NCAA Basketball Offseason thread

[bob_barron 0]

From nbadraft.net, the following underclassmen have officially announced that they are going pro-

 

 

Officially Announced

 

Ryan Anderson 6-10 235 SF/PF Cal. So. Testing the draft process. [Link] Late first to early second round.

Nicolas Batum 6-8 210 SG France 1988 Mid lotto to mid first.

Jerryd Bayless 6-3 182 PG Arizona Fr. Has hired an agent foregoing his eligibility. [Link] Likely top 5 pick.

Chase Budinger 6-7 215 SG Arizona So. Wont immediately hire an agent. [Link] Mid to late first round.

Derrick Caracter 6-8 260 PF Louisville So. I'm definitely not coming back. [Link] Late 2nd to likely undrafted.

Earl Clark 6-8 220 SF Louisville So. Expected to hire an agent and forego his college eligibility. [Link] Likely Mid- late first rounder.

Eric Gordon 6-4 220 SG Indiana Fr. Will hire an agent foregoing his eligibility. [Link] Likely top 5-10 pick.

Richard Hendrix 6-8 260 PF Alabama Jr. Announced he will enter but wait to sign an agent. [Link] Likely early to mid-2nd Rounder

JJ Hickson 6-9 235 PF NC State Fr. Wont immediately hire an agent. [Link] Bubble first, likely early 2nd round.

Lester Hudson 6-3 190 PG UT-Martin Jr. Wont immediately hire an agent. [Link] Late-first,to early 2nd round.

Brook Lopez 7-0 260 C Stanford So. Likely top 5 pick. [Link]

Robin Lopez 7-0 255 C Stanford So. Mid to late first round. [Link]

Kevin Love 6-9 260 PF UCLA Fr. Expected to sign an agent, foregoing his college eligibility. [Link] Mid lotto to mid first.

JaVale McGee 7-0 237 C Nevada So. Will hire an agent foregoing his eligibility. [Link] Mid lotto to early 20s.

Anthony Randolph 6-10 200 SF LSU Fr. Will hire an agent foregoing his eligibility. [Link] Mid lotto to mid first round.

Marreese Speights 6-10 250 PF Fla. So. Testing the draft process. [Link] Likely Mid to late first round.

Ronald Steele 6-2 185 PG Alabama RSSr. Will enter but wait to sign an agent. [Link] Late 2nd to likely undrafted.

Robert Vaden 6-5 224 SG UAB Jr. Will enter but wait to sign an agent. [Link] Possible 2nd rounder to likely undrafted

Shawn James 6-10 225 PF Duquesne Jr. Late 2nd to likely undrafted. [Link]

Giorgi Shermadini 6-11 220 PF Georgia 1989 Possible second rounder.

 

[cabbageboy 0]

I can't see Bill Self leaving Kansas for OK State. It seems like a strange move, not so much that OSU is a bad program but unless they offer some massive deal then I think he's staying at KU.

 

The rumor is that if Self doesn't go there then OSU will look at Billy Gillispie, which would make him 1 and done at UK. Wonder what UK would do if Gillispie did leave? For whatever reason I can see them throwing money at Bob Knight, though I have nothing to base that on.

[Danville_Wrestling 0]

If that happened UK might look back @ Rick Barnes (ugh)...maybe even Travis Ford, who was supposedly a candidate for the LSU job. They could try to throw money at Calipari but I doubt he'd want to leave Memphis.

[Broward83 0]

As much as I dislike Barnes from time to time, he has done a good job and losing him would probably cause UT to falter for a couple of years, depending on who replaced him.

[bob_barron 0]

USC's Mayo will declare he's entering NBA draft

By Andy Katz

ESPN.com

 

USC freshman guard O.J. Mayo will declare for the NBA draft and will hire an agent soon, a school spokesperson said.

 

Mayo is projected in the top 10 in the NBA lottery. Mayo led the Trojans in scoring with 20.7 points a game, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game. Mayo helped lead the Trojans to a 21-12 overall record, 11-7 in the Pac-10.

 

USC lost to Kansas State in a 6 vs. 11 matchup in the NCAA first round in Omaha, Neb.

 

USC officials were expected to send out a release announcing Mayo's decision later Wednesday night.

 

 

Mayo told USC officials that he would stay in school for the rest of the spring semester.

 

Andy Katz is a senior college basketball writer for ESPN.com.

 

[Guest Teal-y Dan]

Isn't it kind of wrong that this T. Boone Pickens character--a name I'm pretty sure you can only have in Oklahoma--is the de facto team owner of Oklahoma State athletics? (See also: Phil Knight, Oregon?) But remember, kids, college sports are the pure versions.

 

EDIT: http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.as...42618&cat=6

Ummm, does it say that at the top of your browser window too, or is it just prematurely truncated on mine?

[bob_barron 0]

I saw it too, and it made me laugh a lot.

[Bored 0]

That should be the new subtitle of this thread.

