Jerry Stackhouse, meet John Wall

John Wall is building himself quite the rep heading into the season. It started with the drawn out recruitment process, which saw Wall fashion himself the next superstar/prima-donna by flirting with as many as eight schools (and the NBA) before settling on Kentucky.

Then came along these two videos from some UK scrimmage, where (if you have the time to watch them) you will see Wall do some pretty impressive stuff.

But nothing has been quite as impressive as this.

Wall is playing in the Greater North Carolina Pro-Am, which is one of the best summer leagues in the country. He played against a team with Jerry Stackhouse on it Friday night.

I think Stack knows who Wall is now...



Another angle of it:



That's pretty vicious. To his credit, Stack didn't take the tape.
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ANTHONY DILORETO CUT A DEAL: A few weeks ago, we wrote about a prospect from Minnesota that was being recruited by a number of mid- and high-majors (and was even offered a scholarship by St. Louis) despite the fact that he was facing charges for robbing a bank.

Well, he is no longer facing charges.

DiLoreto cut a deal in which he pleaded no contest to felony robbery charges; he pleaded guilty to felony robbery charges, but they will be dismissed if he stays out of trouble for a year.

That means as long as the former Cal Poly signee avoids robbing anymore banks, he should be able to play in the 2009-2010 season.

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Isiah Thomas lands a possible McDonald's All-American

A major factor in the hiring of Isiah Thomas at Florida International was that the school believed that Thomas would be able to attract high-major talent to the Sun Belt school.

Thomas was in the mix with both Latavious Williams and Lance Stephenson, but couldn't quite land either recruit.

But his persistence paid off.

Dominique Ferguson is a potential Mickey D's all-american. Rivals has the 6'9", 210 lb power forward rated as the 23rd best player in the class of 2010, while scout has him rated 9th. Formerly committed to Kentucky, Ferguson was also being recruited heavily by schools like UCLA, Arizona, Florida, and, well, basically everywhere.

What's the significance?

In case you haven't put it together yet, Ferguson has signed with FIU. The significance of this commitment shouldn't be downplayed. Guys that are ranked in the top 25 by any scouting service, let alone in the top 10, don't go to schools in the Sun Belt. Usually, they go to schools that are expected to compete for conference titles and Final Four trips; not mid-majors that rarely break .500.

Maybe the Isiah Thomas signing will work out for FIU after all.
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WHO IS THIS QUOTE IN REFERENCE TOO?: "Vision. Passing ability. Leadership. Improvisational skills. Intelligence. Quick feet. Instincts. Anticipatory senses. Adaptability.

'You know what we've got to get?' surmised Spence. 'We've got to get a point guard.'"

The answer will probably surprise you.

Greg Paulus.

I'm not much of a college football fan, but I'm really intrigued to see how this experiment works out. Not only because 58 months ago, Paulus was the national high school football player of the year and the most sought after quarterback in the country, but because he also happened to be one of the most hated college basketball players this decade.

Can he overcome that time away from the gridiron? Can he still throw? Will he be heckled and booed and tormented every time he goes on the road? Will Syracuse football fans (are there Syracuse football fans?) embrace him?

After the jump, a Paulus high school highlight tape.


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UCONN NOT COACH SHOPPING JUST YET: Jim Calhoun has had a rough six months.

It started with a freelance reporter goading Jim Calhoun into an outburst regarding how much he makes at a postgame press conference. Then, the three-time cancer survivor missed the Huskies first NCAA Tournament game back in March. Just six days later, Yahoo! Sports published an article accusing UConn of major recruiting violations. And finally, the 67 year old Calhoun hit a pothole during a bike race and flipped over the handle bars. He broke five ribs, but finished the 50 miles ride before collapsing.

For a guy his age with his health problems, eventually the rigors of coaching have to catch up with him, right?

With a looming NCAA investigation, that is what many people (including yours truly) speculated. Would Calhoun's coaching career be coming to a close? A final four at age 67 would be a great way to ride off into the proverbial sunset, wouldn't it?

