College Hoops: 4/13/2006 - Midnight Madness (10/16/2006)

[SilverPhoenix 0]

Predictions for the National Champion in 2007 that are way too fucking early.

 

Since this year's off season has produced so much Drama already, this thread is dedicated to following all of that Drama.

 

So Far We Have

 

- CAA Coaches leaving by the ton (Capel to Oklahoma, Bromwell to BallState (What?), and Everheart to Duqusne (WTF Mate?!?!) )

- Mike Anderson saying "screw CUSA" and pack up to Missouri

- Mike Davis saying "It's Great to be Wanted" and move on to UAB

- Kelvin Sampson going to Indiana and Dama saying "YAY!!!"

- Jeff Capel being going to Oklahoma and Dama saying "Yay?"

- Bob Huggins heading to Kansas State with the "Best Recurting Class Ever" possibly following him to the "Little Apple"

- Andy Kennedy being crazy enough to go to Old Piss...I mean Ole Miss.

- Cronin being Hired as the Cincinatti Head Coach.

- People Having Sour Grapes over George Mason's Run

 

And the main event of the moment....

 

- NC State Fans are in meltdown mode with the coaching search going to hell. After being rejected by Barnes and Calipari, the biggest question is "Who the Hell is going to Step Up into this Role, and take on UNC, Duke and Wake Forest for the hearts of North Carolina College Hoops Fans?

 

And here we are. Have Fun Kiddies.

[2GOLD 0]

Well in other CAA news, Delaware hired Monte Ross as the new head coach. Ross, who was an assistant at St Joes replaces the recruiting black hole of suck David Henderson. Henderson was horrible, blowing the talent that was left and just turning Delaware into a completely worthless CAA team when the conference was rising.

 

Hopefully Ross can get Delaware back to the Mike Brey days because it's not a bad area the school is located in. Philly is maybe 30 miles up the road, if it's that many and Baltimore isn't that far away either. We know the school can get some damn good recruits, they did it in the past and the conference got some good exposure thanks to Mason. I don't know how long he'll get but I think it's going to take a season or two to fix the damage done by Henderson. Former Duke assistant indeed.

 

Meanwhile, Leonard Hamilton might be in a make or break season at FSU. He's obviously got the talent now, he's done an amazing job recruiting but he's GOT to get their heads into games late. Blowing a lead to Florida and Wake Forest cost them the NCAA tournament and exposed what has become an "EVERY FREAKING YEAR" flaw. And the year before that he had them into the Top 25 before they collapsed in on themselves. He's got to get them mentally prepared. I say he might be in one but no way on earth do I agree with it. He's a damn fine coach, an excellent recruiter and everything the school needs. He's just got to get more players in who are mentally tough.

[therealworldschampion 0]

Over at Nova, the main issue is waiting to see when Kyle Lowry makes his decision of whether he's going in to the draft or not. If Lowry comes back and Curtis Sumpter is finally healthy, then the starting 5 would be:

 

PG: Kyle Lowry, Jr.

SG: Mike Nardi, Sr.

SF: Dante Cunningham, So.

PF: Curtis Sumpter, Sr.

C: Will Sheridan, Sr.

 

Bench: Shane Clark, So., Bilal Benn, So., Dwayne Anderson, So., Antonio Pena, Fr., Reggie Redding, Fr., Casiem Drummond, Fr.

 

Not a bad team, could be a top 15 team in the preseason polls. They'll have a lot more size next year than they did last year, especially with Sumpter back and Pena and Drummond both being 6-8 or taller.

[Guest Princess Leena]

This must be a weak offseason of the coaching carousel if the NC State job is getting the most publicity.

 

And is Lowry seriously thinking about the pros already? Ugh... I hope he doesn't go. Kid needs some polishing to his game. That I don't want to see him get yet.

[Hawk 34 0]

Predictions for the National Champion in 2007 that are way too fucking early.

 

Since this year's off season has produced so much Drama already, this thread is dedicated to following all of that Drama.

 

So Far We Have

 

- Cromwell being Hired as the Cincinatti Head Coach.

 

That's wrong. Cronin is the new head coach of Cincinnati.

[SilverPhoenix 0]

Predictions for the National Champion in 2007 that are way too fucking early.

 

Since this year's off season has produced so much Drama already, this thread is dedicated to following all of that Drama.

 

So Far We Have

 

- Cromwell being Hired as the Cincinatti Head Coach.

