HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR MARCH 2002

Saturday, March 30, 2002, and Sunday, March 31, 2002

After watching Maryland hold off Kansas to win the second NCAA Semi-Finals game, 97-88, last night at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA, I am more convinced than ever that the value of NCAA Final Four experience can not be underestimated.  If you will recall, the last two NCAA Champions (Duke in 2001 and Michigan State in 2000) both got their Final Four experience a year earlier in the 1999 NCAA Final Four in St. Petersburg, FL and the University of Kentucky team that won it in 1998 lost in the title game in 1997.  Going back even further the Kentucky team that won it in 1996 still had a number of players left over with experience from their 1993 NCAA Final team and the great Duke teams that won it in 1991 and 1992 lost a year earlier in the Final Four in 1990 to UNLV.  And one of the things that makes that Duke team in '91 and '92 so special is that fact that no other team has been able to repeat as NCAA Champions since the John Wooden days at UCLA when he won seven in a row between 1967 and 1973.  However, plenty of teams have had the opportunity, as UCLA lost in 1974, but won it again in 1975; North Carolina lost in the title game in 1981, but came back to win it in 1982; Georgetown won the NCAA Championship in 1984, but lost in the title game in 1985; UNLV won the championship in 1990, but lost in the semi-finals in 1991; Arkansas won the championship in 1994, but lost in the championship game in 1995; Kentucky won the championship in 1996, but lost in overtime in championship game in 1997; and Michigan State won it in 2000, but lost in the championship game in 2001.  In other words, if Maryland hadn't blown the big lead a year ago in the semi-finals against Duke and had gone on to win the NCAA Championship, they could be playing for the NCAA Title for a second consecutive time on Monday night.  However, maybe because they did suffer such a disappointing loss a year ago, they never got rattled when Kansas jumped out to a 13-2 lead early in the game and knew how to hold on when the Jayhawks outscored the Terrapins by 15 points during one stretch late in the game.  And we don't think you can underestimate the advantage that will give Maryland over Indiana in the NCAA Championship Game on Monday night.  With the Terrapins anything less than the title will be a major disappointment.  However, another win for Indiana would just be the icing on the cake in what already has been a miracle season.  Speaking of the Hoosiers stunning upset against Duke in the regional semi-finals and their surprising 73-64 upset against Oklahoma yesterday, I would love to really know what Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight is thinking about all this?  Sure, Knight is a great coach and he did lay the foundation for what this team has done, but maybe this is god's way of spending him a message.  Remember, what goes around usually comes around.  Maryland also has the best player in college basketball right now in Juan Dixon, who scored 33 points and was virtually unstoppable last night against Kansas.  The Terrapins also have great balance of inside (Lonny Baxter, Chris Wilcox, Tahj Holden, and Ryan Randle) and outside (Dixon, Steve Blake, Byron Mouton, and Drew Nichols) guys, plus head coach Garry Williams has done a terrific job of substituting and making adjustments throughout the entire tournament.   But all that might not matter if Indiana continues to hit 3-point shots like they did against Kent State and in the second half against Oklahoma.  However, when it is all said and done, we don't think Indiana will get as many uncontested shots against Maryland, as our guess is the Terrapins will put a lot more pressure on the ball in both  the half court and in the full court than Oklahoma did.  So our guess is that Maryland will win by 10 or more in the championship game, plus make Maryland one of the two other three teams to beat in college basketball next year.  Remember, the Terrapins also landed a great recruiting class last fall that includes 6'4 Chris McCray from Capital Heights (Fairmont Heights) MD and 6'8 Travis Garrison form Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, both of whom will be ranked among the top 30 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP when we update our national senior rankings later this month.  And the same can be said about Indiana, which signed a tremendous backcourt in 6'2 Marshall Strickland from Sykesville (South Carroll) MD and 6'3 Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX; Oklahoma, which landed 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK and 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK; and Kansas, which will add 6'9 Jeff Graves from Iowa Western (JC) IA and 6'9 Moulaye Niang from El Cajon (Christian) CA.   In other words, all these teams could be back in the NCAA Final Four again next year depending upon who stays and goes hardship into the NBA Draft later this spring.  

It appears to be a two-horse race between University of Missouri Quin Snyder and University of Minnesota Dan Monson for the University of Washington job and right now it appears to be Snyder's job to turn down.  But, if he does, we don't think there is any doubt that Monson will jump at the opportunity to get out of Minnesota due to the recent NCAA Probation, which puts a major hindrance on their ability to recruit during the next several years.  Remember, they not only are limited by the number of on-campus visits and available scholarships, but the Golden Gophers also will be graduating two of their best inside players in 6'7 Dusty Rychart and 6'7 Travanus Bennett.   So, if they don't think they are going to get 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, now would probably be an excellent time to take the right job, if it comes along.  Currently Humphries claims to be wide-open, as he appears to have just as much interest in schools like Duke, Kansas, Arizona, Louisville, Indiana, and Kentucky, as he does in Minnesota.  And don't forget Monson was the guy who got the ball rolling at Gonzaga four years ago.  We also hear that former Florida State head coach Steve Robinson will replace Kansas assistant coach Neil Dougherty, who recently took the Texas Christian job.  Ironically, it was Dougherty who replaced Robinson when he left Kansas to take over as the head coach at Tulsa in the mid-90's.  We also believe that Connecticut assistant coach Dave Leitao is now a major player for the DePaul job and, if that happens, and Arizona assistant coach Jay John gets the Oregon State job, three of our top five assistant coaches will have moved into jobs in major conferences this spring.  Boston Celtics assistant coach Lester Connor, who is a former Oregon State All-American, appears to be John's main competition, while Michigan State head coach Brian Gregory, Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Randy Ayers, Florida Atlantic head coach Sidney Green, UNC-Wilmington head coach Jerry Wainwright, and Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez are some of the other names being mentioned for DePaul.  Speaking of Gonzalez, it's only a matter of time before he moves into a better job.  So we are already compiling a list of possible replacements, which includes Villanova assistant coach Fred Hill, Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY head coach Gary DeCesare, Providence assistant coach Steve Demeo, St. John's assistant coach Kevin Clark, and Ohio State head coach Paul Biancardi.  Biancardi, who is ranked #6 on our list of the top assistants, also is being mentioned, along with Maryland assistant coach Dave Dickerson, and Virginia assistant coach Tommy Herrion for the College of Charleston job. 

Friday, March 29, 2002

The University of Washington heading coaching job is still up for grabs, but Seattle Post-Intelligencer Columnist Art Thiel appears to have a strange sense of who Huskies athletic director Barbara Hedges should hire.  This was especially evident in his column yesterday when he linked one of the Huskies prime head coaching candidates, Quin Snyder, to Pro-Trust President Bret Bearup.  "Snyder is a longtime friend of one of the more controversial figures in the game, Atlanta attorney Bret Bearup," says Thiel.  "College fans here with long memories may recall that Bearup was a sophomore forward on the Kentucky team that was part of the rousing 1984 Final Four at the Kingdome.  In recent years, Bearup, 38, has become a financial advisor to a number of NBA stars, including Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Elton Brand, and Nick Van Exel.  He also has created a secondary job for himself as a peddler of top high school talent to high-profile college programs. The dubious enterprise used to be the province of AAU coaches such as the since-jailed Myron Piggie of Kansas City, MO and various shoe-company sleazoids.  But Bearup has no business affiliation with shoe companies.  Neither is he a certified agent nor a booster of a specific school.  So he slips between the cracks of whatever minimal regulation exists in this basketball middle earth."  Thiel also talks about the University of Michigan scandal and tries to lead the reader to the conclusion that the same thing could happen at the University of Washington, if the Huskies hire Bearup's longtime friend, Quin Snyder.  Instead, Thiel says, "if Hedges is prepared to take such risks, it's a little surprising she hasn't shown interest in one of the premier basketball-qualified people for the job - nine-year Sonics assistant Dwane Casey.  It's been 14 years since Casey was the fall guy in allegedly shipping money to a recruit while an assistant at the University of Kentucky."  Obviously anybody who knows Bearup, who is a financial manager whose clients include numerous professional athletes and celebrities, knows that Thiel has absolutely no understanding of the enter issue.  In other words, he's taken 2+2 and come up with 286.  Yes, he's that far off base.  Actually Bearup is one of the best people in the business and most people who know him or have dealt with him either personally or professionally seem to agree.  As a matter of fact, I think he's good for the game.  Don't believe it?  Well, statistically when over half of the players in the NBA retire, they will be broke.  Remember, a mid-first round draft pick gets something like $1.8 million guaranteed in his first year and the IRS gets half right off the top.  The player also will probably buy his mother a house, himself several cars and a house, and more often than not fritter the rest of it away.  Plus, he has to give an agent, if he hired one, and anybody else who got their hooks into him early their piece of the pie.  You get the idea!  It can be all gone before you know it, especially if you've skipped college and have no idea how to budget money and/or be out on your own for the first time your life.  So take away somebody like Bearup, who should be not be confused with agents, pimps, street runners, and all the other slimmy people who are trying to make money at the expense of the players, while giving nothing back to the game, and the one who loses are people who need help the most (the players).   And if you don't believe me, just ask Dan Wetzel, who co-authored the book Sole Influence: Basketball Corporate Greed, and the Corruption of American Youth.  Wetzel, who is one of the most respected people in the business, is the guy who exposed the Myron Piggie mess in the first place.  Wetzel also has spent a lot of time looking into what Bearup does and he's come to a totally different conclusion than Thiel.  However, when you've never met any of the people you're writing about, don't know much about the subject, and have used internet articles that appear to have been several years old and were inaccurate in the first place, it's easy to get confused.

When I first heard that Oregon State head coach Ritchie McKay had gotten the New Mexico job, I was shocked.   As a matter of fact, I just about feel out of my chair.  Remember, we're talking about a guy who had gone 22-37 during his first two years at the helm of the Beavers and, as a result, it appeared to be only a matter of time before McKay got the ax at Oregon State.  Making the story even more shocking was the fact that Arizona State head coach Rob Evans' appeared to be in line for the New Mexico job yesterday and he was the perfect guy for the job.  Not only is Evans one of the most underrated head coaches in college basketball, but he already has on his staff the ideal guy to help him make the transition from Arizona State to New Mexico.  We're talking about Sun Devils assistant coach Tony Benford, who previously was an assistant coach at New Mexico during the Dave Bliss era.  But Evans turned it down and they hired McKay.  In other words, instead of getting one of the sharpest head coaches in the business (Evans), as well as one of the best recruiters (Benford), they hired a guy who is just one step ahead of the posse.  However, this could turn out to be tremendous for the Beavers, because it gives Oregon State athletic director Mitch Barnhart a chance to turn the program around in a hurry, if he hires the right guy.  And, in our opinion, the right guy is Arizona assistant coach Jay John, who is ranked as the #1 assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  Obviously John is a great recruiter, but he also has excellent ties in both the Pacific-10 Conference, where he was an assistant coach at both Arizona and Oregon, and Midwest, where he helped build Butler into one of the top mid-major powers in college basketball today.  John also interviewed for the job when McKay got hired at Oregon State two years ago and we know that John has a pre-existing relationship with Barnhart.  So the only drawback might be that John doesn't have Division I head coaching experience.  But that's also why so many other athletic directors around the country are having such a hard time filling head coaching positions.   A good example is the University of Arkansas, which hired Kent State head coach Stan Heath yesterday.  Heath is a great guy and a terrific coach, but, when he inherited the job at Kent State a year ago, the cupboard was full.  So we don't have any idea whether Heath can build a program.  Other examples include UAB, DePaul, and Long Beach State.  Speaking of the 49ers, it appears Long Beach State is going to try and steal a head coach out of the Division II ranks in either Cal State-San Bernardino head coach Larry Reynolds or Metro State head coach Mike Dunlap, who has guided his team to the Division II National Championship twice in the last five years.  In contrast, the final two candidates for the Fresno State job are UCLA assistant coach Jim Saia and Oklahoma assistant Ray Lopes.  Saia has all the right connections to get the job, as well as an impressive resume' after landng in three top ranked recruiting classes in recent years at UCLA.  However, Lopes' team is playing in the NCAA Final Four and he was the guy who recruited all their players.   And, believe it or not, former Fresno State assistant coach Danny Tarkanian may be a darkhorse candidate for the DePaul job.  But the word on the street is that former Ohio State head coach and current Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Randy Ayers appears to be the leader to replace Pat Kennedy at DePaul.  We're also hearing that former Pittsburgh assistant coach and current Kent State assistant coach Jim Christian is the heir apparent to replace Heath at Kent State and Oregon assistant coach Greg Graham already appears to be have gotten the Boise State job.  Getting back to Evans not leaving Arizona State, one of the reasons he may have decided to stay is their recent verbal commitment from 6'6 Jamal Hill from San Jose City (JC) CA, who not only was ranked as the #7 wing forward in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, but also is widely regarded as the top junior college wing player on the West Coast.  And the same source who tipped us off about Hill going to Arizona State tells us that 6'4 Prileu Davis from Phoenix (JC) AZ, who made a verbal commitment to the Cardinals earlier this week, isn't as good as the hype.   In other words, we're being told he'll be a good role player for the Cardinals next year, but stepping in as the starting point guard may be a little bit of stretch.   Only time will tell, but often at this time of year the value of unsigned players gets over inflated.  We also understand that the University of Massachusetts has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'7 Jeff Viggiano from Suffield (H.S.) CT, who is ranked #9 in New England by the HOOP SCOOP and who recently was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Connecticut.

Thursday, March 28, 2002

Despite the fact he's never build a program from the ground up, it looks like Kent State head coach Stan Heath is the hottest guy in the business right now, as he appears to have a choice between the West Virginia and the Arkansas jobs.  The smart money appears to be on Arkansas, because the money is better ($1.1 million is what we've heard).  And the reason Heath will make the big bucks is that he has proven he handle all the pressure associated with big time college basketball, both as an assistant coach at Michigan State, as the Spartans advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1999, 2000, and 2001, and Kent State, as the Golden Flashes advanced all the way to the NCAA Elight Eight early this month.  However, the cupboard was full both places, as the Spartans have been been able to keep most of the top players in their backyard at home in recent years, and the Golden Flashes returned four starters from a team that went 24-10 and knocked off Indiana in the first round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago.  So, if Heath gets Arkansas, who gets West Virginia?   Remember, Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins turned it down on Monday and University of Florida assistant coach took his name out of the running when he took South Alabama.  How about Tennessee Tech head coach Jeff Lebo or Bowling Green head coach Dan Dakich?  And, if Dakich, who was a long time assistant coach under Bob Knight at Indiana, gets the Mountaineers job, that would mean the Mid-American Conference would have not one, but two of the best jobs in the league to fill.  It also would create a very interesting predicament for 6'3 Steve Wright from Dayton (Colonel White) OH, who verbally committed to Bowling Green last weekend.  Wright is a long armed athletic wing player who plays great defense, but the fact that he is ranked #22 in the state by the HOOP SCOOP indicates that he would be nothing more than a good role player for the Mountaineers.  But when grouped with 6'4 Ron Lewis from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH and 6'3 Raheem Moss from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, both of whom signed with Bowling Green last fall, that's not only one of the best recruiting classes in the Mid-American Conference, but also one of the better recruiting classes in the nation at that level.  In other words, Bowling Green needs to hire a guy who can perpetuate what Jim Larranaga, who previously was the head coach of the Falcons prior to moving to George Mason five years ago, and Dakich have built.  Ironically one of the names we've already heard is Virginia assistant coach Tommy Herrion.  And, if Herrion gets the job we'll have to explore further to find out why University of Virginia athletic director Terry Holland has so much clout at Bowling Green.  Remember, Larranaga also was an assistant coach at Virginia prior to getting the head coaching job at Bowling Green in the late 80's.   And just like Larranaga and Dakich, Herrion, whose brother, Bill Herrion, is the head coach at East Carolina, has a great understanding of the business and, as a result, is an excellent recruiter and one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the game.  

It looks like Jim Crews finally got out of Evansville, but is going to Army really a step up?  Remember, that's the Patriot League!  It's also where Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski got their start as college coaches.  However, all that may not mean a hill of beans.   Instead, the key to Crews' immediate success will likely be whether he retains Mark Sembrowich, who had the Cadets on the verge of landing a great recruiting class this spring.  We also hear that Gonzaga head coach Mark Few has already turned down the University of Washington once, but it looks like Barbara Hedges, who is the Huskies athletic director, is trying to make another run at him while they're all here at the National Association of Basketball Coaches Convention and the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta, GA.  However, Few told us last night it's going to be tough to leave Gonzaga for any job, because his sales pitch to recruits in recent years has been that smaller is better.  He also thinks the Zags will be even better next year than they were this year, despite the graduation of 6'0 Dan Dickau, who is one of the top 10 players in college basketball this year.  Remember, everybody else will be back next year, plus Gonzaga signed 6'8 Sean Mallon from Spokane (Ferris) WA, who is ranked #85 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, last fall.  It also appears that Missouri head coach Quin Snyder is not as strong a candidate for the Washington job as he was a couple of days ago, so now the smart money is on Saint Louis head coach Lorenzo Romar, who also has plenty of ties to the Pacific Northwest.  If you will recall, Romar played at the University of Washington.  Romar also has all his old ties to Southern California, which is important for anybody who wants to win big anywhere in the Pacific-10 Conference.   As a matter of fact, networking and recruiting are what Romar does best.  And that's saying a lot, because Romar is also a heck of a coach.  So is his top assistant, Brad Soderberg, who can have the Wisconsin-Green Bay job if he wants it, but who is waiting to see what Romar does.  Remember, we recently reported that Soderberg is the heir apparent to Romar at Saint Louis.  We also continue to hear  former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd, UC-Santa Barbara head coach Bob Williams, and Wyoming head coach Steve McClain all being mentioned for the New Mexico job.  However, they might be smart to go after top level assistant coach.  As a matter of fact, we know that at least one guy who fits that description, Ohio State assistant coach Paul Biancardi, who is ranked #6 by the HOOP SCOOP on our list of the top assistant coaches in the business, is in the mix.  Speaking of the Buckeyes, it looks like J.J. Sullinger plans to transfer from Arkansas to Ohio State?  We've also confirmed several verbal commitments since arriving last night in Atlanta. GA for the NCAA Final Four.  Austin Peay has gotten a steal in 6'2 Maurice Hampton from Russellville (H.S) KY.  Marquette had been looking for another point guard who can complement Travis Diener and it looks like they've found their man in 5'10 Karon Bradley from Houton (Cypress Springs) TX.   We've also been told that 6'0 Clyde Wade from Winchendon (School) MA, who is originally from Memphis, plans to return home upon graduation from prep school this spring and play for John Calipari next season.  It looks like Max Good, who is just finishing his first year at Bryant College, is on the verge of doing the same thing he did for 10 years at Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  We're talking about stocking his team with a number of athletes who thrive in an uptempo setting and creating all kinds of havoc defensively and in transiton.  And the two players Good has landed this spring fit that description perfectly.  We're talking about 6'3 Mario Correia from Massasoit (JC) MA and 5'10 John Williams from Longmeadow (H.S.) MA.  Correia, who is a native of Cape Verde, off the West Coast of Africa, is a terrific athlete with a tremendous feel for the game.  He scored 19.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 9.1 apg, hit 49% from the field, and 38% from 3-point land.  Correia also was a unanimous first-team All-New England Junior College Selection as a freshman and, as a result, still has three of eligibility remaining at Bryant College.  Williams, who has been widely regarded as the best player in Western Massachusetts for the last several years, averaged 25.1 ppg, 7.7 apg, 3.5 rpg, and 3.4 spg while leading his team to 14-8 season.    Both players are good enough to not only help make Bryant College the most powerful Division II program in New England for years to come, but also are good enough to play at a much higher level. 

