Seth Curry made selfish decision to play a selfless role for Duke

Stephen Curry took the college basketball world by storm.

Under recruited due to a perceived lack of size, strength, and athleticism, Dell Curry's eldest son was ignored by seemingly every big time program, landing in the lap of Bob McKillop at Davidson. McKillop will likely never in his lifetime receive a gift quite as nice as Steph, as the kid that wasn't good enough spent three years scoring at will on any and every opponent he faced. That includes a sophomore year run in which Steph single-handedly led the tenth-seed Wildcats to tournament upsets of Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin before coming up two points shy of a Final Four trip against eventual national champion Kansas.

While Curry couldn't repeat that magical run as a junior, he did perform well enough to get himself picked 7th in the 2009 NBA Draft, averaging 17.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and 5.9 apg as a rookie with the Golden State Warriors. Not bad for a kid that couldn't even get a scholarship offer from his dad's alma mater, Virginia Tech.

You would think the country's big time programs would have learned their lesson, but when Steph's younger brother Seth graduated from high school, no one in the ACC came calling. Seth was headed to Liberty. Like Steph did to the Southern Conference, Seth tore up the Big South, averaging 20.2 ppg in a freshman season that included a 26 point performance in an upset of Virginia and 24 points in a five point loss to Clemson.

Seth Curry dominated the Big South in his one season at Liberty.
(photo credit: GoDuke.com)

To many an outside observer, it looked as if younger brother was well on his way following older brother's footsteps; a career full of gaudy numbers against shoddy competition. But finally, after four season's worth of the Curry family lighting up college basketball's lower level, the big boys came calling.

Seth was transferring to Duke.

"After my freshman year at Liberty, I was evaluating my time at Liberty and how much fun I was having and how much better I was getting," the younger Curry told me over the phone. "I went to my father and talked to him about it, and he could tell I wasn't getting better throughout the year."

"I wasn't being pushed enough. I wanted to go to a place where I could maximize my potential."

As a guard, there aren't many places better suited to accomplishing that feat than at Duke under the tutelage of Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils have an impressive track record when it comes to developing back court talent over the course of three or four years -- Bobby Hurley, Jay Williams, JJ Redick. You would have a tough time arguing against all three of those players finding a place among the top ten (maybe even the top five) collegiate guards of all-time.

At heart this was a selfish decision that Curry made. But it is a decision that 99.9% of the basketball players in this country would have made in that situation. Duke is one of just a handful of programs in the country whose call you always answer.

Curry wanted to opportunity to "maximize [his] potential" -- a phrase he used multiple times during out conversation -- as a basketball player. He wanted the chance to not only play against the best, but to put himself into a position where he can be the best. What better way to do that than by transferring to a team that will, in all likelihood, be in the top five throughout the remainder of Curry's collegiate career.

Spending a year going against the likes of Nolan Smith everyday is an easy way to get better.
(photo credit: Ballers Network)

Curry sat out last season due to the NCAA's transfer rules, but he practiced with the team every day. His role? To lead the scout team. To play the role of Greivis Vasquez or Malcolm Delaney or Ishmael Smith while preparing Duke's eligible players for their next game. And he did it going against one of the best back courts in the country in Jon Scheyer, an all-american last season, and Nolan Smith, a preseason all-american this year. Its impossible not to improve going head-to-head with that kind of talent and experience on a daily basis.

"Last year I was on the [scout] team all year," Curry said. "Trying to run the offense against the starters, I learned how to be a leader and run a team all year. That's definitely going to benefit me."

"Playing against guys at this level in practice everyday, you get to the paint and you're finishing over 6'10", 6'11" guys. Being crafty in the paint, shooting my floaters when I go in the paint, that's the biggest thing [I've improved on]."

Curry also had a chance to improve his body. Not only did he grow an inch or two -- he told me he is 6'2 1/2" now -- but he added some much needed strength.

"I got a lot stronger and gained more weight. That's all going to help me throughout the year, through the grind of the season," Curry said.

Seth Curry will be able to suit up for Duke this season.
(photo credit: Duke Blue Planet)

The great irony in all of this is that while Curry's decision to transfer was made with selfish intentions -- getting better as a player, getting a better education, winning national titles -- he ended up in a place where he has been forced into playing a selfless role.

Duke won the national title last year. And while you and I and every Duke fan in the country recognizes the contribution Curry made and the importance of his role within the Duke program last season, the people whose opinion ultimately matters -- the NCAA -- doesn't. Per NCAA rules, Curry did not get a ring last season. Not getting a ring had to hurt, but being forced into a spectator's role for a national title run was worse.

"I was just taking it in as a regular player would, but not competing," Curry said. "That was the toughest part. Watching them go out and battle."

Curry was, in essence, nothing more than a glorified team manager. A season's worth of hard work and dedication to the team, and all he got was a promise that he will be on the roster next year.

Curry will be eligible this season, but the hype surrounding his commitment back in March 2009 has subsided. Part of the reason he was deemed a "savior" of the program -- his commitment even spawned a blog title "Seth Curry Saves Duke!" -- was the lack of depth that Duke had in their back court. Last season, Smith, Scheyer, and freshman Andre Dawkins were the only guards on Coach K's roster.

But Duke being Duke, that issue was addressed in the form of Kyrie Irving, a potential first round pick and arguably the best incoming guard in the country. With Irving in line to see major playing time in the back court alongside Smith, and another all-american in Kyle Singler back for next season, shots and minutes are not a guarantee for Curry. If Irving returns for his sophomore season, the back court will once again be loaded as Coach K has gotten a commitment from Austin Rivers, the consensus No. 1 player in the class of 2011.

Staying at Liberty would have allowed Curry to be "the man", to be the guy that gets all the shots and scores all the points. When he announced his intentions to transfer to Duke, he seemed destined to fill that role for the Blue Devils. Even if he had known his role would be diminished by incoming freshmen when he left Liberty, Curry would still have ended up a Blue Devil.

"I don't think [my decision would have changed]," Curry said. "Being at Duke, they always recruit well. Any big time program is always recruiting and trying to get the best players."

"I'm competitive. I'm a competitive guy. I came to Duke to play with the best players."

Webster's definition of the word selfish is "arising from concern with one's own welfare or advantage." Given that definition, its to argue Seth Curry's decision to go from being a Liberty Flame to a Duke Blue Devil was not a selfish move.

But it was a selfish decision made by a selfless player.

"I know what I can do, I know my abilities," Curry said. "Its my job to go out there and maximize my potential on the court and bring to this team what they brought me in for."

"They brought me here for a reason so I'm going to do that."

Any team that can count a kid with Seth Curry's talent and mindset as their third guard is a team that is destined for greatness.
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Thursday Morning Dump

- The Michigan Messenger seems to be the only news outlet chasing the story of the two Michigan State basketball players accused of raping a fellow student. Yesterday, they provided the police report and the details to a couple of experts in sexual assaults -- a former prosecutor, a defense attorney, and a sexual assault counselor. The prosecutor said he would have a tough time bringing charges in this specific case -- citing the same reasons as the prosecutor in the case -- while the other two questioned why no charges were brought. Interesting read.

- We've mentioned it numerous times -- this offseason has been a disaster for college basketball and college basketball fans. Gary Parrish takes you through each and every issue there has been, from the scandals at UConn, Tennessee, and Kentucky to a Tulane assistant's arrest for putting a gun to a woman's neck. That Tulane coach? His replacement was hired yesterday.

