Hoops Housekeeping: Fontan's acl, Armwood's transfer, Carlwell's eligibility denied

Kevin O'Neill's USC Trojans caught a terrible break on Thursday as the news became official that Jio Fontan, their leading returning scorer and distributor, will miss the season with a torn acl.

He suffered the injury on Tuesday in an exhibition game in Brazil. Fontan not only will miss the season, but he had his trip to Brazil cut short.

"When you lose your best player, who's also your best leader, who's also your glue guy, it changes your team, especially when you lost four other starters," O'Neill told the OC Register. "But the outlook for the season should be this: We're trying to win the Pac-12 title. We're trying to get in the NCAA Tournament."

"I can assure you this group of guys, after seeing them three games down here, they're going to play their hearts out every single game. We might not win every game, but no one's going to want to play us."

USC will be in full-on rebuilding mode next season. Without Fontan, the Trojans will have a completely different starting lineup than the one they used at the end of last season. Maurice Jones will be the only returning back court player that saw action in more than six games, but he was demoted to sixth-man for the last nine games as a freshman. As a sophomore, he will now be counted on as the Trojan's main source of offense.


Brian Carlwell's eligibility denied: The Aztec big man was denied an application for a sixth-year of eligibility by the NCAA on Thursday. He transferred SDSU from Illinois, red-shirting the 2008-2009 season.

"I was hurt when I found out I wasn't going to be able to come back," Carlwell said in a statement. "My time at San Diego State was amazing. I couldn't ask for a better three years of my life. I was a part of an amazing team. We made history at San Diego State and our legacy will forever live and that is something I am really proud of."

Carlwell averaged just 3.8 ppg and 2.7 rpg, but he was a valuable piece for the Aztecs due to the amount of talent they are losing along their frontline. Malcolm Thomas and Billy White graduated while Kawhi Leonard entered the NBA Draft. LSU transfer Garrett Green should help, but beyond that SDSU's front line is barren.

If Carlwell's name sounds familiar, it should. He was the passenger that was in the car when Jamar Smith drunkenly drove his car into a tree back in February of 2007.


Isaiah Armwood to transfer: After the junior forward was named captain and after returning from Villanova's team trip to Europe, Armwood sat down with Nova head coach Jay Wright and made the decision to part ways.

"He's the greatest kid in the world," Wright told Jeff Goodman. "He's our hardest-working guy, our captain. We started him every game on our trip. I love him to death."

"I just want to see him achieve his goals."

Armwood was expected to start, but with Mouphtau Yarou returning and Jayvaughn Pinkston and Markus Kennedy entering the program, the amount of minutes and effectiveness that Armwood was projected to have was limited.
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Mid-Season Additions Update

Renardo Sidney missed 42 straight college basketball games.

Because of the illegal benefits that Sidney and his family had received while he was a prep, the NCAA ruled that, among other things, Sidney had to sit out for the first year and a half of his collegiate career.

When Sidney finally got eligible, it only took one game -- an 88-57 blowout loss to Virginia Tech in the Bahamas in which an out of shape Sidney had 12 points and 3 boards -- before Sidney got himself suspended again. After an altercation with a walk-on at a Bulldogs practice in Hawaii before the Diamond Head Classic started, Sidney was suspended for Mississippi State's opener against Washington State.

Sidney returned for a loser's bracket game against San Diego, and he played well. He went for 19 points on 7-12 shooting and six boards in just 20 minutes of play. MSU won 69-52. But after that game is when things got crazy. According to Doug Gottlieb, who was doing play by play for ESPN at the Diamond Head Classic, Renardo Sidney wanted to get by junior captain Elgin Bailey to get to the concession stand. Bailey was sitting with his legs on the back of the seat in front of him. Bailey wouldn't move, words were exchanged, and this happened:



Both Sidney and Bailey have been suspended indefinitely and were immediately sent home (on separate flights, I might add) by head coach Rick Stansbury.

The question that has to be asked now is what to do with Sidney. As Jeff Goodman correctly explains here, Sidney is not completely to blame for his actions. Yes, he was the one that threw the punches and that exploded in practice. He was responsible for his actions. But would he be behaving the same way if his enablers -- his AAU coaches, his Reebok reps, even his parents -- hadn't made him believe he was allowed to act this way because he is a "star".

Sidney is a supremely talented young man. He's 6'10", 275 lb with quick feet and a perimeter game. He's got everything that you look for in an NBA big man.

But at this point, Stansbury may be better off playing this season without Sidney. This is the third time this season that Sidney has been suspended -- one more than the number of games he has actually played in.


Stansbury gave this kid a chance when there weren't many other schools willing to take the risk. He got up every morning and did P90x workouts with him to try and help him get into shape. And he repays the coach how? By getting into fights in practice and then trading haymakers in the stands where ESPN cameras can catch the action?

I don't care if Sidney didn't start the fight. He finished it.

Even without Sidney in the lineup, Mississippi State will likely be the best team in the SEC West. At some point, Stansbury needs to ask himself if a chemistry-killer with all-american talent is worth risking an entire season on.


Renardo Sidney was far from the only impact mid-season addition. We wrote about a group of kids that could have an affect on the college hoops landscape a few weeks ago. Let's check in on how they are doing.


