Apologies in advance to all Maryland fans:
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Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Gameday sites announced |
When ESPN decided to start doing College Gameday for basketball, many were skeptical about how it would turn out. It made perfect sense for football - for any sports fan, weekends in the fall consist of Saturdays watching the college kids play and Sundays chock full of NFL football.
But was there enough of an audience for college basketball to make it an all day experience?
Apparently so.
Personally, I love it. Just about every team in the country plays on Saturday (it isn't unusual to see 150 games on the schedule), and for junkies like myself, there is nothing better than flopping down on the couch for a full day of hoops. With Gameday starting at 11am, all it meant was I had to start nursing my hangover and hour earlier.
The most interesting part of this year's line-up is the first game. You're reading that right. The Gameday crew will be heading to Storrs not to see Calhoun's boys suit up, but to watch the UConn women, fresh off of an undefeated season. It will be the first time they have gone to a women's game.
In general, the have done a good job balancing the schedule. There is one game from each of the major conferences before the season ends with (surprise, surprise) Duke and UNC. Personally, I would have liked to see them go to a mid-major site like Xavier or Butler. Not only are those two programs (along with other possibilities like Gonzaga, Dayton, or Memphis) now contenders and top 25 teams year in and year out, the turnout would be tremendous. You don't think the entire campus would show up if the Gameday crew went to Butler?
Anyway, here is the schedule. A couple quick predictions:
BEST GAME: Tennessee at Kentucky. The Bruce Pearl-John Calipari rivalry blossomed while Cal was at Memphis, and with the number of athletes on the court I can't help but think that there will be some highlight reel plays. Plus, Tennessee owes UK after Jodie Meeks put 54 on them last year.
BIGGEST BLOWOUT: Kansas at Kansas State. The Jayhawks are just too good this year Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen are good backcourt players, and the Wildcats have a couple talented freshman in the mix, but I just don't see an experienced and talented Kansas team having trouble in Manhattan.
UPSET CITY: Villanova at Syracuse. Losing Devo and Flynn will hurt, but Paul Harris leaving school could be addition by subtraction. Nova does have a couple freshman big men, but with a healthy front line of Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson, the Orange might have the league's best bigs this side of Louisville. If some of the newcomers into Boeheim's program pan out, the Orange will sneak up on a few people this year.
January 16th: Storrs, Conn. - Notre Dame at Connecticut (Women’s)
January 23rd: Clemson, S.C. - Duke at Clemson
January 30th: Manhattan, Kan. - Kansas at Kansas State (6 p.m. show and game at 7 p.m.)
February 6th: Champaign, Ill. - Michigan State at Illinois
February 13th: Lexington, Ky. - Tennessee at Kentucky
February 20th: Seattle, Wash. - UCLA at Washington
February 27th: Syracuse, N.Y. - Villanova at Syracuse
March 6th: Durham, N.C. - North Carolina at Duke
And there are always a few memorable moments.
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Memphis loses Martin Ngaloro |
Martin Ngaloro, a 6'8" French forward that would have been a freshman for Memphis this season, injured his knee in a workout in France last week. He informed Tiger coach Josh Pastner via email that the injury would likely keep him out of uniform this season.
This is another blow to the Tigers, who earlier this summer lost top 20 recruit Latavious Williams to a pro league in China.
Since Elliot Williams, the Duke transfer, has yet to be granted a release by the NCAA allowing him to play this season, Memphis was left with just seven scholarship players.
Pastner did pick up another recruit, however. 6'5" forward DJ Stephens (who also has a 43" vertical) has signed with the Tigers. Previously, he was planning on attending a JuCo.
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Jarvis Varnado will be a walk-on this year |
You heard that right.
The nation's leading shot-blocker will not be a scholarship player.
Right now, Mississippi State has 12 scholarship players eligible. Plus Renardo Sidney and John Riek. That equals 14, which is one more scholarship than the NCAA allows. And if you remember, Varnado entered the draft after last season but decided (correctly) to return to school, putting Rick Stansbury in a bind.
"We had discussed it with coach (Rick) Stansbury and he let us know that if Jarvis put his name in the draft, and he had a chance to get Renardo Sidney, we'll take out a loan so he can come back to school," Winston Varnado told Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.