Apparently not. Dave Borges of the New Haven Register is reporting that UConn is considering signing Calhoun to a new multi-year deal. Calhoun is currently in the last year of a six year deal that paid him $1.6 million per.

With Urban Meyer and John Calipari signing for a combined 14 years, $56 million, you have to figure that a coach with 700 wins and two national titles that is coming off of a final four appearance will get a raise.


Ken Krayeske be damned, Calhoun would probably still be underpaid.

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Friday Morning Dump: LeBron talks about "The Dunk"

- LeBron talks about the dunk:

"First of all, I never told anyone to confiscate any tapes," James told TNT's David Aldridge at the National Association of Black Journalists' convention. "Nike has a no videotaping policy at pickup games. They've always done that. It just so happened that LeBron was involved, so now it's blown up. But it's a play in the game of basketball that happens all the time. You can go on YouTube right now and see me getting dunked on by a lot of guys. I mean, I like to call myself a shotblocker sometimes, and that tends to happen sometimes, when you just don't judge the ball right."

- OTL on Twitter.

- Memphis will only have eight scholarship players if Elliot Williams is not cleared.

- Nice profile from Andy Katz on the new Holy Cross head man.

- Save this one: full pre-season tournament schedule.

- Could Tobias Harris be headed to Kentucky?

- Things are looking up for Rutgers.

- This summer's arena wars is over.

- Kansas State's Denis Clemente hits a ridiculous shot.



- Steven Tyler falls during a concert.

- UFC 101 preview.

- Funny title.

- Rugby referee gets knocked out:



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BIAH FLASHBACK: I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that this is one of the top five finishes in the history of college basketball.

Let's set the stage: Barton and Winona State are playing in the DII national title game, and take a seven point lead with 45 seconds left after a pair of free throws.

That's where the video picks up:



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Dickie V's preseason top 40

Love him or hate him, Dick Vitale is a huge part of the college basketball landscape. From his outlandish personality to his love of the game, there may not be any one in the world college hoops that epitomizes the enthusiasm involved with our beloved game more than Dickie V.

And while his liberal use of jibberish when doing color commentary has gotten a bit played out, you cannot deny the sincerity of Dickie's love for the game.

But loving the game of basketball does not necessarily mean you should be paid to analyze it.

Case in point: Vitale's preseason top 40.

The biggest issues I have are the rankings of Duke and Illinois. Duke may end up being a 25-30 win team by the time the season is all said and done, but I don't see anyway that they can be be the pre-season #5 team in the country when they have such glaring back court issues. Maybe Jon Scheyer learns how to score against two-guards in the ACC; maybe Kyle Singler develops into an effective wing; maybe Nolan Smith finally develops into an ACC-caliber point guard. Those are prtty serious question marks. With all that left to figure out, Duke gets ranked above teams like Purdue, Villanova, and Washington? Makes no sense.

Is anyone surprised that Dookie V put the Blue Devils in top 5?
(photo credit: Truth About Duke)

How about Illinois? True, the Illini return some talent, including Demetri McCamey, Alex Legion, Mike Davis, and Mike Tisdale. That solid core, combined with a good recruiting class that Bruce Weber brought in, means that Illinois should be a sleeper pick to win the Big Ten.

But the #10 team in the country?

The Illini lost their starting back court to graduation (Chester Frazier and Trent Meachem) and will be dealing with Davis coming off of a broken ankle. While I do believe that Illinois is a top 25 squad, and probably right up there with Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio State as the second tier of Big Ten schools (behind Purdue and MSU), saying that this is one of the 10 best teams on paper is a bit far-fetched.

All that said, perhaps the biggest mistake Vitale has made is putting Butler all the way down at 23rd. The Bulldogs are loaded this year. They bring back their entire team from last season. Literally. That includes sophomore Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack, who are fresh off of winning a gold in the U-19 tournament in New Zealand. Matt Howard is a thoroughbred on the block, and would probably start (and star) for just about every team in the Big Ten. Remember, this Butler team went 26-6 last year when they were led by freshman and sophomores. How far will that extra year of experience carry the Bulldogs?

