They paying to keep that pipeline to DC open.... I need to see some improvement from Pargo and the Zags... And I am anxious to see Steph at PG this year. If he'a able to make the transition seamlessly, his draft stock will shoot up.
got themselves a good one again with Wally Judge. Obviously no beasley tho. Does this guy look like a Cal disciple or what? wonder how many violations he's broken already AMHERST, Mass. - I took a trip to UMass yesterday afternoon, caught practice and then took in the Celtics exhibition opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. If Sean Carter was eligible this season, UMass would have a legitimate chance at contending for the A-10 title. However, the Oregon State transfer will sit out and have three years left. That means the Minutemen, as they did a year ago under former coach Travis Ford,will rely on perimeter players. Chris Lowe is a senior who has run the team for the better part of his first three years in Amherst. Ricky Harris had a break-through season last year,averaging 18.2 points per game. Anthony Gurley, a local kid who transferred in from Wake Forest, should slide into the role vacated by last year's leadingscorer, Gary Forbes (19.4), who also averaged 7.5 boards per game. ``We're going to have to fill that," Harris said. ``We're all going to have to rebound better." That's not going to be easy with three guards that probably stand 6-3 (Gurley), 6-1 (Harris) and 6-foot (Lowe.). Tony Gaffney, a role guy a year ago, has already impressed new coach Derek Kellogg with his length and athleticism. Look for him to start along with the threeguards. Now the question is who will step up in the middle. The candidates are Luke Bonner, a senior who averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds last season, and Tyrell ####, a 6-foot-9 freshman who needs toget into better shape. ``Luke's got to give us more than he's given in the past and I'm going to put a lot of pressure on Tyrell," Kellogg said. "He's gotto get himself in the best shape of his life, but his attitude's been great." Carter is the guy who would come right in and make an impact because of his size and athleticism, but he won't be eligible until next season. Kellogg willalso add UConn transfer Doug Wiggins, who should step in and replace Lowe. Kellogg is realistic about trying to get his alma mater back to what it was when John Calipari led UMass to the Final Four. ``I'm trying to use the blueprint that he had here and also at Memphis," Kellogg said. That means getting guys with a chip on their shoulder, playing a difficult non-conference schedule and trying to increase the television exposure - among otherthings. Kellogg speaks highly of the senior leadership with Lowe, Gaffney and Bonner and said his biggest shock came when watching Harris. ``I didn't realize how tough and competitive he is," Kellogg said. Lowe, who played three years in Ford's system in which there really wasn't a bad shot, said picking up the Dribble Drive hasn't been nearly asdifficult as he figured. Ditto for Harris. ``It's just a lot of repetition, but it's not that big of a difference," Lowe said. ``The terminology is weird, but after a few weeks we started to get the hang of it," Harris added.
....Those two dirtbags are spitting images of one another. Wonder howmany prostitutes he's got lined up for his recruits.
that pic is so slimeball-#!%. and allen, i really wish you'd quote your articles. EDIT: you can't say "i s h"?