[cabbageboy 0]

I don't get the badmouthing of Rick Barnes. What exactly was Texas in basketball before he got there? UK would have been better off if he had taken the job, instead of wondering if Gillispie will run off to OK State or if he stays get arrested for DUI or whatever.

 

Calipari at UK would be a terrifying proposition for the rest of college hoops. The guy turned a nothing program like UMass into a juggernaut, and took a moribund and irrelevant Memphis program to new heights. What would he do at a place like UK that actually cares about winning and gave him all the resources to do so?

[Guest]

Good riddance, OJ.

[Broward83 0]

I don't get the badmouthing of Rick Barnes. What exactly was Texas in basketball before he got there?

 

Its the same bad-mouthing Mack got because he could never take talented Longhorn teams past the fucking Holiday Bowl (our home away from Austin) or the Cotton Bowl. When he got that Rose Bowl win then followed it up with the National title, people got off his back and began to praise him more and more.

 

The men's basketball team has had the talent under Barnes and multiple occassions and they seem to always "play down" to their opponents and can never quite play up to others. The game they had against Duke at MSG and random Big 12 games are proof of that.

 

Technically, Barnes is a great coach and I'd be upset to see him go... but I don't think a lot of people in Austin are going to lose sleep over a coach that could never quite get UT over the hump go coach somewhere else.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

From nbadraft.net, the following underclassmen have officially announced that they are going pro-

 

 

Officially Announced

 

Derrick Caracter 6-8 260 PF Louisville So. I'm definitely not coming back. [Link] Late 2nd to likely undrafted.

This amuses me beyond all reason.

[Damaramu 0]

Good riddance, OJ.

 

Why did he have so much hype? The amount of hype he had coming in made it seem like he was going to pull a Beasely/Durant/Rose type of deal where he was just a stud freshman. Instead he was pretty average.

[Guest]

He's a really good player, but...the college game just isn't for him. The court isn't spread enough for someone whose game is mostly centered around their ball-control ability.

 

He'll be a good (maybe great) pro, but I didn't want him here any longer than he had to be. He's a good defender too, which was a surprise.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

....

 

That seems like a polite way of calling someone a ballhog/not a team player.

[bob_barron 0]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/stor...&id=3337602

 

ESPN's top 25 for next year

[bob_barron 0]

Pennsylvania prep basketball star Evans chooses Memphis

1 hour, 12 minutes ago

 

Buzz Up PrintASTON, Pa. (AP)—One of the country’s last undecided high-profile basketball recruits will spend next season at Memphis.

 

Tyreke Evans, the most valuable player of the McDonald’s All-American game last month, announced his decision Wednesday at a news conference surrounded by his family at American Christian School.

 

“It was a tough decision, I wanted to stay close to home with my mom, my brothers and my family, but the school I chose was the University of Memphis,” Evans said.

 

A three-time state player of the year, Evans averaged 29 points per game as a senior and capped it off with a 21-point, 10-rebound performance in the McDonald’s game, the top event for high school seniors.

 

He seriously considered nearby Villanova as well as Texas before settling on the Tigers.

 

“I just decided Memphis was a better offense for me,” Evans said. “I would like to play with coach (John Calipari) because of the offense he ran.”

 

Evans will join the Tigers, who led Kansas down the stretch in the NCAA title game before falling in overtime, just as two of their top players may be leaving.

 

Evans could step directly into the starting spot vacated by Derrick Rose, who announced Tuesday that he is leaving for the NBA after one season with the Tigers. Chris Douglas-Roberts, the team’s leading scorer and Conference USA player of the year, may also end up in the NBA next season.

 

Evans, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who excels at getting to the basket, could follow Rose as a one-and-done member of the Memphis backcourt.

 

“Hopefully coach Cal can get me ready to get to the next level and be a successful player in the NBA,” Evans said.

 

Evans played the last few games of his senior season with extra security after he began cooperating with police investigating a murder.

 

Evans in February testified against his cousin, Jamar Evans. Tyreke Evans said he was the driver of an SUV from which his cousin fatally shot another man.

 

Tyreke Evans testified that he heard a gunshot as the victim approached the vehicle and then drove off. He heard another, closer shot before seeing his cousin put a small handgun into his hooded sweat shirt.

 

Tyreke Evans was not charged in the case, but police complained that he did not talk to them until three weeks later—a few days before Jamar Evans was charged.

 

 

[Damaramu 0]

A little late but, that's a great get for Memphis.

 

Well there's this thing going on called the Kansas Barnstorming Tour. Some KU players (Russel Robinson, Darrel Arthur and Sasha Kahn are the names coming) doing a tour around Kansas visiting high schools and doing autograph sessions and playing local HS all-star teams.

 

I'm covering it for my paper in Dodge City. I assume they don't really try in these pick-up games since they'd probably murder the All-Star team if they did, but they've gotta do a few lob passes for dunks. You know, to entertain the crowd.