My top 25 (which is almost two months old now) can be found here.

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Thursday Afternoon Dump

Cabins in the woods of Virginia should really have internet, otherwise, bloggers are forced to work at Wegman's.

- The NCAA is adding a Canadian school as a provisional DII member.

- Agree 100%.

- Gotta root for Dave Rose and BYU this year. Tough guy...

- Keep an eye out for Mark Payne next year.

- Roster for this year's Boost mobile game announced. It will air on ESPN U on Aug. 22nd.

- Interview with John Calipari.

- Vandy and Aussie big man AJ Ogilvy are headed down under.

- "I'm getting ready to start killing some more people. Beyonce, Jay-Z, Jerome Bettis and Tune-up Man are the first 4 people I'm getting ready to kill."

- This story's title is priceless.

- Basketball fight!!! YESSSS!!!



- Love Prince Fielder. This doesn't change that.


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The Field is set for five of the Pre-season Tournaments

Last year's Old Spice Classic was stacked, as it included Gonzaga, Maryland, Tennessee, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Siena, and Georgetown (bonus points if you can name which team didn't make the tourney).

None of the fields of the six tournaments released Tuesday are that stacked, but there are still a number of excellent games:

CHARLESTON CLASSIC (Charleston, SC) 1st round Nov. 19th:

Bracket:

• Tulane vs. Miami winner against UNC Wilmington vs. Penn State winner
• South Florida vs. Davidson winner against La Salle vs. South Carolina winner
  

Best 1st round match-up: Led by Rodney Green, who averaged 17.8 ppg and 3.4 apg as a junior last year, La Salle has been pegged as a sleeper in the A-10. The Explorers get South Carolina, who lucked out with Devan Downey and Dominique Archie returning to school, in the first round.

Best potential match-up: As much as we love Penn State's Talor Battle here at BIAH, the two best teams in Charleston will be Miami and South Carolina. Both teams have talented guards (Devan Downey for USC, Durand Scott for the U) and pro prospects on the wing (Archie, DeQuan Jones), and Dwayne Collins should be ready for a breakout year for the 'Canes.

Intriguing Storylines:

• South Carolina should get a couple good, early-season tests. Bringing back Downey and Archie made them a potential tourney team, but the SEC East is going to be loaded this season.
• Can Davidson survive as the SoCon powerhouse with out Stephen Curry?
• This tournament is loaded with talented back court players: Devan Downey (USC), Durand Scott (Miami), Talor Battle (Penn State), Rodney Green (La Salle), Dominique Jones (South Florida).
  

BIAH Prediction: Miami wins and gets 25 and 15 from Collins as he over powers the Gamecocks inside.

PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF (San Juan, Puerto Rico) 1st round Nov. 19th:

Bracket:

• Dayton vs. Georgia Tech winner against George Mason vs. Villanova winner
• Indiana vs. Ole Miss winner against Boston U. vs. Kansas State winner
  

Best 1st round match-up: With Xavier expected to have a bit of a down year, Dayton is the pre-season favorite to win the A-10 and will probably crack some top 25 lists thanks to their combination of athleticism and tough defense. Georgia Tech caught a break when Gani Lawal decided to return to school. Lawal and stud freshman Derrick Favors should provide the Yellow Jackets with as good of a front line as you will find, and combined with sophomore guard Iman Shumpert, Tech will be capable of putting up points in a hurry.

Best possible match-up: As much fun as it would be to see Chris Warren of Ole Miss match quicks with Kansas State's Denis Clemente, the idea of seeing Villanova play Georgia Tech, and thus Derrick Favors going toe-to-toe with fellow freshman phenom Mouphtaou Yarou, would be too much to pass up.