- Jeff Eisenberg put together a fantastic Q&A session with George Dohrmann, the author of "Play Their Hearts Out". The book chronicles the career paths of a group of AAU players from Southern California, including Demetrius Walker, a player once tabbed by Sports Illustrated as "The Next LeBron James".

- Would you believe me if I told you that in recent weeks the University of North Dakota has become a hot commodity? The Summit League wants UND because they already count North Dakota State and South Dakota State as members, and will be adding South Dakota come July. But in the Big Sky, UND will be able to compete in football.

- Testudo Times had an entertaining-read on how the University can add some flare to their rather mundane Midnight Madness (My idea: Give all the students sport coats and crank the temperature up to 85-degrees so everyone can sweat like Gary Williams).

- Good read from Dana O'Neil on Penn's new basketball coach. Speaking of new coaches, it will be interesting to see what Jeff Bzdelik can do with this Wake Forest team.

- A couple of highly-regarded recruits will be making their college decisions today. One of those recruits is Tony Wroten, who recently asked John Calipari on twitter why Kentucky stopped recruiting him.

- While we're on the topic of recruiting, God's Gift Achiuwa will be making his decision in April.

- Bobby Gonzalez is upbeat about his coaching future. Regardless of what he did at Seton Hall and the reputation he has, I doubt it is long before he is scooped up by someone, be it a low-level position with an NBA team or a gig with a low-major program.

- Dear Ole Miss: Are you serious? You actually think this is better than Admiral Ackbar. For shame Ole Miss, for shame.

- The Peacocks of Saint Peter's were dealt an awful blow, as Wesley Jenkins, their star player, injured his ACL in a recent pick-up game. The severity of the injury is unknown.

- A good-read from USA Today on Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs.

- The uniforms worn by the 1995-1996 Kentucky squad that won the National Championship were named as the ugliest uniforms of all-time.

- John Clay caught up with the guy that started the FreeEnes movement.

- A look at the paper-thin depth of the Louisville roster. The squad has taken a huge hit from injuries and ineligibility. Unless Kyle Kuric can do what he did against Syracuse in every game (which he can't), the Cardinals are in for a long season.

There are no words to describe this. Just soak it in


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LaceDarius Dunn's girlfriend releases a statement

By now, you surely have heard about LaceDarius Dunn's arrest for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend and the mother of his child. Today, that woman -- 22 year old Lacharlesla Edwards -- released a statement on the matter:

"My family and I are deeply disturbed about the misinformation and half truths that are being reported by media regarding the incident with my boyfriend. He has never struck me during our long term relationship. What happened on the night of September 27 was an accident and I went to the hospital for precautionary reasons. I never expressed any interest in pressing charges nor will I in the future press charges on this incident. I am fine and my jaw is not broken as is being reported. My family and I wish to put this situation behind us. Lace and I will continue our relationship and raising our son in a good environment. I respectfully request that the District Attorney's Office dismiss these charges, and further request that Baylor University lift their suspension."

Interesting, to say the least. There are two things that I think should be pointed out here.

• For starters, it is not the victim's decision as to whether or not there will be charges pressed. The prosecutor's make that decision, and while the victim's cooperation and testimony make a conviction that much easier, it is not a prerequisite.


• Edwards can claim that the injury she suffered was, in fact, accidental, but there is no disputing the fact that Dunn hit Edwards hard enough in the face that Edwards required immediate medical attention. Was it a punch? Was it reactionary? In the heat of the moment? Was Dunn simply startled? I have no idea. The only people that can truly answer the specifics surrounding the incident are Dunn and Edwards, but the bottom line is that is some way, shape, or form, Dunn's hand made contact with Edwards jaw. And short of Edwards intentionally trying to physically harm Dunn or their child, that is unacceptable.

Like I said in our post on the topic yesterday, it is going to be interesting to see what kind of punishment is given out by Scott Drew. Dunn is a potential all-american and will play a vital role in this season's run at Final Four. And while he did in fact put his girlfriend into the hospital, she is claiming it was unintentional. Will Drew go easy on Dunn, or will he ignore the girlfriend's claims and sit Dunn for an extended period of time.

It deserves mention that Dunn is the first Baylor player to be arrested since the whole Patrick Dennehy/Carlton Dotson fiasco. Continue reading...

Another Louisville newcomer is ineligible

At this point, could you really blame a Louisville Cardinal fan from looking forward to the 2011-2012 season? Because nothing has gone right for the Cardinals this offseason.

The summer kicked off with Rick Pitino's name and reputation being dragged through the mud as he took the witness stand in Karen Sypher's extortion trial. Then, Memphis transfer Roburt Sallie didn't graduate and freshman Justin Coleman was declared ineligible. Pitino then found out that not only will Jared Swopshire be missing more than a month with a sports hernia, but freshman Russ Smith could miss up to three months due to an ankle injury he suffered.

And now?

Gorgui Dieng, a 6'10" Senegalese forward that spent last season at Huntington Prep in West Virginia, was declared ineligible by the NCAA. The issue, as told to Jeff Borzello by Dieng's high school coach Fulford, is his "African transcript. [The] NCAA said he finished high school in Senegal, [but] he didn’t, so they then said he didn’t graduate on time [because of the] 8-semester rule. They appealed, but not sure where it is. [He] graduated here! They are saying he should have graduated over there. His last African transcript said 11th grade. It is obviously very confusing."

A tough break for Louisville and for Dieng.

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Wednesday Morning Dump

- Offseason Dana O'Neil ... (wait for it) ... ON TV!!! O'Neil and Pat Forde scooped the story that Bruce Pearl was busted for illegally inviting recruits to his house back in 2004 at UW-Milwaukee. She went on OTL to discuss it:



- Luke Winn broke down the nation's 10 most difficult non-conference schedules. No. 1? The Georgetown Hoyas, who play on the road against Temple, Old Dominion, Memphis, and (essentially) Missouri.

- For those interested in media related dealings, Scout.com's Dave Telep -- the nation's leading mind when it comes to recruiting and analyzing prospects -- has signed a contract with ESPN. Congrats, Dave. You earned it. Hopefully with Telep in the fold, ESPN's ridiculous recruiting rankings start to make more sense.

- Good read from Adam Zagoria on Seton Hall in their first year under new head coach Kevin Willard. The most important news from the article is that it seems Herb Pope will be healthy enough to being playing at the start of the season. If he is, and if Willard can get Jeremy Hazell to buy into his offense, Seton Hall is absolutely a top 25 team.

- Interesting take here on Eric Bledsoe and the infamous grade change from MSG's Jon Rothstein. Not quite sure I agree with it, but it is worth the read.

- Ralph Willard left Holy Cross, where he had the head gig, to become the associate head coach under long-time friend Rick Pitino. Now, Willard has stepped aside to become the Director of Basketball Operations, allowing Mark Lieberman to become an assistant. Willard, who likely won't be coaching much longer, wanted to help groom the defensive specialist to become a high-level assistant.

- Andy Katz caught up with Mike Anderson, who said that he made the right decision not taking the Oregon job. Ya think? Oregon has, what, six players on their roster right now? Missouri is a top 25 club with a couple of potential pros on the roster.

- Mark Few goes north of the border to nab another Canadian recruit for Gonzaga. Kevin Pangos, highlighted in this article by Luke Winn, should thrive with the Zags.

- The NCAA is taking a shot at trying to streamline officiating.

- Derek Needham is only a secret is you don't pay attention.

- I just cannot see Judge Smails allowing these at Bushwood.

