game between the UK Legends and UK Villains. Rush The Court takes the time to think of some villainous squads for other historic programs. Brian Ewart puts together a team for Villanova
- Ohio State freshman LaQuinton Ross has been listed as a non-qualifier by the NCAA
- A great Big East round table discussion on the biggest team losses
- Popular 80s/90s rapper Tone Loc will headline Midnight Madness at Syracuse (Do kids these days even know who Tone Loc is?)
- Ken Pomeroy predicts the free-throw percentage for UNC big-man John Henson
- How much will conference expansion affect March Madness
- It was a smart move for the Atlantic-10 to move the conference tournament to Brooklyn
- Harvard got a huge commitment from top-100 forward Mike Hall
- Rick Pitino has some solutions to this conference expansion business. But is Pitino out of the loop?
- A solid-read on greed and it's effect on realignment
-Don Beggs, the President of Wichita State, is resigning. And of course, this somehow involves the mysterious "Board of Regents"
- Kansas is having it's own "Hell Week"
- Why on earth is Donna Shalala on the ACC expansion committee
- Word on the street is Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis is putting on some weight
- Word on the street is that the C-USA and MWC might discuss a merger
- Is Will Cherry the best defensive player in the Big Sky Conference
- Jordan Dumars, the son of Detroit-great Joe Dumars, is leaving the Michigan team because of injuries
- A solid conference preview for the MEAC
- Two Quinnipiac basketball players have been arraigned on assault charges
- Get to know Rutgers veteren Dane Miller
- Villanova By The Numbers provides a solid list of eight Big East transfers to watch for
- Xavier will rock the Cincinnati Royals uniforms during Musketeer Madness
- Last season, Josh "Jorts" Harrellson was the "Mother Hen" of the Kentucky basketball team. This season, Virginia big-man Mike Scott may be "The Godfather"
- Five questions for the Texas Tech Red Raiders
- I really do hate linking to Bleacher Report articles posts lists, and there are a handful of reasons why. But I just can't ignore this one: The 50 Best Non-BCS Player of All-Time
- The same goes for Jon Rothstein, but he has some good notes on Frank Martin and the new crop of Wildcats
Another edition of the B.I.A.H Caption Contest
Go.
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Monday, September 26, 2011
The addition of Pitt to the ACC could help spark old rivalry |
Conference realignment kills rivalries.
Syracuse and Georgetown? Goodbye. Texas and Texas A&M? Thank you for your time. Pitt and West Virginia? You cannot use our backyard anymore. Sure, the prevailing though is that "fans will get over it" and that "new rivalries will be born". But do you think Jim Boeheim will want to waste one of his valuble non-conference games by traveling to Georgetown every other year?
Now, it is likely that "The Backyard Brawl" does continue in some fashion. Even if West Virginia stays put, this rivalry is too passionate to dissolve. The profiles of the two schools are too similar to just discontinue competition between each other.
But the addition of the Panthers to the ACC could help spark another non-conference rivalry that has been dormant for some time.
The last time Pittsburgh and Penn State played on the hardwood was 2005. From 2000 to 2005 they played five times, with the Panthers winning four of five. Despite this, The Nittany Lions still hold the edge 78-68 in a series that dates back to 1905. In fact, the two schools played each other every year from 1935 to 1982. But since '82, in which Penn State won in double-overtime 52-46, the schools have faced just seven times, including the 1992 N.I.T game .
Pittsburgh and Penn State are the two largest universities in the state of Pennsylvania, separated by just 140 miles. While Pitt's success comes on the court and Penn State the gridiron, a rebirth of this rivalry in both sports would be a good thing for the state, the universities and the conferences.
Why?
What better way to welcome Pittsburgh to the ACC/Big-10 Challenge than with a tilt against their in-state rivals. Of all the cross-conference challenges that exists, the ACC/Big-Ten Challenge is the only one that is held in high regards by the basketball community. Yes, it's true, the Big East/SEC Invitational is trying to get revitalized, but while Pitt/Tennessee might be a great game, it's nothing more than that. Pitt/Penn State would be a story, an atmosphere, a rivalry.
A meeting between the two schools in the Panther's first ACC/Big-Ten Challenge could revitalize a rivalry that existed for nearly half a century but hasn't been relevant for quite a while.
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2011-2012 Top 50 Countdown: Nos. 50-46 |
Over the coming weeks, we will be counting down our Top 50 teams in the country. Teams 26-50 will be posted in groups of five, while we will count backwards from No. 25 to the No. 1 team in the country. You can find a complete schedule of our 2011-2012 Season Preview coverage here. To browse through the rest of the Top 50, click here.
50. Weber State Wildcats:
Last Season: 18-14, 11-5 (Big Sky)
Head Coach: Randy Rahe
Key Losses: Lindsay Hughey, Trevor Morris
New Additions: Gelaun Wainwright, Shai Fields, Logan Foster, Mike Brown, Ryan Van Pelt, James Hajek, Davion Berry
Projected Lineup:
- G: Damian Lillard, Jr.
- G: Scott Bamforth, Jr.
- F: Kyle Bullinger, Sr.
- F: Byron Fulton, So.
- F: Darin Mahoney, Sr.
- Bench: Jordan Richardson, So.; Kyle Tresnak, So.; Gelain Wainwright, Fr.
Outlook: The 2010-2011 season was a surprisingly successful one for the Wildcats. They lost star guard Damian Lillard to a broken foot nine games into the season and still managed to finish third in the Big Sky and make the CBI. That success was largely due to the play of Scott Bamforth, a junior sharpshooter -- he shot 55.1% from three in league play -- that will be a terrific compliment to Lillard in the back court this season, and senior Kyle Bullinger, a face-up four with three-point range. With Lillard back, the graduation of Lindsay Hughey won't hurt as much, but replacing Trevor Morris could be an issue. He was a big, physical presence in the paint. Look for Kyle Tresnak to fill his role in the paint. The x-factor may end up being Byron Fulton, a 6'7" sophomore and reigning Big Sky Freshman of the Year. Fulton averaged 7.0 ppg and 3.5 rpg while shooting 48% from beyond the arc as sixth-man. He should move into the starting lineup this season. With Montana and Northern Colorado both losing key pieces, Weber State should be the favorite to win the conference.