Wednesday, March 27, 2002

One of the big stories in the mainstream media this morning was that Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles had received permission from Kent State to talk with head coach Stan Heath, who is one of the hottest guys in the business after guiding his team to the NCAA Elite Eight.   However, the word we got last night at the EA Sports Roundball Classic was that Heath is already a done deal for West Virginia.  Obviously the Mountaineers wanted to move fast now that Bobby Huggins has announced that he will remain at the University of Cincinnati and University of Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey has made it clear that he will honor his commitment to South Alabama.   Assuming that we're correct about Heath, that opens the door for somebody to walk into a great situation at Kent State.  One name we're already heard is Hartford head coach Larry Harrison.  If you will recall, Harrison has done an excellent job of turning the Hawks program around in just two years, plus he's got great Midwest ties from his days at both Cincinnati and DePaul.  It also looks like Michigan State point guard Marcus Taylor will test the waters by entering his name into the NBA Draft, but not signing with an agent.  Hopefully he will find out sooner than later what 6'1 Omar Cook found a year ago when he kept his name in the draft and became a second round pick.  Remember, 19 of the top 20 picks in last year's draft were 6'8 or bigger and the lone expection was Michigan State's Jason Richardson, who had something else NBA scouts are looking for (incredible athleticism).

It is a common practice for college coaches to lobby Sonny Vaccaro to get the players they have signed into the Roundball Classic.  However, now it appears the exact opposite has occurred on at least several occasions.  In other words, we know of at least one Division I coach who specificially has asked Vacarro not to put any of the players he has signed during the last two years into the game.  Apparently the coach is worried that the cesspool of street agents, runners, and other slimmy people who have been showing up to these type of events in recent years will have a negative effect on his players.  Remember, this street-like eliminate is ruining the game at every level and to expose a player to this type of environment can make it almost impossible to ever get his attention again.  And after watching last night's EA Sports Roundball Classic at the United Center in Chicago, IL, we have to agree.  I'm not sure if it was the worst all-star game I've ever attended, but, if it wasn't, it had to have been close.   Evidence of this comes from the fact that only two players in the game - 6'9 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY and 6'10 Paul Davis from Rochester (H.S.) MI -  didn't do anything to hurt the value of their stock.  And one of those two players (Davis) didn't even play (he's hurt).  Fraser only had 10 points, but 13 rebounds, five blocks, and a great effort at both ends the court ensured him co-MVP honors, along with 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, for the East All-Stars, which held on to win 115-103.  Felton's stats, which included 21 points, six assists, four steals, and one block, were equally impressive.   However, his stats didn't seem to be indicative of what he actually accomplished in the game.  The same also can be said for 6'2 Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, who finished with 14 points, 10 assists, five steals, five rebounds, and helped his team, which was down by as many as 22 early in the third quarter, cut the lead to only one late in the game.  We're not saying Dockery didn't deserve MVP honors for his team (we voted for him), but we have to question whether somebody was padding his assists, especially in light of the fact that Harv Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report, who is an extremely accurate statistician, was sitting next to us last night and only had Dockery with five assists.  Tying Felton for top scoring honors with 21 points was 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Valley Regional) NJ, but six turnovers and 2-6 free throws shooting probably cost him from sharing in game MVP honors.  Speaking of free throw shooting, all these guys have delusions of going straight to the NBA right out of high school, but collectively only hit 33-63 free throws of the game.  And the outside shooting wasn't much better, if you exclude Felton (2-5), 6'9 Steve Novak from Brown Deer (H.S.) WI (2-4), 6'0 Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ (3-5), and 6'10 Shelden Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK (2-3).   Yes, the other 16 players in the game hit only 5-36 3-pointers.  Among the worst was 6'3 Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, who hit only 1-11 field goals and was 0-5 from beyond the arc all by himself.  Even worse was 6'2 Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, who shot 3-15 from the field and hit 0-7 3-pointers.  Other major disappointments were 6'7 Antonie Wright from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA, who hit 2-9 field goals en route to only four points, and 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who finished with 4-12 field goals, 0-3 3-pointers, and nine points.  However, we do have to give Wright credit for rebounding well from the wing forward spot, as he was his team's third leading rebounder with seven boards, behind Williams, who had 10, and 6'10 Chris Bosh, who had eight.  The game was too unstructured for 6'10 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA and 6'9 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX, neither of whom scored big numbers (they combined for 17 points), but we did like their willingness to get it done on the boards, as they combined for 17 rebounds.  6'10 Sani Ibrahim from Mouth of Wilson was the leading rebounder in the game with 14 boards, but he too was not a major force at the offensive end, as he scored most of his 10 points off garbage inside.  6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY got most of his points off transition and 6'1 Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY had five assists, but missed all his outside shots (0-3 3-pointers).  Inside 6'8 Marcus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL did what he always does (shows flashes, but underachieves) en route to a 10-point and six-rebound effort.  That leaves 6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, who didn't score or rebound enough, as he finished with 11 points (5-16 field goals and 1-3 3-pointers) and only five rebounds.   I guess Collins still hasn't figured out that he's not going to get drafted for his 3-point shooting.  But he does have a chance to make the big bucks, because he can be an animal inside.  But that's what happens when all the street agents, pimps, and hustlers start getting into your head.  All this is unfortunate, because the Roundball Classic has been a great event over the last 38 years.  However, many of the players who played in this game appeared to be more concerned about impressing the scouts and improving their draft status than continuing to build upon what has become a tremendous tradition over the years.   Yes, it really was that ugly!

Tuesday, March 26, 2002

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Bowling Green got a verbal commitment over the weekend from 6'3 Steve Wright from Dayton (Colonel White) OH, who is ranked #22 in the state of Ohio among seniors by the HOOP SCOOP.  Wright has long arms, is a terrific athlete, and a great defender, so he should fit in perfectly with the two players - 6'4 Ron Lewis from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH and 6'3 Raheem Moss from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH - that Bowling Green signed last fall.  As a matter of fact, Johnson thinks this is a recruiting class out of the Kent State mold.  Speaking of Brookhaven, Moss, 6'1 Soph Denzel Lyles, and 6'6 Jr Brandon Foust combined for 39 points to lead their team to the Ohio State Division I Championship over the weekend.  Columbus (Brookhaven) OH beat Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH, 66-49, and Moss was the leading scorer for his team en route to tournament MVP honors.  However, the leading scorer and rebounder in the game was Miami-FL-bound 6'2 Robert Hite, who finished with had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Winton Woods.  The underrated and uncommitted 6'2 Byron Fields also chipped in 14 points for Winton Woods.  In addition to Moss, the Division I All-Tournament Team also included Hite, Foust, 5'7 Jr Andrew Lavender from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, and 6'2 Jr Samario Clancy from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, who had 24 points and 14 rebounds in his team's semi-final loss to Brookhaven.   Clancy, who is the younger brother of USC star Sam Clancy, was so impressive that Johnson thinks he's might be the fastest rising players in the state (currently Clancy is ranked #74 in the junior class in Ohio by the HOOP SCOOP).   Akron (St Vincent-St. Mary) OH did not win the Ohio State Division II Championship for the third straight year, but 6'7 Jr LeBron James, who had 32 points in both the semi-final and championship games, didn't disappoint the two boys state tournament record setting crowds at the Value City Arena in Columbus, OH.  James, who pulled a muscle in his back on Friday night in a practice and, as a result, was not 100% in the championship game, still hit 14-21 field goals and had six assists.  6'6 Jr Romeo Travis also chipped in with 19 points and nine rebounds, but nobody else stepped   up for Irish, as other three starters had a combined 12 points.  And that left the door open for Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH to pull off a 71-63 upset in the title game.   MVP honors went to 6'3 Josh Hausfeld, who led Roger Bacon with 23 points and seven rebounds.  Also playing well for Roger Bacon were 6'9 Jr Monte St. Clair, who had 15 points, and 6'6 Beckham Wyrick, who had 14 points.  In addition to Hausfeld, the Division II All-Tournament Team also included James, St. Clair, Wyrick, and 6'3 Frank Phillips from Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH.  Johnson also tells us that Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez interviewed today for the DePaul job and, as a result, it appears that Gonzalez is one of the serious candidates for the job, along with Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Randy Ayers and UNC-Wilmington head coach Jerry Wainwright.   Among that group, we think it's a no-brainer that Gonzalez, who reminds us of a young Rick Pitino due his high energy level, ability to recruit, and success everyplace he's been at an early age, should get the job.  We also have started a new list for the West Virginia job that includes Richmond head coach John Beilein, Dayton head coach Oliver Purnell, and George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga.  However, we don't think you should rule out Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey just yet.  We also continue to hear rumors about LSU head coach John Brady being in trouble at LSU.   However, that appears to be false and assuming it is, Brady could be one of the guys up for coach-of-the-year honors next year, because the Tigers should be one of the most improved teams in college basketball with the addition 6'8 Jaime Lloreda from Dixie (JC) UT, who one of the top five junior college players in the nation, and the return of 6'9 Shawnson Johnson, who was academically this year season. 

Monday, March 25, 2002

We tried to tell you on Friday that Bobby Huggins wasn't a lock to take the West Virginia job.  So obviously you weren't too surprised earlier today when Huggins announced that he would remain as the head coach at the University of Cincinnati.  This also could still could effect what University of Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey does.  If you will recall, on Friday Pelphrey agreed in principle to take the head coaching job at South Alabama.  However, he has yet to sign a written contract, so technically he is still free to take the West Virginia job.  As a matter of fact, we wouldn't be surprised if that was part of the verbal agreement that Pelphrey made on Friday.  We also continue to hear the rumors about University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith taking the Philadelphia 76ers job, if Larry Brown moves into the front office at the conclusion of the current season.  Obviously that means nothing will probably happen until late May or June, so suddenly the next question becomes whether Wildcats reserve Rashaad Carruth will wait that long to transfer?   Right now we're hearing Carruth's favorite schools are Louisville, Georgia Tech, and Memphis.  However, Louisville has no interest and Carruth's mother is concerned about his going to Georgia Tech, because she wants to keep him away from the rap eliminate in Atlanta, GA.  So right now Memphis looks like a near lock for Carruth.   However, all bets are off if Smith takes another job before Carruth announces he's leaving.  We also find it interesting that Montana head coach Don Holst was fired today, despite the fact that his team won the Big Sky Conference Tournament and, as a result, advanced into the NCAA Tournament.  We also have confirmed that University of Kansas assistant coach Neil Dougherty has taken the Texas Christian job.  No surprise here, because Dougherty is the #2 ranked assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP and played a key role in Kansas' success in recent years (not only are the Jayhawks going to the NCAA Final Four this year, but they were the winningest program in the 90's).  We also have confirmed that the University of Missouri has given the University of Washington permission to talk with Tigers head coach Quin Snyder.  However, our guess is that Snyder won't take it.   Remember, we've already reported that Snyder's ideal job is UCLA (he wants to become the Mike Krzyzewski of the West) and that job may be open, at least if you believe all the UCLA fans who are still whining about head coach Steve Lavin not getting past the NCAA Sweet 16 for the 5th time in six years.  We hear Lavin's name frequently mentioned for the DePaul job, but they'd be better off if they got a bright up-and-coming coach like Southern Illinois head coach Bruce Weber, UNC-Wilmington head coach Jerry Wainwright, Kent State head coach Stan Heath,  Arizona assistant coach Jay John, Houston head coach Ray McCallum, Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez, Hampton head coach Steve Merfeld, or Michigan State assistant coach Brian Gregory.  Getting back to Lavin, our guess is that he's going to take the Missouri job.  In other words, we think Lavin has finally realized he made a mistake by not recruiting Wesley Stokes and Travon Bryant and, if he can't beat them, he wants to join them.  Actually we're just kidding about Lavin going to Missouri and we do think there is a distinct possibility that Snyder will take the Washington job.  As a matter of fact, we were among the to first report that powerful alumni and booster in Seattle, WA were planning for this very possibility two months ago.  Getting back to Lavin again, he does have a lot of good young talent in the program, plus our sources tell us that Jason Kapono will likely be back next year.  So we don't think Lavin is going anywhere.   However, Lavin's top assistant coach Jim Saia might not be around next year, because he's one of the leading candidates for the Fresno State job.  We also continue to hear that 6'6 Andre Iguodala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, who originally signed with Arkansas last fall, has narrowed his list to Kansas and Arizona.  However, unless Iguodala has been denied academic admission to the University of Arkansas or there is some other  factor that we aren't aware of, he will have to sit out next year.  Remember, you are bound by the NCAA's transfer rule once you sign a National Letter-of-Intent, which clearly states on the letter that you are signing with the member insititution and not the head coach.  In other words, a student-athlete has to sit out one year, if granted a release, (Arkansas has Iguodala's case), or two years, if not granted a release.  We also continue to hear that Iowa is the leader for 6'9 Aaron Spears from Chicago (Dunbar) IL.  Did you know that the only person in his family who ever graduated from college is Spears' grandmother and she got her degree from the University of Iowa?

The NCAA Final Four is set with Maryland, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Indiana, so now is a perfect time to make a few predictions, reflect on the past, draw a few parallels, and name our National Coach-of-the-Year and National Player-of-the-Year.  First, let's make our predictions for the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta, GA.  Kansas, Indiana, and Oklahoma were all very impressive in their regional final wins over the weekend, but we still think the team to beat is Maryland.   Not only have the Terrapins played as well as anybody in college basketball all year, but we think they have the same edge that made Duke tough to beat a year ago and Michigan State the favorite two years ago.  We're talking about NCAA Final Four experience, which in this day-and-age can be huge when one remembers all the hoopla and emotion that have become apart of the event during the last 20 years.  Experiencing the NCAA Final Four for the first time can almost be overwhelming.  But a team returning to play in the NCAA Final Four for the second time is not only much better equipped to deal with all the distractions and the media-like circus, but also is usually more focused on taking care of the unfinished business that goes along with winning a National Championship.  However, if we were going to seed the NCAA Final Four, the #1 (Maryland) and #2 (Kansas) seeded teams and the #3 (Oklahoma) and #4 (Indiana) seeded teams would be playing in the semi-finals on Saturday afternoon.  So obviously a lot people will probably conclude that winner of the Kansas-Maryland game will win the NCAA Championship.  If Maryland wins, it would be poetic justice after the Terrapins blew the big lead a year ago against Duke in the semi-finals.  If Kansas wins, it could potentially set up a rematch of the 1988 NCAA Title game in Kansas City, MO when Kansas beat Oklahoma in what has turned out to be Larry Brown's last college game.  However, if you were going to write the script with the most dramatic conclusion, you would do so with Indiana winning it all.  Not only are the Hoosiers the Cinderella team that has already knocked off Duke, which was co-favorite to win the tournament, as well as the depending NCAA Champions, but head coach Mike Davis has never gotten the credit he deserves.  Remember, he's the guy who followed Bob Knight.  Ironically Knight's Texas Tech team, which also had a great season, was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  In contrast, Davis' team is one of the four teams still playing.  You couldn't write a better story, unless one of the truly legendary coaches in the history of the game had announced that he was going to retire earlier in the season and his last hurrah would be to win the NCAA Championship.  And that's exactly what happened the last time the NCAA Final Four was in Atlanta, GA 25 years ago when Marquette upset North Carolina in the title game.   Obviously we're talking about Al McGuire's last game.   Unfortunately McGuire, who died a year ago, won't be in Atlanta, GA to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his team's championship.  However, in spirit he will be, because as both a coach and a television commentator, McGuire was truly one of the game's all time great ambassador's.  And whether Mike Davis likes it or not, win or lose, he's in a position to not just follow a legend, but to become a far better ambassador for the game than his predecessor ever hoped to be.  So could Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson, Oregon's Ernie Kent, and Kent State's Stan Heath.  In addition to guiding their team's deep into the NCAA Tournament this year, all are among the leading candidates for National Coach-of-the-Year and they all are either black or of Indian descent.  This is especially important, because it is much easier to overcome prejudice, discrimination, and ignorance, by including people.  So in contrast to Nolan Richardson, who had wanted to make his ouster at Arkansas a racial issue and had even expressed a desire to call out the troops and relive the 60's in Deep South, these guys have all paved the way for a future generation of coaches to not only achieve at the highest level, but also to help guys at the lower levels in the business move up the ladder and get head coaching jobs.  While college basketball has already come a lot further in this area than most other sports, there is still a disproportionately low number of black head coaches, especially at the top.  However, we think this will change within the next five or 10 years, because there are just as many outstanding black assistant coaches on the rise as there are white assistants on the rise.  This was especially evident a month ago when we were working on our list of the top assistant coaches in college basketball and divided it up according to race so we could get more names onto our lists of assistant coaches in the "Question of the Day " for February 8th and February 9th.  The success that coaches like Davis, Sampson, Kent, and Heath have had this year also is important, because people from all walks of life have been able to jump on the bandwagon of teams like Indiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Kent State.  And the same can be said about Ben Howland at Pittsburgh, Bruce Weber at Southern Illinois, Bobby Huggins at Cincinnati, Jim Calhoun at Connecticut, and Bob Knight at Texas Tech, all of whom also were seriously considered for National Coach-of-the-Year honors.  Remember, these are white guys coaching predominately black teams.  In other words, any prejudices one might have goes right out the window if you or your team wants to be successful in the game of basketball.  Suddenly all this ties together when you remember that Southern Indiana is still an area of the country where a lot of people continue to get hung up on the color of somebody's skin.  Moral to the story is that IU head coach Mike Davis may become even more of a hero to some of these very people if the Hoosiers win the NCAA Championship a week from today.  But even if Davis and the Hoosiers don't win the NCAA Championship, we still think he is the coach who most deserves National Coach-of-the-Year.  Not only has he had the toughest act to follow, but he also had to overcome the most, considering the Bob Knight eliminate is and probably always will be in Indiana.  Another guy who is up to just about any task is Cincinnati's Steve Logan, who singlehandedley was responsible for the success the University of Cincinnati had this season.  Logan also is a classic overachiever and a testament to what guts, hard work, and determination can accomplish and, as a result, he is our choice for National Player-of-the-Year.  The same also can be said about Maryland's Juan Dixon, who is our Runner-up National Player-of-the-Year.  Ironically neither player was ranked among the top 100 players in the nation by many of our competitors, but we obviously saw something early in both, as we had Logan ranked #63 nationally on our final list of the top players in the Class of 1998 and Dixon ranked on the 18th Team, which means he was in the 85-90 range nationally, in the Class of 1997.  We also seriously considered Duke's Jason Williams for National Player-of-the-Year honors, while Kansas' Andrew Gooden and Connecticut's Caron Butler rounded out our first team.  The HOOP SCOOP's Second Team Post-Season All-American Team includes Indiana's Jared Jeffries, Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince, Gonzaga's Dan Dickau, Missouri's Kareem Rush, and Duke's Michael Dunleavy.   The third team includes Marquette's Dwayne Wade, Oregon's Fred Jones, Oregon's Luke Ridnour, Oklahoma's Hollis Price, and Stanford's Casey Jacobsen.  As for our NCAA Final Four predictions, we like Maryland over Kansas by four and Oklahoma over Indiana by a dozen.  I can't help but remember Dick "Hoops' Weiss telling me a month ago that he tought the Sooners would be the pre-season favorite to win the NCAA Championship a year from now.  Well, we think he's going to be a year too late, as Kelvin Sampson does something that another retiring head coach (Billy Tubbs) never did at Oklahoma (win the NCAA Championship).  So make it Oklahoma over Maryland by two in overtime!

