College Basketball "off-season" Thread (players leaving/coaching changes/recruiting)

[allen3xis]

Oh.

[h2]August 21, 2008[/h2]
[h2]Island's top player pondering transfer[/h2]

For Hills West star Tobias Harris, the top player on the Island, it's come down to a choice of two high schools for this fall: a return to Hills West ora move to Long Island Lutheran. All indications are he'll attend Lutheran, where he'll join American Christian transfer Ashcraf Yacoubou to form adevastating inside-outside combo, although a handful of other prep schools also pursued him when he announced he was considering leaving Hills West.

"I'm not totally sure," Harris said. "I'll know in a few days."

Soon after Harris figures out what high school he'll attend, he'll turn his attention to choosing a college, and he's one of the NCAA'shottest prospects of late. He handles the ball and shoots like a guard, but at 6-8, he has the size of a big man.

Harris said he plans to visit Maryland, Virginia and Georgetown next week, although a plethora of other schools - including Louisville, UConn, Texas andRutgers - are still in the hunt for him. He has no timetable on a decision (he's just a junior), but he said he might decide this year.

He doesn't want to wait as long as some top prospects.

"I don't want to have that hanging over me," he said.

***

Omari Lawrence just committed to St. John's, and close friend Kevin Parrom, his teammate at South Kent (Conn.) Prep, is also strongly considering theJohnnies.

"St. John's is on the list," Parrom said. "It's a good school."

Parrom added that Lawrence had called him soon after committing to St. John's. As well, Oswald Cross, Parrom's AAU coach with the New York Panthers,just accepted a staff position in Fresh Meadows.

Still, the Johnnies have plenty of work to do on this one. Xavier, South Carolina, Pitt, Temple, Marquette and UConn are all involved. Parrom said he washoping to take three visits next month, but St. John's wasn't on that list.

"I haven't planned them yet, but most likely I'll be taking a visit to UConn and Xavier and South Carolina," he said.

***




I'd love nothing more than to steal a City Rock

 

[allen3xis]

Dom Cheek now says Indiana is definitely on his list.

Mcleod hire already paying off possibly.

 

[messiahchild]

Last time I heard, Tobias' pops was saying that Tobias thought the world of Indiana.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Kevin and Omari are both attending South Kent Prep this year.

We could ink up Kevin and Durand but Norm is reluctant to pull his offer from Malik Stith, some mediocre back up point guard.

Oh and to pile on the good news Jayvaughn Pinkston was on campus today. The hiring of Kimoni Young and Oswald Cross are paying dividends already.

And Allen and the rest of you Big East folks, keep your ears open for Justin Burrell, he is going to break out this year big time. Kid has gotten better inevery way possible, offensively, defensively and maturity.

 

[lazy b]

Kevin, Omari and Durand were all at one time Gauchos (AAU).

 

[lazy b]

Originally Posted by Seymore CAKE

Lance will be fine.

like Dre said he just needs to keep it wrapped tight and he'll be more than fine

I can't see too many players who have his upside and talent. I just can't. He's suffering the same fate OJ did, its the fact that we've heard his name for so long you tend to get tired and want something fresh. Which leads to people waiting and watching for every single flaw.

The kid is gonna kill wherever he ends up.

He gotta kill in the classroom first. How many times do you think he'll have to take the SAT? From what I've heard, his classroomperformance is

 

[seymore cake]

^ Damn... That was real disappointing to hear

 

[jamesonnt]

Tobias Harris is definitely legit.
That boy was rainin' contested 3's on my old high school as a freshman. Even though they lost ..

But yeah, the rumors of him transferring started last summer. He definitely needs to because the league he plays in now is wack. LI Lutheran is a good look.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Originally Posted by Lazy B

Originally Posted by Seymore CAKE

Lance will be fine.

like Dre said he just needs to keep it wrapped tight and he'll be more than fine

I can't see too many players who have his upside and talent. I just can't. He's suffering the same fate OJ did, its the fact that we've heard his name for so long you tend to get tired and want something fresh. Which leads to people waiting and watching for every single flaw.

The kid is gonna kill wherever he ends up.