 

That's wrong. Cronin is the new head coach of Cincinnati.

 

Corrected.

 

Also, the only reason why the NC State Head Coaching Job is garnering so much press is because of what Calipari did and how the NC State and ACC faithful are surprised that he would be "stupid" enough to not take a job with the "Greastest Basketball Conference" in History. The Wolfpack feels wronged and Memphis may get completely "blackballed" by the Conference.

 

And oh...RWC will love this one....Their Fans have put Jay Wright on their short list of replacements (I know. I couldn't stop laughing.).

[Vern Gagne 0]

Minor correction. It's Andy Kennedy going to Ole Miss.

 

One of the coaches interviewing for the UC-Wilmington job is North Dakota State coach Tim Miles.

 

Why did Wilmington's coach leave for Wright St?

 

Another Coach K protege is a failure. Big shock. Mike Brey's been the best but he's only made Notre Dame a borderline tourney team.

[therealworldschampion 0]

Predictions for the National Champion in 2007 that are way too fucking early.

 

Since this year's off season has produced so much Drama already, this thread is dedicated to following all of that Drama.

 

So Far We Have

 

- Cromwell being Hired as the Cincinatti Head Coach.

 

That's wrong. Cronin is the new head coach of Cincinnati.

 

Corrected.

 

Also, the only reason why the NC State Head Coaching Job is garnering so much press is because of what Calipari did and how the NC State and ACC faithful are surprised that he would be "stupid" enough to not take a job with the "Greastest Basketball Conference" in History. The Wolfpack feels wronged and Memphis may get completely "blackballed" by the Conference.

 

And oh...RWC will love this one....Their Fans have put Jay Wright on their short list of replacements (I know. I couldn't stop laughing.).

 

Hilarious stuff, ACC people can be so delusional at times. Jay Wright has basically said that Nova is his dream job, he was a big Nova fan as a kid and is married to a former Nova cheerleader. Why the hell would he leave a great situation where he contends for the Big East all of the time at Nova and basically is the best college basketball program in Philadelphia (yeah that's right St. Joe's and Temple people) to go to a program where he's basically 3rd or 4th fiddle in North Carolina and overshadowed by Coach K and Roy Williams? I'm not too worried about it, how the NCSU people ran Sendek off will make sure that no one outside of a mid-major coach or assistant coach will take that job.

[therealworldschampion 0]

This must be a weak offseason of the coaching carousel if the NC State job is getting the most publicity.

 

And is Lowry seriously thinking about the pros already? Ugh... I hope he doesn't go. Kid needs some polishing to his game. That I don't want to see him get yet.

 

If he was going to be top 10, I could see him going. Not when he's likely a borderline 1st round pick. Another year at Nova will get him into the lottery.

[cabbageboy 0]

This one Cincy fan I've talked to is so delusional. He thinks they are going to get all these recruits, hire a big name coach, and maintain a great record in the Big East. The reality is this: Cronin is a good coach for somewhere like Murray St., but he's inheriting a program in Cincy that is blatantly declining in importance. Cincy right now doesn't even have enough guys to field a team, and I read the other day Downey is thinking of transferring.

 

Besides, Cincinnati has never been a consistently great program. They were hot in the early 60s, then after the Big O and that group left they were essentially garbage for the better part of 25 years. Say what you want about Huggins but at least he got Cincy back on the map. With him gone they are more likely to drift into the obscurity of the 70s and 80s rather than maintain the standing Cincy had from 1992-2002.

[Damaramu 0]

I don't mind the Capel hire. He might be more entertaining than Sampson and a better recruiter. I guess we'll see. A lot of OU fans are mad b/c it wasn't a big name hire. But I think it was a quota hire. With Sampson leaving OU had no minority head coaches.

[therealworldschampion 0]

Wright to stay despite rumorsBy DANA PENNETT O'NEIL

[email protected]

Jay Wright isn't going to (insert name of college or university here).

 

When Wright inked his mammoth, 7-year contract extension at Villanova in February both he and school administrators hoped that would put an end to hearing and seeing Wright's name on the short list for every coaching vacancy.

 

It hasn't.

 

On the heels of rumors that Wright was packing up first for Cincinnati and then for Oklahoma, now come reports that he is the latest favorite for the job at N.C. State.

 

Just like the Cincy and OU rumors, however, these aren't true.