Saturday, March 23, 2002 & Sunday, March 24, 2002

EA Sports is the new sponsor for the Roundball Classic this year, so, instead of being the Sonny Vaccaro Roundball Classic, they're now calling Vaccaro's game, which is now in its 38th year, the 2002 EA Sports Roundball Classic.  The game will be held on Tuesday, March 26th at 7:00 PM at the United Center in Chicago, IL and each team will feature 10 players.  The East Squad will include 6'8 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX, 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Regional Valley) NJ, 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, 6'9 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, 6'10 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'3 Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'10 Sani Ibrahim from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'1 Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'1 Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY and the West Squad will include 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'2 Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'4 Antonio Lawrence from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'9 Steve Novak from Brown Deer (H.S.) WI, 6'2 Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, 6'7 Marcus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'10 Shelden Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'7 Antonie Wright from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA.   And, if you also include, 6'11 Paul Davis from Rochester (H.S.) MI, who is listed on the West Squad, but who is hurt and won't play, the game will feature 11 McDonald's All-American (Felton, Bosh, Collins, Roberson, Fraser, Horton, Buckman, Francis, Dockery, Ingram,and Davis).  Throw in Cooke and Wright, both of whom are easily good enough to have been in the game; Ray, Ibrahim, Alexander, Lawrence, Sumpter and Williams, all whom were borderline good enough to have made the McDonald's All-American Game; and White and Novak, who are ranked in the 50 to 100 range nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but both have the upside and potential to move much higher.  In other words, the talent level in this year's game has never been better and, as a result, we're looking forward to bringing you all the highlights from the game on Wednesday. 

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that New York (Rice) NY beat Syracuse (Henninger) NY, 61-53, last at the Civic Center in Glen Falls, NY to win the New York State Championship.  And they did so without 7'2 Jr Shagari Alleyne, 6'7 Soph Arturo Dubois, and 6'1 Kenny Eusey, all three of whom were left at home due to academic troubles.  Instead, 5'7 Keydren Clark, 6'1 Steve Burtt, 6'1 Soph Russell Robinson, and 5'10 Jason Wingate combined for 51 of Rice's 61 points in the title game.   Clark, who is an absolute steal for St. Peter's, was also the Rice's leading scorer in the championship game.  Burtt, who was the leading scorer with 14 points, and Wingate, who had 13 points and hit the game winning shot off the glass with two second left, were also the heroes in the semi-finals on Friday night when Rice knocked off Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 50-48.  However, the best performance in the New York State Final Four belonged to 5'10 Soph Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who showed why he is widely regarded as the #1 sophomore in the nation, as well as potentially the best point guard to ever come out of New York City.  Not only did Telfair score 30 of his team's 48 points, but he also had 25 of his team's 30 points in the second half. Syracuse (Henninger) NY beat Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY, 60-56, on Friday night to set up yesterday's state championship game, but the most intriguing story that Naclerio is following right now involves 6'3 Quincy Douby from Brooklyn (Grady) NY.  If you will recall, Douby signed with Hofstra last fall, but now it looks like he is having second thoughts about playing for the Flying Dutchmen next season.  Apparently Douby, who was the second best senior in New York City this season by behind 6'1 Gary Ervin from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY, thinks he's made a mistake and now wants to go to a big time school, like Syracuse or Mississippi State.  But to do this, he first will have to either not make it academically and go the prep school route or sit out as a transfer next year.  And if Hofstra doesn't release Douby from his National Letter-Of-Intent, he'd then have to sit out two years.  And we wouldn't blame Hofstra if they didn't grant him the release.   Remember, they did their homework, stole him early, and didn't recruit anybody else at his position.  Now the value of Douby's stock has gone off the Richter Scale and, as a result, people are telling him  the road into the NBA will be easier, if he plays at school in the Big East instead of the Colonial Athletic Association.   However, we're not so sure and a great example was Speedy Claxton, who was a star at Hofstra prior to becoming one of the better young point guards in the NBA.  So is it better to be a big fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond?   What would you do if you were in Douby's shoes?  You can tell us by answering tomorrow's "Question of the Day."

Lavel Johnson, who is the Mississippi Editor for both the HOOP SCOOP and MidSouth-Hoops.Com, says the main topic of conversation in his backyard right now is the loaded junior and sophomore classes in Mississippi.  However, this year's senior class does have four high D-1 level players of which Johnson favors 6'3 Jerikus Singleton from Clinton (H.S.) MS.   Singleton is the most complete player of the four," says Johnson.  "He can play point or two guard, handles the ball well, shoots the three, and can post or take his man off the dribble.  He also sees the floor, finds the open man well, and rebounds well for a guard."   The other top players are 6'5 Sam Richardson from Utica (Hinds AHS) MS, 6'4 Jason Forte from Bay Springs (H.S.) MS and 6'9 Byron Sanders from Gulfport (Harrison Central) MS.  "Richardson, a University of Southern Mississippi signee, is a tall, strong, athletic combo guard who excels by attacking the rim," says Johnson.  "Richardson also has a streaky jump shot and good ball handling skills.  Forte, who committed to Boston College in the fall, but has yet to sign, is a sharp shooting two guard with range.  Sanders, who has committed to North Carolina, is a tall long rebounder and shot blocker who has shown an improved offensive game.  None of the four would turn a program around or be a savior, but all have the ability to be solid 4-year contributors."  Two other players in this senior class who Johnson thinks are worth noting are 6'8 Roderick Smith from Canton (H.S.) MS and 6'3 Ricky Hood from Tupelo (H.S.) MS.   "Smith, whose engine never stops running, is a good rebounder and shot blocker, runs the floor well, and can hit the mid-range jumper," says Johnson.   "Hood, who has committed to Tennessee Tech, shoots the ball really well, has range, the ability to put the ball on the floor, and drive. While both are being recruited by mid-to-low D-1 teams, both have the abilities to be solid contributors to a high D-1 program."  Johnson also tells us the junior class has at least 11 or 12 high D-1 players, which is an extremely high number for Mississippi.  At the top of his list are 6'10 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS and 6'8 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, who are both ranked among the top 10 juniors in the nation.  "Butler is a big man with a variety of skills," says Johnson. "While Butler is very good low post scorer, rebounder and shot blocker, part of what makes him so special are his passing and ball handling skills.  Outlaw is a high flyer who attacks the rim, or anything near it, with a vengeance and has a steady but explosive outside game." Other juniors who should be familiar to recruiters are 6'7 Jr Kenny Hooks from Hurley (East Central) MS, 6'7 Jr Emanual Willis from Mendenhall (H.S.) MS and 6'4 Jr Vincent Camper from Oxford (H.S.) MS and prepping to move up on the list are 6'4 Jr Detric Slater from Waynesboro (Wayne County) MS, 6'7 Jr Jason Watson from Pascagoula (H.S.) MS; 6'3 Jr Currye Todd from Holy Springs (H.W. Byers) MS, 6'3 Jr Jeff Webb from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'3 Jr Terrick Willoughby from Biloxi (H.S.) MS; and 6'5 Jr Lamar Sanders from Hickory (Flat) MS.   In the sophomore class the big name - 6'8 Soph Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS - is one of the top five sophomores in the nation.  "Jefferson's game is all about power,"says Johnson.  "He is an outstanding scorer on the low blocks, finishing many of his moves with dunks, can hit the short jump shot, and fericely pursues rebounds." Another top prospect is 6'7 Soph Charles Thomas from Jackson (Callaway) MS.   "Thomas, Jefferson's summer teammate, possesses a nice jump shot with three-point range, can score on the blocks, is a good rebounder, runs the floor and finishes strong," says Johnson.  The sleeper in the sophomore class could well be 6'7 Soph Charles Rhodes from Forest (H.S.) MS.  "Rhodes, who also plays with Jefferson and Thomas in the summer, possesses a nice stroke on his jumper and can shoot it from deep," says Johnson.   "He also shows the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the hoop, plus he is a good rebounder."  Other sophomores with high D-1 potential are 6'5 Soph Bobby Clark from Jackson (Callaway) MS, 6'4 Soph Henry Salters from Gulfport (H.S.) MS, 5'10 Soph Charlie White from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'8 Soph Christian Marshall from Jackson (Wingfield) MS and 6'8 Soph Mekel Marshall from Jackson (Callaway) MS.   Johnson also tells us that no report on Mississippi would be complete without a mention of 6'2 Frosh Monte Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS.  "Ellis exploded onto the scene this season leading his Bulldogs to a state title," says Johnson.  "He possess a deadly long range jumper that he seems to be able to get off at any time.  If guarded too closely he is able to blow by most defenders and he does a good job of getting his teammates involved.  Ellis never seems to get rattled and plays the whole game with the same expression.  This young man definitely is one of the five freshmen in the nation." Further evidence of how good Ellis is comes from the fact that he made the Jackson Clarion-Ledger Second Team All-State, which was published today.  The first team included Butler, Outlaw, Forte, Jefferson, and Salters, who led his team to a 37-1 record and 5-A state title.   Butler was also named Mr. Basketball in the state. 

Friday, March 22, 2002

Dan Wetzel of CBS SportLine is reporting that the University of Cincinnati head coach Bubby Huggins is taking the West Virginia job.  However, our sources tell us it's not a done deal yet.  We think it's going to happen, but we also think there is still some eliminate of doubt.   As a matter of fact, we don't think Huggins has totally made up his mind and, even if he has, we still think there is a possibility that he may change his mind.  In other words, we think it's probably about 90% sure he's going to take the West Virginia job, but, if he doesn't, Wetzel, as well as everybody else who is reporting that it's already done, will have egg on his face.  Our guess is that Huggins will take a few days to reflect on things and make an official announcement early next week.  One person who does appear to believe that Huggins is going to West Virginia is University of Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey, who earlier this afternoon took the South Alabama job.  This comes as somewhat of a surprise, because we thought Pelphrey would wait until Huggins had made an official announcement.  One announcement that did occur earlier today came from the University of Louisville.   Believe it or not Carlos Hurt has been kicked off the team.   Actually we've been hearing for some time that Hurt may not be at Louisville next season, so there was an obvious need for the Cardinals to bring in a quality point guard in this recruiting class.  However, when 6'4 Prileu Davis from Phoenix (JC) AZ made a verbal commitment to the Cardinals earlier this week, we didn't look for it to only take four days for Hurt to be out.  Why Hurt is following in the footsteps of Brandon Bender, who was kicked off the team in late January, is a mystery?  But we do know that Hurt had narrowed his list of schools to Arizona and Louisville prior to picking the Cardinals in June during the summer prior to his senior year.  The key as to whether Hurt transfers to Arizona will likely be whether Josh Pastner, who currently has an administrative position with the Wildcats, remains on the staff.   Remember, Pastner is one of the hot young guys in the business and, as a result, is on the fast track in terms of moving up the coaching ladder.   One possibility would be for Pastner to move into a full-time assistant coaching position at Arizona, if Jay John, who is the #1-ranked assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, gets a head coaching job this spring.  Another possibility would be if Pastner gets an assistant coaching job at another top level school.  And, if that happens, don't be surprised if Hurt transfers to that school.   A third possibility would be for Pastner to get the head coaching job at Prairie View A&M and, if that happens, Hurt playing for the Panthers isn't as farfetched as you might think.  If you will recall, Hurt, who at the time attended high school at Alief (Elsik-Alief) TX, played the basketball of his life for the Houston Hoops two summers ago.  And the head coach of his team was Josh Pastner!  In other words, wherever Pastner goes, Hurt is likely to follow.  However, there is always the chance that Pastner will remain in his current position for another year or two at Arizona and, if that happens, Texas A&M becomes the odds-on-favorite.  Rememeber, Hurt is close friends with 6'4 Marcus Watkins from College Station (Consolidated) TX, who not only signed with the Aggies last fall, but whose father, Melvin Watkins, is the head coach at Texas A&M. 

Thursday, March 21, 2002

For all those people who didn't know when I recently asked where to find an official list of Division I Coaching Changes, you can find one on CNN/SI's web site at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/news/2002/03/12/coaching_changes/.   And upon checking our unofficial tally against the official list it is obvious that the openings at Alcorn State, Bethune-Cookman, Long Island, Prairie View A&M, and Wofford had all slipped through the cracks.  And when you add Washington and Wisconsin-Green Bay, both of which opened yesterday, the number of Division I Coaching Changes that have already occured  is now up to 28 and counting.  And only six (Albany with Will Brown, Florida State with Leonard Hamilton, Liberty with Randy Dunton, Long Island with Jim Ferry, Virginia Commonwealth with Jeff Capel III, and Wofford with Mike Young) of those job has already been filled.  In other words, there are 22 jobs (Alcorn State, Arkansas, Army, Bethune-Cookman, Boise State, Bradley, Chattanooga, College of Charleston, DePaul, Fresno State, Lehigh, Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee State, New Mexico, Norfolk State, Prairie View A&M, South Alabama, Texas Christian, UAB, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin-Green Bay) that are currently open, which means the ripple effect has hardly even began.  Like, who gets the Southern Illinois job, if Bruce Weber, who was the top assistant coach for Gene Keady at Purdue for 20 years, returns to his old stamping grounds?  Remember, it has been rumored that Keady is going to retire and Weber is now one of the hottest guys in the business after Salukis knocked off Texas Tech and Georgia in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.  Like, who Missouri, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Gonzaga, or Saint Louis will hire if Quin Snyder, Dan Monson, Ben Hawland, Mark Few, or Lorenzo Romar take the University of Washington job?  Like, who would get the Kent State job, if Stan Heath moves onto to someplace like Cincinnati job, if Bobby Huggins takes the West Virginia job?  The Huggins situation is especially interesting, because there is so much speculation out there right now.  If you will recall, we've been predicting for several weeks that Huggins will take the West Virginia job, but several days ago Digger Phelps was heard speculating on ESPN that Huggins was using this as bargaining ploy to get a better deal at Cincinnati.  Then, it seemed to tilt the other way yesterday when we started to hear the rumor that Huggins was going to take the West Virginia job, because he was getting forced out at Cincinnati.  Anybody who believes that Huggins is getting forced out after winning 25 games a year for seven consecutive seasons will probably believe that Tony Yates, who went 70-100 at Cincinnati during the six years prior to when the Huggins era began, is coming back for a second stint at the helm of the Bearcats.  There really are some people who will believe just about anything!  And today there was a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Gerry Dulac with headlines saying "Coaching:   Huggins won't return to coach" and "WVU Source:  Cincinnati coach reconsiders after meeting."  You can find the entire story by going to the Post-Gazette's web site, but the first two paragraphs are what is really important. "Bob Huggins, who appeared ready to leave the University of Cincinnati after 13 seasons to return to the town where he was born, played and coached, has apparently changed his mind and likely will not become the new head basketball coach at West Virginia, a source close to Huggins said last night.  After meeting with West Virginia officials the past two days, Huggins apparently decided against returning home and trying to rejuvenate a program that has longed for the glory days since the Jerry West era." We find this especially interesting, because we have several sources who don't think Huggins has decided one way or another.  But for the same reasons (Huggins has never been appreciated the way he should be at Cincinnati, an alumnus of West Virgina, and still maintains strong ties to West Virginia) we originally thought Huggins would leave Cincinnati, we still think it's only a matter of days before he becomes the next head coach of the Mountaineers.  Our guess is that an official announcement will be forthcoming early next week.  That way he will have a chance to tell his players, who will return from spring break on Sunday, and they won't have to hear about it on Sports Center.  We also suspect that Huggins will be able to recruit just as well at West Virginia as he did at Cincinnati.  As a matter of fact, we'd be surprised if 6'4 Tony Bobbitt, who is one top junior college players in the nation, and 6'2 Soph Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH, who is the best sophomore in the state of Ohio, both don't follow Huggins to West Virginia.  If you will recall, Bobbitt verbally committed to the Bearcats in early January, and Butler made an early commitment several weeks ago.  However, if we're wrong and Huggins remains at Cincinnati, University of Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey would be a tremendous consolation prize for the Mountaineers.  And, if Huggins takes West Virginia, how about Pelphrey for Cincinnati?  Unfortunately that isn't likely to happen, because we don't think the Bearcats will give a top level assistant coach a chance.  So you can probably also rule out Louisville assistant coach Mick Cronin, who might be the best candidate for the Cincinnati job, because he understands all the dynamics that make Cincinnati such a tough job, plus they wouldn't have to worry about any of the current players transferring.  Remember, Cronin, who was an assistant coach at Cincinnati prior to moving to Louisville a year ago, recruited all of Cincinnati's current players.  Instead, former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd appears to be the name we hear the most, if Huggins leaves.  We're also starting to hear Pelphrey's name for DePaul, but for that to happen he would first have to turn down South Alabama and find out that Huggins isn't taking West Virginia.  Assuming Pelphrey doesn't jump first at South Alabama (it has been offered to him), Winthrop head coach Gregg Marshall appears to next in line for the Jaguars.  The latest name we've heard for UAB is Arkansas assistant coach Mike Anderson and former Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Jerry West appears to be in line for the Atlanta Hawks job.  And that could be important for our purposes, because current Atlanta Hawks head coach Lon Kruger soon may be another candidate for some of the college coaches positions that will be opening.  We also believe that former Wisconsin head coach Dick Bennett's may have a lot to say about who gets the Wisconsin-Green Bay job.  The smart money is probably on Bennett's son, Tony Bennett, who is still an assistant coach at Wisconsin.  However, Saint Louis assistant coach Brad Soderberg also has several advantages.  Not only did Soderberg get the interim head coaching job when Bennett retired a year ago at Wisconsin, but we understand the athletic director at Wiscosin-Green Bay has Saint Louis ties.  But all bets are off regarding Soderberg going to Wisconsin-Green Bay, if Romar gets the Washington or Washington State job.  Apparently the Billikens are well aware that Soderberg has an extremely bright future and, as a result, appears to be Romar's heir apparent.  Believe it or not, we also have the perfect candidate for the Prairie View A&M job.  We're talking about Josh Pastner, who is one of the bright young guys in the business.  Pastner is currently in an administrative position at Arizona, but already has head coaching experience from his days with the Houston Hoops AAU team and it's obvious that he knows how to deal with all the egos, travel, and other intragaseies that go hand-in-hand with running a low level Division I program.  Remember, Louisville point guard Carlos Hurt, who finished the summer prior to his senior year ranked among our top five players nationally, has never come close to duplicating the consistency that he achieved while playing for Pastner and the Houston Hoops.

Wednesday, March 20, 2002

We are still waiting for our Linzy Davis to get his updated Georgia Report into our hands and he'd better hurry, because the drop dead date is Sunday, March 24th, unless he wants to wait until May.  Remember, all hell is about to break loose beginning next week, as Tuesday, March 26th, I'll be in Chicago, IL for the Sonny Vaccaro Roundball Classic; Wednesday, March 27th, through Tuesday, April 2nd, I'll be in Atlanta, GA for the NCAA Final Four; Thursday, April 4th, I'll be in New York, NY for the McDonald's All-American Game; Friday, April 5th, through Monday, April 8th, I'll be in Las Vegas, NV for both the Pump and Run Eastern Classic and Las Vegas Desert Shootout; Thursday, April 11th, I'll be in Washington, DC for the Jordan Capital Classic; Friday, April 12th, and Saturday, April 13th, I'll be in Louisville, KY  for the Derby Classic; Friday, April 19th, through Sunday, April 21st, I'll be Louisville, KY for the Hoop Stars Classic; Friday, April 26th, through Sunday, 28th, I'll be in Houston, TX  for the Kingwood Classic; and Friday, May 3rd, through Sunday, May 5th, I'll be in Ft. Wayne, IN for the Spiece Run'N Slam All-Star Classic.  In other words, traveling, watching games, and writing about the latest recruiting news and coaching changes are going to occupy almost all of my attention for the next month-and-a-half.  However, we are at least half-way home regarding items that we've had on hold for a long time, as Wayne Simone's New England Report is finally ready for publication.  Included in this report are Simone's six five-man All-New England Teams, which include the top players regardless of class and position, my article: "Keeping Track of Who Belongs Where in New England," and Simone's ranking of the top 60 seniors, top 37 juniors, top 33 sophomores, and top 16 freshman, which can be found either by clicking on the link under the All-New England Teams or by clicking on Simone Ranks 'Em:  The Top High School Players In New England.