Intriguing Storylines:

• After a roller coaster season that saw three players blow out a knee, a coach get arrested for fighting and yelling racial epithets at a cab driver, and losing their top scorer to pro ball in Puerto Rico, Ole Miss looks to be a sleeper in the SEC West with a healthy Chris Warren and the surprising Terrico White in the back court.
• Indiana starts on the road back to respectability as they add a talented freshman class and Georgetown transfer Jeremiah Rivers.
• Villanova got Scottie Reynolds back from the draft, added a stellar recruiting class, and looks to not only be the favorite to win the Big East, but Jay Wright's squad has a very good chance to make a second straight Final Four.

BIAH Prediction: Villanova rolls through Tech and Ole Miss to the title.

MAUI INVITATIONAL (Maui, Hawaii) 1st round Nov. 23rd:

Bracket:

• Maryland vs. Chaminade winner against Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt winner
• Colorado vs. Gonzaga winner against Arizona vs. Wisconsin winner
  

Best 1st round match-up: While this year's Maui field is much weaker than past seasons, there are still two excellent first round games. The best, however, will be between Cinci and Vandy. The Bearcats have one of the best back courts in the country with Lance Stephenson, Deonta Vaughn, and Cashmere Wright. But Vandy returns everyone, including Aussie big man AJ Ogilvy.

Best potential match-up: Maybe it is just me, but I would love to see Wisconsin play Cinci simply because of the contrasting styles.

Intriguing Storylines:

• Can Lance Stephenson survive A) with another big time scorer in the back court or B) in college?
• Greivis Vazquez was a potential first rounder for this summer's NBA Draft, but he returned to school to improve his draft stock. Can he lead Maryland to the tournament?
• Sean Miller was expected to have a Indiana-like rebuilding process, but after landing recruit after recruit, the Wildcats, led by Nic Wise, are a sleeper in a watered down Pac-10.
• Last year, Gonzaga had arguably their most talented team to date, but after losing almost everyone, will Matt Bouldin be enough to keep the Zags relevant?
  

BIAH Prediction: I'm going out on a limb here - Greivis Vazquez goes nuts for three games, and the Terps bring home the Maui title.

OLD SPICE CLASSIC (Orlando, FL) 1st round Nov. 26th:

Bracket:

• Creighton vs. Michigan winner against Xavier vs. Marquette winner
  
• Alabama vs. Baylor winner against Florida State vs. Iona winner
  

Best 1st round match-up: Michigan comes into this season with hype surrounding their basketball program for the first time since C-Webb rocked the maize and blue. The combination of Manny Harris, DeShawn Sims, and John Beilein's system has the Wolverines in the top 25 of most pre-season polls. Creighton, led by the talented P'Allen Stinnet, is once again expected to be at the top of the Valley.

Best potential match-up: Xavier, Marquette, and Baylor are both expected to be a bit down this year, which means that Florida State and Michigan are the only top 25 teams in this field (and in basketball, not in football - go figure). Watching to long and athletic Seminoles battle the shorter, jump-shooting Wolverines should be entertaining.

Intriguing Storylines:

• Xavier starts a new era under Chris Mack, while Jordan Crawford, an Indiana transfer, tries to prove he is more than just a dunk on LeBron.
• Anthony Grant takes over at Alabama with former Mickey D's all-american JaMychal Green ready for break out season.
  
• Both Baylor and Marquette lost loaded back courts to graduation. Can they bounce back?
• Toney Douglas was one of the most underrated guards in college basketball last season. Florida State has another one on their roster now (center Solomon Alibi), as well as a ton of size and length, but will freshman Michael Snaer and veteran Derwin Kitchen be able to fill the void Douglas left?
  

BIAH Prediction: Michael Snaer provides the 'Noles with enough of a scoring punch as FSU knocks off 'Bama and Michigan en route to the championship.