Hoyas Expect to Pick Up the Pace This Season By Liz Clarke Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, October 15, 2008; Page E07 With the departure of 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert, themost prolific among an invaluable quartet of graduating seniors, the style of the Georgetown men's basketball team is likely to change thisseason, Coach John Thompson III said yesterday. But to a man, the Hoyas' top returning players insist there's no reason their aspirations should change, too. "Not at all! We have one common goal, and that's to win a championship," guard Jessie Sapp, the lone returning senior starter, said duringyesterday's preseason media day at McDonough Arena. Anchored by Hibbert, Jonathan Wallace, Patrick Ewing Jr. and Tyler Crawford, Georgetown's 2007-08 squad won its secondconsecutive Big East regular season title and earnedits third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament, where an upstart Davidson squad stalled its run in the second round. But as much as he cherished those seniors, Thompson made clear that he stopped lamenting their departures long ago. "Everyone who has followed us and been around knows how special that group is to me," Thompson said. "But they're gone. We'renot going to dwell on who's not here; we're going to dwell on the guys who are here." That list includes familiar faces such as Sapp, eager to take on a bigger leadership role; junior forward DaJuan Summers; and sophomore guard Austin Freeman. It also includes sophomore guard Chris Wright, a prepstandout from Bowie who missed the bulk of last season with a foot injury. Now healthy, Wright has the potential to alter the Hoyas' approach as much asany player, given his speed. The Hoyas' retooled front court also should boast more quickness with Greg Monroe, a highly touted 6-11 freshman, in the mix. As a result, Thompson said the team would likely play a more up-tempo game -- provided, of course, that its foundation remains intact. "This team has the aptitude and athletic ability to play at a faster pace than the team in the past," Thompson said. "But at the same time,they understand that end-of-the-game, half-court execution is what wins games." Thompson took pains to say that Wright wouldn't simply be plugged into Wallace's former role at point guard. Nor will Monroe simply step intoHibbert's shoes down low. A college basketball team is perpetually in flux, Thompson noted. And it was evident that he relishes the coaching challenge it presents -- not of simplyswapping new players for old, but of finding the style of basketball that suits his players' skills best. It's a process that the Hoyas will work on in the coming weeks as they prepare for their season opener against Jacksonville on Nov. 17. "We have to figure out how this group is gonna win," Thompson said. "That's always how I've done things: We figure it out."
Of course. I'm going to sound like a homer here but there is no way that he is better than Mike Hopkins. How you gonna call the girls of Tri-Delt that?
Liberty excited about the younger Curry Thursday, August 14, 2008 | Print Entry Quick hitters for Thursday: • Liberty coach Ritchie McKay is expecting incoming freshman guard Seth Curry to have as much impact with the Flames as Curry's older brother, Stephen, has had with Davidson the past two seasons. McKay isn't promising an Elite Eight run, but he clearly is putting high expectations on Seth Curry leading the Flames to the NCAA tournament. "He's really good, but the problem is he has been compared too much to his brother," said McKay. "He's got an opportunity to come in here and play right away." Seth Curry was hurt in the summer of 2007 with a slight hamstring pull, and that may have scared some higher level schools off him. Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said he met with the Curry family and wanted Seth to come and redshirt this season, but Curry wanted to play right away. Greenberg said the younger Curry, is more of a point guard than his brother, has good vision and toughness. The Virginia Tech coach said Curry has more of an edge to him than Stephen. The 5-foot-11 Seth Curry, who played at Charlotte Christian School (N.C.), is expected to push the tempo at the outset, McKay said. "They both have a tremendous basketball IQ," McKay said of the Curry brothers. "I can't tell you how excited I am about him. He's been here during the summer and everyone has said he's playing really well. He will be an impact guy." Liberty finished 7-7 in the Big South last season and 16-16 overall in McKay's first season since being fired at New Mexico. • Saint Mary's sophomore point guard Patty Mills continues to impress at the Olympics. He was the second-leading scorer with 15 points in Australia's 106-68 victory over Iran on Thursday. Mills came off the bench to provide the spark, also dishing out five assists, picking up one steal and having only two turnovers. • Of late, Butler has created some impressive home-and-home series with Ohio State, Stanford, UAB and Xavier, as well as competing against solid regional programs like Bradley and Drake. Butler also plays local schools Ball State and Evansville. "There was a time when people didn't want to schedule us, but now they think of it as a good game," said second-year Butler coach Brad Stevens. The Bulldogs, which lost key guards Mike Green and A.J. Graves off last season's second-round NCAA tournament team, aren't looking to rebuild. Stevens is convinced the Bulldogs are in position to just retool. That's why signing up for road games at Ohio State, Xavier, Bradley, Drake and the BracketBuster doesn't bother him at all. The home slate of UAB, Northwestern, Evansville, Ball State and Florida Gulf Coast is certainly manageable. The contract with Ohio State and former Butler coach Thad Matta is a four-year deal, with the Buckeyes coming to Hinkle Fieldhouse in 2009 like they did in 2007. Stevens said the Stanford series will start in 2009 when the Bulldogs play the Cardinal en route to playing in the Anaheim Classic. The Cardinal will then return the game in 2010. Stevens said he's also taking the Bulldogs on a trip to Italy in the summer of 2009 when all five newcomers would be sophomores. If Butler had taken a summer trip this year, the freshmen wouldn't have been able to attend under NCAA rules. Stevens said he considered a Labor Day trip but didn't want to shortchange the experience of taking a team overseas. Stevens said despite the program's recent success, the Bulldogs are not looking at big-name recruits. While they would certainly take highly touted players, Butler is looking for "fit" four-year players who buy into the Butler experience and have a "passion for being on a team."