- Former Memphis coach Larry Finch has been hospitalized.

- Of course it makes sense to hold the Pac-10/12 tournament outside of the pacific region.
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Hoyas get their second commit from DeMatha (Md.) in 4 years, or 40 years, depending on how you look at it

On Tuesday we told you that DeMatha (Md.) big-man Mikael Hopkins had trimmed his list to seven schools, and would announce his decision on November 1st. However, news leaked today that the 6-foot-9 power forward had verbally committed to Georgetown. This is a huge-get for the Hoyas for multiple reasons.

Up until now, Georgetown had yet to sign any big-men from the class of 2011 or 2012, and after this season, the Hoyas will only return three players who stand 6'8" or above: the seldom-productive 6'10" center Henry Simms, 6'8" freshman center Moses Abraham, and 6'8" freshman power forward Nate Lubick.


The 210-pound Hopkins has bulked up a bit, but can still fill out his long frame. He runs the floor very well and his game meshes well with John Thompson III's Princeton-style offense. Hopkins best asset will be his shot-blocking ability. With the pace of play that Georgetown imposes, transition opportunities will need to be created, and blocking shots has always been an excellent way to start transitions. Not to mention that the presence of a quality shot-blocker will also force opponents to settle for outside jumpers which will clear out the paint for the Hoyas to grab rebounds, which the Hoyas have struggled to do at times.

Hopkins main weakness is that he has been known to disappear on the court from time to time. Greg Monroe had the same problem early on as a Hoya, but began to demand touches, which opened up the rest of the offense. Now, Hopkins isn't expected to the next Greg Monroe, but the four-star recruit definitely has the potential to be an impact player for the Hoyas.

But even more interesting than that or Hopkins' early decision, is the fact that he will become just the second DeMatha player to play for Georgetown (Austin Freeman being the other) in the past 40 years. The reason behind this is actually quite interesting.

You see, from roughly 1972 til 2002, no DeMatha basketball player ever continued on to Georgetown University. It's funny because, during that time span, nearly every senior who played for head coach Morgan Wootten received a D-1 scholarship. DeMatha had alumni on almost every college team in the country, except for Georgetown.

If you are unfamiliar with the name "Morgan Wootten", you might as well leave now and never come back. Ever.

Wootten is arguably the greatest high school coach in basketball history. His career record stands at an astonishing 1,192-274. He is one of only three high school coaches to be inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame. I can't even begin to tell you how many times his DeMatha team's won the WCAC championship or were ranked #1 in the D.C. metro area. He has coached a "who's-who" of players, coaches and commentators.

John Wooden once said about Wootten "I know of no finer coach at any level - high school, college or pro. I stand in awe of him." But Hoya fans certainly disagreed, because Wootten held a grudge. A really big grudge.

You see, back in the 60's, former-Georgetown head coach John Thompson, Jr., had been the coach at St. Anthony's High School in Washington D.C. His team annually faced-off against Wootten's DeMatha squad, building a rather intense rivalry. Things escalated to the point where games involved series of "oneupsmanship" between the two coaches.

Then, in 1972 Georgetown selected Thompson to be the man to turn their basketball program around instead of Wootten, who had been considered for the job. If that wasn't enough, in 1986 Thompson helped his friend, former Dunbar H.S. coach Bob Wade, get the coaching job at Maryland (Wootten's alma mater) after Lefty Driesell stepped down, a job that Wootten very much wanted. It was at this point that Wootten vowed never to provide Thompson's program with any of his stellar basketball players.

Wootten retired from coaching in 2002 and four years later Austin Freeman, DeMatha's star guard who achieved nearly every acclaim and accomplishment possible and became the first Stag to sign with Georgetown in over 20 years. Now Hopkins, roughly four years after Freeman's commitment, will do the same.

I bet when you woke up this morning you didn't think you would be getting a lesson in D.C. basketball history. But sometimes, in order to discuss the future, you have to take a look at the past.

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Enes Kanter's father rips the Fenerbahce Ulker

Perhaps the most notable ongoing soap opera of the off-season -- and, along with Josh Selby's eligibility at Kansas, the most influential -- has been the curious case of Enes Kanter.

Kanter, if you remember, came to the United States with a cloud of controversy surrounding him. Seemingly everyone in the basketball community had heard a story of how Kanter was a professional in Turkey, and how there was not a chance for him to get cleared by the NCAA as an amateur. And this was all before Pete Thamel spoke with the general manager of Fenerbahce Ulker, Kanter's Turkish club team, who said that he paid Kanter six figures during his time with the team.

Is this the only time Enes Kanter will wear a Kentucky jersey?
(photo credit: Wildcat World)

Mike DeCourcey spoke with Kanter's father over email about, among other things, trying to dispel the rumors:

In an exclusive e-mail exchange with Sporting News, Dr. Kanter said he believes Turkish basketball officials have opposed his son’s effort to become eligible to play at Kentucky "because they are trying to set an example with my son to coming generations in Turkey, so they can control and use the talent and youth any way they like to."

"Since 2007, I wanted Enes to go to the USA and continue his basketball and education there, so I try everything to keep my son amateur and keep meticulous records of all the expenses knowing someday I may be asked (to) fully cooperate with the NCAA."

Dr. Kanter said "never once" was a salary demanded from Fenerbahce or discussed. "I always try to protected Enes from anything might damage his future."

I strongly encourage you to read the entire article to get the full gist of the message. While reading it, keep in mind that this is a father going to bat for his son. Mehmet Kanter has just as much incentive to lie about his son's amateur status as the Fenerbahce does, so while his arguments are, on paper, persuasive, don't take them as the undying truth.

Kanter has been banned from participating in any and all team activities until the conclusion of the NCAA's investigation. When will that conclusion be reached? Who knows. The NCAA has a habit of drawing these things out.

One thing I am certain of is that the result will depend on how thorough the paper trail is. If there is a signed contract that the NCAA has in their possession, well, Kanter ain't playin'. But if there is no paper work, only hearsay and the typical 'he-said, he-said', then there's a shot that Kentucky can get Kanter into uniform.
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Baylor's all-american guard LaceDarius Dunn gets arrested for felonious aggravated assault

Earlier today, the Big XII released their preseason coaches poll, and there wasn't a huge surprise at the top -- Kansas State was picked first, with Kansas being picked second.

The surprise came next, as Texas was picked third by the coaches with Baylor coming in fourth. Most writers (including us) have Baylor as not only a top three team in the league, but a potential top ten team.

Maybe the coaches knew something we didn't, because not six hours after the poll was released, word came out of Waco that LaceDarius Dunn has been indefinitely suspended from the team. He turned himself into police this afternoon to face felony charges of aggravated assault. Police were called to Hillcrest Hospital after Dunn's girlfriend was taken to the hospital on September 27th with a broken jaw. Dunn has been booked into jail with a bond of $12,500.

LaceDarius Dunn turned himself into police after allegedly punching his girlfriend in the face.
(photo credit: Dallas News)

But here's the catch -- the woman, a 21 year old named Lacharlesia Edwards that has been dating Dunn since the eighth grade and had a three year old kid with him, doesn't want to press charges. In fact, according to Edwards' father, the incident was an accident:

"She said it was an accident," Charles Edwards told [Jeff Goodman of] FOXSports.com. "She said she sneaked up on him in the dark and he hit her by mistake. It wasn't a fight at all."

"She doesn't want to press charges or anything like that," he added. "She's torn up now that he's been arrested."