That's one way to solve the problem of testing the waters.
On a side note, that is an extremely selfless act by Varnado. That's $5,151 out of his own pocket so that Sidney and Riek can play ... IF they get cleared.
Which is by no means a guarantee.
Jarvis Varnado will pay his own tuition as a walk-on at MSU this season.(photo credit: Pike County Times)
The only time I can remember something like this happening is when Taylor Rochestie, a point guard who graduated from Washington State last season, paid his own tuition for a year to allow a teammate who couldn't afford to pay for school to take his scholarship.
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Live broadcast of the basketball schedule |
If there was one school in the country where they could broadcast, on television, the school announcing their basketball schedule, where do you think it would be?
Yup.
Kentucky.
They confirmed it last month, and right now are waiting for the SEC schedule to be released. Apparently they will be giving 24 hours notice prior to the show being aired.
Which, if in any way possible, I will be watching.
Why?
Because stuff like this doesn't happen. Except in Kentucky.
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Top 10 coaching scandals |
Pretty good list here from Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News. He did Rick Pitino a solid by leaving him off.
#1 should be obvious.
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Wednesday Morning Dump |
What has happened to Mischa Barton; hazing at Redskins camp; David Stern talking hoops at a barbershop; Turtle and Tony Soprano's daughter are actually dating in real life.
- National Hoops Report's class of 2011 rankings released.
- Rutgers hires new assistant; kicks Corey Chandler off of team.
- Turkish star leaves millions on the table, heads to Findlay Prep.
- Catching up with Gordon Hayward of Butler.
- 25 things to miss in basketball.
- Greg Paulus isn't the only former hoopster playing college football this year.
- Andy Katz on the pre-season tournaments.
- SEMO coach pleading innocence.
- "The Chosen One" took an 0-fer in the high school baseball all-america game.
- This kid is from my hometown.
- Britney Spears on Letterman:
Youtube analysis of Ian Kinsler getting beaned in the head. Language NSFW.
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Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Apparently, John Beilein doesn't watch ESPN |
Or read BIAH.
If he did, we wouldn't have this problem (from AnnArbor.com, h/t The Dagger):
"That is really the biggest challenge right now," Beilein said. "Is to get a clear agenda of what are important issues. But you will be focusing on one issue and something real and very important can come up that nobody ever thought of before. I don't think there’s a science to this thing. We just have to chop away at being persistent in trying to identify the biggest problems."Umm, I think we know the big issues, John.
Before I get into this, let me set up the back story for you.
You see, back in May, the NCAA set up a college basketball ethics committee, dubbed the NCAA Division I Men's basketball ethics coalition. It consists of 14 members - 11 current head coaches, two current assistants, and one former coach. Beilein is the chair.
And rightfully so. I dare you to find a coach that is better at taking the kids none of the other big boys want, the kids that fill a specific role for his team, and making them able to compete with schools loaded to the brim with all-americans and top 50 recruits.
In other words, he probably isn't out there tossing around stacks of benji's in envelopes to runners.
Back to the point, how is it possible that the chairman of college basketball's ethics committee does not know what the sport's "important issues" or "biggest problems" are?
All he needed to do was pay attention this summer: Derrick Rose, Tim Floyd, Renardo Sidney, Rick Pitino, Coach Cal, SE Missouri, and the countless issues with recruiting and youth basketball that came to light (see here, here, here, and here).
I don't mean to pick on Beilein here. I'm sure the quote was just the usual, media friendly, politically correct blandness coaches feed reporters all the time. In all seriousness, I really hope that this ethics committee can actually get something done. There is nothing that makes me happier than watching college basketball - whether it is the Big Monday's and College Gameday's or American playing Holy Cross in a Patriot League conference game on MASN. The passion displayed by the players, the coaches, and the fans in every game is beyond compare.
But college basketball has turned into a cesspool. The corruption involved with wooing prized recruits and keeping them on campus (and, more importantly, eligible to be on the court) has made it more and more difficult to watch without feeling like it is nothing more than a place to store potential pro's for a season or two.
I don't have the answer. I don't know how to fix it.