49. Long Beach State 49ers:
Last Season: 22-12, 14-2 (Big West)
Head Coach: Dan Monson
Key Losses: Greg Plater, Tristan Wilson
New Additions: Michael Caffey, Shaquille Hunter, Kris Gulley
Projected Lineup:
- G: Casper Ware, Sr.
- G: Shaquille Hill, Fr.
- G: Larry Anderson, Sr.
- F: Eugene Phelps, Sr.
- F: TJ Robinson, Sr.
- Bench: Edis Dervisevic, Sr.; Michael Caffey, Fr.; Kris Gulley, So.
Outlook: The good news for Dan Monson's club is that he returns four senior starters, three of whom were named all-Big West, from a team that won their league by four games. Casper Ware is a high-scoring, playmaking point guard complemented well by Larry Anderson, a 6'5" scoring guard. TJ Robinson averaged a double-double last season and is joined by Eugene Phelps on the front line. Those four have played together for four years. The bad news is that LBSU was not a deep team last season, and they lost the other three members of their rotation. The biggest loss is Greg Plater, who was the 49ers' designated shooter last season. Shaquille Hunter, a high-scoring and highly-touted freshman, might be able fill that void. Michael Caffey, a talented freshman point guard, will also contribute minutes. Edis Dervisevic should be able to help in the post, as should sophomore JuCo transfer Kris Gulley. The bottom line is that LBSU will go as far as their four main guys carry them.
48. Fairfield Stags:
Last Season: 25-8, 15-3 (MAAC)
Head Coach: Sydney Johnson
Key Losses: Warren Edney, Yorel Hawkins, Ed Cooley
New Additions: Rakim Sanders, Desmond Wade, Sydney Johnson, Adam Jones, Vince Van Ness
Projected Lineup:
- G: Derek Needham, Jr.
- G: Colin Nickerson, Jr.
- F: Rakim Sanders, Sr.
- F: Maurice Barrow, So.
- C: Ryan Olander, Sr.
- Bench: Desmond Wade, Jr.; Jamel Fields, So.; Keith Matthews, So.; Adam Jones, Fr.; Vincent Van Ness, Fr.
Outlook: Fairfield is in the middle of a change in regime, as former head coach Ed Cooley, who is now coaching at Providence, was replaced by Sydney Johnson. Cooley certainly didn't leave the cupboard empty. Fairfield is coming off of a season where they won a school-record 25 games and return four starters and most of the rotation from that team while adding two impact transfers. Junior point guard Derek Needham is one of the best players in the conference, and he'll be joined on the perimeter by fellow junior Colin Nickerson, sophomore Jamel Fields and Houston transfer Desmond Wade. Even with that much talent on the perimeter, the strength of this team will be up front. Ryan Olander averaged double figures as a junior and will be back to provide a presence in the paint. Sophomore Maurice Barrow made the all-freshmen team and could be primed for a big season. The x-factor will end up being Rakim Sanders. Sanders averaged double figures in his three years at Boston College before transferring. The Stags will battle it out with Iona for the MAAC title this season.
47. Marshall Thundering Herd:
Last Season: 22-12, 9-7 (C-USA)
Head Coach: Tom Herrion
Key Losses: Tirrell Baines, Johnny Thomas
New Additions: Jamir Hanner, DeVince Boykins, Chris Martin, Robert Goff, Dennis Tinnon, Justin Coleman, Yaos Mbao
Projected Lineup:
- G: Damier Pitts, Sr.
- G: DeAndre Kane, So.
- G: Shaquille Johnson, Sr.
- F: Dago Pena, Sr.
- C: Nigel Spikes, Jr.
- Bench: Justin Coleman, Fr.; Yaos Mbao, So.; DeVince Boykins, Fr.; Jamir Hanner, Fr.; Chris Martin, Jr.
Outlook: Quite a bit is expected out of Marshall this season. After winning 22 games a season ago, the Thundering Herd lose just two seniors and bring in a loaded class of freshmen and transfers. It starts, however, with the back court. Senior Damier Pitts is one of the best point guards in the conference while shooting guard DeAndre Kane, only a sophomore, has a chance to be Player of the Year in Conference USA by the time he graduates. Nigel Spikes will provide size in the paint while both Dago Pena and Shaquille Johnson return and will provide experience. Tom Herrion has an impressive influx of talent, as well. Yaos Mbao, a 7'2" Marquette transfer, should provide size inside. Justin Coleman, who was ruled academically ineligible at Louisville, also joins the program. Freshmen DeVince Boykins and Jamir Hanner and JuCo transfers Chris Martin and Robert Goff should also see some minutes. The Thundering Herd have enough talent to be Memphis' strongest contender in Conference USA.
46. Virginia:
Last Season: 16-15, 7-9 (ACC)
Head Coach: Tony Bennett
Key Losses: Mustapha Farrakhan
New Additions: James Johnson, Malcolm Brogdon, Paul Jesperson, Darion Atkins
Projected Lineup:
- G: Sammy Zeglinski, Jr.
- G: KT Harrell, So.
- F: Joe Harris, So.
- F: Mike Scott, Sr.
- C: Assane Sene, Sr.
- Bench: Paul Jesperson, Fr.; James Johnson, Fr.; Malcolm Brogdon, Fr.; Jontel Evans, Jr.
Outlook: Despite losing Mustapha Farrakhan, who became the Cav's leader after Mike Scott went down with a season ending injury, Virginia will be a sleeper in the ACC this season. The biggest reason? The return of Scott, who averaged a double-double before seeing his season come to an end. He was granted a medical redshirt and will once again anchor the front line. Another reason is the injuries that Scott and Sammy Zeglinski sustained. With those two out, freshmen guards KT Harrell and Joe Harris and center Assane Sene got a chance to play a ton of minutes in an important role, which is invaluable experience. Throw in a talented group of freshmen -- Paul Jesperson, Malcolm Brogdon, James Johnson (who redshirted last year) -- and junior Jontel Evans, and this is as deep of a roster has Virginia has had since the days of Sean Singletary. If the pieces come together, the Cavs could be looking at double-figure wins in ACC play.