He gotta kill in the classroom first. How many times do you think he'll have to take the SAT? From what I've heard, his classroom performance is

Lance has no desire to even try in the classrooom. I'll keep saying it, the odds of him going the Brenden Jennigs route are high

 

[ricardo malta]

Kevin and Omari are both attending South Kent Prep this year.
C'mon Jim, they right in our backyard. Steal a couple more from under St. Johns nose

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Malta

Kevin and Omari are both attending South Kent Prep this year.

C'mon Jim, they right in our backyard. Steal a couple more from under St. Johns nose

Ahem, I think Jim has had enough of stealing players from us, see Doug Wiggins.

 

[allen3xis]

Doug Wiggins....just a dirty, rat move

 

[wildkycat]

goodbye to Rupp Arena?

UK reveals plan for new, expanded stadiums

The University of Kentucky announced Thursday that it is developing a plan for a new downtown basketball arena, major renovations to Commonwealth Stadium and a new on-campus baseball stadium.

The trio of projects, with a price tag between $300 and $400 million, would be financed privately,UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart said.

"No money would be taken from academics. There would be no tax payer money. It would be all private," Barnhart told the board of the Lexington Center Corp. "It's a unique format that's never been done before in the United States."

The Lexington Center Corp. manages the 32-year-old Rupp Arena, where the UK men's basketball team plays. It also would manage the new arena.

The LCC board endorsed the project and said it would support UK in pursuing a financial feasibility study, expected to be completed in six months.

At that point, Barnhart said, UK and the Lexington Center can decide "whether to move forward with the plan or not."

The feasibility study will be done by IMG College, the world's largest sports-marketing company, which bought out Lexington's Host Communications last year, and its affiliated company, International Stadia Group.

Last year, city officials announced they were in the early stages of planning for a state-of-the-art downtown basketball arena to replace Rupp Arena.

Bill Owen, president and chief executive officer of Lexington Center Corp., said in October a new arena -- on what's now a parking lot across High Street from Rupp -- could be up and running by the 2014 or 2015 basketball season.

UK has a lease to use the existing Rupp through 2018.

UK has been working on plans to replace Cliff Hagan Stadium with a new on-campus baseball stadium.

Improvements at Commonwealth Stadium would include new high definition video boards and scoreboards, more suites, new premium seating, plus easy access to inhouse restaurants and other facilities, said Thomas J. Stultz, senior vice president of IMG College. "We're talking about total overall upgrades with everything at Commonwelath Stadium."

Steve Moore, president of North and South America for International Stadia Group, an affiliate of IMG, said in evaluating the feasibility, his firm will look at all possible revenue streams, from naming rights to traditional sponsorships.

A new source will be non-traditional technology deals that better integrate television, the Internet and consumer advertising at a stadium, he said.

"Finding revenue sources from technology has not been widely done, but it is definitely on the horizon and something we want to try to take advantage of," he said.

Naming opportunities at all three facilities will be explored. "No question about it," Moore said. He indicated it was premature to talk about whether the name on a basketball facility would be Rupp Arena.

Moore said just buying the name to a venue is not enough for many corporations anymore. "What sponsors really want is relationships with the school, the student body and their consumers. Naming rights is not always the best way to do that."

The feasibility study will ask fans what benefits they want and what they are willing to pay for, Moore said. "It's not like will you pay $50,000 for a suite. But do they want a suite where they can entertain? How big? What amenities? What do they want it to look like?" Moore said. "This is the direction in which new sports venues are moving.

Financing, if justified by the study, will be with a private equity company working in partnership with ISG.

Moore said he could not name the company at this point, but the name of the financial backer will be released.

A new basketball facility would be owned by the city through the Lexington Center Corporation, a quasi government agency, and have the same arrangement as the ownership of Rupp Arena, Moore said.

ISG and IMG College would enter into a revenue sharing plan with Lexington Center "until we paid down the debt," Moore said. " We would be a limited partner for a limited time."

The benefit of this type of arrangement for UK and the city his company takes on the risk of the construction, "which is a big risk today," he said.

"The benefit to us," Moore said, "is knowing is going to be built right, the right kind of premium services that exactly meet the specs to which people have told us they want and we believe we can sell."