Hopefully, they will.
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Conversation with Mike Brey |
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to chat with Notre Dame's head basketball coach Mike Brey.
Notre Dame loses quite a bit from last season. Gone are Kyle McAlarney and Ryan Ayers, two of the most dangerous three point threats in the Big East last year. Gone are forwards Luke Zeller and Zach Hillesland.
But that doesn't mean the Irish will be devoid of talent.
Mike Brey is in his tenth season at the helm of the Irish.(photo credit: daylife)
Notre Dame caught a break when all-american forward and former Big East player of the year (and BIAH's preseason player of the year) Luke Harangody withdrew from the draft. The Irish also return the underrated Tory Jackson at point. Jackson is one of the best creators in the country, a pesky defender, and a tough kid that isn't afraid to stick his nose in the paint to get a rebound. The knock on Jackson as a freshman was his inability to knock down shots from the perimeter, but he has shown a marked improvement in his time in South Bend as he shot 36% from deep as a junior.
Notre Dame is going to be a different team than last season's squad. Where the '08-'09 version relied on a high-powered offense, consisting of Harangody and a number of quality three-point shooters, to win games, this year the team is going to be much tougher, especially on the defensive end.
Ayers and McAlarney, while excellent scorers capable of going for 25 on a given night, were not known for their defensive prowess. In their absence, Notre Dame will look to senior Jonathon Peoples and Mississippi State transfer Ben Hansbrough.
Playing behind a talented string of two-guards, Peoples has never really had the opportunity to show what he can do on the court. But he is an athletic guard that should give some of the Big East's best wings fits.
Hansbrough is cut from the same cloth as his brother - a tough kid and a smart player. Not only is he unafraid to get on and defend, but he should be able to supply the Irish with the some of the scoring and shooting that they are losing with McAlarney and Ayers graduating (he averaged 10.5 ppg and shot 36% from deep as a sophomore for the Bulldogs).
There were two players that Brey specifically mentioned being excited about. The first is Purdue transfer Scott Martin.
"He may be the most talented player we've had since Troy Murphy," Brey said.
Brey is expecting big things from Purdue transfer Scott Martin.(photo credit: Flickr)
Martin is a 6'8" forward that can do it all. He can shoot the ball as well as put it on the floor, but also has shown flashes of being able to score in the paint against smaller defenders. The knock on Martin was that he was too thin, which was a fair assessment as the lefty came to Notre Dame checking in a 204 lb. But according to Brey, Martin put on 16 pounds of muscle as he sat out last season. That added strength will help him this season as the Irish will need his help on the interior.
Brey is also excited to see how redshirt sophomore Tim Abromaitis develops. Abromaitis came to Notre Dame in 2007 as a 17 year old still growning into his 6'8" frame. He sat out last season as a redshirt (Abromaitis signed with Notre Dame late in the recruiting process, and came with the intention of going to school for five years and earning a master's - isn't it great when you hear about true student-athletes?), which allowed him to improve his footspeed and get stronger.
Abromaitis is another kid with a good all-around game - he can score in the post and on the perimeter, and Brey said that he has developed into a "great athlete".
Also returning is junior Tyrone Nash, a gritty and athletic power forward.
"We'll have seven guys with more than two years of college basketball experience," Brey said.
Last year's Big East was, top to bottom, as talented as any in recent memory. As many as nine schools were ranked at one time, and five made it as far as the Sweet 16 (UConn and Villanova reached the Final Four).
With much of the individual talent moving on to the NBA, an experienced Notre Dame group should be in the mix atop the conference come March.
The biggest issue the Irish are going to face is on the interior. Guys like Harangody and Martin are talented, especially on the offensive end, but the entire Notre Dame front line is a bit undersized. Are they going to be able to hold their own against teams like Louisville (Samardo Samuels, Terrence Jennings, and Raheem Buckles) or Syracuse (Arinze Onuaku, Rick Jackson, and Dashonte Riley) with big front lines?
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Pre-season Player of the Year |
ESPN currently has a poll up where you can rank the 15 favorites for national player of the year.