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Rick Pitino: shots fired at the ACC, Syracuse, and Pitt |
I love that Rick Pitino has a personal blog. He doesn't, for a second, hold his tongue on how he feels about certain issues. If you remember, just last week Pitino compared Pitt and Syracuse leaving to a scene in The Godfather.
In his latest blog, he takes a not-so-subtle shot at those two schools:
If my information is correct, the ACC, namely certain basketball coaches, did not like the amount of exposure BIG EAST basketball was getting nationally and the amount of tournament teams selected the past couple of seasons. Their feelings were made known at conference meetings. Now true or untrue, you can’t tell me that Pitt and Syracuse are making ACC football significantly better. In the last few years, they have laid off more football staff coaches than Bank of America did with its employees last week. Obviously this is an exaggeration, but let’s take a step back.
The leadership of Pittsburgh and the affiliation of head coach Jaime Dixon are major reasons Texas Christian joined the BIG EAST. Distance questionable, but an extremely good move football-wise. Before their bodies were warm, they pulled a dixie to the ACC. So let’s not cast blame on any one person. BIG EAST basketball became too strong and certain factions didn’t like that fact. Remember, the ACC had that reputation and dominance in basketball for years.
Tell 'em how you really feel, Rick.
Later on in the post, Pitino gives his own advice on what he thinks the Big East should do to replace Pitt and Syracuse. To start, he says add Temple in all sports. They have a great basketball program, they've already been a part of the Big East in football, and they are located in the middle of Big East country in Philly. Next, he says add Air Force, Navy and Army in football only and promote Villanova up to the Big East in football. These aren't new ideas -- all of them have been floated many times throughout the blogosphere and the twitterverse -- but it is interesting to see them coming from a well-known head coach.
The irony in all this? It comes out on the same day that a reporter named Greg Swaim floated the rumor that Louisville has a standing offer from the Big 12.
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The Only Conference Preview You Need To Read: Missouri Valley |
Over the next month and a half, we will be rolling out all of our 2011-2012 Season Preview posts. You can find a full schedule of all the preview posts here. If you want to browse through the rest of the conference previews, click here.
AWARDS
Player of the Year: Doug McDermott, So., Creighton
Picking between McDermott and Missouri State's Kyle Weems for the Valley's preseason player of the year award is, more or less, a coin flip, but I'm going with McDermott here. He's coming off a freshman season where he led the Bluejays in scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg), earned first-team all-league honors and made the USA's U-19 team. While his stint as an international competitor didn't quite go as planned -- the States lost to Russia in the quarterfinals -- McDermott did have quite a bit of individual success, averaging 11.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg. Don't be surprised to see McDermott's name pop-up on a few preseason all-american teams. The Valley is going to be strong this season, but in league's like this the Player of the Year usually ends up being the best player on one of the best teams.
And a close second goes to...: Kyle Weems, Sr., Missouri State
Like I said, the preseason Player of the Year award is a toss-up between Weems and McDermott, and the fact that I have Weems behind McDermott should not be taken as an insult. The Missouri State star is primed for a big season. He averaged 16.0 ppg and 6.9 rpg on a team with one of the shortest benches in the country a year ago. Weems is the only starter that returns, meaning that he will be asked to carry an even bigger load next season. At 6'6", Weems is big and strong enough to score around the basket against smaller opponents, but he is at his best when he plays the four spot. He can rebound on the defensive end of the floor and is a matchup nightmare for opposing power forwards with his ability to shoot the ball and score from the perimeter. Its difficult to envision a scenario where his efficiency doesn't decline next year -- he'll be the focal point of every defensive gameplan -- but he'll also be shouldering a heavier burden. If he can carry the Bears into contention for the Valley title, there is no reason that he can't win Player of the Year when things are all said and done.
Breakout Star: Dyricus Simms-Edwards, Jr., Bradley
Simms-Edwards averaged modest numbers as a sophomore, putting up 10.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, and 3.3 rpg. As the lone returnee among the Braves top five scorers, however, Simms-Edwards is going to be counted on to have a big year in 2011-2012. And based on the way that he finished last season, there is no reason to believe that he can't capitalize on the increased number of shots he will get. The 6'2" guard averaged 16.1 ppg, 4.5 apg, and 5.5 rpg over his last five games, and that was with Andrew Warren -- the MVC's scoring champ -- still on the roster. If he can improve on the 28.2% he shot from beyond the arc, Simms-Edwards could end up being one of the best guards in the conference. His late-season improvement combined with the potential return of Taylor Brown to the lineup is a reason for Bradley fans to be optimistic heading into the fall.
All-Conference First-Team:
- POY: Doug McDermott, So., Creighton
- G: Antoine Young, Sr., Creighton
- G: Colt Ryan, Jr., Evansville
- F: Toure' Murry, Sr., Wichita State
- F: Kyle Weems, Sr., Missouri State
- C: Gregory Echinique, Sr., Creighton
All-Conference Second-Team:
- G: Jake Odum, So., Indiana State
- G: Anthony James, Jr., Northern Iowa
- F: Mamadou Seck, Sr., Southern Illinois
- F: Jackie Carmichael, Jr., Illinois State
- C: Garrett Stutz, Sr., Wichita State
Four summer storylines
- Talent transferring out?: The Missouri Valley is the epitome of a mid-major league. Its a balanced conference that features quality teams built around the program. The league champs aren't the teams that can bring in the most one-and-done recruits, its the generally the program that developed their players the best over a three or four year period. But that doesn't mean that there aren't high-major players in the league, which is something that a lot of bigger schools are figuring out. The by-product of that -- and the roster attrition of bigger programs -- is bigger schools go fishing for players looking to get a second shot at the bright lights.