Man, I know the injury bug and Louisville go hand in hand...but ALREADY!!!! Luckily he'll be ok for the start of the season.
You know, this team without Stanley and Miles...does not look NEARLY as good or frightening. And there has to be concerns if this is a winning cast of players. Head coach: Jim Calhoun. Last season: 24-9 overall, 13-5 in the Big East. Postseason: Earned at-large bid to NCAA tournament. Lost to San Diego 70-69 in overtime in first round. Breakdown: Probable starters | Backcourt | Frontcourt | Offense | Defense | Outlook Backcourt When A.J. Price went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the firsthalf of UConn's NCAA tournament opener against San Diego, he took the Huskies' hopes of a deep run with him. The Toreros sprung the upset, and coachJim Calhoun was left to wonder what if. [size=-2]Connecticut guard A.J. Price has fully recovered from a torn ACL.[/size] PROBABLE STARTING FIVE G A.J. Price, 6-2/Sr. 14.5 ppg, 5.8 apg, 3.5 rpg G Jerome Dyson, 6-4/Jr. 12.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg G Craig Austrie, 6-3/Sr. 7.5 ppg, 1.7 apg C Hasheem Thabeet, 7-3/Jr. 10.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 4.5 bpg F Jeff Adrien, 6-7/Sr. 14.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg TOP RESERVES G Kemba Walker, 6-1/Fr. Rivals.com five-star prospect F Gavin Edwards, 6-9/Jr 2.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg Price's subsequent surgery and rehab have gone perfectly. He already says he is 100 percent and ready to go full speed at the start of practice. It's agood thing, too, because a healthy Price makes the Huskies a threat to win Calhoun's third national title in the past 10 years. Price had a breakthroughseason as a sophomore, ranking 15th in the Big East in scoring and second in assists. He dramatically improved his outside shot, and that created more room forhim to get past defenders and set up teammates. Price didn't make enough 3-pointers per game to qualify for the Big East rankings, but his 38.9 shootingpercentage would have ranked sixth. His assist-to-turnover ratio was fourth in the Big East. And the best news: He's not satisfied with last season. Jerome Dyson will start alongside Price. He was suspended for a portion oflast season by Calhoun and missed nine games, and he didn't make a start after returning from the suspension for the Huskies' final six games. Still,he remains a big-time scoring threat. Prior to the suspension he was averaging 14.3 points per game and had scored 20 or more on five occasions. He'scapable of carrying the Huskies on the offensive end, not that they should ever need it with the weapons around him. The third starter in the backcourt will be senior Craig Austrie, who made 16starts last season and averaged 8.7 points per game in Big East play. He's a veteran who shoots it decently from the outside and plays within thesystem. Five-star freshman point guard Kemba Walker is the heir apparentto Price and will play alongside him at times this season. He wowed Davidson coach Bob McKillop, who guided Walker on the U.S. 18U Team at the FIBA AmericasChampionship. "He's a floor general, a real throwback point guard," McKillop told Rivals.com. "He wants to make his teammates better beforedoing anything else. He has great ability to knock the '3' down or get to the rim and draw fouls." Frontcourt The frontcourt has a pair of stalwarts in forward Jeff Adrien and centerHasheem Thabeet. Adrien enters his third year as a starter and Thabeet hissecond, and they control the boards as well as any duo in the country. Adrien had 17 double-doubles last season and ranked third in the Big East in