76 CLASSIC (Anaheim, CA) 1st round Nov. 26th:

Bracket:

• West Virginia vs. Long Beach State winner against Texas A&M vs. Clemson winner
• Minnesota vs. Butler winner against Portland vs. UCLA winner
  

Best 1st round match-up: This is easy - Butler and Minnesota. With Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack, and Matt Howard returning, the Bulldogs are going to be top 10 in a lot of pre-season polls. But Tubby Smith is making some strides in Minnesota as he returns basically his entire roster from last season's tournament team.

Best potential match-up: Both Butler and West Virginia are potential top 10 teams. While Butler had their players do all the right things over the summer (Mack and Howard competed with Team USA's college aged team), the Mountaineers lost both of their point guards. Both Truck Bryant and Joe Mazzulla are currently suspended indefinitely.

Intriguing Storylines:

• With their three big guns returning, Butler is once again looking like a top 10 team, this time with a completely changed over roster from the one wit AJ Graves and Mike Green. Has Butler replaced Gonzaga and the best mid-major program?
• Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks are as talented a 1-2 punch as you will find in the country, but unless WVU finds someone to play the point, they are going to struggle offensively.
• For the first time in four yeas, UCLA will be starting a season without Darren Collison and Josh Shipp manning the backcourt.

BIAH Prediction: Butler wins what is the most talented tournament field released.

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COULD A CHANGE BE COMING TO THE ONE-AND-DONE RULE?: The NBA's Labor Committee and the Player's Association had their first meeting yesterday as they try to iron out the league's revenue system.

Reading down the article, you will see that, according to Hoopsworld, the one-and-done rule is one of the things that was up for discussion:

The Owners wants to see prospective players play in competitive spotlight events as often as possible before bringing them into the league, as a result the NBA is going to again push for a 20-year age limit. While on the surface you can call this topic many things, what the NBA wants is more Blake Griffins and less Anthony Randolphs.

The point being, they want players coming into the league to be able to play at a very high level Day 1, and for guys that need a year or two of experience to get it away from the NBA. The league is filled with project draft picks and the belief is teams can market their rookies better if they are slightly more developed and teams can find better long-term NBA prospects the longer they have to evaluate them.

The Players will push back a little on this topic, mainly because the stars of this league are now mainly direct-from-high-school players, but at the end of the day the Union has always sold the rookies up the river to protect the veterans and that's not likely to change this go around.

Doesn't sound promising, but hey, at least its on the table.

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Wednesday Lunchtime Dump

Sorry we are getting started late today. Real life gets in the way sometimes.

- Former basketball coach Norm Stewart has left his gig at Missouri.

- PJ Hairston, one of the top recruits in the class of 2011, has committed to UNC.

- Gary Williams feels good about his Maryland team.

- Tony Bennett, now at Virginia, snags a recruit from Washington.

- The days of Twittering your sports news may be coming to an end - ESPN and the NFL.

- I remember this brawl, and amazingly they still have video up.

- Really Lane Kiffin?

- WTF?

- This movie looks awesome:



- Delonte West is a rapper? Well, not a good one...


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HAS FAB MELO HAS MADE A COMMITMENT?: UPDATE: The Syracuse Post-Standard is reporting that Melo will attend Syracuse, quoting his high school coach as the source.

For those of you that don't know, Fab Melo is one of the top recruits in the class of 2010, a 7'0", 250 lb center than can make plays like this:



The news is all over the place right now, but here is a basic timeline. An ESPN radio broadcaster tweeted that Fab Melo would be announcing his intentions to go to Syracuse today at 10am. Then Evan Daniels seemingly denied that report. And now, it is unclear exactly what we should be thinking.

What you need to know right now is that Melo is close to making a decision, and by all accounts it is going to come down to Syracuse and Louisville. Hopefully, more on this as the news comes in.

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JEROME DYSON CARES ABOUT SUMMER LEAGUE: Maybe a little too much.

Last night during a game between Next Level Training (Dyson's squad) and Cambyland in the Greater Hartford Pro-Am summer league, Dyson made quite the scene. With two seconds left and down by one point, he was called for a charge under the basket. According to Hartford Courant blogger Mike Anthony, Dyson reacted by ripping off his shirt and throwing the ball across the gym.