 

"I'm very flattered in N.C. State's interest," Wright said, responding to a radio report in North Carolina that said Wright not only had been contacted about the vacancy made when Herb Sendek left for Arizona State but had expressed interest in the job. "But I feel like I have the best job in college basketball."

 

Villanova athletic director Vince Nicastro said that no one at N.C. State has contacted him for permission to speak to Wright and he doesn't believe his coach is leaving the Main Line anytime soon.

 

"We feel like he's committed to us long term and we in turn are committed to him long term," Nicastro said. "We have no reason to believe he doesn't want to be here, which is why we were able to do the deal in the first place."

 

No stranger to how this business works, Nicastro isn't the least bit surprised to see his coach's name out there. For starters, Wright has done a great job at Villanova. A year after a run to the Sweet 16, the Wildcats this season reeled off a school-record 28 wins, won a share of the Big East Conference regular-season crown, earned the first No. 1 seed in school history and wound their way to the Elite Eight, all while staying in the top 10 from start to finish.

 

Plus, job searches tend to include more speculation than fact, with names floating around often without real rational explanation.

 

"I think a lot of people who aren't around here or talking about our program every day don't know that we did a deal with Jay 6 weeks ago," Nicastro said. "Once they find out and learn the bigger picture, they understand. Or at least the logical ones do."

 

As for the illogical ones?

 

Jay Wright to Penn, anyone?

 

Lowry in holding pattern

 

Villanova sophomore Kyle Lowry said on a local sports radio show last night that he's getting closer to a decision about his future, but didn't indicate which way he was leaning.

 

Talking with John Celestand, the former Villanova guard who was a guest host on WPEN (950-AM), Lowry said that he's close and might have a news conference to announce his decision within the week.

 

Lowry basically has three choices - return to Villanova for his junior season; make himself eligible for the draft and attend the predraft camp without signing an agent; or sign with an agent and forego his final two seasons of eligibility. NBA scouts have said that the electric point guard has potential as a draftee this year but cautioned that he's likely to take his contract to the developmental league instead of directly onto the NBA hardcourt.

 

Underclassmen have until April 29 to declare for the draft.

[2GOLD 0]

NC State should hire Dick Vitale. They need a coach who will recruit by telling kids how great Duke is and loves to call them a PTP no matter what they've done.

 

Cause right now, I don't know who they think they are going to get. Seems like the fans are just naming every coach they can think of, tomorrow I expect a rumor to start that they are going to get Roy Williams with Coach K as an assistant. Or maybe Pitno.

[ANKLELOCK 0]

Bruce Pearl and Tennessee now have the Third Ranked Recruiting Class in the nation(OSU, UNC) according to Rivals.com with their latest addition, combo guard Ramar Smith out of Detroit(29th best player in the country) to join Duke Crews, Marques Johnson, Wayne Chism, and Josh Tabb to form UT's "Fab Five" for 2007.

 

Add talented, lauded redshirt Anthony Paisley and a lot returning from last year, and Tennessee should join Florida and LSU to form a VERY solid SEC next year.

 

Cheers to Coach Pearl for following UT's most surprising season ever with their best recruiting class( with still more to come) ever.

[Dangerous A 0]

Looks like LSU's Tyrus Thomas and UConn's Rudy Gay are declaring for the NBA Draft.

 

Thomas should be fine in the NBA, but I am not sold yet on Rudy Gay. He has physical talent up the wazoo, but he doesn't take over games like he could/should. If he patterns his game after Shawn Marion, he can make a good living as a wing player with an excellent jumper.

 

Tyrus Thomas is a top 5 pick, and I would rank him top 3. I'd take him over Morrison if I were in the top 3 picks easy. I feel once he starts learning the pro game, with his physical gifts, he'll be a great PF.

[naiwf 0]

Looks like LSU's Tyrus Thomas and UConn's Rudy Gay are declaring for the NBA Draft.

 

Thomas should be fine in the NBA, but I am not sold yet on Rudy Gay. He has physical talent up the wazoo, but he doesn't take over games like he could/should. If he patterns his game after Shawn Marion, he can make a good living as a wing player with an excellent jumper.

 

Tyrus Thomas is a top 5 pick, and I would rank him top 3. I'd take him over Morrison if I were in the top 3 picks easy. I feel once he starts learning the pro game, with his physical gifts, he'll be a great PF.

 

Is your top 3 Aldredge, Thomas & Morrison?