rebounding. Thabeet had seven double-doubles and ranked 10th in the Big East inrebounding. The Huskies ranked No. 1 in the Big East in rebounding margin (plus 6.4). Adrien scored in double figures in the Huskies' final 25 games. He scored between nine and 20 points in all but four games last season. Thabeet ranked first in the Big East and third nationally in blocked shots. He has outstanding spring and athletic ability for someone his height. Lastseason he began to show improvement on the offensive end, significantly raising his scoring average (from 6.2 ppg to 10.5 ppg), shooting percentage (55.4 to60.3) and free-throw percentage (51.3 to 69.. If he continues to show that type of improvement, he will become one of the scariest matchups of thisseason. There isn't a lot of depth up front. Forward Gavin Edwards, a 6-9 junior,averaged 2.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 7.9 minutes in 31 games last season. Offense There's no question that the Huskies' starting lineup has as much talent as any in the country. The biggest questions are depth and perimetershooting. Can they get by with a six- or seven-man rotation? Can they win in March with only one player (Price) who made more than 40 3-pointers? The guardshave plenty of talent, but the only real perimeter threats are the point guards, Price and Walker, which probably is not ideal. But it also lends to the realpossibility of seeing them play extended minutes together. The frontcourt is in good hands - big, strong ones, too - in Thabeet and Adrien. The more Thabeetdevelops on the offensive end, the more room everyone around him will have. This is a team that should find its way into the Final Four. There's no question that the Huskies' starting lineup has as much talent as any in the country. The biggest questions are depth and perimeter shooting. Can they get by with a six- or seven-man rotation? Can they win in March with only one player (Price) who made more than 40 3-pointers? The guards have plenty of talent, but the only real perimeter threats are the point guards, Price and Walker, which probably is not ideal. But it also lends to the real possibility of seeing them play extended minutes together. The frontcourt is in good hands - big, strong ones, too - in Thabeet and Adrien. The more Thabeet develops on the offensive end, the more room everyone around him will have. This is a team that should find its way into the Final Four. Defense The Huskies play mostly man-to-man. Shoes to Fill Stanley Robinson. Robinson, a forward, averaged 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds and was second on the team in blocked shots. On analready-thin front line, his departure could have a significant impact. Robinson is not enrolled for the first semester and is working on some personal issuesand his academics. The Huskies are hopeful he could return for the second semester. Must Step Up Price. If this is anyone's team, it's his. He made huge strides last season and became a first-team All-Big East performer. If hecontinues to improve and develops his leadership skills, the Huskies will be tough to beat. Impact Newcomer Walker. McKillop said Walker was the leader of the U.S. 18U team from "the first day of tryouts until the final buzzer againstArgentina (in the gold-medal game)." That's high praise, and you can bet you'll see Walker for 20-25 minutes per game.
Scott Drew is at it again... 2009 5-star PF Latavious Williams is on the verge of committing to Baylor. He's ranked as the number 15 prospect in the nation on Rivals. That gives Baylor 3 PF in this 2009 class alone, plus another one next year (including the two they got from the 2008 class...).