 

[cadillacflow]

I read that about Rupp yesterday. I'll be heated, if you guys get your new arean before we do. But, knowing how things work in the Commonwealth, I'msure you will, lol.

 

[allen3xis]

[h1]Pac-10 ShootAround: Talent drain or potential refill in 2008-09?[/h1]
ESPN.com

Updated: August 22, 2008

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Three Pac-10 freshmen took their games to the NBA after one season.
[h3]Talent goes, talent comes[/h3]
By Ted Miller
ESPN.com
It's not hard to quantify how good Pac-10 basketball was last season. The 2008 NBA draft did exactly that. Seven of the top 21 pickswere Pac-10 players, two more than the conference had produced during any previous first round. Five more conference players went in the second round. Those 12were spread among seven teams, so the majority of the conference teams used NBA-worthy players in 2007-08, and three -- UCLA (two lottery picks, onesecond-rounder), Stanford (two first-rounders) and California (one first-rounder, one second-rounder) -- took multiple hits. That's as good an explanationas any why six Pac-10 teams were selected for the NCAA tournament, and many felt a seventh -- Arizona State -- got snubbed. All this is impressive and nice,but it contains an inherent problem: The 2007-08 season is in the past. That celebrated group is gone. Now what will the conference do for an encore? Will thequality of play slide because of the void left by this talent drain, or will the pool be replenished? "We had great players in our league last year,"UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "Last year is probably the best the league's ever been. I think the Pac-10 is going to be very competitive this year,with a lot of parity." Parity is not UCLA's thing, though. It has won three consecutive Pac-10 titles and reached three consecutive Final Fours. TheBruins again are solid favorites to win the conference, even with the losses of lottery picks Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love (fourth and fifth overall, respectively) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (No. 37). That's because Howland simply restocked his rosterwith two McDonald's All-Americans, guards Jrue Holiday and Malcolm Lee, a pair who became the centerpieces of Scouts Inc.'s No. 1recruiting class. The talent drain and need to refill didn't apply to only the Bruins, though.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Oregon got a gem in McDonald's All-American Michael Dunigan, just one of the many highly touted newcomers to the Pac-10.
USC lost a lottery pick, O.J. Mayo, and gained a McDonald's All-American,Demar DeRozan, who's projected to become a lottery pick himself,probably in 2009. Oregon lost nearly 60 percent of its scoring, but some of that will be replaced by McDonald's All-American Michael Dunigan, who headlined a class ranked 15th in the nation. Arizona andWashington also signed touted classes, and Washington State's haul has been noted as sneaky good for Tony Bennett's system. So what the NBA taketh fromthe Pac-10, the high schools giveth. It's not all about an injection of talented youth, though. Arizona State seems a lock to go dancing this time aroundwith all five starters back, topped by guard James Harden, the only returningfirst-team All-Pac-10 player, and forward Jeff Pendergraph. Still, the conference asa whole doesn't appear as rugged from top to bottom as it was last season. Even with UCLA, there are questions. Holiday and Lee will fortify theBruins' already-strong backcourt, which includes Darren Collison and wingJosh Shipp, but the Bruins probably will need more help from their frontcourtrecruits. UCLA must replace its top four rebounders, so getting production from Drew Gordon and 6-foot-10 J'Mison Morgan is critical. "Those two big guys for sure have tocontribute, because we're short handed in terms of numbers of bodies inside," Howland said. So while the Pac-10 was widely acknowledged as thenation's best conference heading into 2007-08, it's got work to do to reclaim that unofficial title this winter. "It's going to be, top tobottom, very difficult," Howland said. "Will we have seven of the top 21 picks in this year's draft? Probably not, but we're going to have alot of really good players again." Ted Miller covers college sports for ESPN.com.[h3]Five Things To Watch in '08-09[/h3]
By Ted Miller
ESPN.com
• The new looks familiar
New coaches are, er, nothing new. The stakes are high, and guys get fired -- or leap into more prominent jobs. But the offseason Pac-10 coaching carousel --and the soap opera that accompanied it -- was just nuts.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