Tuesday, March 19, 2002

New Mexico head coach Fran Fraschilla resigned on Sunday, Bob Weltlich got bought out this morning by South Alabama, and Leonard Hamilton was named as the new head coach at Florida State this afternoon, but it's still kind of like the calm before the storm or the eye of the hurricane.  Currently we know of 21 jobs that have already opened (Albany, Arkansas, Army, Boise State, Bradley, College of Charleston, DePaul, Florida State, Fresno State, Lehigh, Liberty, Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee State, New Mexico, Norfolk State, South Alabama, Texas Christian, UAB, UT-Chattanooga, Virginia Commonwealth, and West Virginia), but with the ripple effect and the NCAA Final Four just around the corner that number could double and possibly even triple by the end of the spring.  We're already hearing former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd and Creighton head coach Dana Altman being mentioned for New Mexico.   Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey already appears to be a lock for South Alabama.  However, if Pelphrey doesn't take South Alabama, McNeese State head coach Tic Price, Winthrop head coach Greg Marshall, and Auburn assistant coach Mike Wilson appear to be some of the next guys in line.  Getting back to Pelphrey, he may not be in any big hurry to make a decision about South Alabama, because it looks like he's #2 on the list for the West Virginia job behind Cincinnati's Bobby Huggins.  Remember, Huggins not only played at West Virginia, but also was a graduate assistant coach for the Mountaineers.   As a matter of fact, retiring head coach Gale Catlett fired Huggins from his graduate assistant position and, as a result, there has been bad blood between the two ever since.  Making the story even more intriguing is the fact that Huggins eventually followed Catlett at Cincinnati and now he has a chance to replace him at West Virginia.  Talk about poetic justice!  Florida State is the perfect fit for Hamilton.  Not only will he be able to recruit like crazy, but he likely will do what another former University of Kentucky assistant coach, Billy Donovan, has done at the University of Florida with the Gators.  We're talking about not only making the Seminoles one of the perennial powerhouse teams in college basketball, but also giving the fans something to look forward to between fall and spring football.  And Florida State isn't the only program that is on the rise in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference.  Did you know that Clemson head coach Larry Shyatt got a two-year contract extension last Friday?  In other words, his job is not only secure, but he's perfectly positioned to be in the same spot a year from now that N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek is in right now.  Remember, just about everybody will be back next year for the Tigers and that added year of experience can make a huge difference.  It's also only a matter of time before Paul Hewitt gets it done at Georgia Tech.  Not only did he land a top five player in the nation in 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX last fall, but he's been spending a lot of time in New York City laying the groundwork for the future with guys like 5'11 Soph Sebastian Telfair and 6'9 Jr Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY.  And don't forget about Wake Forest, which has some excellent young players in the program, like 6'9 Jamal Levy and 6'8 Vytas Danelius, as well as another excellent recruiting class in the fold, and Virginia, which should be dramatically improved with the return of Majestic Mapp, who has been sidelined for two years due to injuries, and the addition of Todd Billet, both at point guard.  In other words, it could be another tough season for North Carolina next year, because the rest of the league is going to get real good real fast.  Sure, the Tar Heels will be as good as anybody at the one, two, and the three spots with 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, 6'4 Rashad McCants from New Hampton (Prep) NH, Melvin Scott, and Jawad Williams.  However, 6'8 Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN promises to be their only quality inside player, plus it's tough to win in the Atlantic Coast Conference when your top six players are all freshmen and sophomores.  Given time we're sure head coach Matt Doherty will get it done in a big way, but we hope Tar Heels fans realize that it may take more than just one more year to totally turn things around.  Speaking of the Tar Heels, we've heard rumors about 6'6 Jackie Manuel wanting to transfer, plus 6'2 Brian Morrison has already asked for and been granted his release to transfer from North Carolina.  Our guess is that Morrison will end up at either Gonzaga or Washington. 

We have confirmed that Jeff McMillan and Adrian Walton both have been granted their releases from Fordham University, plus our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio thinks it's only a matter of time before Fordham's Smush Parker enters his name into the NBA Draft.  If that weren't enough turmoil for the Rams after a disasterous 8-20 season, we also continue to hear rumors about Fordham University head coach Bob Hill taking an assistant coaching position with the Denver Nuggets.  However, sources close to the Fordham program tell us that Hill has no plans to leave.  Instead, the only change appears to be the type of players they're recruiting.  Obviously a big part of the problem has been that the players were more concerned about their future in the NBA than  helping the Rams win basketball games.  So now the coaching staff is targeting players who they think will embrace the all the little things that will help build a strong foundation.  Mark Jarrell-Wright, Glen Batemon, and Michael Haynes, who are already in the program, will provide a good nucleus, plus 6'2 John Blackgrove from Winchendon (School) MA who signed last fall, is a good start in what now promises to be a good five-man recruiting class.  We also understand the Rams are close to getting verbal commitments from 6'8 Manny Messy from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ and 6'8 Joe Holmes from Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NC, plus they are targeting a point guard who can make an immediate impact, like 6'1 Jermaine Anderson from Toronto, ON, 6'0 Carl Elliott from Pauling (Trinity Pauling) NY, 5'11 Jose Juan Barea from Miami (Christian) FL, and 5'10 Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY, and a big man, most likely somebody from abroad.  Getting back to the two players who are transferring from Fordham, it looks like Pittsburgh is the leader over Villanova and St. John's for McMillan and Iona has the inside track on Walton.  And Fordham isn't the only school targeting Elliott, as he appears to be the subject of an intense recruiting battle that also includes George Washington, Marquette, and Manhattan.  Another prime target for Manhattan is 6'3 Sheldon Franklin from Laurinburg (Institute) NC and, if head coach Bobby Gonzalez can add both Franklin and Elliott to a recruiting class that already includes 5'8 Kenny Minor from Winchendon (School) MA, he should able to continue the dramatic improvement he's made in the program during his three season as head coach of the Jaspers (during the Gonzalez era Manhattan has gone from losing 20 games a year to winning 20 games a year).  In other words, don't be surprised if Gonzalez  not only is one of the hottest coaches in the nation a year from now, but follows in the footsteps of Villanova head coach Jay Wright, as Gonzalez waits for the right big time job in the Northeast to open.  How about Temple, if Owls head coach John Chaney retires a year from now, St. John's, if Mike Jarvis moves onto the NBA, or Rutgers, if Gary Waters goes back to the Midwest for a job like Purdue or DePaul?  Speaking of DePaul, the latest list seems to include Houston head coach Ray McCallum, Ball State head coach Tim Buckley, and Michigan State assistant coach Brian Gregory.  However, we continue to hear rumors about Indiana head coach Mike Davis being interested in the Blue Demons job.  We also still think Alabama assistant T.R. Dunn is the leading candidate to replace Murry Bartow at UAB, but Missouri assistant coach Tony Harvey, Cincinnati assistant coach Andy Kennedy, and Marquette assistant coach Darin Horn all either have ties to the school or to the Deep South and are ranked among the top assistant coaches in the business by the HOOP SCOOP.   Oklahoma assistant coach Ray Lopes appears to be in line for the Boise State job and Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson, Western Kentucky head coach Dennis Felton, and former Arkansas head coach Nolan Richardson are some of the names we're hearing for the Arkansas job.  Yes, it appears that Richardson may be on the verge of getting his old job back.  At least the president of the school is thinking about and, if he caves in, it is our editorial opinion that he will become just as infamous as Indiana University president Myles Brand after he allowed Bob Knight to remain at IU two years ago once the Neil Reid video tape was made public.  In other words, it would be better for both the University of Arkansas and Richardson, if he moved on and got a chance to make a fresh start.  We also hear that Kansas assistant coach Neil Dougherty has returned for a second interview at Texas Christian, so don't be surprised when Dougherty, who is ranked as the #2 assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, gets the TCU job.

It is now official for 6'4 Prileu Davis from Phoenix (JC) AZ, who made a verbal commitment to the University of Louisville last night.   Davis is not ranked among the top junior college point guards on any of the lists we've seen, but he has come on like gangbusters this spring and, as a result, was one of the top two junior college point guards still available, along with 5'11 Ricky Clemons from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who appears to be close to making a verbal commitment of his own to the University of Missouri.  This commitment is significant, because it moves Louisville's recruiting class, which also includes 6'10 Kendall Dartez from Vincennes (JC) IN, 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'3 Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, up from #16 into a tie at #8, along with Memphis, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  And if you were to count 6'10 Marvin Stone, who transferred from the University of Kentucky to the University of Louisville in January, the Cardinals recruiting class would be tied for #2, along with Iowa State.  However, it has always been the HOOP SCOOP's policy not to count transfers when ranking recruiting classes, even though they do count towards the number of players a school can bring in over a two-year period (five one-year and four the next).  The University of Louisville also is involved with a number of the top juniors in the nation, including 6'9 Jr Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who is ranked #21 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP on our  updated list of the Top Players in the Class of 2003.  And this came as somewhat of a surprise when Nate Blue of RealScout.com told us this on our radio show Sunday night.  We'd always been told that Villanueva and Garcia, who signed with the Cardinals last fall, were rivals.  However, in this case it looks like blood is thinker than water (both players are from the same country).   Blue also told us that Villanueva is considering Tennessee, Kentucky, St. John's, Syracuse,  Seton Hall, and Villanova.  Speaking of Villanova, it looks like the Wildcats are the leader for Villanueva and this is especially significant coming on the heels of signing four of the top six seniors in the New York Metropolitan area last fall in 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'3 Randy Foye from Newark (East Side) NJ, 6'1 Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, and 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY.  And, if that weren't enough, Blue also tells us that Villanova is very strong with the 7'3 Jr Shagari Alleyne from New York (Rice) NY, who is ranked #16 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'9 Jr Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, who is ranked #27 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   In other words, Villanova's recruiting incredible dominance in the New York City area continues!

Monday, March 18, 2002

The irony of it all!  A week ago we were speculating on whether the University of Kentucky and UCLA jobs might open this spring.   Well, we still think Kentucky will open, because Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith is expected to land a head coaching job in the NBA, most likely Philadelphia 76ers.  But now Smith, who is a much better coach than most Wildcat fans have recently given him credit for being, will be able to go out on his own terms after what was a very frustrating regular season.  And should Smith, who is ranked #10 on our Exclusive Ranking of the Top 25 Head Coaches in the College Game Today, knock off Maryland in the semi-finals of the NCAA East Regional on Friday night, he would be able to once again write his own ticket.  Remember, Smith already has one NCAA Final Four on his resume and the talent this his Wilcats team is every bit as good as Maryland's.  Instead, the question all season long at Kentucky had been chemistry and off-the-court issues.   UCLA's Steve Lavin is in the same boat.  UCLA fans have been on his case for years, because he loses meaningless games in December against teams like Cal State-Northridge and Pepperdine, but in March he's silenced his critics, as he's gone to the NCAA Sweet 16 five out of his six years as head coach of the Bruins.  Making the story even more intriguing is the fact Missouri's Quin Synder, who also has rebounded from mediocre Big-12 Conference season, has been one of the names that UCLA fans have been tossing around as Lavin's possible successor.  While that should give Lavin and his team plenty of motivation in Thursday night's semi-finals game in the West Regional against Missouri, Synder won't need any extra motivation to get Kareem Rush, Travon Bryant, and Wesley Stokes ready to play.  If you will recall, Lavin didn't make Bryant a recruiting priority until it was too late and he never had any interest in Stokes, whose first choice all along was UCLA, at all.  And Rush's older brother, JaRon Rush, who was disqualified from playing most of his sophomore year due to recruiting violations stemming from his days with the CMH's 76ers and Myron Pigge, played at UCLA prior to going hardship into the NBA Draft following his sophomore season.  In other words, these aren't the typical underdogs that you'd find in the NCAA Sweet 16.  Instead, these are powerhouse teams that have underachieved all season, but suddenly have gotten a chip on their shoulder and appear ready to make a serious run deep into the NCAA Tournament.  While some teams have played their hearts out all season long and don't have much left for a sustained run in March, teams like Kentucky, UCLA, and Missouri suddenly appear to be fresh and rejuvenated again.  Not only is all this ironic, but it presents us with a very interesting "Question of the Day" .  If you are one of the best teams in the nation and you're likely to get into the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens during the regular season, is it better to push your team all season long and attempt to get the highest seed possible in the tournament (i.e. Cincinnati and Alabama)?  Or is it better not to worry too much about the regular season and focus more on getting your team ready for the NCAA Tournament?  Maybe even losing in the first round (i.e. UCLA, and Kentucky) or second round (i.e. Missouri) of your conference tournament would be a good idea, because it would give your team an extra couple of days to rest and prepare for the games that really matter later in the month of March. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has the scoop on an early verbal commitment that was made to Valparaiso earlier today by 6'2 Jr Jimmy Miles from Homewood (Christian) IL.  Miles, who is ranked #159 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is the third player in the Class of 2003 to have made an early verbal commitment to the Crusaders.  If you will recall, 6'8 Jr Kenneth Harris from Hammond (Bishop Noll) IN, who is ranked #22 nationally in the junior class on our updated list of the Top Players in the Class of 2003, made one of the earliest commitments ever when he announced for the Crusaders prior to the start of his sophomore year a-year-and-a-half ago, and 6'6 Jr Oumar Sylla from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is ranked #89 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, committed to the Valparaiso in December.  In other words, the Crusaders continue to recruit like they are a member of the Big-10 Conference, instead of the Mid-Continent Conference.  Remember, a year ago their recruiting class was ranked #29 nationally with only three recruits - 6'4 Antonio Falu from San Jacinto (JC) TX, 6'3 Stalin Ortiz from Twin Rivers (JC) IA, and 6'6 Ali Berdiel from Gary (Andrean) IN.  And the Crusaders aren't done yet, because they still have two more scholarships to give, perhaps to foreign players.  Remember, Valparasio assistant coach Scott Drew recruits internationally like Mick Cronin recruits in the United States (he's everywhere).  And with the limitations on events that college coaches can attend domestically, you can bet Drew will be heading to Europe to attend the Albert Schweitzer Games in Germany, as well as three other 18-under European qualifying tournaments from which the top teams will advance to the European National Tournament in Germany in July.  Speaking of the Albert Schweitzer Games, which will be held in Manheim, Germany, April 1st-6th, the American Team will include 6'3 Jr J.R. Reynolds from Roanoke (Catholic) VA, 6'3 Soph Ramon Sessions from Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC, 6'10 Kevin Pittsnogle from Martinsburg (H.S.) WA, 6'6 Jr Elijah Clarke from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'4 Jr Dane Bradshaw from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6'9 Jr Ekene Ibekwe from Carson (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Brandon Bowman from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'4 Jr Joshua Washington from Bay St. Louis (St. Stanislaus) MS, 6'5 Alex Spotts from Lexington (H.S.) SC, 6'2 David Cantor from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, and two European dependants (Travis Wesley and Thomas Whinnell.  You get all the highlights from the Albert Schweitzer Games beginning on April 2nd at www.usastteam.com.  Speaking of Cronin and the University of Louisville, rumor has it that 6'4 Prileu Davis from Phoenix (College) AZ has verbally committed to the Cardinals.  However, as was in the case of 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Regional Valley) NJ, this is unconfirmed.  Our guess is that just like Cooke, Davis may have told the Cardinals coaching that he wants to come, but no official announcement has been forthcoming.  So how good is Davis?  Well, Jeff Schneider, who is  now one of the foremost authorities on junior college players in the nation, thinks he's one of the top two unsigned junior point guards available.  Not only can Davis shoot, pass, and handle, but he has been attracting interest from schools like Kansas, Minnesota, and New Mexico after having recenlty having 32, 47, and 49-point games.   So, if this does hold up, it looks like Cardinals have solved their point guard question mark for next year.  If you will recall, 6'2 Carlos Hurt, who has yet to duplicate the way he played for the Houston Hoops prior to the summers before his junior year and senior year in high school, remains a question mark after being lost for the season due to back problems, plus his replacement, Bryant Northern, isn't more than a good role player on a top level college team. 

Sunday, March 17, 2002

Believe it or not, 13 of the top 225 players in the Class of 2003 have already made verbal commitments to four-year Division I schools.  We're talking about 6'8 Jr Kennth Harris from Hammond (Bishop Noll) IN to Valparaiso, 6'10 Stefan Zimmerman from Orem (Mountain View) UT to Utah, 6'3 Jr J.R. Reynolds from Roanoke (Catholic) VA to Virginia, 6'9 Jr Darian Townes from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC to Georgetown, 6'8 Jr Ivan Harris from Springfield (South) OH to Ohio State, 6'10 Jr Jermaine Bell from Virginia Beach (Coastal Carolina) VA to St. John's, 6'6 Jr Oumar Sylla from Centerreach (Our Savior New American) NY to Valparaiso, 6'0 Jr Ben Luber from Newtown (Council Rock) PA to Penn State, 6'3 Jr Robert McIver from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC to Georgetown, 6'4 Jr Dane Bradshaw from Memphis (White Station) TN to Tennessee, 6'4 Jr Michael Henderson from Waterloo (East) IA to Iowa State, 6'3 Jr Jordan Howell from Madison (Bob Jones) AL to Georgia, and Phil Tomlinson from Burleson (H.S.) TX to Colorado State.  To find out where each of these players is ranked, as well as all the rest of the players who are on our updated list of the Top 225 Players in the Class of 2003, click on Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2003.     While there aren't a lot of significant changes from our last ranking of the Top Players in the Class, which came out in November, 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX and 6'3 Jr Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL are the two who have moved into the top echelon of the class.  Ebi checks in at #2 and McBride is now #12 in the class.   The best position at the top of the class is the center spot, which features eight players - 6'10 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, 6'10 Jr Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, 7'3 Jr Shagari Alleyne from New York (Rice) NY, 6'11 Jr David Padgett from Reno (H.S.) NV, Harris, 6'11 Jr Darryl Watkins from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'9 Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, and Zimmerman - among the top 30 players nationally.  However, the center spot is still the weakest position in terms of depth, as only 31 centers are listed among our top 225 nationally.  The deepest positions are the point guard and the wing forward spots, which both have 50 players listed among  our top 225, followed by the 2-guard spot with 48 players and the power forward spot with 46 players.  In contrast, the point guard spot is clearly the weakest position at the top of the class, as only four players at that position - 6'7 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 6'3 Jr Mustafa Shukar form Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'0 Brandon Cotton from Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI, and 5'11 Jr Taurean Minor from Houston (Washington) TX - are ranked among our top 30 nationally.  Three states (Texas, Mississippi, and California) account for two players each among our top 10.   California also has the most players listed among the top 50 (six) and the top 100 (12), but if you combine New Jersey, which nine players, and New York, which has five players listed among our top 100, those two states collectively come out on top.  And the same can be said about the DC/Maryland/Virginia area, which collectively also have 12 players ranked among our top 100.  When looked at separately Maryland and Virginia both have five players each behind (California (12 players), New Jersey (nine players), Texas (seven players) and Michigan (six players).  In contrast, Michigan and Illinois are the only two states with three players ranked among our top 20, while New Jersey is the only state with four players ranked among our top 25. 