Three Valley players were involved in the transfer tango this off-season. The biggest name was probably Kyle Weems. The reigning Valley Player of the Year, Weems was not only the lone returning starter on a team that also lost their head coach, he had already finished his undergraduate work at Missouri State, meaning that he was free to transfer without having to sit out a season. Luckily for the Bears, Weems made the decision to remain with the program. The same cannot be said for Bradley's Sam Maniscalco, who decided to leave the Braves program this offseason. He'll suit up for Bruce Weber at Illinois next year. Perhaps the most interesting transfer decision was made by Drake's Rayvonte Rice. After a dominant freshman campaign, the 6'4" wing had a number of high-major suitors. But Rice stayed loyal to the Bulldogs and will remain with the program for at least another season.
- Coaching changes, buyouts and lawsuits: There were a couple of coaching changes in the Valley this offseason. The most notable was Paul Lusk taking over the Valley champs after Cuonzo Martin left Missouri State to replace Bruce Pearl at Tennessee, but the most interesting involved Bradley. The Braves fired Jim Les, replacing him with Geno Ford and, in the process, found themselves in the middle of two different lawsuits. The first was filed by Kent State, who named Bradley in their suit against Ford. Kent State is trying to get Ford to pay the $1.2 million buyout that he owes -- $300,000 for each of the four years left on his contract. Les, on the other hand, is suing Bradley, who he says owes him money after firing him with three-years left on his seven-year contract.
- Creighton overseas: The Bluejays made a splash in international hoops this summer. First, it was Doug McDermott, who was a standout on the USA's U-19 team. While the team underperformed, finshing in fifth-place following a quarterfinal loss to Russia, McDermott was terrific. He averaged 11.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg on the trip. Then there is Gregory Echenique, who played with Venezuela as his home country tried to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games. Finally, Creighton took a trip to the Bahamas, winning all four of their exhibitions handily.
- Northern Iowa's program getting cut?: The Iowa state budget cuts have hit all of the universities hard, but due to UNI's reliance on state funding -- thanks to a high percentage of in-state students -- the Panthers have been hit the hardest. They already had their baseball program get the axe and are now in danger of losing their athletics programs, as well as a number of academic programs. Here's to hoping that the school can figure out a solution that doesn't involve eliminating the possibility of reliving the Ali Farokhmanesh-sparked Sweet 16 run.
Four storylines heading into the season
- Will Taylor Brown play?: As a sophomore in 2009-2010, Brown was one of the best players on the Braves roster, averaging 13.5 ppg and 6.9 rpg as a 6'6" forward. But he was forced to sit out last season after to undergo cardiac testing. Whether or not he will play this season is still up in the air -- remember, when dealing with cardiac issues, the answers are never definite. As of September 21st, Brown was cleared for all basketball related activities.
"We welcome Taylor back to the court" said first-year Bradley head coach Geno Ford. "He has been through a difficult experience and we are happy that he is able to rejoin his teammates on the floor and compete for Bradley."
The next question is just how good he can be. His cardiac testing had to occur after a three month rest period, which means that not only was he sitting out games, but he was sitting out practice as well. How long will it take him to work his way back into game shape? If he returns to his sophomore year form, Brown will form a nice 1-2 punch with junior guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards.
- The Interlude dance: Please, let this tradition continue:
- Rebuilding programs: Southern Illinois was a Valley powerhouse in the mid-00's. They made the NCAA Tournament every year from 2002-2007, winning five MVC regular season titles and one MVC Tournament title during that stretch. Since then, SIU has gone 57-66 overall and 30-42 in the Valley. Northern Iowa is on the verge of a similar collapse. After reaching the 2010 Sweet 16, the Panthers struggled after Lucas O'Rear's career ended when he broke his ankle, finished in the middle the MVC and then lost one of the best point guards in the history of their program in Kwadzo Ahelegbe. It will be a task for Ben Jacobson to replace the leadership those two provided. Illinois State suffered a similar drop-off in 2010-2011. After finishing in the top three and making the NIT in each of Tim Jankovich's first three seasons, the Redbirds struggled with injuries and offensive execution as they finished last in the conference. Can any of these programs turn it around in 2011-2012?
- How good is Creighton?: With all due respect to Wichita State, Missouri State and Indiana State, I'm of the opinion this conference is Creighton's to lose. They have the best player, the best point guard and the quite possibly the best big man as well. They also have a deep bench with a number of quality role players and shooters. The question, in my mind, is just how good this team can be. Are they top 25 good? Quite possibly, particularly if Doug McDermott has the kind of season that some are predicting. Are they good enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament? Well, they don't have much margin for error. Their non-conference schedule isn't overly impressive -- a home game against Northwestern and roadies at UAB and SDSU are the highlights -- which means that they probably will want to win the Valley to feel safe on Selection Sunday. Can they make it past the first weekend? Should they get to the tournament, I don't think Creighton is a team that I would want to play. They have not only had a year together to gel under Greg McDermott, but they experienced some postseason success last season, making the finals of the CBI.
Power Rankings
1. Creighton: The Bluejays kicked off a new era in 2010-2011, one that will likely be dominated by McDermott's. Greg, the father, left Iowa State to return to the MVC where he cut his teeth with Northern Iowa and made three straight NCAA Tournaments in the middle of the decade. He brought along with him Doug, his son, who was originally signed to play at ... Northern Iowa. The younger McDermott turned out to be a star, averaging 14.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg and shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc while making both the MVC's first team and the USA U-19 team.
The Bluejays had a decent 2010-2011 campaign as they tried to blend together a number of new pieces. McDermott wasn't the lone newcomer in the front, as Creighton also added Rutgers transfer Gregory Echenique. The 6'9", 275 lb Venezuelan came on strong during Creighton's run to the title series of the CBI. With McDermott a potential all-american, the Bluejays will have the best frontline in the conference especially if Ethan Wragge, who started by the end of his freshman season, can comeback from the foot injury that sidelined him for all but nine games as a sophomore. The back court should be a strength as well. Antoine Young will be one of the best point guards in the conference -- on both sides of the ball, as he did as good of a job de-Jimmering BYU as anyone in the country last season. Junior Josh Jones and sophomore Jahenns Manigat both showed flashes of being quality scorers in the MVC as well. Throw in redshirt freshman center Will Artino, Gonzaga transfer Grant Gibbs in the back court and a quartet of incoming freshmen, and McDermott has as deep of a roster as anyone in the conference. He'll be looking to increase Creighton's aggressiveness on both ends of the floor, so don't be surprised to see the Bluejays return to the top of the Valley this season.