After a rocky season away from the team, Arizona's Lute Olson is back on the Wildcats' bench.
Start with the Lute Olson-Kevin O'Neill saga at Arizona, which ended up damaging Olson's reputation when O'Neill was unceremoniouslydispatched. Then there's Mike Montgomery, formerly Stanford's coach, taking over at -- wait for it -- hated rival California. Trent Johnson ledStanford to the Sweet 16, but despite that, he sensed he was unloved by Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby and bolted for LSU. Bowlsby then hired formerDuke standout Johnny Dawkins. As if that wasn't enough, Oregon State handed its woeful program off to Craig Robinson, who's the brother-in-law of someguy name Barack Obama. Is all of this change something we can believe in? Check back in March. • Will anyone challenge UCLA?
One would think losing a pair of lottery picks would make a team vulnerable, but it's hard to imagine any team other than UCLA beginning the season as thePac-10 favorite. The Bruins, much like their cross-town rival's football team, will remain on top of the conference hill in terms of both perception andreality until someone knocks them off. Speaking of that cross-town rival, though, USC might be a candidate to threaten UCLA, despite the Trojans' ownpersonnel hits with the NBA draft departures of Mayo and Davon "What was hethinking?" Jefferson. DeRozan leads a strong recruiting class, and forward TajGibson and an experienced backcourt make a school-record third consecutive NCAA tournament extremely likely. Arizona State, with Harden and Pendergraph,also could be a threat, but the Sun Devils won't be a scrappy little surprise squad this go-around. After that, the pickings are slim. In the end, thesafest answer to who could be UCLA's foil is: Nobody. • Is Washington's Lorenzo Romar on the hot seat?
Romar hit all the right buttons his first four years at Washington, but two consecutive mediocre seasons (which ended with the Huskies failing to earn NCAAtournament berths) and losing seven straight to rival Washington State have left a small but growing minority of fans wondering whether the magic is gone. TheHuskies, despite Romar's touted recruiting prowess, have become the state's third-best team, behind the Cougars and Gonzaga. Romar might have the rightmix of experience and youth this season to get the critics off his back, although this squad is hardly a shoe-in for an invitation to the Big Dance. •The player of the year is …
It could be a veteran point guard, UCLA's Darren Collison, who's trying toshowcase his NBA bona fides. It could be Arizona State's sophomore guard Harden, the top returning scorer in the conference and the only returning memberof the All-Pac-10 first team. Or perhaps Mr. Double-Double, Washington's JonBrockman, will lead a Huskies resurgence and earn accolades for his distinguished career numbers. Or maybe it will be Chase Budinger leading a resurgence at Arizona and making Lute Olson naysayers eat crow.Considering Love earned top honors as a freshman last season, the POY field also needs to include DeRozan, because the world loves spectacular dunks and theCompton, Calif., product apparently doesn't mind scoring fancy. UCLA's Holiday probably should get a mention, too, although he might not take the leadrole a POY winner needs. • Are there another six NCAA bids in the conference?
Maybe, but don't take that number to Vegas. The swing team probably is Washington, where Romar needs an invitation after missing the tourney in consecutiveseasons. Five teams is more realistic, with UCLA, Arizona State and USC looking like sure things, and Arizona and Washington State possibly among thenation's top 64 teams. Stanford, California and Oregon probably lost too much to make runs, while it's an iron-clad lock that Oregon State will not beinvited.[h3]2007-08 Pac-10 Standings[/h3][table][tr][td]
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
[/td] [td]Overall record[/td] [td]Pac-10 record[/td] [/tr][tr][td]UCLA*[/td] [td]35-4[/td] [td]16-2[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Stanford*[/td] [td]28-8[/td] [td]13-5[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Washington State*[/td] [td]26-9[/td] [td]11-7[/td] [/tr][tr][td]USC*[/td] [td]21-12[/td] [td]11-7[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Arizona State^[/td] [td]21-13[/td] [td]9-9[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Oregon*[/td] [td]18-14[/td] [td]9-9[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Arizona*[/td] [td]19-15[/td] [td]8-10[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Washington#[/td] [td]16-17[/td] [td]7-11[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Cal^[/td] [td]17-16[/td] [td]6-12[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Oregon State[/td] [td]6-25[/td] [td]0-18[/td] [/tr][/table]*NCAA tournament
^NIT
#CBI For all the Pac-10 news and notes, check out the conferencepage.[h3]Top Returning Scorers[/h3][table][tr][td]
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Player[/td] [td]PPG[/td] [/tr][tr][td]James Harden, Arizona State, Soph.[/td] [td]17.8[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Jon Brockman, Washington, Sr.[/td] [td]17.8[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Chase Budinger, Arizona, Jr.[/td] [td]17.1[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Patrick Christopher, Cal, Jr.[/td] [td]15.2[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Darren Collison, UCLA, Sr.[/td] [td]14.5[/td] [/tr][/table][h3]Top Returning Rebounders[/h3][table][tr][td]
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Player[/td] [td]RPG[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Jon Brockman, Washington, Sr.[/td] [td]11.6[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Jordan Hill, Arizona, Jr.[/td] [td]7.9[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Taj Gibson, USC, Jr.[/td] [td]7.8[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Jeff Pendergraph, Arizona State, Sr.[/td] [td]6.4[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Aron Baynes, Washington State, Sr.[/td] [td]6.0[/td] [/tr][/table]