The woman's attorney told Yahoo's Jason King a different story, that she and Dunn got into an argument and that he hit her "one time" with "one punch, not three or four". It broke her jaw in two places, requiring minor surgery to fix.

Regardless of which story you want to believe, the one constant here is that the victim does not want to press charges, and was actually upset when she learned of Dunn's arrest. She refused to give police a statement at the hospital.

Dunn, if convicted of the felony, could face up to 20 years in prison. But a conviction would be tough without a witness, and Dunn may not even be formally charged.

"Even though he was arrested for a felony, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to be formally charged with a felony in the court system," [Edward's attorney] Jason Darling [told Jason King of Yahoo! Sports]. "[The victim] will probably fill out an affidavit of non-prosecution or write a letter to the D.A.'s office that she doesn't want to pursue any charges.

“At that point it will be up to them whether to pursue the charges or not, but it's going to be hard to prove a case without a witness."

Dunn has been suspended from all team activities by Baylor head coach Scott Drew until further notice. Dunn's importance to the Bears cannot be understated. He is a senior leader for this team, one of the best scorers in the country, and a surefire preseason all-american. Losing him would be a catastrophic blow to the 2010-2011 version of the Bears, and would put a whole lot of pressure on guys like Quincy Acy, AJ Walton, and super-frosh Perry Jones to perform beyond expectations if Baylor has any hope of making the tournament. It will be interesting to see what kind of punishment Dunn gets from Scott Drew.

The bigger issue, however, is the trend this summer of male college basketball players assaulting women. From Tre'Von Willis to Tony Woods, or the unnamed Michigan State players to the unnamed St. Louis players, it seems like every time we turn around there is another instance of a hooper hitting or raping a woman. And while seven players does no constitute a trend in a sport with nearly 350 teams, it absolutely is seven players too many.

While we wait to hear what Dunn's specific punishment from Drew will be (and it should be fairly hefty), how about we keep our to our hands to ourselves. Whaddaya say, fellas?
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Tuesday Morning Dump

- George Dohrmann's book on Demetrius Walker is going to be a classic, especially for hoop heads like myself. To get a taste of what the book is all about, give this article from SI a read where a portion has been excerpted.

- Fanhouse put together two excellent articles yesterday. This first was on Alexis Wangmene from Texas, who spent the summer in his native Cameroon with his adopted family. The other article is on Chris Mooney, the head coach at Richmond, who has built the Spiders into a power in the Atlantic 10.

- An interesting list here on the top-10 high school point guard recruits in past ten years. The #1 point guard may surprise you (hint: he is the only one on the list never to attend college).

- Doug Gottlieb tells us about the teams that just missed out on making Dick Vitale's Top-40 list (To me, you are all Insiders, but ESPN doesn't feel the same way).

- Gary Parrish explains why BCS-conferences are better than mid-majors (Next up: His explanation on why the major leagues are better than the minor leagues).

- Jeff Goodman breaks down of the best assistant coaches in the Missouri Valley Conference; Goodman also explians why Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon doesn't care about recruiting rankings and catches up with Northern Iowa's Ben Jacobson.

- A recruiting update on versatile 2011 big man Mikael Hopkins. The DeMatha standout is still considering Virginia Tech, Georgetown, Ohio State, Kansas, Miami and West Virginia. Any of these schools would welcome the services of the 6-foot-8 power forward. Hopkins is scheduled to make his college decision on November 1st.

- Speaking of the NBE Basketball Report, they tell us that Class of 2013 big-man Austin Colbert is a name we need to know/remember.

- Adam Zagoria reports that recruiting/grassroots/sneaker guru Sonny Vaccaro will announce his decision on which company to team up with in the next few weeks.

- West Virginia's season ended in painful fashion, and their head coach had an even more painful off-season. But finally the Mountaineers are healthy and ready to go.

- Speaking of WVU, forward Kevin Jones is among a trio of Big East forwards looking to shed the "role player" image.

- The Pac-10/12 is going to take another look at the setup of their conference tournament.

- Alabama gets a huge commitment in the form of Moussa Gueye, the top JuCo center in the country.

- Justin Rutty, last year's NEC Player of the Year (and member of the B.I.A.H All-Hair Team) sent it in like Jerome yesterday at a individual workout:



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Bruce Pearl committed the same violation in 2004

I bet you didn't think it could get much worse for Bruce Pearl this summer, did ya?

Well, it can. And it did.

According to a report this afternoon from Dana O'Neil and Pat Forde of ESPN.com, when Bruce Pearl was the head coach at UW-Milwaukee the program self-reported violations to the NCAA. That violation was Pearl inviting a junior recruit, reportedly Mike Schachtner, to his house for his daughter's graduation party. High school juniors are not allowed to meet with coaches at off-campus sites.

This also happens to be the violation that the NCAA caught Pearl lying about during their investigation of his recruitment of Josh Selby and Aaron Craft.

So maybe we now know why Pearl lied about recognizing the picture of him and Craft in Pearl's house. You don't want to be caught by the NCAA doing the same thing twice. You might get off fairly easy the first time, but do the same thing again and they will be coming after you.

Not only did Pearl commit the same offense a second time, he lied to the NCAA to try and cover it up.

You may want to be out of earshot when the hammer finally drops
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The 2011 Preseason Wooden Award List has been released

The Wooden Award released their list of their preseason top 50 candidates. Browsing through the list below, keep in mind that transfers and freshmen were not eligible for the preseason list. Names with an asterisk next to it were on the 2010 Wooden Award list.



There are a couple of fairly notable omissions. The biggest, in my mind, is Kevin Jones. Jones, a junior power forward from West Virginia, averaged 13.5 ppg and 7.2 rpg for a Final Four team last season. That Final Four team lost Devin Ebanks and Da'Sean Butler, meaning that the talented Jones -- a potential first round pick -- will have to carry a much greater work load this season.

And he's not one of the top 50 returners in the country?

Where is Morehead State's Kenneth Faried? True, he plays in the Ohio Valley Conference, but he's also all over the radar of NBA teams to say nothing of the fact that he averaged an absurd 17 ppg, 13 rpg, and nearly 2 spg and 2 bpg last season.

What about Florida's Chandler Parsons? Or UNC's Tyler Zeller? Or Ole Miss' Chris Warren? Or even Xavier's Tu Holloway? Where are they?

Nothing against Ty Abbott, Brandon Triche, Nikola Vucevic, or Tyler Honeycutt, but I certainly would have voted differently.

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The Only Conference Preview You Need To Read: Colonial

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

To browse through the other conferences, click here.


Pre-season Awards

Player of the Year: Charles Jenkins, Hofstra

There are a number of quality options here, but Jenkins is the guy. He is not only the reigning CAA player of the year, but he is the two-time reigning Haggerty award winner, as the New York Metropolitan region's player of the year. Jenkins was banged up at the start of last season, but once he got healthy, Hofstra became unstoppable. The Pride finished the season with wins in 10 of their last 11 games, and Jenkins averaged an absurd 24.8 ppg during that stretch. He was one of just five players in the country last season to average 20 ppg, 4 rpg, and 3 apg. He's a big time scorer, but he is unselfish enough to be considered a leader and a play maker for this club. Hofstra will have a new coach without a ton of talent around Jenkins, but this is still a team that will finish in the top half of the CAA. He's that good.


Ed. Note: For those asking, leaving the Player of the Year off of the all-conference first-team was intentional. Maybe its because I grew up following the Big East (they always put six on the first team), but its the way I've always done it. Its not an oversight.