[Dangerous A 0]

That is my top 3 right now. I've heard that there is a Euro or two that are top 10 picks, but I haven't seen any of them, so I won't place them. While I love Aldridge's size, Thomas has more potential IMO and right now I am comfortable saying he'd be my #1.

 

My top 3 changes if Joaquim Noah declares because then he'd be my #1. Morrison would then drop to 4-5.

[naiwf 0]

That is my top 3 right now. I've heard that there is a Euro or two that are top 10 picks, but I haven't seen any of them, so I won't place them. While I love Aldridge's size, Thomas has more potential IMO and right now I am comfortable saying he'd be my #1.

 

My top 3 changes if Joaquim Noah declares because then he'd be my #1. Morrison would then drop to 4-5.

 

That sounds about right. The ESPN guys amaze me with their thickheaded nature sometimes. They're arguing that Gay is a better pick than Thomas now because he has a jumper whereas Thomas is only athletic, and that Gay's "only" weakness is that he doesn't come to play every night. Anyone can work on a jumper, but you can't just go to the store and buy a player some heart or Derrick Coleman and Chris Webber would be two of the greatest forwards in the history of the league. If anyone takes Gay over Thomas they should expect to be fired 2 years later.

[cabbageboy 0]

Rudy Gay just seems like a guy to me. I've seen him play several times and I don't recall a time where I ever was really thrilled. UConn was full of guys like that this year, and that's probably why they didn't make the FF. Whole team of #3 options.

 

After hearing about Tenn's recruits coming in and FL's expected great team next year, do I need to go on another rant about how UK needs to clean house?

[therealworldschampion 0]

So NC State still hasn't found a coach yet. They've got to find one soon before the important recruiting weekends come up, they've already had Chris Wright, who's a top 25 recruit in the class of 2007, re-open his recruitment since Sendek left.

[naiwf 0]

The worst kept secret in America is out, Morrison is going to announce his decision to go pro tomorrow. I can't believe some of the ESPN talking heads actually thought he'd go back to the 'Zags for his senior season.

[Brett Favre 0]

If Portland gets the first pick, I think they'd pick Morrison. If Chicago gets the first pick, they'd probably go with Thomas, and if Charlotte gets the first pick, they'd probably go with Morrison or Gay.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I don't think Gay will be the first pick under any circumstances.

[Brett Favre 0]

There are still workouts left, and i'm pretty sure Gay will impress people there. He's like the Marvin Williams of this draft.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

No. Just stop. Rudy Gay isn't the first pick, alright? The highest he'll go is #2, and that's still stretching it.

[Brett Favre 0]

He's been number 1 all year till Tyrus Thomas decided to jump in. The Bobcats don't need anymore big men, so I doubt they'd draft Thomas or Aldridge when they already have Okafor, and Primo, and May. They could use another wing player. Gay can play the 2 more than Morrison can, so he'd fit the bill. I don't know why this upsets you. Gay ain't that bad. He's underachieved, but he probably has the most potential out of all the other top prospects.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I'm not upset at all. I just think it's silly people think he's going to be the NUMBER ONE pick. But hey of course, I can be proven wrong. Though like someone said, if Gay was taken, the GM can expect to be fired shortly afterwards.

[Brett Favre 0]

Under those circumstances, he definitely could be the number one pick.

[Dangerous A 0]

The NBA draft this year is not deep at all. I think you can get a quality guy in the late rounds that is just as good if not better than the projected lottery guys.

 

Next year has potential to produce some studs with possibly Joaquim Noah (unless he declares this year), Greg Oden, and Josh McRoberts leading the way as 3 guys who could be number 1's this year.

[2GOLD 0]

Well, in the "this is a very bad move but with smart signs"...

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida State forward Alexander Johnson has made himself eligible for the NBA draft but did not hire an agent, keeping open the possibility that he could return for his senior season.

 

He has until June 18 to remove his name from the early entry list.

 

"We will give Alexander and his family all of the support they need as they go through this decision making process," coach Leonard Hamilton said in statement Saturday.

 

The 6-foot-10 Johnson lost 25 pounds after a disappointing sophomore season after averaged a career-high 13.2 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds as he helped the Seminoles reach the second round of the NIT this year.

 

Johnson needs another season as there were some games he just didn't show up. If he enters the draft, he'll be lucky to be a second round pick right now. He has size and skill but he is just way too inconsistent. Hopefully he'll wise up and get the hell back to school.