 

[allen3xis]

Arizona
Lute Olson is back, but it remains to be seen whether that's a good thing or whether Arizona is heading for a Joe Paterno situation, in which a legendarycoach doesn't know when he should gracefully exit (there was nothing graceful about last season's mess). What's certain is the return of Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill means the Wildcats figure to push toward the top half of the conference. Not sogood was super-recruit Brandon Jennings' decision to bolt forEurope. Arizona State
Guard James Harden and forward Jeff Pendergraph are a good start -- it's always nice to welcome back a pair of guys whocan score and play defense -- but nearly all the scoring production is back, with all five starters returning. Center Eric Boateng should benefit from the departure of post talent from the conference. So whatwill the team that tied for the nation's biggest turnaround (13 games) do for an encore? Maybe become more confident on the road, after going 4-6 in2007-08. Cal
Coach Mike Montgomery is back in the conference, only now he's wearing blue, which figures to make the Cal-Stanford tilts even more spicy. Junior wingPatrick Christopher is an underrated player, but the Bears have issues in thefrontcourt. Who's going to replace Ryan Anderson's huge production? Noreturning player averaged more than 3.8 rebounds per game. A lot will be expected of freshman guard .J. Seeley. Oregon
Is Oregon's Ernie Kent safe after the announcement of his contract "extension" this offseason? He might not feel secure with the team he hascoming back, considering the Ducks must replace most of their scoring and rebounding as well as their often-lethal perimeter game, even with guard Tajuan Porter back. The frontcourt is thin, although the arrival of 6-10 McDonaldsAll-American Michael Dunigan, who headlined a strong recruiting haul,should help. Of course, marquee recruits haven't always yielded immediate returns for Kent. Oregon State
Welcome Craig Robinson to the Pac-10, penthouse of college basketball! Now, let us show you your living quarters in the basement. At least the Tarver brothers,Josh and Seth, who combined for 16.3 points a game, and six other returning players won't beinexperienced. Only their experience has been losing. Stanford
Hey, buddy, can you spare 14 feet of scoring and dominance? Of course, new coach Johnny Dawkins won't know what he's missing after the departures ofthe Lopez Twin Towers, Robin and Brook. It's nice to have a veteran point guard in the steady if unspectacular Mitch Johnson, but it will be a huge adjustment not seeing the big guys inside. Thefrontcourt concerns are augmented by the fact that the returning players combined to shoot just 37.5 percent from the field last season. UCLA
A fourth consecutive Final Four? Why not? The Bruins, despite providing the NBA with a pair of lottery picks and a second-round selection, continue to looklike the class of the conference. And who's going to doubt taskmaster Ben Howland? He supplemented his roster with a pair of McDonalds All-American guards,Jrue Holiday and Malcolm Lee. Darren Collison and Josh Shipp both are back for their senior seasons, likely hoping to improve on inconsistentjunior campaigns. The frontcourt, particularly in the area of rebounding, is a little iffy, although James Keefe looked solid during the NCAA tournament. USC
It's clear USC isn't backing away from making L.A. a two-team town, although the O.J. Mayo investigation might turn things sour. The Trojans lost Mayo and Davon Jefferson, but if McDonalds All-American wing Demar DeRozan lives up to his hype -- he's likely another one-and-donerecruit -- he and Taj Gibson, Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis will give the Trojans a nice nucleus of players who should keep them in the tophalf of the conference. Also, Leonard Washington's winding academicsaga is over, so he is eligible and likely will help on the boards. USC could get a big boost if UNC transfer Alex Stepheson is declared eligible immediately. Washington