2. Wichita State: Its tough to know whether to call Wichita State's 2010-2011 season a success. Winning the NIT after finishing a game out of first place in the Valley is far from what you would consider a disappointment. That said, the Shockers have to be kicking themselves over how close they came to doing so much more. After blowing their Maui opener against UConn, the Shockers proceeded to lose four games at home in February and March. One of those games was a one point loss to VCU. Another came against Southern Illinois. And despite all of that, Wichita State was still in the conversation for an at-large berth come tournament time. What could have been ...
Wichita State should be able to compete for an MVC title next season based on their back court alone. Its headlined by a trio of talented and unselfish seniors that buy into what Gregg Marshall is selling. Joe Ragland is the point guard, David Kyles is the shooter, and Toure' Murry is the play-maker and the slasher. All three are capable of producing big games, but they also all understand their role within the team. Junior Demetric Williams showed flashes of promise last season, but he will be battling for bench minutes with freshmen Evan Wessel and Tekele Cotton. Where the Shockers have question marks is along their front line. Garrett Stutz, their seven-foot senior center, returns. He is going to need to increase his productivity to make up for JT Durley's scoring and Gabe Blair's rebounding and physicality inside. The undersized Ben Smith will be back, although he tends to spend more on his time on the perimeter. Beyond that, Marshall is going to have a lot of fresh faces manning the paint, but the most interesting may actually be a freshman. Jake White is a face-up four that had some legitimate high-major interest.
3. Indiana State: After nearly a decade of mediocrity, the Sycamores became the surprise champs of the Missouri Valley last season. Despite a couple of significant hiccups during the season -- a brutal non-conference stretch and a five-game losing streak during conference play -- Larry Bird's alma mater ran through Arch Madness as the three-seed before losing to Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. With quite a bit of talent returning, Indiana State will have a real shot at making a second consecutive tournament appearance.
The Sycamores will be an interesting team to keep an eye on next season. While they do lose two key back court pieces - starter Aaron Carter and senior leader Jake Kelly -- they bring back everyone else, including a fairly deep back court. Dwayne Lathan is the name that most will recognize. An extremely athletic, 6'3" guard, Lathan -- who averaged 12.9 ppg as a sophomore and 10.6 ppg as a junior -- struggled a bit after returning from an injury that sidelined him for a week in the middle of the season. Part of the reason for those struggles, however, was the emergence of Jake Odum. A redshirt freshman that grew up in ISU's backyard, Odum became a leader for the Sycamores, carrying them to a five game winning streak to close out MVC play before their tournament run. Once Odum and Lathan get on the same page, Indiana State will have a dangerous back court. Expect Jordan Printy and Steve McWhorter to provide minutes off the bench. The key for the Sycamores will be up front, where they are a bit undersized. Carl Richard is a tough combo-forward, but he's only 6'5" and can get overmatched in the paint. Center Myles Walker, a senior JuCo transfer, improved throughout the season and should be a key contributor this year. RJ Mahurin and Jake Kitchell both have had an offseason to get stronger, but the x-factor could end up being freshman Justin Gant. Gant, another Terre Haute native, is a face-up four that had some strong Big Ten interest.
4. Evansville: After a disastrous 2009-2010 campaign that saw the Purple Aces win just nine games and go 3-15 in the Valley, Evansville put together a solid season a year ago. Led by star guard Colt Ryan, the Aces finished 15-14 overall, 9-9 in the league and had wins at Butler and again UT-San Antonio, the SWAC champion. The biggest issue for Marty Simmons' club? The road. The Purple Aces went just 3-12 away from home last season, including a couple of embarrassing losses late in the season.
This season, however, Evansville will be interesting to keep an eye on. They return three starters and their top four scorers, including Ryan, who averaged 15.7 ppg as a sophomore and scored more than 20 points nine times, including two 30 point outbursts. After spending the past two seasons as a young team, that youth has finally matured -- Evansville has three seniors and five juniors on the roster. Simmons will have plenty of pieces in his perimeter rotation. Seniors Kenneth Harris and Denver Holmes, juniors Ned Cox and Lewis Jones, and sophomore Jordan Jahr will all see time this season. Keep an eye on Troy Taylor as well, as he averaged 2.3 apg in just 14.4 mpg as a sophomore. The issue Evansville is going to have is in the front court. The only returnee taller than 6'6" is 6'8" senior Matt Peeler, who played a whopping 70 minutes last year. Simmons does bring in three front court players as freshmen, but regardless of level, relying on freshmen in your frontcourt is not necessarily a recipe for success. Harris, and to a lesser extent Holmes, both play bigger than their size, but at under 6'6", it will be tough for them to deal with front courts like Creighton's.
5. Missouri State: Depending on how you look at it, Missouri State's 2010-2011 campaign was both an overwhelming success and a tremendous disappointment. On the one hand, Cuonzo Martin completed the rebuilding process, taking what was a 3-15 in his first season and turning them into league champions in just three years while returning league Player of the Year Kyle Weems for the 2011-2012 season. The bad news? Not only did Martin depart for the greener pastures of Tennessee, but the four other players that started around Weems all graduated. Weems will have a big season, but new head coach Paul Lusk is going to have to build a completely new team around him -- the Bears had one of the shortest benches in the country last season.