Saturday, March 16, 2002

The tentative rosters for the Derby Classic All-Star Game, which will be held in Louisville, KY on Saturday, April 13th, are about to be released and we understand the Purple Team will include 6'1 Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 6'1 Gerry McNamara from Scranton (Bishop Hannan) PA, 6'3 Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, 6'5 Dan Grunfeld from Glendale (Nicolet) WI, 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'9 Steve Novak from Brown Deer (H.S.) WI, 6'7 Eric Hicks from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'8 Yusef Baker from Orlando (Evans) FL, 6'8 Almany Thiero from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'9 Ike Diogu from Garland (H.S.) TX.  The White Team will include 5'9 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY, 6'1 C.J. Watson from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'7 Antoine Wright from Groton (Lawrence) MA, 6'3 Anthony Winchester from Austin (H.S.) IN, 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, 6'5 Jonathan Modica from Smackover (H.S.) AR, 6'9 Bernard Cote from Montreal (Chaplain-St. Lambert) QU, 6'7 Mario Boggan from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'10 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, and 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK.  While there is not one McDonald's All-American in the game, Shelden Williams is ranked #5, Wright is ranked #16, McNamara was ranked #18, Bookout is ranked #24, Deron Williams is ranked #29, and Diogu is ranked #40 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and Boggan, Garcia, and Thiero are three of the top 5th school players in the nation.  In other words, almost half the players in the game are the equivalent of being ranked among our top 40 nationally or higher.   And the icing on the cake would be if they get 6'2 Marshall Strickand from Sykesville (South Carroll) MD, who is the #3-ranked 5th year player by the HOOP SCOOP, as well as a legit top 20 player nationally, if you include 5th year players with seniors in high school.  What makes getting Strickland so important is the fact that he has signed with Indiana University and that sells tickets, because Bloomington, IN is only a 100 miles away.  The University of Louisville with Dean and Garcia and the University of Kentucky with Stockton and Cote will also have a pair of recruits in game.  In addition to  Dean and Garcia, Conference USA will be represented by four other players in Hicks (Cincinnati) Thiero (Memphis), Novak (Marquette), and Baker (South Florida).  The Southeastern Conference with Stockton and Cote both to Kentucky, Watson to Tennessee, Modica to Arkansas, and Boggan to Florida will have five representatives, while the Big-12 with Bookout to Oklahoma and Wright to Texas A&M and the Pacific-10 with Diogu to Arizona State and Grunfeld to Stanford each have two players and the Big-10 with Deron Williams to Illinois, the Big East with McNamara to Syracuse, Atlantic Coast Conference with Williams to Duke, and the Sun Belt with Winchester to Western Kentucky all will have one player in the game.  The only player in the game who is currently unsigned is Azubuike, but we believe the University of Kentucky is close to getting a verbal commitment.  

Friday, March 15, 2002

Everybody talks about all the upsets in the NCAA Tournament, but the higher seeded team won 25 times in the 32 first round games yesterday and today.  And not all of these so-called upsets were that hard to pick.  As a matter of fact, we had three of them when we made our NCAA predictions on Sunday night.  If you will recall, we had #11 Southern Illinois beating #6 Texas Tech, #10 Kent State beating #7 Oklahoma State, and #12 Missouri beating #5 Miami-FL.  However, we didn't see the other two #12 seeds that beat the #5 seeds coming.  We're talking about Tulsa over Marquette and Creighton over Florida, plus, like most people, we didn't know that UNC-Wilmington was going to knock off Southern Cal in overtime and Wyoming was going to take the slipper away from Gonzaga and become Cinderella.  We also missed when N.C. State beat Michigan State, Wake Forest beat Pepperdine, Charlotte beat Notre Dame, and UCLA beat Mississippi.   So when we add everything in up we got 24 of the 32 first round games right.   In other words, if we'd just picked the higher seeded team in every game, we would have actually been one ahead of the game.  And that's one of the keys to winning pools - don't beat yourself in the early rounds.  However, even more important, we only have two teams (Marquette beating Kentucky in the second round and Michigan State going all the way to the final eight) that lost in the first round going any further in the tournament.   So potentially we can still get 14 games right in the second round, seven games right in the third round, four games right in the regional finals, and all of the Final Four games correct.  And I wouldn't change a thing the rest of the way, except I really think Stanford has the ability to knock off Kansas tomorrow.  No, I'm not jumping on the bandwagon that says Kansas head coach Roy Williams can't go deep into the tournament.  As a matter of fact, Williams, who guided the Jawhawks all the way to the NCAA Title game in 1991 and the NCAA Semi-Finals in 1993, is one of only seven head coaches to advance to the NCAA Final Four more than once during the last dozen years.  Duke's Mike Krzyzewski head's the list with six appearances (from 1990 to 2001) in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1999, and 2001, followed by Arizona's Lute Olson with three appearances in 1994, 1997, and 2001; Louisville's Rick Pitino with three appearances in 1993, 1996, and 1997; Michigan State's Tom Izzo with three appearances in 1999, 2000, and 2001; former Arkansas head coach Nolan Richardson with three appearances in 1990, 1994, and 1995; San Diego State's Steve Fisher with two appearances while he was at Michigan in 1992 and 1993 (Fisher also won the NCAA Championship at Michigan in 1989), and Fresno State's Jerry Tarkanian with two appearances while he was at UNLV in 1990 and 1991.  And Cincinnati's Bobby Huggins, Maryland's Gary Williams, Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, Kentucky's Tubby Smith, Georgia's Jim Harrick, Ohio State's Jim O'Brien, and Stanford's Mike Montgomery can join this elite group with three more wins in this year's NCAA Tournament.  Instead, we just think Stanford has all the pieces necessary to go deep into the tournament.   However, The Cardinal obviously will have to become consistent than they were during the regular season.  

Earlier this week we told you that we'd been hearing rumors that 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christan) OK has verbally committed to the University of Kentucky.  Well, now we think it's more than just a rumor.  As a matter of fact, Azubuike's father has told somebody close to the HOOP SCOOP that it's a done deal.  However, before Kentucky fans get too excited remember two things.  First Azubuike has already made one verbal commitment this year.  If you will recall, he committed to the University of Oklahoma last fall, but later changed his mind after his older brother, who was a walk-on for the Sooners, quit the team.  Second, Azubuike's father is clueless and, as a result, there is still a distinct psssibility that this strong athletic slasher who lacks a consistent outside shot will enter his name into the NBA Draft.  While we think this would be a tragic mistake, it won't be Azubuike's only chance to make it life.  Did you know that he has a 4.0 gpa in the classroom.  We also continue to hear that 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC is thinking about entering his name NBA Draft this spring.   While that's not as ridiculous as Azubuike thinking about going straight to the league, it's still pretty ridiculous.  Obviously Randolph still thinks he's one of the top seniors in the nation, but we don't.  Sure, he's extremely skilled, but he's also very fragile, which is exactly what you don't want to be if you're planning on getting any playing time in the NBA.  Instead, we still think the Joey Beard and Chris Burgess comparisons are in order.  We also expect 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cyrpess Creek) FL, 6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Valley Regional) NJ, and 6'9 Sani Ibrahim from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to enter their names into the NBA Draft, but with the exceptions of Stoudemire and Collins, we  would say no thanks, if we were a NBA General Manager drafting in the mid-to-late first round.  Last week Towson State got a verbal commitment from 6'5 Cilk McSweeney from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT and now the Tigers have added 6'4 Andrius Petkunas from Creedmore (Christian Faith Center) NC.  Both are wing forwards who can shoot the lights out, but McSweeney is more athletic and better defensively, while Petkunas is stronger physically and more skilled offensively. 

If you will recall, we've been telling you for almost two weeks that Fresno State head coach Jerry Tarkanian would retire at the conclusion of the season.  Well, he made it official today!  We're also being told that New Orleans head coach Monte Towe has not interviewed for the Florida State job (this was something we had reported two days ago).  However, the extremely popular former University of Florida assistant coach, has been in Tallahassee, FL several times recently to see his stepdaughter, who is a student at Florida State, and for junior college and high school state tournament games.  In other words, it looks like Towe may be on the verge of landing several of the top unsigned seniors in the state, but a source close to the situation tells us that Towe hasn't been contacted nor has he shown any interest in the Florida State job.  But the same can't be said about former Washington Wizards head coach Leonard Hamilton and Indiana head coach Mike Davis, who is one of the leading candidates for National Coach-of-the-Year.  Apparently Davis has shown interest in the Florida State, Arkansas, and DePaul jobs and we can't blame him, because he's still living in the shadow of Bob Knight at Indiana.  Whether Davis will actually the make the move or use this to get a better long term deal with the Hoosiers is anybody's guess.  However, if the Indiana job does open, we still think the smart move would be for the Hoosiers to go hard after Iowa head coach Steve Alford.  Sure, Alford had a tough season with the Hawkeyes, but he is still one of the bright young guys in the business, as well as the most popular Indiana player of all time.  We also are hearing Michigan State assistant coach Brian Gregory's name being mentioned for DePaul, but the word on the street is they want to hire a black head coach, because they think that will help them do better job recruiting in the Chicago Public League.  It also looks like Illinois assistant coach Billy Gillespie is a lot stronger for Texas Christian than we realized.  And how about Charlotte assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry for the Lehigh job?  Not only is he one of the bright young guys in the business, but he previously was the top assistant coach at Holy Cross where he helped Ralph Willard the team, which played Kentucky tough a year ago and gave Kansas a major scare last night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  So obviously Nickelberry is already extremely familar with the Patriot League. 

Thursday, March 14, 2002

When I have seen a player on numerous occasions over a number of years and I strongly disagree with where one of my state or area editors have a player ranked, should I edit it to correspond to our national rankings or should I leave it alone and point out that we just agree to disagree?  This is such a good question that I am going to make it our "Question Of The Day" for tomorrow.  It is also interesting to see how different people react when I point out there are differences of opinion and, as a result, attempt to stimulate debate.  As a matter of fact, some of our correspondents have gotten upset when I have done this in the past.  However, our Michigan Editor Steve Bell is not somebody on that list.  Instead, Bell, who has a tremendous talent for combining journalism with evaluating high school basketball players, understands the importance of debate and differing opinions in a free and democratic society.  I bring all this up, because his Michigan Report is ready for publication.   To get his comments about the top players in each class and his six five-man all-state teams regardless of class and position, click on Michigan Report, and to get his ranking of the top 100 seniors, top 100 juniors, top 76 sophomores, top 38 freshmen, top five 8th graders, and one outstanding 6th grader, click on our Bell Ranks 'Em:   The Top Prep Players in Michigan.  I also bring this up, because I strongly disagree with where Bell has 6'8 Matt Trannon from Flint (Northern) MI on his list of seniors.  If you will recall, last summer we had Trannon ranked #11 at the adidas ABCD Camp.  Not only did we love this big time athlete's willingness get after every rebound and not take any prisoners inside, but he also impressed us by hitting some 3-point shots and handling it away from the basket.   In other words, we think he has the potential to develop into a wing forward down the road.  So it should come as no surprise that Trannon is currently ranked #25 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And actually that might be too low.  In other words, if he concentrated exclusively on basketball, we think he'd be a pro.  Well, he will be, but not on the hardwood.  Instead, Trannon's best sport is football and, as is the case with so many two-sport athletes, we question whether most people are willing to give Trannon his due on the basketball court.  In Bell's case, he has Trannon ranked #6 in the state behind 6'11 Paul Davis from Rochester (H.S.) MI, 6'2 Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, 6'4 Ricardo Billings from Detroit (Rogers) MI, 6'4 Maurice Ager from Detroit (Crockett) MI, and 6'6 Lester Abram from Pontiac (Northern) MI.  Making the story even more interesting is the fact that Vince Baldwin and John Stovall of Michigan Prep Spotlight agree with Bell, as they have Davis, Roberson, Abram, Billings, Ager, and Trannon ranked in that order.   However, Chris Grier, who coached Roberson, Trannon, and Ager on the Michigan Hurricanes last summer, agrees with me.  What do you think?  You can tell us in our "Question Of The Day" for Saturday, March 16th.

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio saw New York (Rice) NY beat Bronx (All Hallows) NY, 62-57, last night to win the New York City CHSAA (Catholic High School Athletic Association) Championship.   Tournament MVP honors went to 7’3 Jr Shagari Alleyne from New York (Rice) NY, who scored 30 points versus Middle Village (Chris the King) NY in the quarter-finals, 17 points versus Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY in the semi-finals, and 25 points, as he went a perfect 12-12 from the field, against All Hallows in the championship game.  Especially noteworthy is the fact that North Carolina assistant coach Fred Quartlebaum was in attendance last night.  So was Seton Hall head coach Louie Orr.  Naclerio doesn't have an early list of schools for Alleyne, but we also know that Alleyne is a prime target for the University of Louisville, because Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino has been in New York City several times to see him play.  In other words, when the head coach starts showing up, you know that a school has serious interest.   Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Drexel has gotten a pair of verbal commitments within the last 24 hours from 6'8 Jermaine Miller from Cornwell on Hudson (Storm King) NY and 6'0 David Hilton from Chipola (JC) FL.  The Dragons beat out George Mason and Niagara for Miller, who previously played at New York (Frederick Douglas) NY, and Hofstra for Hilton, who played a year ago as a freshman at the University of Hawaii.  When added to the two players - 6'4 Kenell Sanchez from Pennsauken (Bishop Eustace) NJ and 6'9 Tim Tillman from Lynchburg (Episcopal Academy) VA - that Drexel signed last fall, the Dragons recruiting class moves into a tie for the #2 spot in the tough Colonial Athletic Association, along with UNC-Wilmington, plus it just misses making our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  We also are wondering when (not if) Fresno State Jerry Tarkanian retires.  One more confirmation of this fact can last night when Temple John Chaney gave a speech on the court after the game congratulating Tarkanian on a great career.  If you will recall, guided the UNLV to the NCAA Final Four in 1977, 1987, 1990, and 1991.  He also won the NCAA Championship in 1990 and was well respected by most of his peers, because he was willing to stand up to the NCAA, he did not represent the status quo, and he always cared about his players even long after their playing days were over.  Tarkanian will retire as the third winningest active head coach in the game today with a 798-202 record.   And this will come right on the heels the announced retirement two days ago by College of Charleston head coach John Kresse, who is the second winningest active head coach in the game today with a 560-143 record.  As a result, Cincinnati's Bobby Huggins and Utah's Rick Majerus will move into second and third on the active head coaches list behind Kansas head coach Roy Williams. 

Wednesday, March 13, 2002

Originally we didn't think there would be that much job movement this spring in the college coaching ranks, but so far there have been at least 19 head coaching job openings (Albany, Arkansas, Army, Boise State, Bradley, College of Charleston, DePaul, Florida State, Lehigh, Liberty, Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee State, Norfolk State, Texas Christian, UAB, UT-Chattanooga, UT-Pan American, Virginia Commonwealth, and West Virginia).  We also didn't expect that many of the very elite jobs to become available, but there is a possibility that Kentucky, UCLA, and North Carolina could all open this spring.  We don't think the North Carolina job will open, despite the fact the Tar Heels were the overwhelming favorite in our Question Of The Day" for March 8th, which is "who has been the biggest disappointment in college basketball this season."    In other words, Tar Heels head coach Matt Doherty will get at least one more year.  We also hear that UCLA head coach Steve Lavin will get at least another year to turn his young team around, but a first round loss in the NCAA Tournament against Mississippi on Friday would be more than enough to make Lavin's life miserable.  As for Kentucky and Tubby Smith's future, we don't think it matters whether the Wildcats win or lose tomorrow against Valparaiso.  Our guess is that Smith will get the Philadelphia 76ers job when Larry Brown becomes the general manager of the team this spring.  And if that doesn't happen, there should be plenty of other NBA jobs, like the Toronto Raptors, that will look long and hard at hiring Smith.  Obviously the leading candidate for the University of Kentucky job will be Florida head coach Billy Donovan.    However, if Donovan decides not to take it, some of the names we're hearing as potential candidates include Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried, Marquette head coach Tom Crean, Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery, Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson, Utah head coach Rick Majerus, former Portland Trailblazers head coach Michael Dunleavy Sr, and former Denver Nuggets head coach Dan Issel.  Gottfried also is right at the top of the list of potential candidates, along with Majerus, Pittsburgh's Ben Howland, Gonzaga's Mark Few, and Pepperdine's Paul Westphal, for UCLA, if by some chance we're wrong and it does open this spring.   Other jobs where the head coach may be in trouble and, as a result, there could be an opening, include Clemson, Evansville, LSU, Marshall, Southern Miss, Texas A&M, Washington, and Washington State.  We also expect South Alabama to open any day.   We also look for Jerry Tarkanian to retire and that could happen as soon as tomorrow, if Temple beats Fresno State later tonight in the first round of the NIT.  Purdue could open if Gene Keady retires and likewise for Alcorn State, if Dave Whitney decides this is his last year.  Western Kentucky and Tennesssee Tech could both open if Dennis Felton and/or Jeff Lebo get the right job.  Saint Louis head coach Lorenzo Romar appears to in line for both Washington and Washington State and South Florida head coach Seth Greenberg would like to find a better job, perhaps Florida State.  Speaking of the Seminoles, we hear that New Orleans head coach Monte Towe interviewed for that job today.  We'd also be surprised if Hampton head coach Steve Merfeld doesn't move into a mid-major job this spring.  If all the things we've mentioned above do materialize, we be talking about 40 job opening and we haven't even gotten a lot of the ripple effect, like who would take over at Southern Illinois, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, if Bruce Weber, Kevin Stallings, or Gary Waters replaces Keady at Purdue.  And you can bet at least a couple of coaches will increase the value of their stock with a good showing in the NCAA Tournament.  A good example might be if Marquette beats Kentucky in the second round on Saturday.  Would an impressive win by the Golden Eagles against the Wildcats be enough to get Crean the Kentucky job, if Donovan turns it down? 

Tuesday, March 12, 2002

Michigan Hurricanes head coach Chris Grier called earlier today to clear up some things regarding a rumor that we reported yesterday.  If you will recall, we said "the word on the street is that Grier has worked out a package deal, whereby, 6'4 Brandon Jenkins from Detroit (Southeastern) MI and 6'9 Jr Walter Waters from Detroit (Southeastern) MI both go to Louisville.  Whether this is true or not is anybody's guess,...."  Grier tells us that the rumor isn't true for several reasons.   First, Waters is not currently being recruited by the University of Louisville.  Second, Grier says he isn't in the business of packaging players to any school.  However, Grier does confirm that the Cardinals are strong with the other three Michigan players - Jenkins, 6'4 Jr Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, and 6'5 Jr Olu Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI - that we had originally mentioned.  We also have confirmed that Louisville is still in the market for a good point guard.  As a matter of fact, just last night the Cardinals coaching staff brought 6'4 Prileu Davis from Phoenix (College) AZ onto campus for an official visit.  We couldn't find Davis' name on any of our lists of the top junior college players in the nation and we know that his team was mediocre at best this season.  However, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas A&M, UC-Irvine, and Arizona State have all shown interest in this combo guard who averaged 21.1 ppg and 4.3 apg.   We also have confirmed that Providence is the heavy favorite over Syracuse, Seton Hall, and Villanova for 6'7 Jr Demetrius Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI and an early commitment could be forthcoming in April.  Apparently Nichols has already been to Providence several times and Syracuse once unofficially and he plans to take visits to Seton Hall and Villanova within the next month. 

Hal Pastner, who is the director of the Houston Kingwood Classic, which will be April 26th-28th, is more than just a little excited, because the NCAA has extended the period college coaches can be out on the road recruiting until the last weekend in April and, as a result, Pastner already has his event sanctioned by the state of Texas.  In other words, this will be one of the few live AAU-like events, which college coaches will be able to attend this spring.  And the state of Texas appears to be one of the few states in the nation that appears willing to sanction events this spring.  So it should come as no surprise that John Eurey's adidas Texas Classic at Clear Lake High School in Clear Lake, TX, April 12th-14th, also has emerged into one of the premier events of the spring.  However, unlike the Houston Kingwood Classic, we will be unable to attend the adidas Texas Classic, because we have a conflict, whereby, we have to attend the Derby Classic in Louisville, KY.  We also plan to attend all of the other major spring all-star games, which are the Sonny Vaccaro Roundball Classic in Chicago, IL on Tuesday, March 26th; the NIKE Hoop Summit in Atlanta, GA on Sunday, March 31st; the McDonald's All-American Game in New York, NY on Thursday, April 4th; and the Jordan Classic in Washington, DC on Thursday, April 11th, plus we will be in Las Vegas, NV for the Pump and Run Eastern Classic and Las Vegas Desert Shootout, April 5th-7th; Louisville, KY for the Hoop Stars Classic, April 20th-21st; and in Ft. Wayne, IN for the Spiece Run'N Slam All-Star Classic, May 3rd-5th.  In addition to getting to see many of the top high school players in the nation this spring, it also will be interesting to see what happens with the 100-mile rule, whereby, no player can participate on a traveling team outside the state of their a legal residence, unless that team is based within 100 miles of the player's high school and/or legal residence.  In other words, a player from San Francisco, CA can go play for a team in Los Angeles, CA, because they're both in the same state.  However, a player from Phoenix, AZ can't, despite the fact it's about the same distance.  And a player from Miami, FL can go play for a team in Tallahassee, FL.  But a player from Mobile, AL can't play for a team in Tallahassee, FL, despite the fact that Mobile, AL is about half the distance that it is between Tallahassee, FL and Miami, FL.  Obviously the intent of the rule is to cut down on the amount of recruiting that goes by club teams, but what happens to the player who played on a team a year ago that is based in another state further than 100 miles from his legal residence?  As things stand now, the player's previous team isn't being grandfathered in and, as a result, the player is shit out of luck.  Unfortunately this is just more example of how the NCAA rules are more important than the people (in this case the players) they are supposed to govern and protect.  However, it should come as no surprise that the NCAA Rules are written to make things fair and equitable for their member instutitions and, more often than not, the student-athlete is the last person the NCAA is actually concerned about.  However, as is often the case with new NCAA legislation, the 100-mile rule will likely be challenged in the courts, loopholes will be found, and the rules will be bypassed.