Workhorse Jon Brockman leads a Huskies program that will be hungry to climb back intothe top half of the conference after two mediocre seasons and NCAA tournament misses. The big question is whether the addition of touted recruit Isaiah Thomas means the point guard problems of the past two seasons are solved.If wing Quincy Pondexter makes his long-anticipated -- and presently doubted --breakthrough, the Huskies could make some noise. Of course, they're going to have to learn to shoot free throws (58.6 percent -- yuck), play consistentdefense and replace 3-point specialist Ryan Appleby. Washington State
Only two starters and five letter winners are back, and the departed took with them most of the scoring, passing and stealing. It looks like a transitionalseason, and this might test the mettle of the Cougars as to whether their run within the top third of the conference will continue. Returning are senior centerAron Baynes (who upped his game in the NCAA tournament), resourceful guard Taylor Rochestie and sixth man Daven Harmeling . With nine freshmen on the roster -- a sneaky-good incomingclass -- it's clear the Cougs are heading into a youth movement.
[h4]Pac-10's best[/h4]By Doug Gottlieb
ESPN Doug Gottlieb counts down the best teams in the Pac-10 for the upcoming season:
1. UCLA: Loaded again. Darren Collison, Mike Roll and Josh Shipp welcome in an incredibly athletic group to change the perception of UCLA offensively. J'Mison "BoBo" Morgan is a freak inside and Jrue Holiday might be the most talented Howland recruit yet, while Jerime Anderson and Malcolm Lee give Howland six legit guards to push the limits of UCLA's fast break. With the rest of the league down compared to 2007-08, UCLA is more athletic than ever.
2. Washington: Jon Brockman plays with the same toughness and agility as Tyler Hansbrough. But he needs consistent help from Quincy Pondexter to get UW to the Big Dance. Tiny Isaiah Thomas, who will add offensive punch to the veteran backcourt of Justin Dentmon and Venoy Overton, is similar to former Dawg Nate Robinson in terms of offensive talent.
3. Arizona State: James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph need Ty Abbott and Derek Glasser to be more consistent. Look out for incoming freshman Johnny Coy to steal some wing minutes opposite Harden. Herb Sendek will not be on the bubble this season.
4. USC: Out with O.J., in with Demar DeRozan. DeRozan is a big-time athlete who can score off the dribble and the catch. There are questions for the Trojans. Will Taj Gibson find his freshman form? Will Mamadou Diarra give the men of Troy the inside grit they need? Can Daniel Hackett emerge as a star? And finally, what does the NCAA do regarding the O.J. Mayo payment allegations?
5. Arizona: Lute Olson, Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill and Nic Wise are back from the Arizona program that flamed out in the NCAA tournament first round. The season could rest on talented, but sometimes soft, freshman Jeff Withey.
6. Cal: The Bears lost the league's leading scorer, Ryan Anderson (first-round pick), and the most athletic big man in the league, DeVon Hardin (second-round pick). Their coach was fired, and their top recruit (Garrett Sim) now is headed to Oregon. But Mike Montgomery and a number of players returning from injury should be huge factors in the Bears' reemergence in the Pac-10.
7. Washington State: Klay Thompson (son of former NBA player Michael Thompson) will be a star, and with Aron Baynes and Taylor Rochestie back, the Cougs might grind their way into the Dance again. Look for more up-tempo play out of the Palouse.
8. Oregon: Tajuan Porter, Joevan Catron and a bevy of young, talented Ducks will be fun to watch but might be a season away from dancing. Michael Dunigan is a beast. Will they defend?
9. Stanford: Anthony Goods and Lawrence Hill are fine, but they will have to rediscover their offensive touch and redo their defensive philosophy without the Lopez twins to handle the opposition. Johnny Dawkins let his top recruit (Miles Plumlee) go to Duke and traveled with the U.S. Olympic team instead of grinding late in the recruiting period, two decisions that might prove costly.
10. Oregon State: This could take a while.