Love the passion Jerome, but pull a stunt like that in a game (or even in a practice) and Jim Calhoun will have you wearing track shoes to practice instead of basketball shoes.

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Best. Name. Ever.

Billy Donovan has done a lot as the head coach at Florida.

Won two national titles. Coached numerous NBA draft picks and Mickey D's all-americans. Invented to concept of Elite Camps. Flirted with jumping to the league to coach the Magic.

In that span, I'm sure he has coached at least a few kids that could easily be classified as Nimrod's. But he's never coached an actual Nimrod.

Until now.

Nimrod Tishman, a 6'5" Israeli point guard, has been cleared to play and admitted to Florida. I'm guessing the students at Tennessee and Kentucky are going to have fun with that...

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John Calipari is pushing to remove the July evaluation period

And guess how he's doing it.

Via twitter. Surprised?:

I enjoy watching ball, but I don't believe we should recruit in the summer. My time would be better spent on campus with our guys.

He's 100% correct. His time would be much better served working with his players. Because he is John Calipari. And he coaches the University of Kentucky. Why does he need (or want) to spend two-thirds of July on the road sitting in hot gyms watching basketball for 10 hours a day when all he needs to do is pick up the phone to call just about any recruit in the country and automatically shoot into that player's top five schools?

Because that's how it works when you're the "hottest" coach in the country coaching at the school with arguably the best basketball tradition this side of Pauley Pavilion.

But what about the other guys? The coaches that can't fall back on their name, their tradition, or their private jet when it comes to recruiting?

Gary Parrish takes a look at those guys and how they use the July recruiting period in his latest column.

And he hits it right on the head.

When you are a high-profile coach at a high-major school, you don't go out with the intention of identifying players. I can guarantee that the Roy Williams and Bill Selfs and Ben Howlands of the world already know the guys they want from the class of 2014, also known as rising 8th graders. They pick and choose who they want from top 100 lists, and travel to games simply to be seen in the stands.

At the mid-major level it is different.

These coaches aren't going to land top 100 players on the regular.

They need to get out on the road and find the guys that the big boys don't know about yet. The kids with high-major talents and low-major reputations. They need to find the Stephen Curry's (too small) and Eric Maynor's (not athletic enough) and Lester Hudson's (character and academic problems) of the world.

For a mid-major coach, the July recruiting period is when you earn your money. If you land a Courtney Lee or a George Hill, not only does it bring your program success (and hopefully a raise or promotion to a bigger school) but it lends credibility to your team - you can produce pro's.

And how does a mid-major coach land kids like that?

By spending two-thirds of July in hot gyms, watching as many kids as possible play. Get rid of July's evaluation period, and you get rid of the mid-major's chance to compete.

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Tuesday Morning Dump

- A lot of kids committed to schools on in the last few days.

- Jeff Goodman put together a list of all the coaches that went 20-for-20 during July's recruiting period.

- IUPUI's Ron Hunter continues to push for "Samaritan's feet".

- Sidney's lawyer is getting in trouble.

- I thought they only did this at DIII schools.

- Crawford more than "The Dunk".

- Zagoria catches up with Bobby Gonzalez.

- Herb Sendek got a contract extension.

- Justin Young's top 25 recruits.

- Travis Releford's brother likes Alabama.

- Eminem goes off on Mariah Carey (lyrics NSFW)


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Duke now running an Elite Camp

Since he took over the head coaching position at Duke, Coach K has run one of the most storied programs in college basketball. Durham is no stranger to ACC titles, Final Fours, national titles, or lottery picks.

But in the last eight years, Duke basketball has fallen off. Whether it is due to the lack of post season success, the small number of Duke alumni that turn into pro stars, or the stringent academic requirements, Duke is no longer landing the upper echelon recruits.