Josh Selby, Kansas: 19.5 ppg, 2.5 apg

Selby has been terrific in his two games with the Jayhawks, scoring 21 and hitting the game winner against USC in his first game and following that with 18 points, including 13 in the first half when he hit his first five shots of the game, in a win at Cal. The question with Selby is what role he will eventually play down the road. Right now, he's been more of a spot up jump shooter than anything. That's not really his game. He's more of a slasher. What does look clear at this point, however, is that Selby has played his way into the starting lineup.



Drew Gordon, New Mexico: 9.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 21.0 mpg

Three games into his Lobo career, and Gordon hasn't exactly had the impact that many expected. He's coming off the bench as Steve Alford tries to slowly integrate him into a team that has already had their rotation set. Gordon reached double figures in his first two games, including a 10 points, 7 rebound performance in a win over Colorado. But he shot 3-10 and fouled out in 23 minutes as Northern Iowa knocked New Mexico. He'll get better has he used to playing in Steve Alford's system.


Jio Fontan, USC: 16.3 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.3 apg

Fontan has been terrific in three games for USC. You can see the stats he's put up, but its more than simply numbers. USC is playing their best basketball of the season. They were a couple of clutch Josh Selby jumpers away from beating the Jayhawks in Phog Allen Fieldhouse, and three days later went into Thompson-Boling Arena and beat Tennessee. As good as Josh Selby has been, Fontan may go down as the most valuable mid-season addition this season.



Jon Kreft, Florida State: 2.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 8.0 mpg

Its been a long road for Kreft, a 24 year old, 7-foot junior center, but after stints in both prison and at Chipola Junior College, the former five-star recruit has finally made it to the D-I ranks. His impact, however, has been a bit muted early on. Florida State has a deep and talented front court, and its not a surprise that it is taking a mid-season JuCo transfer a while to really make an impact. But in watching Kreft, its clear that his skills are still there. Florida State is 4-1 in Kreft's five games, including a third place finish in the Diamond Head Classic. With starting center Xavier Gibson out with a sprained knee and a broken hand (suffered in the same, scary fall) don't be surprised if Kreft starts to play a bigger role.


Jeronne Maymon, Tennessee: 4.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 11.3 mpg

Maymon finally got a passing grade in his bowling class and was cleared for Tennessee's game at Charlotte. Unfortunately, his addition coincided with the Volunteer's collapse. Tennessee has lost one point decisions to both Charlotte and USC before barely squeezing out a win against Belmont. Maymon has been rebounding well in his limited minutes, but the versatile forward is still finding his role in the offense.


Roberto Nelson, Oregon State: 8.5 ppg, 15.5 mpg

Nelson has been inconsistent in his first four games with the Beavers. He scored three points in a win over Texas Southern and four points in a loss to George Washington, but he also had 13 in a loss at Montana and 14 in a win over Illinois-Chicago. Right now, Craig Robinson is trying to work Nelson into the rotation, but with how much the Beavers have been struggling this season, maybe its time to start allowing Nelson to play a bigger role.


Gregory Echenique, Creighton: 11.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.3 bpg

Echenique has proven to be a competent addition to the Bluejays. Playing just 19.7 mpg, Echenique is averaging 11.3 ppg and has given Creighton a shot blocking presence. Combined with Antoine Young and Doug McDermott on the perimeter, along with Kenny Lawson inside, Creighton has a team that might be able to compete with Northern Iowa and Wichita State for the MVC title. Now, the question becomes whether or not Gregg McDermott can find a way to use Lawson and Echenique at the same time.


Olex Czyz, Nevada: 7.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg

Czyz, a Duke transfer, has played three games with the Wolfpack since joining the team. He's started, but unfortunately he hasn't been the savior. Nevada is 1-2 since Czyz became eligible, with a win over Portland State and losses to Arizona State and Washington by 30. Even with Czyz, Nevada appears to be a long way from competitive in the WAC.


Mike Holmes, Coastal Carolina: 13.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg

The South Carolina transfer has been just as good as expected. Holmes is averaging 13.7 ppg and 9.0 rpg in three games, including wins over both LSU and East Carolina. The Chanticleers are once again the best team in the Big South, and with Holmes on the roster, they can boast a high-major caliber post player on their roster.


Alex Legion and Dominique Ferguson, Florida International: 11.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg, 10.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg

Legion, whose collegiate career has taken him to both Kentucky and Illinois, has scored 11 points in each of his first two games with FIU, while Ferguson, a top 50 recruit that was unable to get academically eligible until the second semester, had 10 in his debut against Florida A&M. The addition of these two, along with Erick Ferguson and Marvin Wright, makes FIU yet another dangerous team in the Sun Belt.
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Jio Fontan commits to USC

Kevin O'Neil is already making his presence felt in Southern California as he has gotten a commitment from Fordham transfer Jio Fontan.

Fontan, a product of the same high school team that yielded Tyshawn Taylor, Travon Woodall, and four other D1 players, averaged 15.3 ppg as a freshman for Fordham, but decided to leave the school over the summer.

At first he wasn't granted his release, but finally got it last month after head coach Dereck Whittenburg was fired.

Fontan should be expected to contribute major minutes for USC when he becomes eligible in December 2010 as Mike Gerrity and Dwight Lewis are both graduating this spring. With Alex Stephenson and Nikola Vucevic both coming back, head coach Kevin O'Neil has a solid core to recruit and build around.

This addition comes of the heels of the Trojans 22 point win over Tennessee.

While it is still going to take a while for this program to get back to where they were under Tim Floyd, landing players like Fontan, who also had drawn interest from Alabama, Tennessee, and Miami, is a good first step.

Things may be looking up for the Trojans.

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