And a close second goes too: Chaisson Allen, Northeastern

Many people would put James Madison's Denzel Bowles in this slot, which would be tough to argue with given his numbers. But it is the intangibles Allen brings to the table that matter. Allen, who was runner-up to Jenkins in player of the year voting last season, is the lone returner from the Huskies NIT team last season. He's a point guard that can score, that can knock down a three, that can find an assist, and that can defend. But more importantly, he is going to be the senior leader on a team full of freshmen and sophomores. A great year from Allen -- and I'm not just talking statistics -- and the Huskies could very well end up in the top four of the CAA, which would be a mighty feat considering how much talent they lost. And how much talent did they lose? Allen averaged more points than the rest of the Northeastern returners combined.

Breakout Star: Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion

Bazemore isn't going to wow you with stats, but the junior guard is the ultimate glue guy. At 6'5", he is arguably the best defender in the conference, routinely drawing the assignment of the opponent's best player. He goes to the glass hard to rebound. He led the team is both assists and steal last season. And he averaged 8.4 ppg on a defensive-minded team that only saw one player average more than 9.2 ppg. With the Monarchs needing to fill the scoring void left by Gerald Lee, expect Bazemore to get more opportunities, and expect more production. He may never be a household name, but in a conference whose best teams wins through defense and teamwork, Bazemore is as valuable as anyone.


All-Conference First Team

• G - Chaisson Allen, Northeastern, Sr.
  
• G - Jawan Carter, Delaware, Sr.
  
• G - Joey Rodriguez, VCU, Sr.
  
• F - Frank Hassell, Old Dominion, Sr.
  
• F - Denzel Bowles, James Madison, Sr.
  

All-Conference Second Team

• G - Cam Long, George Mason, Sr.
  
• G - Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion, Jr.
  
• F - Julius Wells, James Madison, Jr.
  
• F - Quinn McDowell, William & Mary, Jr.
  
• F - Robert Nwankwo, Towson, Sr.
  

Newcomer of the Year: Mike Moore, Hofstra

Mike Moore can score, and while Charles Jenkins is going to dominate the stat sheet most nights, without a secondary option defenses are going to be able to collapse on him. You need that second option, and Moore can be that guy. Think about it like this -- Moore hit for 20 seven times as a sophomore at Fordham in 2008-2009. In one six game stretch, he went for 21 against UMass, 24 at Xavier, 28 against URI, 25 against Richmond, and 20 at Charlotte. That's impressive. With defenses focusing on Jenkins, Moore is going to have ample opportunities to score.


What Happened?:

• Turnover at Hofstra: It started when the Pride lost head coach Tom Pecora to Fordham, a struggling program in the Atlantic 10. When Pecora left, it also cost Hofstra two of their best freshmen. Point guard Chaz Williams bolted for UMass, while Halil Kanocevic left for St. Joe's.
  
  Hofstra made a big splash with their first coaching hire, landing former Providence head coach Tim Welsh. That lasted about a month before Welsh was arrested, and eventually fired, for a DUI. Hofstra finally settled on assistant Mo Cassara for their head coaching gig.


• That wasn't it for Hofstra news: Australian guard Brad Kelleher lost over two-thirds of his Division I career over eligibility issues. Read about it here, Kelleher got royally screwed.


• Drexel players arrested: Over the summer, Drexel's leading scorer Jamie Harris and back-up big man Kevin Phillips were arrested after breaking into a student's apartment and attempting to rob her at gun point. Clearly, both are now off the Drexel team.


• Matt Brady gets sued: When James Madison head coach Matt Brady signed a contract with his previous employer, Marist University, he agreed that if he broke his contract to go to a different school, he would not recruit the players he had recruited for Marist. Well, he broke his contract, and then he started recruiting the kids he was after at Marist. Marist sued him, and they won.


• Buzz Peterson lands at UNC-Wilmington: The former Tennessee and Appalachian State head coach wound up with the Seahawks after their extensive coaching search.
  


• Notable transfers: Other than the two from Hofstra, perhaps the most notable transfers from the CAA this summer were Kevin Foster, a redshirt freshman at George Mason, who left school to be closer to his Florida home. UNC-Wilmington big man John Fields left the Seahawks and will head to Tennessee to finish up his eligibility. He had finished undergrad, meaning that Fields will not have to sit out a year after transferring.

What's Next?:

• Multiple bids?: The CAA is a very good, very competitive league. Seemingly every season, they are in the discussion to get multiple bids to the NCAA tournament. Last season it didn't work out, as the league's best team -- Old Dominion -- earned the auto-bid and their best at-large hopeful -- William & Mary -- had their hopes dashed with a late three game losing streak. This year, there are at least three team with a shot at getting an at-large bid -- George Mason, VCU, and Old Dominion. The biggest deterrant? The overall strength of the league. It is going to be very tough for more than one team to make it through with just two or three conference losses, which is likely what it would take to get an at-large bid.


• Dominant program?: Is there one? ODU would probably be the popular choice, as they have made three of the last six NCAA Tournaments, won both league titles last season, and are seemingly always finishing in the top three. But what about VCU? They've been in the tournament as well, and they have sent two players to the NBA's first round the last two years. George Mason made a Final Four, and they look primed to be back in contention for the league title. The ironic part? Its a long shot for the CAA player of the year to come from one of those three teams this season.


• Richmond Coliseum: The CAA Tournament will remain in Richmond through the 2014 season.
  

Power Rankings

1. Old Dominion: You know what you are going to get when you play the Monarchs -- a big, physical team that wins by beating you up defensively and on the glass. With six of their eight rotational players returning, its tough to envision ODU being much different next season. Obviously, the big change is going to be on the offensive end, where they won't be able to rely on the talents of Gerald Lee. While his presence in the post will obviously be missed, ODU brings back five guys that averaged between 7.0 ppg and 9.2 ppg. On a team that is built around teamwork and executing sets, I don't envision this being a huge problem. Up front, 6'5" Ben Finney and 6'9" Frank Hassell, the team's two most rugged players, are both back. Keyon Carter, a part-time starter last season, should slide into the starting spot vacated by Lee, while Chris Cooper, Nick Wright, and freshmen Richard Ross and Anton Larsen should provide more than enough depth. The back court could be the key to how good this team ends up being. Junior Kent Bazemore could be primed for a break out season. A versatile 6'5" wing, Bazemore led the team in steals and assists while averaging 8.4 ppg. He was also the team's shut down defender. Senior Darius James looks capable of becoming a reliable starting point guard, while freshman Dimitri Batten was a three-star recruit and should have an immediate impact. ODU will once against bang and scrap their way to a top four finish in the CAA.