[Mik 0]

PSYCHO T coming back to school!

 

Who else is super excited?!

 

Unlike most of the others who might respond to this, I'm not the least bit sarcastic.

[Broward83 0]

Augustin and Abrams have decided to declare for the draft.

 

Texas will be lucky to finish in the top half of the Big 12 this year.

 

Edit: Story from Austin American Statesman

[Bored 0]

Kentucky lands commitment from eighth-grader

 

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[Guest College Party]

Ah yes. The origin of Poster Tournament's "Indiana Basin Silt Region."

[teke184 0]

ESPN is reporting that OJ Mayo has been receiving all kinds of illegal benefits since he was in HS, with a USC booster being heavily involved in the situation.

 

The witness for ESPN is a former member of Mayo's crew who was pushed out recently.

 

 

 

Coming on top of the Reggie Bush situation, which is in the deposition stage right now, things are looking ugly.

 

If this was just about any program *but* USC, they would have their ass in a sling with the NCAA and be looking at multi-year post-season bans at the least.

[Dandy 0]

If the person in question that was pushed out of his crew is someone local, I'll keep you guys informed. Mayo was born and raised in Huntington until he left for Ashland, KY and Cincinnati, OH for more exposure. He came back here for his senior year, and all of his family are still here. This sill be the talk of the town because there are people that would put a bullet in the informant's head in a second with the neighborhood that Mayo grew up.

[Bored 0]

If this was just about any program *but* USC a BCS school, they would have their ass in a sling with the NCAA and be looking at multi-year post-season bans at the least.

Edited for accuracy. The days of the NCAA banning major programs from postseason play in basketball or football are long over.

[teke184 0]

1. The name mentioned for the informant is Louis Johnson, who was a part of Mayo's inner circle until recently.

 

2. BCS-conference schools still got post-season bans as recent as 10 years ago, as LSU, Georgia, Kentucky, and Alabama all received post-season bans in football, basketball, or both.

 

(LSU basketball received a post-season ban and HEAVY scholarship reductions over the Lester Earl case at the end of Dale Brown's tenure as coach.

 

Georgia basketball got heavy sanctions over Jim Harrick and his son's mismanagement of the program, especially on the academic side.

 

Kentucky and Alabama football both received post-season bans in the late 90s over the recruiting tactics of former Kentucky coach Hal Mumme and the Alabama boosters' attempts to steer player Albert Means to Tuscaloosa.)

[Damaramu 0]

I think everyone knew Mayo was dirty coming in, and showing what he produced this season he doesn't appear to have been worth the risk.

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

I think everyone knew Mayo was dirty coming in, and showing what he produced this season he doesn't appear to have been worth the risk.

 

I don't think everyone did. The NCAA conducted an investigation into Mayo before be enrolled at USC and he came up clean.

[Ripper 0]

This is just another reason why that dumbass age rule in the NBA needs to be gone.

 

People have made millions of dollars off of OJ Mayo in the last few years. Its BS that all this hubbub over him recieving what amounts to a minimum wage job.

[bob_barron 0]

 

 

Report claims Arthur's grades altered in high school

ESPN.com news services

 

DALLAS -- Officials are investigating whether Kansas basketball star Darrell Arthur was eligible to play in high school, which could affect whether he should have ever played for the national champion Jayhawks, according to a television report.

 

South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, which already has forfeited its 2006 title because of improperly altered grades for another player, is investigating whether Arthur's grades also were improperly altered, WFAA-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth reported.

 

The 6-foot-9 Kansas sophomore was second on the NCAA champion Jayhawks in scoring at 12.8 points a game and second in rebounding. He has applied for early entry into the NBA draft.

 

According to a former teacher and transcripts obtained by WFAA, Arthur was not passing math as a junior but his grade was changed without the teacher's knowledge.

 

Arthur was one of the nation's top recruits out of high school. The McDonald's All-American led South Oak Cliff to consecutive state titles, earning tournament MVP both times.

 

The station said the NCAA told its reporter that if a player is found to be ineligible, his college team might have to forfeit any or all games involving that student.

 

 

The NCAA told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that for Arthur to be ineligible, there would have to be evidence that Arthur or Kansas knew or should have known about the changed grade.

 

"This is something that happened in high school," Marchiony said. "Everything that is discussed right now is speculation. I know the media and fans like to speculate, but that's not something we participate in."

 

Marchiony said high schools send athletes' transcripts to the NCAA, which determines whether an athlete is eligible to play in college. Because the NCAA declared Arthur eligible, Kansas would not have known about any grading problems in high school, he said.

 

"I believe that the school district is looking into it," Marchiony said. "Right now, the only thing any of us can do is wait to see the result of that process."

 

Kansas coach Bill Self said the investigation needs to play out.

 

"We are aware of the allegations as described in the news story," Self said. "I'm sure the high school and the school district will do a good job determining the facts. It would be premature and inappropriate for anyone to comment any further until the process in Dallas takes its course."