In the last few years, John Wall, Kenny Boynton, Patrick Patterson, and Greg Monroe all flirted heavily with the Blue Devils before heading elsewhere.

That may be about to change.

From August 22nd-23rd, Duke will be hosting their first ever elite camp. For those that don't know, an elite camp is essentially a summer camp for the top 20-30 prospects that a school is recruiting. On the surface, it looks like a tricky, but clean, way for a coach to get some of prospects on campus and start to build a relationship with them.

Dig a little bit and things get much murkier. The long and short of it is that all too often a college coach will pay a recruits AAU coach, high school coach, family member, por any confidant a "fee" to be a speaker or counselor at the elite camp. In return, the coach is guaranteed to have to recruit be on campus.

And this is all legal. But some coaches (like Minnesota's Tubby Smith) have recognized how seedy this practice is and no longer participate in it.

Which should make it all the more interesting that Coach K will be holding an elite camp. Along with a great reputation in academia and basketball, Duke has also had a sterling recruiting record under Coach K. While elite camps are considered legal in the eyes of the NCAA, the implications of indirectly paying a recruit to visit your campus has made some skeptical about elite camps.

Is Duke basketball in such dire straits that they have to resort to such tactics? The Charlotte Observer says it best:

Another gray area? Sure. But perhaps a way to seal the deal with top prospects, something Duke must do more consistently to stay "elite."

It should tell you something about the state of our beloved game that Duke, which is probably the most prestigious academic institution competing at such a high major level, has to bend the rules to attract the best of the best.
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Renardo Sidney will likely be cleared by the NCAA

Both Gary Parrish and Andy Katz are reporting that Renardo Sidney will likely be cleared by the NCAA in time to play in, at least part of, the '09-'10 season.

This is would not be a good thing for the NCAA, which is still reeling from OJ Mayo, Nate Miles, Derrick Rose, Tim Floyd, etc.

Why?

Because Renardo Sidney has already been exposed. An LA Times article back in April exposed, among other things, that the Sidney's rented a house worth $4,000-$5,000 a month. The family has yet to prove how they were able to afford that much in rent.

Renardo Sidney will probably be cleared by the NCAA.
(photo credit: Valley Sports)

That is the issue at hand. That Sidney has been exposed. With Mayo, there were always rumors, but it wasn't until the allegations of his association with Ronald Guillory that he was caught. The Derrick Rose scandal didn't go national until this summer. Both players had graduated by that time.

The rumors swirled around Sidney so thick during the recruiting process that both USC and UCLA withdrew scholarship offers.

So what's the issue? Why is there even a debate?

The problem lies in the burden of proof; does the NCAA have to prove that Sidney broke rules in order to make him ineligible or do the Sidney's have to prove that they didn't break any rules to remain eligible.

If they rule Sidney ineligiblen they open themselves up for a lawsuit, which they don't want. The Sidneys clearly have access to high-powered attorneys (that's how they are fighting this legal battle now), and the NCAA does not want that. They also don't want other recruits to see Sidney get off scot-free, because that sends the entirely wrong message to other high-profile recruits.

So what's the answer?

Most believe that Sidney's case will drag on with delay after delay until the NCAA finally clears him sometine during the season, be it November or January. Essentially, Sidney will get a suspension.

Fair or not, morally right or not, that's how these things tend to play out.


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Monday Morning Dump

- Kentucky cuts some walk-ons.

- Arizona gets commitment from Sidiki Johnson, and starts recruiting Devon Collier.

- MaxPreps.com released their high school all-decade team.

- Dana O'Neil on Isiah Thomas.

- Coaches sons all over class of 2010.

- 10 things Jeff Goodman learned in July.

- Bob Cantu has lasted nine years and five coaches at USC.

- Karen Sypher got a new lawyer.

- When keeping it real goes wrong.

- Shark week started!! In its honor, shark bites man in Louisiana.

- Little kids sheep rodeo video = awesome:



- 57 yard game winning field goal:


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