As we said, this team will be built around Kyle Weems. Weems in the quintessential Valley combo-forward -- big enough to score over a smaller defender, perimeter savvy to bury a three or dribble by a slower power forward. He'll have a big year as a senior, even when defenses key in on him. The question is going to be Weems' supporting cast. Lusk will more or less have four players at his disposal that can be considers "returners", or players that were in Martin's rotation. The guy to keep an eye on is Caleb Patterson. A seven-footer that is pretty skilled offensively, Patterson is going to need to get tougher and more physical in the paint -- he averaged just 2.2 rpg as a junior and it cost him some playing time. Isaiah Rhines should also contribute up front, but keep an eye on freshmen Christian Kirk and Andrew Wilson. Kirk should be able to contribute significant minutes immediately. The back court is more of a question mark. Sophomore Nathan Scheer should start. He's a heady player that defends, doesn't commit turnovers, and showed an improved scoring touch late in the season. Keith Pickens, who started 17 games as a freshman in 2009-2010, will be back as well, but he's battled knee injuries throughout his career, missing the entire 2010-2011 season. Beyond that, there are minutes to be earned here. Corey Copeland played about five minutes a game as a freshman, but he could be pushed by freshman Dorrian Williams and JuCo transfers Anthony Downing and Jarmar Gulley. Depending on how the new members of the rotation develop, the Bears should finish in the top half of the conference.
6. Northern Iowa: After the initial growing pains of integrating players into new roles, Northern Iowa appeared to have found their stride midway through conference play. Sitting at 9-3 after reeling off eight straight wins, the Panthers season essentially ended when Lucas O'Rear broke his ankle in early February. A team known for their defensive toughness lost their leader. Throw in the graduation of Kwadzo Ahelegbe, a four-year starter and defensive hawk at the point, and Ben Jacobson is looking at a bit of a rebuilding year in 2011-2012.
There are some pieces left on the roster, however. Forward Jake Koch, the younger brother of former MVC Player of the Year Adam Koch, had a couple of big games for the Panthers, including a 34 point outburst against Bradley, but he was too inconsistent as a sophomore and had a habit of disappearing in big games. If the Panthers are going to compete atop the league, Koch is going to have to become a more reliable scoring presence. The rest of the front court rotation is still to be determined. Austin Pehl is their biggest body at 6'10", 245 lb, but the redshirt junior has yet to show the physicality inside that O'Rear and Jordan Egleseder had the last few years. Sophomore Chip Rank, redshirt freshman Nate Buss and true freshman Seth Tuttle will have a chance to earn their way into the rotation as well. In the back court, the key is going to be replacing Ahelegbe, which won't be easy. Junior Anthony James was the breakout star of this Panther team last season. He averaged 12.4 ppg as a sophomore, but at 6'0", he created just 25 assists all year. Senior Johnny Moran has been a consistent role player throughout his career, and I'm sure Jacobson would like to see him become more assertive this season. The same can be said for junior Marc Sonnen. Don't be surprised if freshmen point guards Deon Mitchell and JeVon Lyle compete for minutes at the lead guard spot as well. The Panthers will compete, but expect the team -- usually known as a defensive juggernaut -- to struggle until they find players willing to fill the roles Ahelegbe and O'Rear played defensively.
7. Drake: The Bulldogs struggled to rebuild last season, winning just 13 regular season games and finishing 7-11 in league play. After an ugly start, that included 40-plus point losses to Iowa State and St. John's in November and a 3-8 start to MVC play, the Bulldogs erased all the momentum gained from a 5-2 stretch in February by getting drubbed by Bradley in both of their last two games. It was a young roster for head coach Mark Phelps, led by star freshman Rayvonte Rice. Rice navigated through the recruiting pitches he received throughout the offseason to return to Drake for his sophomore season, but an arrest for shoplifting in early September with teammate Kurt Alexander put a damper that enthusiasm. Both are currently suspended indefinitely.
The good news is that the Bulldogs return essentially their entire team. Seven of their top eight scorers return, and that doesn't include senior Frank Wiseler (Ed. Note: Wiseler has recently decided to leave the team and end his basketball career) and redshirt freshman Karl Madison, Drake's two best point guards that both suffered season-ending injuries. Having a true point guard to run the team should be an immediate boost to an offensive that finished eighth in the conference in terms of efficiency. Kurt Alexander, an off-guard that helped handle point guard duties last year, will be back as well. Its easy to say that the development of Rice, who averaged 13.8 ppg and 4.8 rpg as a freshman, is the key for the Bulldogs this season. As a powerful shooting guard (or undersized small forward), he has the kind of the ability that you can build a Valley program around so long as he develops better shot selection. But where Drake will have their season made is in the front court. Can juniors Seth VanDeest (Ed. Note: It appears VanDeest is out for the season with a torn labrum), Aaron Hawley and Jordan Clarke and senior Kraidon Woods battle with some of the better front lines in the league? Will junior Ben Simons continue to develop as a dangerous inside-outside threat?
8. Bradley: Bradley heads into this season with a much different look and set of expectations than last season. Last year, they were expected to compete for a spot near the top of the league. But that was before Sam Maniscalco ended his season after six games, applying for a medical red-shirt and eventually transferring to Illinois for his senior season. That was also before Taylor Brown was diagnosed with a heart condition. He sat out last year and may not be ready to play this year. And while Andrew Warren had a career year as a senior -- averaging 18.8 ppg to lead the league -- it wasn't enough to get Bradley out of last place. Ultimately, head coach Jim Les was fired (and sued the school), leading to Bradley bringing in Geno Ford from Kent State.
Ford will have his work cut out for him early on in his tenure. In addition to losing Maniscalco and Warren, Dodie Dunson graduated and Will Egolf, a fifth-year senior center, tore his acl in early June -- the second time he suffered that injury in his right knee. There are some pieces for the Braves. Junior guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards really came on at the end of the season, averaging 16.1 ppg over the last ten games. Sophomores Walt Lemon, a 6'3" guard, and Jordan Prosser, a 6'9" forward, both showed flashes of impressive potential. Throw in the addition of some talented freshmen -- forwards Shayok Shayok and Devon Hodges, guards Jalen Crawford and Donivine Stewart, and slender seven-footer Nate Wells (who has already put on 20 pounds of muscle) -- and Ford does have some talent to work with. But the key is Brown, who averaged 13.5 ppg and 6.9 rpg in 2009-2010. If he is cleared, Bradley has a shot to finish in the top half of the league. If not, Braves fans will have to wait a season. Whatever the case, the future is bright.