Player of the year is usually a tricky award to pick. Is it the best player in the country? The best player on the best team? The guý who had the best season? The most valuable player? (It is actually really easy when a kid takes home each superlative a la Blake Griffin last year).
Case in point: the Michael Beasley versus Tyler Hansbrough debate. Beasley was clearly the more talented kid and was projected by most to be a better NBA prospect. But Hansbrough won a lot of the player of the year awards because he played for a Final Four team surrounded by fellow future first rounders.
Things will probably change as the season progresses, but as of right now the player of the year voting looks to be wide open. Are there enough shots available on one team for guys like Patrick Patterson or John Wall to win? Will Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich split votes? Can Luke Harangody or Craig Brackins lead their teams to a good enough season to be considered? Will freshman Derrick Favors be good enough to compete for the award?
Follow the jump for my five pre-season favorites.
5. Patrick Patterson, Kentucky: 17.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.1 bpg
PP may very well be the post power forward in the country (which is saying a lot given the depth at that position). But he also plays on a team that is very talented and deep, especially in the front court. 
Patrick Patterson
(photo credit: US Presswire)
John Wall, UK's freshman point guard, is talented enough to make a run at some postseason awards (he was the only freshman in Katz's top 15) while the rest of the Wildcat's front line (Daniel Orton, DeMarcus Cousins, and Perry Stevenson) is good enough to start, and possibly make an all-conference team, just about anywhere else in the country.
Patterson will, no doubt, be the centerpiece of the Wildcats offense, but will there be enough shots to go around? Perhaps the bigger question is how will he perform in Coach Cal's dribble-drive motion offense, an offense in which guards tend to thrive?
4. Cole Aldrich, Kansas: 14.9 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.7 bpg
Aldrich was a beast in his breakout sophomore season. I'd argue he was the third most intimidating defensive presence in college basketball last year (behind Thabeet and Varnado), and was a much more dominant offensive force than either of those two. 
Cole Aldrich
(photo credit: You Got Dunked On)
Already a monster on the glass, where Aldrich needs to improve is in his back to the basket game. While he did score almost 15 a game last year, a large majority of that came off of drop-offs, putbacks, free throws, and 15-17 foot jumpers. You rarely saw Aldrich use his outstanding length for a jump hook or turnaround J. If that post game develops this season, he should become college ball's most dominant big man on both ends.
3. Sherron Collins, Kansas: 18.9 ppg, 5.0 apg
Collins really proved his ability to carry a team last year. As basically the only returner (Aldrich played about 8 mpg as a freshman) from a national title team, Collins led the Baby Jayhawks to a Big XII crown and a Sweet 16 berth. 
Sherron Collins
(photo credit: NY Post)
You can expect Collins to have another excellent season leading KU, and given the wealth of talent on the Jayhawks, a national title is within reach. But when you have (arguably) the best point guard and best center in the country on the pre-season #1 team in the country, it is feasible that the two players could split votes. Given that Collins put up better numbers and took (and made) so maný big shots last year, I'm giving him the nod over Aldrich.
Craig Brackins, Iowa State: 20.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg
Brackins surprised a lot of people back in April when he decided to return to school. After averaging almost a double-double for an undermanned Iowa State team. 
Craig Brackins
(photo credit: Flickr)
Brackins is a match-up nightmare. He can face-up and either knock down a jumper or put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. But as a sophomore last season, Brackins showed an improved ability in the post, scoring with his back to the basket and showing much better toughness going to the glass. He doesn't have much help on his team, which can be a good and bad thing. While he may put up huge numbers, his efficiency stats will take a hit and his team won't get much national exposure.
1. Luke Harangody, Notre Dame: 23.3 ppg, 11.1 rpg
Yup, I'm going with Harangody as the pre-season favorite for player of the year. Why? Because the big fella is going to put up huge numbers this year for Notre Dame. Seriously, not only would it not surprise me if he went for 25 and 12 this year, but I expect him too. 
Luke Harangody
(photo credit: Double the Post)
And 'Gody can play. He is fantastic on the block, where he uses his incredibly quick feet (the kid would win Dancing with the Stars hands down) and ability to seal and hold position to counteract his relative lack of height and athleticism. But he has also developed a solid face-up game and now is a threat out to the college three-point line. Given the progress he had made getting in shape for the Draft combine, I would expect him to be in Herculean condition come November.