2. VCU: How long until VCU starts getting mentioned in the same breath as the Xavier's and the Gonzaga's of the world? The past two seasons, they have sent a player to the first round of the NBA Draft. Their last two coaches have ended up at Oklahoma and Alabama. Last season, they won 27 games despite losing seven conference games by five points or fewer, two of which came in over time. Despite all of that, the Commodores Rams (Ed. Note: Not sure why, but I always think VCU is the Commodores. Apologies, VCU fans.) will once again be a favorite to win this league. It will start with point guard Joey Rodriguez, who is one of the most underrated players in the country. Last year, he averaged 12.9 ppg and 5.8 apg admirably replacing Eric Maynor. Joining him in the back court will be 6'2" senior Brandon Rozzell and 6'6" junior Bradford Burgess, giving VCU arguably the best back courts in the conference. Ed Nixon is a tough defender on the perimeter. Darius Theus and a couple of freshmen -- Rob Brandenburg and Reco McCarter -- should also see time in the back court. Up front, its going to be tough to replace a talent like Larry Sanders, but there are some pieces there. Senior Jamie Skeen is a tough, experienced senior, and junior Toby Veal -- who originally enrolled at Colorado -- should also step in and contribute significant minutes. After that, there is a lot of inexperience -- three freshmen and a redshirt sophomore that played in just nine games -- up front, but there is potential. 7'0" DJ Haley was a late, under-the-radar signee that could develop like Sanders. Heath Houston originally signed with Auburn before Jeff Lebo resigned. Juvonte Reddic is an explosive athlete that could also see immediate minutes. VCU will, once again, be a very tough out.


3. George Mason: The Patriots were supposed to be rebuilding last season, as seven of their rotation players were underclassmen. But thanks to a splendid January, Mason looked like they had a chance to make a run at a league title. Those hopes faded with a 2-7 February, but the groundwork was laid for a big year in 2010-2011 as Jim Larrananga is getting his entire starting five back. It starts with senior Cam Long, who, with an improvement in his ability to shoot from the perimeter, could turn into a first team all-CAA guard. Joining Long in the back court will be Andre Cornelius, a 5'10" sharpshooting junior. The starting front court will be quite balanced, as junior Ryan Pearson -- the team's second leading scorer and leading rebounder -- will be the main weapon, joined by Mike Morrison (a 6'9" shot blocking presence) and Luke Hancock (a promising, versatile sophomore). There is depth -- youthful, but talented -- as well. In the front court, sophomore Johnny Williams, redshirt freshman Paris Bennett, and true freshman Jonathon Alredge should fight for minutes, while sophomore Sherrod Wright, redshirt freshman Ventrail Vaughns, and true freshman Bryon Allen -- who could be the x-factor -- are all good enough to be rotational players. Throw senior Isaiah Tate in the mix as well, and Larrananga is going to have some vicious practices while he hashes out playing time and depth charts. Mason is going to be a tough team to beat in the league this year.


4. William & Mary: The Tribe had a fantastic season in 2009-2010, finishing third in the CAA, making the NIT, and knocking off Maryland and Wake Forest. It is going to be tough to build on that success, however, as W&M will lose their leader in David Schneider, as well as key seniors Danny Sumner and Sean McCurdy. Next season, this is going to be junior Quinn McDowell's team. Also returning will be the underrated Marcus Kitts as well as big men JohnMark Ludwick and Kyle Gaillard. Beyond that, there are going to be a lot of new faces for this club. That shouldn't be a huge issue, as the system that head coach Tony Shaver runs doesn't rely purely on individual talent as much as it does team play and three point shooting. Last year was a story book season for the Tribe in every sense of the word, and that is going to be tough to match. But there is no reason that William & Mary can't compete with the big boys in this conference once again.


5. Northeastern: Bill Coen did a fantastic job building this program into a contender, one that won 14 games and came a couple of tough losses in league play short of title. Now, Coen will have to rebuild this program, as he loses four of his top five scorers, including all-time leading scorer Matt Janning, Manny Adako, and Nkem Ojougbouh. The good news, however, is that Coen will get one more season with Chaisson Allen, a senior point guard that was runner-up to Charles Jenkins in CAA player of the year voting. Alwayne Bigby, a 6'5" swing man, and Kauri Black, a 6'7" forward, both return for their sophomore seasons and will be counted on for a big bump in production. After that, its a bit of a crapshoot. Redshirt freshman Chris Avenant and sophomores Jonathon Lee and Joel Smith should be able to help fill the void left by Janning, while sophomores Dinko Marshavelski and Vinny Lima, JuCo transfer Ben Felix, and three star freshman Ryan Pierson should battle for minutes in the front court. Given the return of Allen and Coen's defensive minded style, its tough to envision Northeastern sliding to the bottom of the league, but it will be a year or two before this group is contending again.


6. Hofstra: Hofstra loses head coach Tom Pecora and a couple of vital role players, but overall it was a good offseason for the Pride. Why? Because Charles Jenkins -- the reigning CAA player of the year and the best player in the New York Metro region -- didn't opt to go pro. Jenkins got out to a slow start last season, and thus so did Hofstra, finding themselves sitting at 9-12 on January 23rd. But once Jenkins got healthy, he caught fire. Hofstra won 10 of their last 11 games on the season, a stretch that saw Jenkins average almost 25 ppg. He can score, he can rebound, and he will make the extra pass. With Jenkins on the roster, Hofstra is always going to be a contender. The question is whether this will be more than just a one man team. After Jenkins, four of the next six top scorers -- all of whom started 20 or more games last season -- are gone. Nathaniel Lester is a tough, physical senior perimeter player that will help provide leadership for some of the younger, inexperienced kids, while senior center Greg Washington will be counted on for a big boost in his production in the paint. Dwan McMillan, a JuCo point guard, should be able to contribute minutes immediately, while 6'5" wing and Fordham transfer Mike Moore will provide a shooter to play alongside Jenkins. Sophomore Yves Jules and senior Brad Kelleher (if he can ever get eligible) should both also see the floor. The question is going to be up front. After Washington, there are three freshmen and a sophomore -- David Imes, who played all of 21 games last season -- to provide depth. Is there enough help for Jenkins for the Pride to compete for a CAA title?


7. James Madison: The Dukes are going to be a team to keep an eye on this season. For starters, they return the best 1-2 punch in the conference with Denzel Bowles and Julius Wells. Bowles, a transfer from Texas A&M, averaged 20.9 ppg and 9.8 rpg after getting eligible in December, while Wells scored over 16 ppg on the season. Wells did struggle a bit once Bowles came into the fold, but a full season of those two working together should yield impressive results. Devon Moore, a member of the 2009 CAA all-freshmen team before missing all of last season, will be healthy on the wing while Andrey Semenov, a versatile 6'7" forward that played just four games last year due to injury, should be healthy as well. There is some depth on this team as well, as 6'11" Trevon Flores and 6'6" JuCo transfer Rayshawn Goins should provide quality minutes up front while James Millen (a JuCo transfer), Ben Louis (junior), Alioune Diouf (sophomore), and Chad Jackson (freshman) should all see some time. The question mark is going to be at the point, where Pierre Curtis graduated. All in all, there is talent on this roster, but there was last season as well. The Dukes were plagued by struggles on the road (2-14) and in close games. They also had a tendency to coast during the season. If they can learn how to play hard for 40 minutes, this team should be in the upper half of the conference standings. If not, who knows.


8. Towson: Towson had some talent on their team last season, but due to injuries and suspensions, they couldn't find any kind of a rhythm until the end of the season -- 14 different starting lineups breeds nothing but inconsistency. With their two leading scorers graduating this offseason, Towson will looks to Robert Nwankwo, a 6'8" force in the paint. Nwankwo nearly averaged a double-double in CAA play, while also swatting over three shots a game. Maryland transfer Braxton Dupree will be joining Nwanko up front, as will sophomores Erique Gumbs and Isaiah Philmore as well as senior David Brewster. The back court has shown promise as well, with Troy Franklin and RaShawn Polk both posting a couple big games down the stretch. Add seniors Josh Brown and Brian Morris, freshman Fred Conner, and JuCo transfer Cephas Oglesby to the mix, and Towson has a decent team. I don't think this group will compete for a league title, but I could see them winning a few games they shouldn't in league play.