9. Illinois State: Tim Jankovich had his worst season as the head man of Illinois State in 2010-2011. After finishing in the top three of the MVC and earning a trip to the NIT in each of his first three seasons, Jankovich lost his top three scorers heading into last season. Simply put, the Redbirds could not score. Only one player on the roster -- Austin Hill -- averaged double figures (10.6 ppg), and he graduated. ISU also had major issues at the point guard position. Kenyon Smith was in and out of the lineup with injuries and Anthony Cousin had 67 assists to 56 turnovers. Not exactly what you look for out of your primary ball-handler.
The good news for Jankovich is that he still has Jackie Carmichael and John Wilkins. Carmichael, a 6'9" rising junior, is a talented-if-inconsistent post threat. While he averaged 9.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg as a sophomore, he had a couple of big games -- 22 points vs. South Dakota, 22 points and eight boards at Missouri State, and 43 points and 30 rebounds in his last two games against Bradley. Wilkins, who is also 6'9", is more of a perimeter player that, along with Carmichael, could form a nice inside-outside attack along the front line. With redshirt sophomore Jon Ekey and redshirt freshman Threloff also in the mix, Illinois State has some potential up front. The issue will be the back court. Who is going to create? Will Justin Clark, who is second in Missouri high school history in made threes, ever find the stroke that people predicting he would be an all-conference player one day? (Ed. Note: Not when he transferred out of the program. Whoops.) Will Hill be more effective off the ball? Just how good are freshmen Nic Moore (PG) and Johnny Hill (SG)? Those are a lot of questions to be answered in one back court.
10. Southern Illinois: Chris Lowery is probably regretting his decision not to cash in on the Saluki's success early in his tenure. Since taking SIU to three straight NCAA Tournaments and the 2007 Sweet 16 -- which earned him a multi-million dollar, seven-year contract -- Lowery has lost 15 or more games four straight years, suffering through losing seasons the last three. The problem? Lowery's teams have gotten away from the grind-it-out defensive mindset that netted them tournament trips and he's brought in too many players that have opted to leave the program. The latest example was Gene Teague, Lowery's starting center who didn't finished the season with the team and is now at Seton Hall.
Things don't look to be getting much better next season for Lowery. In addition to losing Teague, Carlton Fay -- the MVC's third-leading scorer -- graduated while Mykel Cleveland and Troy Long were both run off the team following a mid-season suspension. Diamond Taylor was also suspended indefinitely at the start of the month. That said, Lowery does have a couple of solid pieces to build around. Mamadou Seck is a live-bodied, 6'7" forward that averaged 10.1 ppg and 8.1 rpg as a junior. Another senior, Justin Bocot, battled injuries all year but really came on strong late in the season. Throw in Kendal Brown-Surles, a junior guard that proved to be a threat from the perimeter as a sophomore, and Lowery certainly does not have a bare cupboard. Sophomore big man Davante Drinkard will also be counted on to produce inside this season. He was overmatched as a rookie. The rest of the roster will be made up of freshmen and JuCo transfers. Expect another finish in the bottom half of the league.
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Arizona's Kevin Parrom escapes serious injury after being shot ... twice |
There is a wild story coming out of the Bronx today. Arizona guard Kevin Parrom, who was back in New York to visit his sick mother, was shot in a dispute over a woman.
According to Adam Zagoria, Parrom had a girl come over to his apartment, which didn't make the girl's ex-boyfriend too happy. He showed up with another man who had a gun. That's when all hell broke loose:
“[Parrom] had a girl visiting him,” the second source said. “The girl’s jealous boyfriend or ex-boyfriend shows up at Kevin’s house. He brings a dude with him. The dude that’s with him has a gun.How lucky is he?
"Somehow the guys get in the house, words are exchanged. One of the guys pulls out a gun. Kevin grabs the gun, they wrestle for the gun. The guy pulls the trigger, which grazes [Parrom] in the hand. The shooter pulls back and the shot grazes [Parrom] in the leg.”
Grazed by two bullets? That doesn't happen. Not even in movies. Parrom's AAU coach told the Arizona Daily Star that his injuries are not serious and that he is able to walk.
"I have been in contact with Kevin and his family throughout the weekend and look forward to his return to Tucson and being back in class this week," Arizona head coach Sean Miller said in a statement. "Our focus is on Kevin's health right now. Once we have more information, we'll be able to address his potential return to team activities."
There is no word yet on whether they caught the guys that attacked Parrom.
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2011-2012 Season Preview schedule |
We are kicking off our 2011-2012 season previews this week. After the jump, you will find a full schedule of all the preview posts we will be rolling out. Bookmark this page. It will be worth it.