This league looks like trash, on paper.

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Looking for a big year from Hackett.

 

[allen3xis]

August 21, 2008
'Nova coach takes job with Rockets

Villanova associate head coach Brett Gunning, who had been on Jay Wright's staff for 14 years -seven at Hofstra, seven at 'Nova - just called to tellus he is leaving to take a position as Director of Player Development with the Houston Rockets.

Gunning spoke with Marist about the head coaching vacancy at the MAAC school last spring, but has always had a strong interest in coaching at the NBA level.This is a huge, well deserved opportunity for him.

Gunning is the seventh former assistant from Wright's staff at 'Nova to move on to bigger and better things. Three - Billy Lange of Navy, Joe Jones ofColumbia and Freddie Hill of Rutgers - have gone on to become Division I head coaches. Another, Ed Pinckney, is an assistant with Minnesota. Andrew Francis isan assistant at Siena and Jason Crafton is on Lange's staff at Navy.

Hofstra coach Tom Pecora was Wright's top assistant at Hofstra before moving up the ladder there on merit in 2001.

 

[the lowa]

Lance is trying to bring New York back. I don't think that he will go to St. Johns but if he did sign it will be a great thing for New York.

Lance Stephenson is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard that has all the assets that make him a 'must have' on the list of most high level division 1 programs.


M. Wingate rivals.com

Lance Stephenson
Ask any top reporter, which schools are on the top of his list and most will mention Memphis, Texas, Kansas and USC but ask Stephenson himself and one of his'reported' secondary choices might just have to go right up there with his top choices.

On Thursday, when asked about the possibilities of committing St. John's, Stephenson said, "St. John's is looking real good right now. I'mtrying to bring New York back so I think that (St. John's) would be a good decision."

Stephenson was also clear to point out that he has not made a final decision with regard to which school he will ultimately pick and won't decide on oneuntil after the upcoming season. He plans to take a few more visits but it is also clear that St. John's is right up there in the running.

Asked if he think he would work well with the recent St. John's commit Omari Lawrence, Stephenson said, "Yeah, I think me and him could bring New Yorkback."

Recently at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 media day, Stephenson, currently a shooting guard, alluded to wanting to evolve his skill set to become a point guardsaying, "I'm trying to see if I could be a real point guard. Try to make assists. Try to be a playmaker."

As he goes into his senior year, the 6-foot-5 guard has made some self-evaluations as he prepares to embark on the next level. "I don't think I'mgoing to get any taller so I think I'm a good point guard height," says Stephenson.

Stephenson, shifting to point guard status might actually bode well with the possibilities of him becoming a member of the Red Storm and playing along side ofLawrence, who is a shooting guard. With Stephenson at point guard, the competition for minutes becomes a moot issue.

Stephenson also confirmed that even he and Durand Scott, another high level New York player, have already discussed the 'what if' possibilities of themboth playing together on the Johnnies and the impact it would have on the team and the city.

Asked about his opinion of St. John's, as a team, right now and in the near future, the rising junior from the NYS federation defending champion AbrahamLincoln HS said, "They've already got a couple of good players and a good big man and I think with a new point guard coming in, we can work withit."

 

[jamesonnt]

ohhh, interesting ...

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Lance needs to get out of NYC IMO.

 

[allen3xis]

Originally Posted by dreClark

Lance needs to get out of NYC IMO.

he just needs to not be coached by Norm Roberts.

Them trying to play all guards and attempt to have Lance play PG would be a disaster

 

[allen3xis]

August 22, 2008
[h1]Walls Fav Three[/h1]
Maurice Wingate
NYCHoops.net

Talk about it in Basketball Recruiting Board
NYC Hoops spoke with Rivals.com's #1 ranked John Wall during a practice for Friday's Boost Mobile Elite24 All-star game to be held at Rucker Park in New York.

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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]M. Wingate[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]John Wall says the 3 schools best fit his style of play[/td] [/tr][/table]The discussion first centered on the much anticipated rivalry between Wall and NYC native Lance Stephenson but also involved his top college's choices as well aswhich of those colleges best fits his style of play.