9. Delaware: The Blue Hens went just 7-24 last season, but there is reason to be hopeful next year. The biggest reason is the smallest man on the floor. Brian Johnson, who was a starter at the point from the second he stepped on the Delaware campus, blew an acl before the season started and was granted a medical redshirt. With a bit of luck, he will be back to his junior year form, when he averaged 10.0 ppg, 5.0 apg, and had a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. With Johnson out, Jawan Carter had to handle the ball handling duties. And while Carter put up fantastic numbers (18.2 ppg, 4.9 apg) and proved himself a star in this league, Delaware relied on him way too heavily, a reason they were near the bottom of the CAA in both FG% and assists. With Alphonso Dawson -- a double digit scorer who, at 6'4", is one of the better all around player -- and to a lesser extent DJ Boney, also returning in the back court and two good freshmen (Kaleb Clyburn and Devon Saddler) joining the mix, the Blue Hens will have a solid perimeter rotation. The front court is the bigger question. There is a lot of youth up front. Kelvin McNeil and Jamelle Hagins both had promising freshmen seasons, while sophomores Josh Brinkley and Hakim McCullar also return, but somewhere in that group a post scoring threat will need to develop. Delaware didn't lose a single senior off of last year's club, and there is some talent on this roster. But the CAA is a tough league. An improvement should be expected, but with tempered expectations.


10. Drexel: The Dragons had what looked to be a promising season go up in flames with a 1-4 finish to league play. Drexel was going to have a lot of talent return before they suffered a huge blow when leading scorer Jamie Harris and Kevin Phillip were arrested for armed robbery. There is still reason to be hopeful, however. Harris may be gone, but his void should allow CAA freshman of the year Chris Fouch to develop into a star. Gerald Colds is back to provide senior leadership as well, and sophomore Derrick Thomas could be ready for a big year. Samme Givens, a tough 6'5" forward, is back as well, giving the Dragons a solid core. Two freshmen, Stefan Manojlovic and Frantz Massenat, could also see time. The issue is going to be up front, where Bruiser Flint will lose Leon Spencer and Evan Neisler. Daryl McCoy, a 6'9" sophomore that started down the stretch, still needs some development. Freshmen Dartaye Riffin and Goran Pantovic should provide some minutes, as well as senior Yannick Formbor, but there is not a lot inside on this team. Drexel will, once again, be a tough defensive team on the perimeter that is going to rely on their perimeter players. But if the front court doesn't develop, Drexel is going to have a tough time repeating last year's performance, even if you factor in their collapse.


11. Georgia State: This could be a long season for the Panthers. Last year was supposed to be the year, as the top five scorers were all seniors. And despite a solid back court duo, the Panthers never were able to find an offensive rhythm. Now? They've lost basically everyone from a team that went just 5-13 in league play, meaning that Rod Barnes will, essentially be starting over this season. The only starter that returns is NC State transfer Marques Johnson. Johnson isn't a big time scorer, but he is a floor leader. James Fields, Jihad Ali, and Dante Curry also return in the back court. Curry, who had a good sophomore season after transferring from South Florida, should see a bump in production, while Ali showed some flashes of scoring potential toward the end of the season. There will be a number of freshmen and JuCo transfer joining the back court as well, the best of which seems to be freshman point guard DeVonta White. Up front there will be even more question marks. The only returnee is 6'10" James Vincent, a sophomore that struggled to see minutes as a freshmen. Eric Buckner was a highly regarded JuCo recruit, while Harold Doby and Brandon McGee also join the mix. This will essentially be a new team this season, and it is tough to see them improving on last year's finish.


12. UNC-Wilmington: The hiring of Buzz Peterson as head coach means the future looks bright for the Seahawks, the question is how far in the future will they see that success. Five seniors who started games last year graduated and John Fields, the rock inside for UNCW, transferred to Tennessee, depleting a roster that only mustered nine wins last season. The good news is that Chad Tomko, the point guard and leading scorer for the Hawks, does return. Senior guard Ahmad Grant and sophomore forward Keith Rendleman, who looked promising down the stretch of last season, also return. Trevor Deloach, Darryl Felder, and Jeremy Basknight should help provide some depth on the perimeter while Matt Wilson gives Peterson some size inside. There are some freshmen in the mix as well - Tanner Milson, Donte Morales, and Keegan Pace in the back court, with Shane Reybold up front. The Seahawks will be rebuilding this season.

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Stix Mitchell pleads guilty

Former Seton Hall forward Robert "Stix" Mitchell plead guilty on Friday to criminal restraint and burglary charges.

If you remember, Stix duct-taped and robbed eight people at gunpoint the day after he was kicked off of the Seton Hall team. Kelly Whitney, a center for the Pirates from 2002-2006 that currently ranks as the 18th all-time leading scorer at the school, was Mitchell's partner-in-crime. He will have his day in court on November 5th.

Prosecutor's are recommending that Mitchell gets three years.

Its a shame. Mitchell, who averaged 8.4 ppg and 3.8 rpg last season, was a good player.

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Two St. Louis Billikens facing a potential suspension over an alleged sexual assault

The alleged sexual assault coming out of East Lansing is the one dominating the headlines, but for hoops fans, another story to keep an eye on is developing in St. Louis.

In an eerily similar situation, two unnamed Billiken basketball players were accused of sexual assault last spring. But like the Michigan State situation, there was not enough evidence for the Circuit Attorney's office to pursue charges.

The school itself, however, has a different burden of proof. This report states that the university's committee on student conduct (which includes faculty, staff, and students) has already handed down a punishment to the players, which may be a year's suspension from St. Louis. The players have appealed the ruling.

If the two players were to get suspended, it would be a tough break for the Billikens. Depending on who it is, this could be a huge blow to a team that is expected to make a run at an NCAA Tournament bid this season.

There's no indication of which players are involved. But regardless of who they are, if they did, in fact, sexually assault this girl they probably deserve to be suspended for more than one year. That said, with the publicity this case is sure to garner if the suspension is handed down, the school better be absolutely certain that these two young men committed this crime.

If the allegations are true, what happened to that young woman is horrific; something I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. But if the school has it wrong and suspends these tow young men for a crime the didn't commit, then they are ruining lives that don't deserve to be ruined. Their free education would be out the window, and any potential employer that googled their name would immediately see the accusations and the suspension.

That's why the burden of proof is so high for our court system.

Let's hope St. Louis gets it right.
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The Marquette basketball anthem is pretty good

It seems like every school has a group of kids that put together a song idolizing their team. You know the drill. They take a song that has made the rounds on the radio, rewrite some of the words to pertain to their specific school, film themselves awkwardly singing and dancing, and then hope the video gets picked up by the blogs.

Well, Deadspin picked this one up from Marquette. And you know what? Its pretty damn good. I don't know why I loved it. Maybe its because the highlights were edited to be in rhythm with the beat. Maybe it was the players taking part in the video. Maybe it was because someone actually thought it a good idea to do to the worm.

I really don't know. I just love it.



Somewhere, Andy Glockner is playing this song on repeat.

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Monday Morning Dump

- You've probably already seen this by now, but if you haven't, Luke Winn's piece from Friday on fouling when up three is an absolute must-read. Terrific stuff.

- Today's second must-read comes from Adam Zagoria, who went to South Kent Prep in Connecticut to profile the school and the three NYC transfrs -- Maurice Harkless, Derrick Randall, and Kadeem Jack -- playing there this year.