But more than anything, the bottom line is that he has an actual chance at averaging 25 and 12 in the Big East. And while the Big East may be a bit watered down this year, that is still an amazing number.
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ESPN releases their SEC Super Tuesday schedule |
And, as you should have expected, there is plenty of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida to go around.
The Wildcats will play four times, while Tennessee and Florida get three each. What is interesting is how the SEC did the scheduling. Kentucky plays just one of their games at home and Tennessee plays all three of their on the road, but Florida gets three home games.
The three best games on the schedule: Kentucky at Florida on Jan. 12th, Kentucky at Mississippi State on Feb. 16th, and Tennessee at Florida on Feb. 23rd. Follow the jump for the full schedule.
ESPN has not yet released the Big Ten Super Tuesday schedule.
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Monday, August 17, 2009
Tuesday Morning Dump |
Awesome column from Simmons; I can't imagine this was pretty to stumble on; no chance; crocodile as a playmate?
- Who's going to be a better transfer for Syracuse? Wesley Johnson or Greg Paulus?
- Rick Pitino's family supports him.
- I would have killed to be in this room.
- Jeff Goodman catches up with Jerome Dyson.
- Gary Parrish catches up with Jamie Dixon.
- Marquette lands a recruit in the class of 2010.
- Interview with Keno Davis.
- Great story about a walk-on for the Miami football team. Warning: tears may follow.
- Apparently, SE Missouri State, the team we wrote about last week, was punished because they lied about their infractions.
- Braylon Edwards is loved in Cleveland.
- After the jump, Australian rules football player gets doused with a beer and the funniest video I've seen in a while:
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Renardo Sidney gets cleared academically |
As Andy Katz reported earlier today, Renardo Sidney has been cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center to enroll at Mississippi State. He will be on campus in time for the first day of classes.
Whoop-de-doo.
It doesn't mean that he will be playing basketball for the Bulldogs this year.
You see, the issue for Sidney has never been academic eligibility. True, there were some doubters, but the bigger problem for him is his standing as an amateur. Specifically, how was his family able to afford rent a house for $4,000-$5,000 a month?
Renardo Sidney has been cleared academically.
(photo credit: LA Times)
To be honest, Sidney will probably eventually be cleared to play at some point this season. The NCAA doesn't like lawsuits. If Sidney is not allowed to lay, you can be fairly certain that the Sidney family will file a lawsuit against the NCAA. As is true with most major college sports programs, MSU has the funds to be able to hire a high-powered attorney to argue their case (case in point, his family has already retained Donald Jackson to represent their interests).
And the Sidney family may have a case. The issue right now seems to be who holds the burden of proof. Do the Sidney's have to proof that they were able to, among other things, pay the rent on their house through NCAA-legal means; or does the NCAA have to prove that they weren't?
Regardless of whether or not Sidney is cleared, Mississippi State is going to be good this year. The Bulldogs return essentially their entire team, including senior center and defensive stalwart Jarvis Varnado. Combine that with a talented group of perimeter players, and the Bulldogs have enough to stay in and around the top 25 all year long.
But if Sidney (and to a lesser extent John Riek) can get eligible, you are looking at a team that should be expected to win the SEC West, and should compete with Kentucky for the outright SEC title.
You see, Sidney brings such a unique skill set to the table. He is a well-rounded offensive player with an excellent face-up game, and is the perfect compliment to a shot-blocker like Varnado along the front line.
But back to the point, if I'm a Mississippi State fan, I would expect Sidney's case to be drawn out (the NCAA has a habit of doing that) before he is eventually cleared to play; essentially, Sidney would receive a de facto suspension.
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Pre-season NIT and Great Alaska Shootout fields announced |
PRE-SEASON NIT: The four host schools are Duke, Arizona State, LSU, and UConn. First round games will be played November 16th and 17th at the host schools with the consolation bracket to be played on the 23rd and 24th and the finals on the 25th and 27th at Madison Square Garden.