When asked about the opportunity to play in New York at a historic park, Wall replied, "I'm trying to have a fun game for the crowd. This is my firsttime and I'm having a good time so far."

Wall is looking forward to going up against Stephenson, saying, "I think it's going to be a good game. I know that sometimes he's gonna go at meand sometimes I'm gonna go at him. That's what the crowd wants to see so you get into it a little bit but sometimes you still have to keep yourteammates happy."

Wall, however, is more focused on winning the game and getting his teammates involved then in a rivalry. A sentiment that both players seem to share.

Stephenson suffered a groin injury and may or may not play on Friday but when if asked if he wants Stephenson to play, Wall's answer was a emphatic,"Yes."

On the recruiting tip, Wall was asked which schools he is most interested in, but his answer spoke more to which teams are most interested in him. "Right now I feel seven schools coming at me the hardest. I think it's Memphis, Kansas, Kentucky, Baylor, Oregon, Texas and NCState. There are still schools that can come get into the mix but I feel those schools that are coming atme the hardest and really want me."

Wall says he prefers a team that runs and guns as opposed to a team that plays a half court offense. "I like a team that gets up and down but if I have toslow it down and run a half court set or run pick and roll I can do that too."

Of the seven schools that are interested in the 6-foot-4 rising senior guard from Word of God HS in NC, when asked which ones fit his style of play, Wallresponded, "Right now I feel like Memphis, Oregon and Baylor gets up and down. Those three school really get up and down and lets their guard play and gettheir teammates involved."

 

[lnmymind]

If Wes gets involved he's going to Memphis...if Nike gets involved...he's going to Oregon

 

[allen3xis]

[h1]Dickie V's Preseason Top 40[/h1]

By $@$# Vitale
ESPN.com
(Archive)

Updated: August 22, 2008, 3:47 PM ET

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The summer is almost over, so it is time to get cracking on my preseason list of the nation's Top 40 teams. Check out teams No. 21-40 below and checkback over the next two weeks as I work my way up the list.

DICKIE V's PRESEASON TOP 40​

21. Miami-Florida. Jack McClinton is one of the best players that America has not heard enough about. Frank Haith does a fine job with theHurricanes.

22. Wisconsin. Bo Ryan will always have the Badgers in the hunt in the Big Ten.

23. Arizona. The return of Chase Budinger makes Lute Olson very happy. If Brandon Jennings didn't go to Europe, this would be a top 10team.

24. Kentucky. When Patrick Patterson is healthy, watch out. Billy Gillispie's club will be returning to prominence.

25. Kansas. Bill Self lost five players to the NBA draft. He has a young but talented team that should still make noise.

26. Syracuse. In a different league, the Orange would be a contender. In the Big East, it is so, so tough …

27. Oklahoma. I know people are talking about football down in Norman. Jeff Capel's club, led by Blake Griffin, will give fanssomething else to cheer about.

28. West Virginia. Bob Huggins will have his team battling, scrapping and clawing again.

29. Wake Forest. This young team is talented. You will hear a lot from super sophs Jeff Teague and James Johnson.

30. Baylor. Scott Drew has rebuilt this program in a short time. Remember the name LaceDarius Dunn!

31. USC. Even without O.J. Mayo, the Trojans will be a tough team. Taj Gibson and company will not be an easy touch.

32. Clemson. Oliver Purnell lost a lot of senior talent, but K.C. Rivers is back.

33. St. Mary's. As long as Mr. Mills comes back to school, this team will make noise in the WCC.

34. Alabama. If Mark Gottfried gets back a healthy Ronald Steele, the Tide can reverse last season's misfortune.

35. UNLV. Lon Kruger has won 91 games in his four seasons with the Runnin' Rebels.

36. Mississippi State. If Jamont Gordon had stayed in school, this team would be in the top 20.

37. UAB. Robert Vaden is back. He flirted with the NBA draft but withdrew before the deadline.

38. Ohio State. A lot will depend on the big diaper dandy, B.J. Mullens. Thad Matta is a flat-out winner, my friends.

39. San Diego. Last season was not a fluke … just ask Connecticut.

40. Xavier. Sean Miller's team lost a lot of talent, but the newcomers will make a difference.