Yesterday Murry Bartow resigned after six seasons as the head coach at UAB and Florida State made official by firing head coach Steve Robinson.  We've already reported that current University of Alabama assistant coach T.R. Dunn is the heavy favorite for the UAB job, but anything is possible at Florida State.  Former Washington Wizards head coach Leonard Hamilton, former Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins, former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd, former Portland Trailblazers head coach Mike Dunleavy, former Arkanas head coach Nolan Richardson, Charlotte head coach Bobby Lutz, Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, and Creighton head coach Dana Altman were the names mentioned by Michael Wallace in an article today in the Tallahassee Democrat.  We've also heard Auburn head coach Cliff Ellis, Providence head coach Tim Welsh, and Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey mentioned for the job.  And they'd all be excellent candidates.   But the guy they should hire is Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight.   If you will recall, a year ago Knight's name was being mentioned for the job, but Seminoles athletic director Dave Hart Jr. decided to give Robinson one more year to turn things around.  Not only is the president of the school at Florida State a long time of friend of Knight, but this would be the ultimate challenge for one of the great coaches in the history of the game.  We're talking about rebuilding a program at a football school in college basketball's toughest conference.  It also would give Knight the opportunity to go head-to-head two or three times a year against his former assistant coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is tied with Knight among active coaches with the most NCAA Championships.  And under this scenario the most successful of the two (Krzyzewski and Knight) during the next five-to-10 years could clearly establish himself as the best college coach since the John Wooden days at UCLA.  Obviously the Seminoles have the money necessary to lure Knight, who has to be one of the leading candidates for National Coach-of-the-Year, away from Texas Tech.  However, Knight's loyalty and longtime friendship with Red Raiders Gerald Myers may prohibit Knight from seeking a better job.  Remember, Myers took a chance on Knight a year ago when Knight was at the low point of his career.  Also Hart may be reluctant to offer somebody with Knight's baggage the job.  While Knight has done an incredible job this season at Texas Tech, it is still hard for some people forget all the problems he created over the years at Indiana University.  We also expect John Krease to retire this afternoon after 23 years as the head coach at College of Charleston and we continue to hear that Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins is going to go to West Virginia.  Not only is Huggins an alumnus of the school, but he has always said that West Virginia is one of the few jobs he's be interested in.  Plus he already has a vacation home on the side of a mountain in West Virginia.  We've already heard the Mountaineers have a $1.3 million dollar offer on the table, but our guess is that Huggins can pretty much name his own price.   Remember, Huggins is the only head coach in college basketball who has won 25 games or more during each of the last seven seasons.  However, if Huggins doesn't take the West Virginia job, University of Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey appears to be the leading candidate.  And how about Steve Smith, who is the head coach at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, VA?  We doubt they'd give the job to a high school coach, but, with the incredible record Smith has compiled at Oak Hill, VA (he's only lost 32 games in 16 years) and the job he's done bringing in the top high school players every year, maybe they should make an exception.

We think that Clemson head coach Larry Shyatt and his staff have done a great job recruiting the last several years and, as a result, that program will make the same type of jump into the upper half of the tough Atlantic Coast Conference next season that N.C. State did this year.  However, we continue to hear that Shyatt may not keep his job this spring and, if that happens, Tennessee Tech head coach Jeff Lebo, Western Kentucky head coach Dennis Felton, and Charlotte head coach Bobby Lutz would all be natural candidates to take over at Clemson.  And if that happens, somebody should hire Shyatt, who is one of the best up-and-coming guys in the business, as well as one of the best recruiters, real fast.  It also looks like only a matter of time before Kansas assistant coach Neil Dougherty gets the Texas Christian job and we continue to hear all kinds of names for the Arkansas job.  However, we hear that behind the scenes Nolan Richardson is trying to work a deal, whereby, his top assistant coach Mike Anderson gets the job.  It still may happen, but our guess is that if Richardson had stepped down quietly, Anderson would have had a much better shot.  However, we don't think this is a smart move anyway.  Obviously it is it time for a change in Fayetteville, AR, as is evident by the fact that the current regime hasn't continued to get it done in recent years the same way former Razorbacks assistant coach Scott Edgar did prior to when he left Arkansas to take over at Murray State in the spring of 1991.   If you will recall, Edgar, who later became the head coach at Duquesne and is now an assistant coach at Texas Christian, recruited all the players on the Todd Day-Lee Mayberry-Oliver Miller team that advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1990 and helped lay the foundation for the Corliss Williamson-Scotty Thurman group that won the NCAA Championship in 1994 and lost to UCLA in the title game in 1995.   Instead, it would probably be smart for Anderson to get a good mid-major job, prove himself as a head coach, and then move into a job like Arkansas four or five years from now.  Another job that is open is Norfolk State and it appears the three leading candidates for that job are Shawn University head coach Joel Hopkins, Hampton University assistant athletic director Zeke Avery, and George Mason assistant coach Bill Courtney.  Our choice would be Courtney.  Not only is Courtney one of the bright up-and-coming young guys in the business, but he has been a driving force behind the success Jim Larranaga has had a George Mason.  Besides, former Larranaga assistants (i.e. Hampton head coach Steve Merfeld and Kent State head coach Stan Heath at Kent State) have done extremely well as head coaches.  As a matter of fact, Merfeld was an assistant coach at Bowling Green during the Larranaga era.  We also hear that another former Larranaga assistant coach Jerry Francis, who is now an assistant coach at Houston, may be line for the Prairie View A&M job.  And how about David First, who is the ranked among the top 30 head coaches in the high school and prep school ranks by the HOOP SCOOP, following his star player - 6'10 Torin Francis, who signed with the Irish last fall, to Notre Dame.  However, for that to happen, either Anthony Solomon or Sean Kearney, both of whom should be on the fast track to get a head coaching job, would have to move this spring.

Monday, March 11, 2002

It looks like the rumors about the University of Louisville being especially strong with a number of the top players in the junior class in the state of Michigan are true.  We'd already heard that the Cardinals were trying to put together a package that would include 6'4 Jr Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'5 Jr Olu Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI, and 6'4 Jr Brandon Jenkins from Detroit (Southeastern) MI.  At first this came as a major surprise, because we thought Harris was a lock for the University of Michigan.  As a matter of fact, Harris previously had indicated to our Michigan editor Steve Bell that he plans to go Michigan.  But after doing some more checking, Bell informs us that he thinks the Cardinals may have a legitimate shot.  Not only was Harris, who is ranked as one of the top five juniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, born in the state of Kentucky, but  Louisville has made him a prime recruiting target, as is evident by the fact that Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino was at Redford's game on Friday night in Detroit, MI.  There also are several other interesting connections involving Cardinals associate head coach Mick Cronin.  If you will recall, Cronin was involved in a very intense recruiting battle when he was an assistant coach at Cincinnati a-year-and-a-half-ago for 6'4 Kelvin Torbert, who was Famitimi's teammate at Northwestern.  Cronin also has an excellent relationship via his adidas ties with Michigan Hurricanes head coach Chris Grier.  And that Cronin-Grier relationship could be important, especially when you add the latest rumor we've been hearing out of Detroit, MI.   The word on the street is that Grier has worked out a package deal, whereby, Jenkins and 6'9 Jr Walter Waters from Detroit (Southeastern) MI both go to Louisville.  Whether this is true or not is anybody's guess, but Waters who is ranked #6 in Michigan by Bell, would provide the Cardinals with the another big body inside and Jenkins, who is ranked #4 in the state by Bell, is exactly what the Cardinals need in the backcourt, because he can play either guard spot.  Remember, Louisville needs to sign a point guard either this spring or next fall.   However, at the same time, they want to keep a spot available for 5'11 Soph Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is the #1 ranked sophomore in the nation.  If you will recall, we've been reporting since last summer that the Cardinals are the heavy favorite to get Telfair (that's assuming he goes to college).  Jenkins also has Ohio State, Michigan, Providence, Missouri, USC, UNLV, and Michigan State on his list.  Missouri, Iowa, and Marquette are also among the favorites for Waters.  Famutimi is considering schools like Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Florida, Cincinnati, Duke, North Carolina, and Kentucky.

We have been hearing rumors that 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christan) OK has verbally committed to the University of Kentucky.  However, we have not been able to confirm that Azubuike, whose final two are Illinois and Kentucky, has made any type of decision, except to renege on the University of Oklahoma, which is where he committed last fall.  Greg Swaim of GregSwaim.com does confirm that Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith was in Oklahoma City, OK on Saturday night to see Azubuike play.  Unfortunately this 6'6 athletic wing player didn't have one of his better games as he hit only 9-27 field goals in a losing cause.  Azubuike is a world-class athlete and a physical specimen, but he's been the product of one of the best overhype jobs of all time.  Not only is he not the best player in Oklahoma's loaded senior class, but he ranks no better than #6 in the state behind 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK, 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'10 Shelden Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'7 Marquis Hayden from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, and 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Oklahoma City (Northeast) OK.  And Swaim, who still hasn't gotten over the fact that not one of the players mentioned above was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, agrees.  Bookout carried his team on his back all the way to the state championship," says Swaim.  In contrast, Azubuike's couldn't get his team over the hump on Saturday night against Oklahoma City (Northeast) OK.  And that might have been poetic justice, because Azubuike put up ridiculous numbers all season long at the expense of his teammates.  We also understand that 6'10 Abdou Diame, who is transferring from Auburn, will likely end up at Georgia Tech and it appears that Jameel Pugh has decided to transfer from the University of Massachusetts.  Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, Indiana, West Virginia, and Illinois continue to show interest in 6'11 Sani Ibrahim from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, but our guess is he will role the dice and enter his name into the NBA Draft in June.  Ironically, Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight is on the receiving end of a transfer for a change, as 6'3 Ed McCants, who was dismissed from the team at Northwestern last fall, is transferring to Texas Tech.  The University of Portland landed two of the better players who are left in California in 5'9 Eugene Jeter from Gardena (Serra) CA and 6'3 Donald Wilson from Los Angeles (Dorsey) CA.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis ranks them #39 and #61, respectively, in the senior class in California.  Trigonis also tells us that 6'2 Gio St. Amant from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, who is ranked #51 in the senior class in California by Trigonis, visited UTEP recently and, as aresult, maybe on the verge of making a verbal commitment. 

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt has been spending a lot of time in New York City lately and two of his prime targets are 6'9 Jr Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY and 5'11 Soph Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY.  As a matter of fact, Hewitt was in town over the weekend, as he saw Telfair in the PSAL (Public School Athletic League) semi-finals on Saturday and Taft in the CHSAA (Catholic High School Athletic Association) semi-finals yesteday.  And this isn't potentially the first time that Hewitt has gone in and beat all the favorites for one of the premier players in the nation.  If you will recall, everybody thought 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who is ranked #4 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, was a near lock for the University of Florida, but somebody from Georgia Tech (often Hewitt himself) was at every game Bosh played in last summer.  The Taft-Telfair connection is also interesting, because they are best friends.  Also interesting is the Telfair-Stephon Marbury connection.  No, they aren't related by birth.  However due to the fact Telfair grew up living in the same household as Jamal Thomas, who is the cousin of Marbury, most people think of them cousins.  Remember, Marbury played college basketball for a year at Georgia Tech, plus he still maintains an apartment and has strong ties to a number of friends in Atlanta, GA.  Naclerio also tells us that it looks like Seton Hall is now the heavy favorite to get 5'10 Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY, but perhaps the biggest story of the year in New York City has been the emergence of 6'3 Quincy Douby from Brooklyn (Grady) NY and 5'11 Gary Ervin from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY.  "We're talking about two of the best kept secrets in the nation," says Naclerio. "We're also talking about two legitimate top 50 seniors in the nation.  Douby is one of the best shooters to ever come out of New York City."  Don't believe it?  Well, this athletic 2-guard, who is bound for Hofstra, hit 18 3-pointers in a game earlier this season.  Not only is that a New York State record, but it is the third highest number of 3-pointers ever recorded in a high school game in the United States.  Douby also had games early this year where he scored 63 and 64 points, plus he averaged 35.3 ppg for the season.  "I'd take him over Allan Ray right now," says Naclerio.  Douby is bigger than Ray and he gets his shot off against anybody."  However, Naclerio doesn't think Douby will be able to beat out Ervin for New York City Player-of-the-Year honors.  Ervin is a prolific scorer in his own right, as is evident by the fact that he had a 56-point game of his own this season, plus he scored his team's last 30 points against Brooklyn (Canarsie) NY during a regular season game and scored 20 consecutive points during the third and fourth quarters against New York (Park West) NY recently in a PSAL Quarterfinals win.  "He also is the ultimate competitor, his outside shot has dramatically improve, he goes to the basket with reckless abandon, and defensively he is as good an on-the-ball defender as there is New York City," says Naclerio.  Hofstra would love to steal Ervin and schools like Cincinnati, Auburn, and Mississippi State, as well as most of the Big East, are waiting to see if he makes it academically.  However, our guess is Ervin will be able to write his own ticket after a year of prep school.   Naclerio also points out that one of the biggest match-ups of the entire year will be this Saturday when Ervin and Telfair go head-to-head in the PSAL Championship, which played at Madison Square Garden and shown live at 1:00 PM on the MSG Television Network.  The CHSAA Championship will also be decided this week, as Bronx (All Hallows) NY and New York (Rice) NY meet Wednesday night at Fordam University.

Sunday, March 10, 2002

NCAA Selection Sunday is like Christmas for the college basketball fan and, as is often the case when we open our presents on Christmas morning, there are some some surprises.  Let's take a look first at the teams that should have made the field of 65, but when the pairings were announced didn't make the tournament.  At the top of the list is the University of South Carolina, which is the highest rated team in the Sagarin Ratings not in the field.  Not only was South Carolina's Sagarin Rating #38 nationally, but the Gamecocks accomplished this against the 12th toughest schedule in college basketball, they knocked off Kentucky on Friday night and played Alabama close most of the way yesterday in the Southeastern Conference Semi-Finals.  We also think a case should be made for Virginia, which has gotten snubbed for the second time in three years.  Not only did they recently knock off Duke, but they went 17-11 in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference, which only got four teams into the tournament.  I'm sure the NCAA Selection Committee will justify their decision by saying the Cavaliers didn't have a winning record against league competition (they were only 7-8 in the ACC), but they still won 17 games against a tougher schedule and in a better league than Boston College and St. John's, both of which made the field.   Speaking of Boston College,and St. John's, they were easily the two lowest ranked teams, according to Sagarin, to make the field.  As a matter of fact, they were the only two teams from major conferences to make the field with a ranking lower than 50.   I didn't think Memphis should be in the field either, but I changed my mind when I compared the Tigers' Sagarin Rating, which is #39, to Boston College and St. John's, which are #62 and #64.  Also getting snubbed in the 40-50 range of the Sagarin Ratings were Dayton, Butler, and Georgetown.  However, Dayton only won 20 games in a league that was mediocre at best this year.  Butler got knocked off in its conference tournament and won its 25 games against only the nation's #226 toughest schedule.  Although Georgetown had a higher Sagarin Rating, the Hoyas didn't play as tough as schedule as Boston College and St. John's.  Instead, we would have snubbed Wyoming, which is ranked #55 in Sagarin and faced only the #113 toughest schedule.  And that brings us to our next question.  Why did the Selection Committee take three teams from the Mountain West Conference?  Obviously, Utah and San Diego State, which won the conference tournament, should be in the NCAA Tournament.  But Conference USA also only got three teams and Memphis, which would have been the 4th team from Conference USA, is clearly better than Wyoming, which was the 3rd team from the Mountain West, any way you slice it.  As usual, when making our NCAA Predictions, which can be found below, we haven't gone with very many upsets in the first round.  As a matter of fact, we only went with two of the four #9 seeded teams to beat the #8 seeded teams (statistically the #9 beats the #8 more often than not.  The two times we do like the #9 to beat the #8 are Mississippi over UCLA and Charlotte over Notre Dame.  The other first round upsets we like are #10 Kent State over #7 Oklahoma State, #10 Pepperdine over #7 Wake Forest, #10 Michigan State over #7 N.C. State, and #11 Southern Illinois over #6 Texas Tech.  Actually we don't think Kent State over Oklahoma State is much of an upset, as only two spots separate the two teams in the Sagarin Ratings.  Let's take a closer look.  Reading across we see that Oklahoma State is seeded #7 with a 23-8 record, ranked #23, and has the 50th toughest schedule according to Sagarin.  Kent State is seeded #10 with a 26-5 record, ranked #25, and has the 137th toughest schedule according to Sagarin.  Also almost equal in the Sagarin Ratings are Notre Dame and Charlotte, but the 49ers played against the #14 ranked schedule in the nation, while the Irish's strength of schedule was only ranked #66.  Michigan State also gets the edge based on strength of schedule, plus they have the edge in terms of NCAA Tournament experience after having gone to the last three NCAA Final Fours.  The Spartans, which lost in the first round of the Big-10 Tournament, also have had more time to rest and get ready for the tournament than N.C. State, which lost in the ACC championship game today against Duke.  We also are predicting five upsets in the second round, as we think Marquette will knock off Kentucky, Michigan State will beat Connecticut, Texas will beat Mississippi State, Indiana will beat Southern Cal, and California will beat Pittsburgh.  We also like Michigan State over Georgia in the third round, plus we eagerly are anticipating the potential Ohio State-Cincinnati match-up in the third round of the West Regional.   Speaking of the West Regional, it obviously is the strongest of the four regionals and, as a result, any one of four or five teams are capable of putting a four-game winning streak together en route to the NCAA Final Four.  Our choice to do that is Arizona, which may have to hold off Gonzaga in second round and pull off back-to-back upsets against #2-seeded Oklahoma and #1-seeded Cincinnati in the Regional Semi-Finals and Finals.  Remember, the Wildcats went 22-9 and have a #8 Sagarin Rating against what easily was the toughest schedule in college basketball.  However, we don't think the Wildcats are good enough to beat Duke.  Neither is Kansas, which is who we think will be in the Final Four, along with Duke, Maryland, and Kansas. 