- Duke will play Coastal Carolina while Charlotte plays Elon
- Arizona State will play Texas State while TCU faces off with Cal State Northridge
- LSU gets Indiana State and Western Kentucky will play Milwaukee
- UConn faces Colgate and Hofstra gets Yale
GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT: The GAS has had their field cut from eight teams to six. Instead of the traditional eight team tournament, this year's GAS is going to be played in Olympic style pool play. The six teams invited this year are Alaska-Anchorage, Oklahoma, Washington State, Nicholls State, Houston, and San Diego.
After last year, when the GAS had one of their weakest fields in recent memory, this does not surprise me. With all the new tournaments popping up in places like Puerto Rico, Cancun, and Orlando, why would anyone was to go to Alaska in the middle of November? Don't get me wrong, Alaska is a beautiful state ... in the summer. In the winter, it is cold and dark. What is a better recruiting tool - we are going to spend Thanksgiving break in a tropical locale full of beaches and bikinis, or taking a trip up north to spend a weekend with snow and parkas?
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Monday Morning Dump |
Rodney King to box a cop; every pro athlete needs to read this; good thing her brakes worked; Entourage fans: Harvey Weinstein is a real person; this is a crazy video; cop doesn't know who Bob Dylan is.
- Western Kentucky lost their second incoming freshman this weekend as Terrence Boyd has been dismissed.
- Now this is funny. Along those same lines, Pitino passed a polygraph; catholics think he should be forgiven.
- Miami's going to be good this year.
- Rupp won Arena Wars.
- Terrelle Pryor was a pretty good basketball player too.
- Top 65 non-conference games.
- I said I thought the Tyler move to Israel was a good one; Gary Parrish agreed.
- Usain Bolt sets the world record in the 100.
- Soccer player runs from police, thinks they are angry fans.
- Bobby Cremins got a contract extension.
- David Ortiz's struggles. About half way down, he has a pretty good rant.
- Interview with Kyrie Irving and Josh Selby.
- Stephon Marbury smokes weed.
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Sunday, August 16, 2009
Terrelle Pryor can do more than just run |
Terrelle Pryor, the quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, has been in the news a lot of late, mostly for a controversial 4.33 40 he ran. Whether or not he can actually run this time (if you don't know about the 40 yard dash, this fast is absurd) is besides the point - the kid is a freak athlete. Our friends over at 2nd n' Short explain:
Pryor is 6-6, 235 lbs, aka dude is big. For him to be this big and run a 4.33 is ridiculous. He is already capable of playing positions other then QB in the NFL, with this forty time he could do anything. Pryor is full of potential. He is an incredible rushing QB, and rarely hurts the team with his arm. He is still developing his passing game, but if he make strides he will be very dangerous in the NFL. The talents that Pryor possess make scouts drool, if he can put it all together this year and win a bowl game his stock will rise drastically.Think Vince Young before the breakdown.
Anyway, as I was saying, the kid is a freak athlete, and probably could be playing DI basketball right now had his football career not taken off.
Case in point:
I feel bad for the kid he dunked on. That's embarrassing.
While we're on the topic of great athletes, take a peek at this video of Vince Carter form high school. Make sure you watch until the end, because the last dunk is the best.
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Friday, August 14, 2009
Reggie Redding suspended for fall semester |
About a month ago, Reggie Redding, a senior guard on the Villanova Wildcats, was caught with a small amount of weed in his car.
Today, the university handed down his punishment. Redding will be allowed to attend class, but won't be eligible to play in games until the first semester ends on Dec. 18th.
On the surface, this doesn't look terrible for the Wildcats. Big East play doesn't start until January, and without Redding in the line-up, Nova's freshman guards will be thrown into the fire and gain some much-needed experience.
But Nova is going to be in the mix for a #1 seed, and Redding will be missing a number of key non-conference games. Redding will be out of uniform in the Wildcats five games against Philly schools (Temple, St. Joe's, La Salle, Penn, and Drexel) and for the Puerto Rico tip-off tournament, where Nova gets George Mason in the opening round and could end up facing teams like Dayton, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, and Kansas State.
Redding is a key role player. Not only does he provide leadership, but he is a versatile wing - able to score, shoot, defend, and create shots for his teammates. His absence will hurt.