- Also on that must-read list is Jay Bilas' take on the lawsuit the NCAA is facing from former players.

- The final must-read from the weekend is courtesy of Pete Thamel, who wrote caught up with Nurideen Lindsey. Lindsey, a former La Salle commit, had about as rough of a childhood as you can imagine -- his older brother and younger brother were both murdered, and his best friend died of cancer. After spending two years away from the game, the former 38 ppg scorer (as a junior) in Philly is getting his grades together at Redlands Community College. Its tough not to root for this kid.

- Dan Wolken on the Memphis Commercial-Appeal is expecting big things from this Memphis team. Josh Pastner is as well, and he's not afraid to say it, or to allow his players to say it. There's talent on this roster -- it may be in the form of freshmen, but talent is talent -- which means the Tigers should be back in the conversation come March.

- In that article, Will Barton guaranteed a national championship. On Sunday, he tweeted this. I like this kid.

- Andy Katz backed up a point we made on Friday, that Arkansas is bringing in the best class of the John Pelphrey era. Well, it got better as Pelphrey added the 6'7" Devonta Abron to the mix.

- Jeff Goodman says Pitt is going from a sleeper last season to the favorite this year. And while I have a tough time disagreeing with that sentiment, I think Jamie Dixon and the Panthers have earned the Bo Ryan treatment -- regardless of what is on the Pitt roster, you should expect a tournament-worthy team that competes at the top of the Big East.

- A few weeks back, we discussed Sean Miller's recruiting situation at Arizona. He had to essentially stop recruiting some of the best player's in the country because there wasn't scholarship space. The Arizona Daily Star went into depth on the topic over the weekend.

- Robbie Hummel has been cleared to get back on to the basketball court. Good news for Purdue fans.

- I did not realize that Keith Benson was this close to leaving school for the league. I guess that broken thumb was a blessing in disguise...

- Cedrick McAfee, who committed to and decommitted from FIU in the span of 24 hours two weeks ago, is now headed to Auburn.

- Texas adds to their solid 2011 recruiting class.

- Dana Altman is starting to fill out the Oregon roster with bodies. Not necessarily the most talented bodies, but having enough players to go 5-on-5 in practice seems pretty important. That's just me, though.

The guys from Dude, Perfect are at it again:


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Two FIU freshman ruled ineligible

Things are really not going well for Isiah Thomas at FIU.

Coming off of a 7-25 season, Thomas spent the summer in the headlines because of a job he initially accepted as a consultant with the New York Knicks. Then, recruit Cedrick McAfee committed to and decommitted from FIU in the span of 24 hours.

And now?

Thomas's top recruits Dominique Ferguson and Phil Taylor will miss at least the start of the season due to academic issues. Thomas still returns a senior laden group, but with out that infusion of talent, will FIU really be all that much better next season?
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Enes Kanter ruled out of Kentucky's practices

The NCAA has ruled Kentucky's Enes Kanter ineligible to participate in practice until his eligibility hearing finishes playing out.

Originally, he was granted a 45 day grace period to workout with the team while they prepared for a preseason trip to Canada, and once that ran out, he was given an extension. That extension came due on Thursday.

Its a tough break for the 6'11" freshman from Turkey, especially if the NCAA's ruling continues past the October 15th start of practice. Its tough enough for a freshman to pick up a new college system without missing time. Missing the start of practice -- when the team's offenses and defenses are put in -- is only going to put Kanter farther behind.

Its not all bad, however.

It should allow the "UnderKanter" to work on his future as a pro wrestler.




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Friday Morning Dump

- Some outstanding reporting here, as a high school senior gets caught taking $30,000 from a sports marketing firm in China.

- If you have any desire to read the full police report from the alleged assault by the two Michigan State players, here it is. Its pretty easy to figure out who the accused players are (it took me about five minutes total).

- The Baltimore Sun put out a pretty solid (and lengthy) interview/ Q&A session with Maryland head coach Gary Williams. With no Greivis Vasquez to lead the Terps, coach Williams' squad will be somewhat untested when it comes time for ACC play. But it seems like Williams gets more out of his players when the team isn't expected to achieve.

- Louisville picks up another recruit, Angel Nunez, in the class of 2011. Nunez is a 6'8" small forward. Is Pitino getting worried that Quincy Miller is headed to Baylor?

- While were in the Commonwealth, here are some awesome pictures of UK players bringing McDonald's breakfast to the people camping out for Big Blue Madness tickets.

- UConn has had a rough go of it recently. They've been dealing with possible NCAA violations for what seems like an eternity, and their biggest frontcourt threat, 6-foot-11 power forward Ater Majok, withdrew from the school over the summer despite playing in only 26 career games. Majok left amidst a cloud of smoke, did he leave because he wanted to go pro? Did he leave because of possible violations? Why did he leave? Well, one thing is for sure, Majok didn't want to leave.

- ACC Player of the Year candidate Malcolm Delaney remains positive despite his team's recent setbacks. No team in the country has dominated the bubble as much as Virginia Tech. It seems like Va Tech has been in Joe Lunardi's "First 4 Out" every year since I was in middle school. Even with the slew of injuries that have plagued the Hokies, Malcolm Delaney is a true game-changer. While we're talking profiles, Jason King, who is fast becoming one of my favorite profilers, put together an excellent article on Klay Thompson of Washington State. With Reggie Moore and DeAngelo Casto also returning, Wazzu has a solid core to build off of. Mike DeCourcy caught up with Jon Leuer of Wisconsin as well.

- Andy Katz describes the similarities between Ed Conroy, the new head coach at The Citadel, and his predecessor Chuck Driesell.

- Doug Haller was able to land an interview with Rihard Kuksiks, detailing how close Kuksiks came to leaving school.

- Murray State was one of the darlings of last season's NCAA tournament. Dinero Thomas capped-off arguably the best day one in tournament history with a memorable last-second buzzer-beater against Vanderbilt. Billy Kennedy, the head coach of the Racers, was the keynote speaker at a business luncheon on Tuesday. He stated that in order for his team to be successful this year, they have to forget about everything they remember from last season.

- Digital Hoops Blast is doing a fantastic series of posts chronicling how effective website design and content can help boost the recruiting process among Atlantic-10 schools.

- A recap of the meeting between WAC officials and the five schools looking to join: Texas State, University of Texas-San Antonio, University of Denver, Seattle University and University of Montana. The WAC hopes to have a decision with-in the next 60 days on which schools will gain admittance to the conference. While we're on the topic of conference expansion (again...), it should be noted that coaches at Hawaii wouldn't mind if the joined the Great West Conference.

- A bunch of recruiting news regarding Marquette. The Golden Eagles have yet to get a commitment from the class of 2011, but from the look of things, coach Buzz Williams has an eye on a bunch of different players.

- Pete Thamel says the NCAA is getting tougher on coaches, and as a result those coaches are on edge.

- Some video highlights of Trevon Bluiett. Take a look at some of the film. I know you love watching footage from U-15 summer league basketball. Seriously who doesn't?

- Dayton's Chris Johnson is primed to has a breakout season. (What's with Dayton having players with the same names as other athletes?)

- Fran Fraschilla gives us the 10 most versatile players in the country. (Insider, apologies)

- Syracuse's Kris Joseph will never be mistaken for a tennis player. Why you ask? Well A) He's 6-foot-7, and B) he sucks a tennis (but at least he's a good sport about it).

Scoop and Kris Show, Episode 5: We Got This.

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