Carolina blues: Worst case scenarios for nation's best ensembleOct. 15, 2008 By Gary Parrish CBSSports.com Senior Writer Tell Gary your opinion! [font=Arial, Helvetica] [/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]The start of official practice is approaching fast (just two more days!), meaning you are soon to be overwhelmed withNorth Carolina articles, most of which will detail how the Tar Heels are returning fivestarters from a 36-win team and thus should win the national title. And those articles will make a good point because, you know, they'll be true. NorthCarolina really should be awesome, and I plan to write that column someday too.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]But not today.[/font] The last thing UNC wants to see is a guy like Ty Lawson suffering a major injury. (Getty Images) [font=Arial, Helvetica]Today I'm Debbie Downer.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Or better yet, Parrish Pessimist.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Because today I'm explaining why UNC is no sure thing to win the national title.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]That's the great part about college basketball, the uncertainty of it all thanks to the unknown and thethree-week win-or-go-home event that decides our national champion. Regardless of whether you are North Carolina or North Carolina A&T, if you want to holdthe trophy you have to win six consecutive games on neutral courts, and if history tells us anything it's that the best teams don't always make itthrough.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Was Houston better than N.C. State in 1983?[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Yes.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Was Georgetown better than Villanova in 1985?[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Yes.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Was UNLV better than Duke in 1991?[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Yes.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]But the Cougars, Hoyas and Runnin' Rebels each lost, which means it's possible North Carolina could lose justthe same. To be clear, I'm not predicting it; the Tar Heels are the favorites around these parts until I say otherwise. But Parrish Pessimist isalways worrying about what could go wrong. So here's a list of four things that might cost UNC and turn a dream season into a Nightmare on FranklinStreet.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Potential nightmare No. 1: Injures[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]This is the obvious concern for any team, including UNC given how Marcus Ginyard is already out until December. Obviously, that won't have along-term effect on North Carolina because A) it's not March, and B) it's only Ginyard.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]But what if Ty Lawson goesdown?[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Or even worse, Tyler Hansbrough?[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]As the Patriots are finding out, sometimes a single guy can be the difference between a great season and areally good season. Lawson and Hansbrough (and maybe even WayneEllington) are those types of guys. So in a sport where knees injuries (hello,Terrence Williams!) come out of nowhere, a season-altering injury is always just a bad moment away.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Potential nightmare No. 2: Jealousy[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]The Tar Heels all play nice, and perhaps that's because they genuinely get along and enjoy what's happening.I have no reason to think otherwise. But honestly, isn't there a point where somebody on the roster has to get jealous of all the attention Hansbroughreceives?[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Lawson is arguably the best point guard in America and Ellington is among the top shooting guards. But did you seethem on the cover of the Athlonmagazine?[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Or the Sporting News magazine?[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Or the Lindy'smagazine?[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Of course not.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]But Hansbrough is on all three.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]And it's fair to wonder if this will ever become a problem and what might happen if it does.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Potential nightmare No. 3: Other talented teams playing great[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Without question, North Carolina is the most talented team in America.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]It's not even close.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]We've been over this already.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]But Rick Pitino (at Louisville), Jim Calhoun (at Connecticut), John Thompson III (at Georgetown) and even Mark Few(at Gonzaga) have the necessary amount of future professionals on their rosters to knock off North Carolina in a one-game setting in March. It's the oldanything-can-happen theory. And though nobody should be as talented or as good as the Tar Heels, there will be a handful of teams talented enough andgood enough to make something happen that North Carolina fans are hoping doesn't.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Potential nightmare No. 4: Bad game at wrong time[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Do you recall what I wrote about that win-or-go-home format?[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Such a set-up ensures one bad game could screw-up everything this season the same way one bad game screwed-upeverything last season. Remember, North Carolina was actually the favorite heading into the 2008 NCAA tournament. The smart money was on the Tar Heelswinning it all. But then they came out flat against Kansas in the Final Four, fell behind 40-12, lost 84-66 and just like that -- poof! -- the dreamsof a national title were gone.[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]In other words, the Tar Heels can take a day off in November, December, January, February or even early March. Butonce the NCAA tournament starts they'll have to show up every game or run the risk of making Hansbrough go down as one of the greatest college players tonever win a national title, and that's not the kind of label any coverboy desires or deserves.[/font]
Good stuff. The defiantly could get ten. And for all the hype Austin Daye gets he better become something. He didn't do much for me last year. And Allen what kind of production you think Dajuan will do this year?
If Huggins got Joe Alexander to play like a man.. what he could do with this kid....who has only needed some focus and a kick in the pants.. Ebanks and Kevin Jones on the wing > Joe