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Andre Dawkins graduates high school, will enroll at Duke |
Earlier this week, Jon Scheyer did two interviews (with Rivals and SI) where he ... how do I say this ... oozed confidence? Scheyer was quoted in both publications as saying, actually it was closer to guaranteeing, that Duke would be a top 10 team by the end of the year. He caught some flack around the intrawebs for these comments.
Maybe he already knew something we didn't.
Yesterday, news broke that Andre Dawkins, a 17 year old fourth year junior in high school (he repeated freshman year after transferring), had finished enough credits in summer school to graduate a year early. He will be enrolling at Duke for the fall semester.
This is huge for the Blue Devils. As has been widely reported, Duke was left with just two guards on their roster after Gerald Henderson went pro and Elliot Williams transferred to Memphis. It doesn't take a basketball genius to figure out that you need more than two guards on your roster to be successful in the ACC.
Even if the Blue Devils had a full roster in the back court, signing a consensus top 25 player (and top 10 by some publications) is always a good thing. But more than talent, what Dawkins provides the short-handed Devils is versatility.
Last season, Jon Scheyer struggled when he was forced to play the two. The bigger, more athletic wing defenders were wreaked havoc on his ability to score. But when he played the point, he was able to use his size and strength advantage to get his shot off, and overall seemed a much more confidant player. With Dawkins on the roster, Scheyer will be able to slide over and get some time at the one.
Almost as important is that this third guard will allow Kyle Singler to get some time at the four spot. What makes Singler such an effective player is that his skill set is essentially that of a wing player, but his size allows him to defend the four. This creates an easily exploitable mismatch on the offensive end. If Singler had to play strictly as a two or three, I'm not sure he would be as effective offensively and I'm fairly certain he would struggle defensively against the smaller, quicker wings in the ACC.
Duke fans shouldn't count on Dawkins as their savior. He's not the same type of player as Henderson or Williams. Those two were athletic slashers and excellent defenders. Right now, Dawkins is a scorer with a lights out jumper. While he is "bouncy", he has yet to learn to use that athleticism to get to the rim or defend to ACC standards. Think Wayne Ellington as a freshman.
So Dawkins may not be the answer to Duke's season, he certainly is a large piece to the puzzle.
UPDATE: Here's a highlight video of Dawkins from high school (via RTC).
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NCAA sanctions brought against SE Missouri State |
The NCAA has brought the hammer down on the Redhawks. The Ohio Valley Conference school will face a number of penalties, including:
- Losing a scholarship in '09-'10
- Vacating their wins from the '06-'07 and '07-'08 seasons. All 23 of them.
- A four year probationary period, ending in 2013.
One in the amount of $239 for unpaid institutional fees in August 2007, and the other when the former assistant coach drove a student-athlete 171 miles from campus to Memphis in October 2006.I'm glad the NCAA is starting to come down on schools offering extra benefits to players and recruits. Maybe now, guys like OJ Mayo or Derrick Rose or Nate Miles or Tim Floyd or ... (should I keep going?) will think twice before breaking NCAA rules.
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Friday Morning Dump |
Oh, good god that sounds painful; Michael Phelps in a car accident; robbed the wrong store; good read on the death of Mark Ruffalo's brother; how they made that waterslide video.
- No more Pitino posts, but Sypher's interview with the NYDN is nuts.
- Josh Selby will probably wait until the spring to commit to a school. But he and Jeremy Lamb are visiting Storrs this weekend.
- Leonard Hamilton gets a new five year contract.
- Jerry Stackhouse interview, where he is asked about the John Wall dunk.
- Izzo, Howland, and Crean among those to speak at the collegiate business conference.
- Whitlock on Pitino. Pearlman's take here, Doyel's here, and Katz as well.
- Sometimes, Parrish's tweet of the day is hilarious. Like this one.
- Former Louisiana Tech players shot in the head.
- Yup, Zach Randolph is nuts.
- They caught the beer-tosser.
- NBA score keepers and how they cook the books.
- Bronson Arroyo is a moron.
- Umm, what the hell is going on in this video?
- The turtleman! Where are your teeth?
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