Conference Previews:
9/26: Missouri Valley
9/28: Mountain West
9/30: Colonial
10/3: WCC
10/5: Conference USA
10/7: Atlantic 10
10/10: Pac-12
10/12: Big 12
10/14: SEC
10/17: ACC
10/19: Big Ten
10/21: Big East
Preseason Q&A Series:
Jason King of Yahoo Sports
Jay Bilas of ESPN
Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com
Players and Preseason Awards:
10/24: Mid-Major All-Americans
10/25: B.I.A.H All-Name Team
10/26: Mid-Major Top 25
10/27: B.I.A.H "Namesmith Ward" Top-50 Watch List
10/28: Breakout Players
10/30: Best Point Guards
10/31: Best Shooting Guards
11/1: Sleepers
11/2: Best Small Forwards
11/3: Best Dunkers
11/4: Best Power Forwards
11/6: Best Centers
11/7: BIAH All-American Teams
11/8: Preseason Tournaments
Top 50 Countdown:
9/26: Nos. 46-50: Weber State, Long Beach State, Fairfield, Marshall, and Virginia
9/27: Nos. 41-45: Kansas State, Georgetown, Northwestern, Butler, and Clemson
9/28: Nos. 36-40: George Mason, Drexel, Purdue, Cal, and St. Mary's
9/29: Nos. 31-35: Illinois, Washington, Michigan State, Wichita State, and UNLV
9/30: Nos. 26-30: Creighton, UCLA, New Mexico, Temple, and Michigan
10/3: No. 25: Harvard
10/4: No. 24: Marquette
10/5: No. 23: Gonzaga
10/6: No. 22: Florida State
10/7: No. 21: Missouri
10/10: No. 20: Belmont
10/11: No. 19: Xavier
10/12: No. 18: Cincinnati
10/13: No. 17: Texas A&M
10/14: No. 16: Kansas
10/17: No. 15: Arizona
10/18: No. 14: Alabama
10/19: No. 13: Vanderbilt
10/20: No. 12: Baylor
10/21: No. 11: Florida
10/24: No. 10: Pitt
10/25: No. 9: Wisconsin
10/26: No. 8: Louisville
10/27: No. 7: Memphis
10/28: No. 6: Duke
10/31: No. 5: Syracuse
11/1: No. 4: Ohio State
11/2: No. 3: UConn
11/3: No. 2: Kentucky
11/4: No. 1: North Carolina
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Monday Morning Dump |
- Kevin Parrom a junior guard at Arizona was involved in a shooting early Saturday morning in the Bronx, New York
- Phil Heath a former-guard at the Univeristy of Denver was named the 2011 "Mr. Olympia"
- Dan Hanner details the list of guys who are primed for a bounce-back season
- Steve Lavin will enter a new, more agressive stage of prostate cancer treatment beginning next moth
- the Kentucky Pros will take on defending NAIA champs Pikesville on October 8th. UK is also looking to face a team of "Villains"
- A fantastic, and easy-to-read preview of the Colonial Athletic Association
- Texas A&M is officially a member of the SEC and will begin play in the 2012-2013 season
- East Carolina head coach Jeff Lebo has been given a contract extension through the '18-'19 season
- Big-Ten Powerhouse provides an adequate breakdown of Wisconsin's conference schedule
- Marquette fans want Dwayne Wade at Midnight Madness
- West Virginia got a huge commitment from power-forward Elijah Macon
- Wake Forest got a power forward commitment as well
- JuCo big-man Waverly Austin popped for South Florida. The Bulls also got another JuCo commitment
- Bronson Koenig committed to Wisconsin
- Morehead State picked up two comitments over the weekend
- Stanford snagged a point guard from right underneath Maryland's nose
- Navy is in no hurry to join the Big East
- Mario Chalmers did another miracle this weekend. More on The Legends of the Phog
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Friday, September 23, 2011
Once again, conference realignment seems to be on pause, not over |
The big news that came out on Thursday evening was that the Big 12 had finally come to an agreement that would stabilize the conference. The remaining nine members reportedly had struck a deal that would force a school to turn over their first and second tier media rights -- essentially, the money they would get for airing their best football and basketball games -- to the conference if they left within the next six years. In other words, if this agreement was made and Missouri left for the SEC, the Big 12 would retain the rights to air those Missouri games.
But just hours after we had seemingly found a way to save the Big 12 and began thinking of how to do the same for the Big East, it all went to hell again.
For starters, all that talk about the Big 12 schools agreeing to grant their first and second tier rights was tossed aside when it became clear the schools couldn't agree upon what they had, in fact, agreed upon. Then came the news from this morning's KC Star that Missouri still has a wandering eye, one sending suggestive glances towards their new flame, the SEC, all while trying to convince their current beau that they want the Big 12 to work.
“We either stick in the Big 12 because everything came about the way it needs to, the right way, with all the differences being settled in Missouri’s favor,” a university administrator who asked not to be identified told The Star on Thursday night. “But what are the odds of that happening? The other option is to join another conference and I believe that is something that we’re very open to.”
The Big 12 has their own fall back option, however. Last night there were reports that teams like TCU, BYU and possibly Air Force and Boise State had a shot of being invited to the BCS party by the Big 12. Today, Tom Liucci of NJ.com said that Louisville was another option, meaning that, once again, the Big East is in danger of getting raided. And keep in mind, UConn -- and Notre Dame and Rutgers? -- still wants in the ACC.
So is the Big East now the conference in the most danger of disintegrating? Will it be forced to add schools like East Carolina, Navy, Memphis and Central Florida while becoming Conference USA 2.0? Can it still be called the "Big East" whem less than half of the original members are involved and it stretches across the midwest?
Why couldn't Dan Wetzel just get put in charge?
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Chace Stanback's arrest may end up being a good thing for him |
The punishment for UNLV's Chace Stanback has finally been decided upon.
With a court date originally scheduled for the middle of the season, Stanback opted to avoid that nuisance and plead guilty to driving under the influence of marijuana. He'll get a 30 day suspended sentence, one he won't have to serve if he completes 40 hours of community service and pays a $585 fine by March 8th.
Stanback also got some closure in regards to his standing with the basketball team on Thursday, as UNLV head coach Dave Rice came to the decision that the 6'8" forward and potential Mountain West Player of the Year would be suspended for one game.
"Chace is a quality person who has had an outstanding track record in three-plus years at UNLV," first-year coach Dave Rice said in a statement. "That said, he made a bad decision that negatively impacted our program. We can't have that."
"I think it's really important for this day to come prior to the season. Going into the season, we could know what we were looking at, and he’s a really important member of our team, we're expecting big things from him. Had (his court date) stayed at Dec. 1, we would have dealt with it, but I think it’s important going into the season to have as few variables as we possibly can."
This is the correct decision from Rice.
This is a first offense from Stanback. He had a clean track record prior to the May 13th incident, he claimed responsibility and made no excuses about what happened, and he's already proven that he is changing the way that he carries himself. Stanback learned his lesson, and it didn't take the court system of a one game suspension to make that happen. In fact, Stanback's renewed focus on the game of basketball may be the best thing that has ever happened to him as a player.
Words like DUI and marijuana and arrest are not one that a head coach wants to hear, especially when they are all associated with a key player on your new team.
But this arrest may end up being a blessing in disguise.
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