HOOP SCOOP NCAA TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS

East Regional
First Round                                          Second Round  Regional Semi-Finals      Regional Finals  NCAA Semi-Finals  Final Two  NCAA Champion
(Seed) Team (Record) (Sagarin Ranking) (Sagarin Strength of Schedule Ranking)
(1) Maryland (26-4) (4) (30)
                                                                Maryland
(16) Alcorn State (8-18) (234) (325)
(16) Siena (16-18) (216) (259)
                                                                                                 Maryland
(8) Wisconsin (17-12) (49) 16)
                                                                Wisconsin
(9) St. John's (20-11) (64) (59)   

                                                                                                                                            Maryland

(5) Marquette (26-6) (9) (91)
                                                                Marquette
(12) Tulsa (25-6) (30) (125)
                                                                                                 Marquette
(4) Kentucky (19-9) (13) (4)
                                                                Kentucky
(13) Valparaiso (24-7) (59) (222)   

                                                                                                                                                                Maryland

(2) Connecticut (24-6) (14) (43)
                                                               Connecticut
(15) Hampton (25-6) (109) (302)
                                                                                                 Michigan State
(7) N.C. State (22-10) (27) (39)
                                                               Michigan State
(10) Michigan State (19-11) (36) (29)

                                                                                                                                 Michigan State

(3) Georgia (21-9) (24) (9)
                                                               Georgia
(14) Murray State (17-12) (152) (224)
                                                                                                 Georgia
(6) Texas Tech (23-8) (22) (35)
                                                               Southern Illinois
(11) Southern Illinois (26-7) (48) 158)

                                                                                                                                                                                       Kansas

Midwest Regional
First Round                                          Second Round  Regional Semi-Finals      Regional Finals  NCAA Semi-Finals  Final Two  NCAA Champion
(Seed) Team (Record) (Sagarin Ranking) (Sagarin Strength of Schedule Ranking)
(1) Kansas  (27-3) (3) (18)
                                                                Kansas
(16) Holy Cross (18-14) (192) (275)
                                                                                                 Kansas
(8) Stanford (19-9) (17) (15)
                                                                Stanford
(9) Western Kentucky (26-3) (32) (186)

                                                                                                                                          Kansas

(5) Florida (22-8) (6) (20)
                                                                Florida
(12) Creighton (22-8) (67) (165)
                                                                                                Illinois
(4) Illinois (24-8) (12) (19)
                                                                Illinois
(13) San Diego State (20-11) (58) (56)

                                                                                                                                                                Kansas

(2) Oregon (22-8) (11) (36)
                                                               Oregon
(15) Montana (14-14) (180) (183)
                                                                                                 Oregon
(7) Wake Forest (24-7) (28) (84)
                                                               Pepperdine
(10) Pepperdine (21-8) (44) (82)

                                                                                                                                          Oregon

(3) Mississippi State (26-7) (15) (23)
                                                               Mississippi State
(14) McNeese State (20-8) (100) (236)
                                                                                                 Texas
(6) Texas (20-11) (31) (13)
                                                               Texas
(11) Boston College (20-11) (62) (74)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Duke

South Regional
First Round                                          Second Round  Regional Semi-Finals      Regional Finals  NCAA Semi-Finals  Final Two  NCAA Champion
(Seed) Team (Record) (Sagarin Ranking) (Sagarin Strength of Schedule Ranking)
(1) Duke  (27-3) (3) (18)
                                                                Duke
(16) Winthrop (17-11) (225) (314)
                                                                                                 Duke
(8) Notre Dame (20-10) (33) (66)
                                                                Charlotte
(9) Charlotte (18-11) (34) (14)

                                                                                                                                               Duke

(5) Indiana (19-11) (21) (5)
                                                                Indiana
(12) Utah (19-8) (41) (61)  
                                                                                                 Indiana
(4) Southern Cal (22-9) (16) (11)
                                                                Southern Cal
(13) UNC-Wilmington (22-9) (76) (154)

                                                                                                                                                          Duke

(2) Alabama (26-7) (7) (31)
                                                               Alabama
(15) Florida Atlantic (18-11) (168) (239)
                                                                                                 Alabama
(7) Oklahoma State (23-8) (23) (50)
                                                               Kent State
(10) Kent State (26-5) (25) (137)

                                                                                                                                          Alabama

(3) Pittsburgh (27-5) (18) (126)
                                                               Pittsburgh
(14) Central Conn. State (27-4) (113) (322)
                                                                                                 California
(6) California (22-8) (26) (41)
                                                               California
(11) Pennsylvania (25-6) (50) 207)

                                                                                                                                                                                         Duke         

West Regional
First Round                                          Second Round  Regional Semi-Finals      Regional Finals  NCAA Semi-Finals  Final Two  NCAA Champion
(Seed) Team (Record) (Sagarin Ranking) (Sagarin Strength of Schedule Ranking)
(1) Cincinnati  (30-3) (2) (37)
                                                                Cincinnati
(16) Boston University (22-9) (182) (307)
                                                                                                 Cincinnati
(8) UCLA (19-11) (37) (6)
                                                                Mississippi
(9) Mississippi (19-10) (35) (58)

                                                                                                                                        Cincinnati

(5) Miami-FL (24-7) (29) (84)
                                                                Missouri
(12) Missouri (21-11) (42) (75)
                                                                                                 Ohio State
(4) Ohio State (23-7) (19) (53)
                                                                Ohio State
(13) Davidson (20-8) (100) (236)

                                                                                                                                                       Arizona

(2) Oklahoma (27-4) (5) (40)
                                                               Oklahoma
(15) Illinois-Chicago (18-13) (122) (152)
                                                                                                 Oklahoma
(7) Xavier (25-5) (20) (92)
                                                               Xavier
(10) Hawaii (27-5) (40) (160)

                                                                                                                                           Arizona

(3) Arizona (22-9) (8) (1)
                                                               Arizona
(14) UC-Santa Barbara (19-10) (80) (136)
                                                                                                 Arizona
(6) Gonzaga (28-3) (10) (132)
                                                                Gonzaga       
(11) Wyoming (20-8) (55) (113)

Saturday, March 9, 2002

University of Kentucky fans had already fastened their seatbelts and braced themselves for a bumpy ride through the Southeastern Conference Tournament and NCAA Tournament this March.  But they still weren't quite prepared for their devastating 70-57 loss in their opening game of the SEC Tournament against South Carolina on Friday night.  It was so bad that one long time Wildcat fan told me he turned off the game at halftime and most of the fans who witnessed the game in person expressed their displeasure by booing the team, booing head coach Tubby Smith, and chanting "we want Fitch," referring to Gerald Fitch, who didn't play a single minute against South Carolina (rumor has it that Fitch committed a serious curfew violation the night before the South Carolina game).  And that appears to be at least part of the problem, as Smith has lost control of his team.   If you will recall, several weeks ago Smith made it clear that any player involved in a discipline problem the rest of the year would be gone.  In other words, after a season already marred by problems both on and off the court, Smith had implemented a zero tolerance policy.  However, three days later Fitch and Erik Daniels were arrested for using fake ID's while attempting to enter a nightclub in Lexington, KY.   Both players were suspensed for the Arkansas game, but Smith claimed he had been misquoted and allowed both players to return to the team.  The Wildcats went on to finish the regular season with wins at home against Arkansas and Florida, but with a loss on the road against Vanderbilt.  In other words, a strong showing in the Southeastern Conference was going to be pivotal to the Wildcats post season tournament success.   Instead, as it turns out, Fitch's inability to adhere to team rules and the Wildcats opening game loss to South Carolina appears to be the last straw for Kentucky fans.  Don't believe it?  Well, the results from the question being asked by a radio station in Lexington, KY illustrate the point in rather dramatic fashion.  "Considering the management and coaching of Wildcats basketball this season, Kentucky needs to...Keep Coach Tubby Smith or Find a new coach."  Currently 19% support Smith, while 81% think he should go.  If you want to voice your opinion go to www.wkym.com/sports.shtml.  We also have heard rumors that Smith may have his contract bought out as soon as the Wildcats lose in the NCAA Tournament.  However, we find that hard to believe for several reasons.  First, the University of Kentucky doesn't have an athletic director with the power necessary to make this type of move.  If you will recall, last week UK athletic director Larry Ivy resigned after being informed that he was on the verge of being fired.  In other words, the only person with the power to make this type of decision appears to be Lee Todd, who is the president of the University.  Second, Smith is still widely regarded as one of the premier head coaches in college basketball and, as a result, will likely get some other job offers both from college and professional teams (i.e. the Philadelphia 76ers) this spring.  In other words, if the University of Kentucky makes a move too quickly and, as a result, doesn't give Smith a chance go out on his own, the university would open itself up to the likelihood that Smith and his attorneys would make it a racial issue.   And coming so soon after the Nolan Richardson meltdown at Arkansas, this could have a dramatic effect on both the university and college athletics.   Third, the season isn't over yet and Kentucky has been a very up and down team all season.  So obviously, if the Wildcats get hot and win three or four games impressively in the NCAA Tournament, their disasterous SEC Tournament finish would quickly be forgotten.  On the other hand, maybe the powers-that-be at the University of Kentucky see a potential meltdown, similar to what happened at North Carolina this season, in the works, if Smith remains as the head coach next season.  Remember, Keith Bogans may declare hardship and enter his name into the NBA Draft, Adam Chiles, Rashaad Carruth, Gerald Fitch, and Josh Carrier are all expected to transfer, and UK's prize recruit 6'4 Antwain Barber from Wabash Valley (JC) IL may not make it academically and, as a result, may also enter his name into the NBA Draft this spring.  Under that senario they would have only eight scholarship players on the roster next year - Jules Camara and Marquis Estill would be seniors, Jason Parker, Erik Daniels, and Cliff Hawkins would juniors, Chuck Hayes would be a sophomore, and 5'9 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY and 6'9 Bernard Cote from Montreal (Chaplain-St. Lambert) QU would be freshmen. Maybe they're thinking that if you hire a new coach immediately, some of the players mentioned above will reconsider transferring and they will have a better chance of landing several more recruits in the spring. 

Friday, March 8, 2002

Despite the fact that Florida State pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year earlier in the season, it comes as no surprise that Steve Robinson, who finished with a 12-17 record this season and 54-84 record during his five years as the head coach of the Seminoles, is on his way out.  However, we don't think Robinson will be unemployed very long, because he's an excellent coach, good recruiter, and class act all the way.  As a matter of fact, we recently heard Robinson's name mentioned as a possibility for UAB, if Blazers head coach Murry Bartow doesn't survive.  Another possibility for UAB is LSU head coach John Brady.  Believe it or not, the word on the street is that Brady also won't survive the spring at LSU and, if and when he does get the ax, UAB would be a natural fit.   Remember, Brady previously was the head coach at Samford University in Birmingham, AL prior to taking over at LSU five years ago.  We also hear that former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd will get LSU job and that too makes perfect sense, because he's originally from Louisiana.  Getting back to Robinson and the Florida State job, former Washington Wizards head coach Leonard Hamilton would be the perfect fit, but we've heard a number of other names like Marquette head coach Tom Crean, Xavier head coach Thad Matta, Holy Cross head coach Ralph Willard, Pittsburgh head coach Ben Howland, South Florida head coach Seth Greenberg, Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez, Louisville assistant coach Mick Cronin, New Orleans head coach Monte Towe, Providence head coach Tim Welsh, and Auburn head coach Cliff Ellis.  Welsh, who was an assistant coach at Florida State during the Pat Kennedy era, and Ellis, who is an alumnus of the school, have the inside connections.  We also have heard that Tigers assistant coach Mike Wilson, who is ranked as one of the top five assistant coaches in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, is ready to make a move this spring.  Our guess is that he will get a good mid-major head coaching job, like South Alabama, UT-Chattanooga, or Tennessee Tech.  However, Wilson may also follow Ellis, if he takes the Florida State job, remain at Auburn, if Ellis stays, or go to West Virginia, if Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins goes back to his alma mater.  If you will recall, Huggins offered Wilson the top assistant coaching position at Cincinnati twice last summer.  However, Wilson turned him down both times.  It also appears that Mississippi head coach Rod Barnes and Arizona State head coach Rob Evans are both on the short list for the Arkansas job and nobody seems to want DePaul.  As a matter of fact, we've heard that seven coaches have already said no to the Blue Demons.  So maybe they should just give the job to assistant coach Tracy Dildy, who is going to be retained on the new staff, in order to ensure the Blue Demons maintain their strong recruiting ties in Chicago, IL. 

Thursday, March 7, 2002

UCLA fans continue to tell me that Bruins head coach Steve Lavin is in trouble and after losing earlier tonight in the first round of the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament against University of California and finishing 6th in the Pacific Conference regular season standings, we'd normally have to assume they're right.  However, after the buy-out on Lavin's contract was raised earlier this week from $600,000 to a cool $1.2 million, we'd have to assume they're wrong.   Maybe the UCLA administration got wind of the rumor about Purdue head coach Gene Keady retiring at the conclusion the current season and were concerned the Boilermakers may go after Lavin.  Remember, Lavin got his start in the business working Keady as a graduate assistant coach at Purdue in the late 80's and early 90's.   The Fresno State job hasn't opened yet, but we are predicting that it will and it could happen almost any day.  We still believe that UC-Irvine head coach Pat Douglas and UCLA assistant coach Jim Saia are the leaders, but the official list from people close to the program also seems to include Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, assistant general Manager of the Washington Wizards Rod Higgins, who is one of Michael Jordan's best friends, and, believe it or not, former Arkansas Nolan Richardson.  Speaking of Richardson, don't you just love this guy?  He accuses his bosses of racisim and dares the university to exercise the buy-out clause in his contract and, when they do, he sues them to get his job back.  If Richardson can actually prove the racism charges and he's not just blowing smoke, we think he should tandup and fight for himself, his people, and what is fair and just for all Americans regardless of what creed, color, and ethnic background.  However, if he's just playing the race card, because it's something that will make most people nervous and he ought to move on and save it for a rainy day.   The last thing the game needs is Richardson, who over the years has been a positive role model for the game and his people, going around acting like the little boy who cried wolf.  Richardson also appears to be much stronger candidate for the DePaul job than most people seem to believe, at least according the Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report.  Schmidt also already has a list of possible candidates, which includes Illinois assistant coach Wayne McClain, Duke assistant coach Chris Collins, former Bradley player Jim Les, and Saint Louis assistant coach Brad Soderberg, for the Bradley job.  However, our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson thinks Ohio State assistant coach Paul Biancardi also will have a good shot at the job, because he knows the athletic director at Bradley from when they were both at Boston College during the Jim O'Brien era.  Johnson also tells us that Hampton head coach Steve Merfeld also has the right contacts to be a serious candidate for the Bradley job.  As a matter of fact, Johnson thinks Merfeld and McClain are the leaders.   Merfeld obviously will get the edge if they decide to hire somebody with head coaching and NCAA Tournament experience.  If you will recall, Hampton pulled off that stunning upset a year ago against Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.   But McClain will likely get the nod if they want to hire somebody with local ties.   Remember, McClain led Peoria (Manual) IL to several state championships during the mid-90's and was widely regarded as one of the premier head coaches the state prior to becoming an assistant coach at the University of Illinois a year ago. 

Wednesday, March 6, 2002

The rumor about Larry Brown retiring and University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith geting the Philadelphia 76ers job has been around for a year, but suddenly we once again have to pay serious attention.  No, it doesn't have anything to do with the fact the UK athletic director job opened yesterday.  Instead, the thing that is making us stop, pause, and think there is something to this is our source.  In other words, we're getting this from somebody who is in a position to know.  The word is that Brown will move into the front office, where he will become the 76ers General Manager, and hire Smith to succeed him as the head coach.  If this had happened a year ago, University of Florida head coach Billy Donovan would have been a near lock for the Kentucky job.   However, now it appears that anything could happen, because the next athletic director at Kentucky will likely make the call.  And it now appears that the powers-that-be at the University of Kentucky want to hire somebody who isn't a part of the good-old-boy network that has existed for years at the university and, as a result, the leading candidate for that job may be Oregon State athletic director Mitch Barnhart.  Barnhart doesn't have any ties to the University of Kentucky, but he did establish his reputation as one of the comers in the business in the early 90s at the University of Tennessee, where he proved to be a magnificent fund-raiser.   Barnhart hired Dennis Erickson as the football coach in 1999 and Ritchie McKay as the basketball coach in 2000 at Oregon State, but we'd be surprised if he brought either coach with him, if he got the AD job at Kentucky.  As a matter of fact, we have no idea who will be the leading candidate for the job, if Donovan decided to remain at Florida and passed on the job and/or Barnhart decided to bring in his own guy.   Some of the obvious candidates and people with former ties to the university or the state include Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley, former Denver Nuggets head coach Dan Issel, former Washington Wizards head coach Leonard Hamilton, Holy Cross head coach Ralph Willard, Marquette head coach Tom Crean, Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried, Morehead State head coach Kyle Macy, N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek, Eastern Kentucky head coach Travis Ford, and Univerisity of Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey.  But there isn't an obvious candidate among the group.  Another excellent candidate would be Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins.  However, our guess is that Huggins is too controversial and to big a rival to get any serious consideration.  Besides, we think Huggins will end up West Virginia.  Remember, Huggins is an alumnus of the school, he's their top choice for the job, and they are going to offer him the moon.  And they should, because he's the only coach in college basketball who has won 25 games a year during each of the last seven seasons.  He's also a great recruiter, which has been the biggest thing holding the Mountaineers back in recent years.  We also look for Crean to be the heir apparent to Tom Izzo at Michigan State, if Izzo ever decides to jump to the NBA.  But the timing may not ever be right, because Crean, who appears to be one of the hottest young coaches in college basketball today, is ready to take his pick of top jobs available right now.  As a matter of fact, there could be as many as 10 coaching openings in Conference USA this year.  If you will recall, Billy Tubbs is retiring at Texas Christian and Pat Kennedy announced he was out at DePaul yesterday.  Huggins could go to either West Virginia or the Denver Nuggets and Crean is in a position to write his own ticket.  Charlotte head coach Bobby Lutz recently signed a new multi-year deal, but still could be lured away, if the right opportunity presented itself (i.e. Clemson, if Larry Shyatt doesn't survive).  Southern Miss head coach James Green won only 10 games this season.  UAB head coach Murry Bartow appears to be on the hot seat, as Alabama assistant coach T.R. Dunn is being rumored to be in line for the Blazers job, and the word on the street is that South Florida head coach Seth Greenberg may be ready to move, if the right opportunity presented itself.  And don't be surrpised if Saint Louis head coach Lorenzo Romar gets either the Washington or Washington State job and if DePaul hires Houston head coach Ray McCallum, who is one of the bright young guys in the business.  Yes, McCallum is one of the many guys being mentioned as the possible successor to Pat Kennedy at DePaul.  However, we think the perfect guy for the DePaul job would be Southern Illinois head coach Bruce Weber.   Not only has he done an excellent job during his four years as the head coach of the Salukis, but he made a living getting the top players out of the Windy City for years when he was the top assistant at Purdue, plus he's one of the few white head coaches who would be able to establish the rapport necessary to recruit the top players in the Chicago Public League. 

For the last three months we've hosted our own radio show an hour a night on both Monday and Thursday at 7:00 PM EST.  However, we are making a change effective immediately, whereby, we only will be doing one show a week on Sunday night from 10:00 PM-Midnight EST.  We're doing this for several reasons.  First, this is much easier for us, because we always seem to be under the gun during the week in terms of meeting deadlines, going to games, traveling, et al.   Second, Sunday night is the best time of the week to catch people at home and, as result, get numerous people on the show who never seem to available during the week.   Third, Sunday night is a dead time for most radio stations and, as a result, perfect for us as we attempt to line up stations and build our audience.  I also plan on adding our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio as the co-host of the show.  Not only will this allow us to stimulate the debate and controversy necessary to take the show to another level, but it will also take some of the pressure off me and allow us to head in a direction that we want to move in down the road anyway.  So there will be no radio-show tomorrow night at 7:00 PM.  Instead, I will be at the Conference USA Tournament all day and, as a result, it will be late tomorrow night before we provide you with our update for Thursday, March 7th. 

Tuesday, March 5, 2002

Pat Kennedy has resigned as the head coach at DePaul.  Jim Molinari has been fired as the head coach at Bradley.  Larry Ivy resigned before he could be fired as the athletic director at Kentucky.  Pat Harris is out as the head coach at Army. Mel Hankinson has been fired as the head coach at Liberty.  Mack McCarthy is no longer the head coach at Virginia Commonwealth.  And this appears to be only the beginning, as March not only is tournament time, but also is the hottest time of the year in terms of turnover in the coaching world.  We knew it was only a matter of time before Kennedy got forced out at DePaul.  Not only were the Blue Demons 9-19 this season, but they had been plagued by a injuries, chemistry problems, and a lack of continuity, as they lost five players to the NBA Draft, including Quentin Richardson, during a two-year period.  However, Kennedy, who has a 393-276 career record at Iona, Florida State, and DePaul, is still second to none as a recruiter and a program builder.  So we're sure he'll have no problem get another job at the lower Division I level or perhaps even in the NBA with somebody like the Chicago Bulls.   As a matter of fact, that might be the perfect for job for Kennedy right now, because since the departure of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippin four or five years ago, expectations among Bulls fans are at an all time low.  On a more serious note, there already has been a lot of speculation regarding who might get the DePaul job and everybody from former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd to Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez to former Arkansas head coach Nolan Richardson to Louisville assistant coach Mick Cronin to former Washington Wizards head coach Leonard Hamilton has been mentioned for the job. The big key will be finding the right guy, because DePaul can be one of the toughest jobs in America.  Remember, Conference USA is a strong league, recruiting in Chicago can be brutal, especially if you don't have the Public League coaches on your side, and there is a lot of competition for the sports entertainment dollar in Chicago, IL.   However, it also can be a great job, because Chicago, IL is a great sports town, nobody has won big at the school since the days of Ray Meyer (there is no legend to follow), and there is a tremendous talent pool upon which to draw right in your own backyard.  And nobody knows that any better than Molinari, who prior to taking over at Bradley 11 years ago developed a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the nation during his days as an assistant coach at DePaul.  Molinari compiled a 174-152 record at Bradley, where he had three straight 20-game winning seasons in the mid-90's, plus he was named Missouri Valley Conference Coach-of-the-Year in 1996.  However, after going 19-12 only a year ago, the Braves slipped to 9-20 this season and the rest is history.  When Ivy blamed University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith for not wanting to give Marvin Stone his release so he could transfer to the University of Louisville in early January, we suspected that either Ivy or Smith wouldn't be back next year at Kentucky next year (we thought Ivy would get fired or Smith would get feed up and go someplace where they'd appreciate him more).  However, the icing the cake was when the University of Kentucky's football program was hit by NCAA sanctions on January 31st.  If you will recall, the NCAA said "UK failed to maintain institutional control over the athletic department, the NCAA banned UK's football team from postseason play this year, placed it on three years' probation and withdrew some football scholarships."  The name we hear the most as a potential replacement for Ivy is former University of Kentucky All-American Dan Issel.   However, it is our understanding that there is no way that will happen, because Issel doesn't have the necessary graduate school degree to get the job.  Instead, we're hearing that Boston College athletic director Gene Defilippo has the inside track.  And that would be especially interesting considering the fact that Defilippo not only worked in the University of Kentucky department in the early '90s, but also is a close personal friend of University of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino.  Hankinson proved that he was an excellent recruiter during his days as an assistant coach at West Virginia, but won only 10 games during his last two years at Liberty and only 36 games over his four-year tenure at Liberty.   So this one was expected.  However, we were somewhat surprised by the fact that Harris got fired at Army.  Sure, Army only finished with a 12-16 record this year, but pre-season they had been picked to finished last in the league, which means they overachieved, and we thought the Cadets were on the verge of landing an excellent recruiting class this spring.  In other words, we didn't rank Army assistant coach Mark Sembrowich as one of the top assistant coaches at the lower Division I level for nothing.  McCarthy is out at Virginia Commonwealth, but that job didn't remain open, as former Duke point guard and current VCU assistant coach Jeff Capel III has already been moved into the head coaching position.  The only now is whether Capel will hire is father, Jeff Capel II, who was fired a year ago after seven seasons at Old Dominion.  We also have confirmed that it is only a matter of time before Jerry Tarkanian officially steps down at Fresno State.  As a matter of fact, we've been told the decision has already been made, but Tarkanian wants to wait until the Bulldogs season is over before making the official announcement. 

Monday, March 4, 2002

Illinois Bulls-eye Report Editor & Publisher Roy Schmidt tells us that Nolan Richardson's buy-out at Arkansas could effect basketball in the state of Illinois several different ways.  First, it already appears that 6'6 Andre Igoudala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, who signed with the Razorbacks last fall, not only wants to get out of his National Letter-of-Intent, but already is thinking about schools like Kansas, Maryland, Boston College, Arizona, and Louisville.  However, that might be easier said than done.  Remember, the National Letter-of-Intent specifically states that the student-athlete is signing with the member institution and not with the coach.   Second, Richardson might be the perfect guy to walk in and turn the DePaul program around.  "Who would be suited to deal with all the Public League coaches in Chicago than Richardson," asks Schmidt?  Several other obvious programs that might appeal to Richardson are Texas Christian and Fresno State.  Especially interesting is the fact that Scott Edgar, who played a key role in helping build Arkansas into one of the premier programs in college basketball in the early 90's, already is on the TCU coaching staff.  Right now the obvious candidates for Fresno State, where Jerry Tarkanian is expected to retire at the conclusion of the season, are UCLA assistant coach Jim Saia and UC-Irvine head coach Pat Douglas.  But Richardson would be a natural for the job.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman also had heard rumors about a possible replacement for Richardson at Arkanasas.  How about former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd, former Washington Wizards head coach Leonard Hamilton, or Western Kentucky head coach Dennis Felton? You know they'd also like to lure Illinois head coach Bill Self away from the Fighting Illini.   However, we'd be surprised if that happened.  Instead, we think the Razorbacks will hire another black coach in order to keep Richardson from playing the race card.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells is that former Kansas State head coach Tom Asbury, Metro State head coach Jeff Dunlap, Portland head coach Michael Holton, San Diego head coach Brad Holland, and Murray State assistant coach Jim Hatfield are some of the names now being mentioned for the head coaching job at Long Beach State.  Our choice would be Hatfield.  Not only is he a great recruiter dating back to the Joe Hall days at the University of Kentucky when he helped the Wildcats land the Rick Robey, Jack Givens, James Lee, Mike Phillips class that won the NCAA Championship in 1978, but more recently he has made sure the cupboard has remained full at Murray State, as the Racers have been the most dominant team in the league during the last four years.  Hatfield also has all kinds of international contacts, especially in the Caribbean, where he spent two years as a coach following his days at Mississippi State.  Speaking Hatfield's prior Division I head coaching experience, which obviously is a prerequisite for the job, he took over a Southwestern Louisiana team, which had just gotten off the death penalty, and had them back to the NCAA Tournament in just two years during the Andrew Toney days, plus he had three first round NBA Draft picks (Jeff Malone, Wiley Peck, and Rickey Brown) at Mississippi State.  However, our guess is that Holland will get the job.  Did you know that Long Beach State athletic director Bill Shumard hired Holland at Cal State Fullerton?  Did you also know that University of Pittsburgh head coach Ben Howland was an assistant coach at UC-Santa Barbara when Gary Cunningham became the athletic director at UC-Santa Barbara in 1995.  This could become important if Cunningham, who was both a player and an assistant under John Wooden at UCLA, as well as the head coach at UCLA from 1977-79, gets the athletic director job at UCLA when Peter Dalis retires in June and, at some point, current UCLA head coach Steve Lavin gets the ax.  Remember, UCLA's sixth place league finish is the worst in school history.  Howland also is hot at Pittsburgh, plus he's one of Sonny Vaccaro's guys.  If you will recall, Vaccaro, who is widely regarded as the most powerful man in basketball, as well as the director for basketball at adidas, has publicly been extremely critical of Lavin lately. 

Will University of Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins will leave the Bearcats after 13 seasons and return to his alma mater?   Well, most of the Cincinnati fans we talked with yesterday don't think Huggins will leave, but we honestly don't think he knows one way or another.  However, one thing is for sure - Huggins is the guy West Virginia wants and they are planning on coming after him with everything they've got.  As a matter of fact, we do know that Bill Ryczaj, who is the special assistant to the President at the West Virginia University, was at the Memphis-Cincinnati overtime game yesterday and he had to be impressed with the big time atmosphere and the intensity with which the Bearcats played.   So let's assume that Huggins does take the job just for speculation sake.  Is there any obvious replacement?  How about former Washington Wizards head coach and long time former University of Kentucky assistant coach Leonard Hamilton or N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek, who previously was the head coach at Miami-OH and is originally from Pittsburgh?  Stranger things have happened, like when former N.C. State assistant coach Sean Miller made a similar move last spring by becoming the the top assistant at Xavier.  And if Huggins doesn't take the West Virginia job, our top two choices to replace long time Mountaineers head coach Gale Catlett would be Hamilton and University of Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey.  Remember, Pelphrey not only was an assistant coach at Marshall and a player at the University of Kentucky, but he played high school basketball at Paintsville (H.S.) KY, which is located in the eastern part of the state (not too far from West Virginia).  We also are hearing names like former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd and Rutgers head coach Gary Waters being tossed around as possibilities for the Purdue job.  However, we don't think Boilermakers head coach Gene Keady is going anywhere, especially in light of the fact that the Boilermakers recruiting class is tied at #11, along with Southern Cal, Indiana, Illinois, and Cincinnati, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  We also continue to hear that Fordham head coach Bob Hill is looking for an NBA job, plus we hear that Rams guard Smush Parker will likely declare hardship and go into the NBA Draft this spring.  It also looks like Andre Barrett is less than thrilled with the current situation at Seton Hall, so he may be interested in transferring.  Thus, explains why the Pirates are one of the co-favorites, along with Marquette, for 5'10 Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY.  We also believe that Fairfield head coach Tim O'Toole may have saved his job after knocking off Manhattan, which was the regular season conference winner, Friday night in the Metro Atlantic Conference Tournament.  O'Toole also may have prevented Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez from moving too quickly.   Remember, Gonzalez has already been mentioned for some jobs like DePaul, but he's really ideally suited to coach in the Big East.  In other words, he's in exactly the same position that Villanova head coach Jay Wright was at Hofstra.   All Gonzalez needs to do is sit tight for another year and wait for the right Big East job in the area to open.  We also think it would be ironic if University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith left at the end of the season to take a NBA job and his replacement was Florida head coach Billy Donovan.   Remember, Smith has beaten Donovan both times they've met this season, but Smith has taken a lot of heat from Wildcats fans this season.  Speaking of Smith, here's a guy whose teams not only overachieved, but pulled off stunning upsets in the NCAA Tournament during his last two years at Tulsa; overachieved both years at Georgia; and overachieved during his first year at Kentucky en route to a NCAA Championship.  His team also lived up to expectations during his second season at Kentucky, but it's been all uphill since the arrival of the Class of 1999, which included Keith Bogans, Marvin Stone, and Marquis Estill.  Since the graduation of Wayne Turner in 1999, the Wilccats have also not had a great point guard and, as a result, other problems, like lack of chemistry and outside shooting, have been glaringly obvious at times.  So maybe it's not all Smith's fault that the Wildcats are on the verge of losing 10 or more games three straight years for the first time ever in school history (the only way to prevent this from happening would be for Kentucky to win either the Southeastern Conference championship or the NCAA Championship, both of which are still possible, but not probable). 

Saturday, March 2, 2002, & Sunday, March 3, 2002

Well, it looks like you can forget about 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Regional Valley) NJ going to Louisville, St. John's, or any other 4-year Division I college or university.  That's right!  We have gotten word that Cooke now has an agent, plus our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that Cooke was missing in action when Debbie Bortner returned home last week from a vacation to Thailand.  This is important, because Mrs. Bortner was probably the best thing that every happened to Cooke.  We're talking about a lady who is a multi-millionaire that took an interest in Cooke, because Cooke and her son are best friends.  As a matter of fact, when Cooke left New York (La Salle) NY several years ago, he moved into the Bortner household and attended North Regional Valley High School.   He also has had a stable environment and, despite the fact he is still a long way away from having the grades in core classes necessary to be eligible as a college freshman, he had been making major progess.  Cooke was ineligble to play high school basketball this year, because he is in his 5th year of high school.  But, instead of shipping him off to a prep school, like Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT or Milford (Academy) CT, which would have been the right move, if basketball was the only consideration, Cooke remained at North Regional Valley this year in attempt to continue to improve academically.  He also played for New York Riverside Church's winter team.   However, at the same time, Cooke he also kept close ties to many of his   friends from his old neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY.  And it appears that the street eliminate in his life has prevailed, as Naclerio tells us that Cooke is now in Detroit, MI working with a personal trainer getting ready for the NBA Draft this June.   In other words, we're talking about another classic example of the greediness and corruption that is ruining the game of basketball at every level.  And a big part of the problem stems from the academic standards that the NCAA has in place today.   Instead, providing the support and help kids, who come from troubled inner city school systems, need, the rules force a kid like Cooke to make a bad decision.  They also make the kid who needs help the most that much more susceptible to unsavory characters whose sole motivation is to make a fast buck.  Yes, this (what to do about the street agents and flesh peddlers) is the biggest problem the NCAA faces today.   However, they don't get it.  Instead, they want to go after the shoe companies and AAU coaches, both of which do give a lot of positive things back to the game and, for the most part, are in it for the right reasons.  Speaking of the shoe companies and assuming that the reports about Cooke are true, their could be a potential problem with NCAA rules if Cooke plays in the adidas sponsored Sonny Vaccaro Roundball Classic in Chicago, IL on Tuesday, March 26th.  Actually the problem wouldn't be with Cooke playing in the game.  Instead, the problem would be with all the players who are planning on attending Division I schools next year.  In other words, the same rule would apply here that applies to foreign players who have played on teams that have professional players. 

Friday, March 1, 2002

Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that he is planning on hosting the Inaugural Las Vegas Desert Shootout in Las Vegas, NV on April 5th-7th.  Especially important is the fact that this 32-team event has been sanctioned for Division I college coaches by the Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association.  For more information go to http://www.fullctpress.net or call Trigonis at (562) 223-0190 or Ricky Sobers at (702) 247-3122.  Charlie Weber and Wayne Simone also once again are planning a number of events for this spring and summer.  Weber will kick things off with The Charm City Challenge, which is an all-star game that will be held on March 25th in Towson, MD and the Charlie Weber Invitational, which is an AAU-like event, at Villanova University in Philadelphia, PA on April 12th-14th.  Simone will follow that up with his adidas Hoop Challenge in New Haven, CT on April 19th-21st and together Simone and Weber will host the Charlie Weber Invitational at Penn State University on June 21st-23rd and the Charlie Weber Invitational at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV on July 14th-16th.  Weber's event at Villanova should be better than ever, because he's not going head-to-head this year with the Boo Williams Invitational in Hampton, VA and Rob Kennedy's Eastern Invitational in Providence, RI.  In other words, Weber has moved his event back a week.  While Division I college coaches are not expected to be in attendance at both April events and the June event, they will be allowed to attend Weber's July event at West Virginia University and, as a result, all team coaches participating in the event must be certified by the NCAA.  For more information call Weber at (703) 960-0467 or go to www.charlieweberbasketball.com and/or call Simone at (203) 596-9264 or go to www.eteamz.com/connselect.  We also have most of the dates for upcoming Eastern Invitational affiliated events:  New England Top 100 at Endicott College in Beverly, MA, March 16th-17th; Providence Jam Fest in Providence, RI, April 5th-7th; Jayhawk Invitational at the University of  Kansas in Lawrence, KS, April 12th-14th; Metropolitan Top 100 at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ, April 17th-18th; Southern Invitational at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, May 10th-12th; Eastern Invitational Team Camp at the College of New Jersey in Trenton, NJ, July 2nd-6th; Eastern Invitational at the College of New Jersey in Trenton, NJ, July 7th-11th; Eastern Invitational at the College of New Jersey in Trenton, NJ, July 22nd-26th; Eastern Invitational at the College of New Jersey in Trenton, NJ; July 28th-August 1st Eastern Invitational at College of New Jersey in Trenton, NJ, August 2nd-4th; Eastern Invitational Specialized Position Camp at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, August 14th-28th; and Eastern Invitational Specialized Position Camp at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, August 19th-21st.   And we can't mention Eastern Invitational without mentioning the Five-Star Camp, which will be 37-years-old this summer.  The session at Hampden-Sidney College in Hampden-Syndey, VA will be June 8th-13th; the Honesdale, PA sessions will be June 15-20th, August 23-28th, and August 29th-September 1st (Backcourt Camp); and the sessions at Robert Morris College in Coraopolis, PA will be June 29th-July 2nd (Post Development Camp); July 3rd-8th, July 9th-14th, July 15-20th, July 21st-26th, and July 27th-August 1st.

Our New England Editor Wayne Simone also has posted onto his web site, which can be found at www.eteamz.com/connselect, his NCAA Tournament projections and he thinks it's more clear-cut than ever before regarding what teams will be in the 65-team field.  "Right now I can name 59 teams that should be in the field regardless of what happens," says Simone.  "In the past all the bubble teams had to do was win one or two games in their conference tournament to make the field.  However, this year I think there are a lot of teams that will have to win their conference tournament in order ensure a spot in the NCAA Tournament."  And after looking at the most recent Sagarin Ratings, I would have to agree with Simone.  As a matter of fact, if the tournament were seeded today, I think I can tell you who I think the 65 teams in the tournament should be.  Let's start with the conferences where only one team will get an automatic bid.  We're talking about Vermont from the America East, Georgia State from the Atlantic Sun, Montana State from the Big Sky, Radford from the Big South, Utah State from the Big West, UNC-Wilmington from the Colonial Athletic Association, Butler from the Horizon, Pennsylvania from the Ivy League, Manhattan from Metro Atlantic, Kent State from the Mid-American, Valparaiso from the Mid-Continent, Hampton from the Mid-Eastern Athletic, Southern Illinois from the Missouri Valley, Utah from the Mountain West, Central Connecticut State from the Northeast, Tennessee Tech from the Ohio Valley, Holy Cross from Patriot, College of Charleston from Southern, McNeese State from the Southland, Alcorn State from the Southwestern Athletic, and Western Kentucky from the Sun Belt.  That's 21 spots already filled, plus the Atlantic-10 with Xavier and Dayton, the West Coast with Gonzaga and Pepperdine, and the Western Athletic with Tulsa and Hawaii should each get two teams into the tournament.  So that leaves 38 spots to fill from the seven high major Division I Conferences.  We'll go with Duke, Maryland, N.C. State, Wake Forest, and Virginia from the Atlantic Coast; Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Miami-FL, Notre Dame, and Syracuse from the Big East; Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin from the Big-10; Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Texas and Missouri from the Big-12; Cincinnati, Marquette, Charlotte, and Memphis from Conference USA; Arizona, Oregon, USC, Stanford, California, and UCLA from the Pacific-10; and Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi State, Mississippi, and South Carolina from the Southeastern Conferences.  In other words, Conference USA would get four teams; the ACC, Big East, and Big-10 get five teams; the Big-12 and the Pacific-10 get six teams; and the Southeastern Conference gets seven teams into the field.  However, Arkansas isn't one of the seven from the SEC.  Hopefully Razorbacks head coach Nolan Richardson won't try and include us with the group of media and fans that he calls "racist," because I haven't included his team into the field.  You see, I learned at a very early to see people as people and judge them based on their merits and not by the color of their skin or their ethnic background.  So with 13-14 overall record and 5-10 league record, it's pretty easy to see that the Razorbacks just aren't good enough to be considered for the NCAA Tournament.  And they'd better beat Vanderbilt and win a game or two in the SEC Conference Tournament, because a losing record won't get you into the NIT either.  Actually we don't think the controversy that Richardson has created isn't about race at all.  Instead, we think it's the same type of thing that Bob Knight has often done in the past (create a controversy to deflect pressure away from your team when things aren't going well), as well as a power play as Richardson attempts to line up the support he thinks he needs from both the athletic director and the president of the university.  What do you think?  Make sure you tell us by going to our "Question Of The Day".  Editor's Note: Immediately after posting this we were informed by City of Palms Classic Tournament Director Donnie Wilkie that Richardson's contract had been bought out this afternoon, so we'll ask several more questions pertaining to this issue in tomorrow and Sunday's "Question Of The Day".  Was it time for Richardson to go at Arkanas and, if you were an athletic director at another school, would you hire Nolan Richardson?

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