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05-03-2010, 09:00 PM | #741 |
I'm nuts for the place
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
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"To dilute the will to win is to destroy the purpose of the game. There is no substitute for victory"-- Douglas MacArthur |
05-04-2010, 03:21 PM | #742 |
Il megglior fabbro
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
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05-05-2010, 03:29 PM | #743 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
OK, this seems weird, because I seem to remember that Duke won the championship this year, yet all the stories coming out are about Kentucky. (Well, there was the announcement that Duke/Butler would meet in the Meadowlands next season, but who really cares?) Now we have this:
As Vinnie Del Negro has been fired by the Chicago Bulls, they have reportedly approched John Calipari to be their next coach. Never mind that he is NOT known as a great coach, nor that he had modest success helming the Nets, nor that he just finished the first year of an 8-year contract with UK, who are paying him NBA-type money already. Well, as soon as this report leaked out, Cal was approched by the AD at UK about extending his contract. According to Cal's "tweets" on the matter, he is open to an extension, and is not looking for a raise on his spanking-new $4 million/year deal. Experts point out that, in March last year, when Cal was already in negotiations with Kentucky, he announced that Memphis was "where I want to coach." Yeah, right. |
05-06-2010, 01:50 PM | #744 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
There is no confirmation yet, but reports from California aver that the twin freshmen forwards for UNC, David and Travis Wear, will transfer out of Chapel Hill now that the spring semester is completed. They were minor contributors to the Tar Heel (lack of) success this previous season, due both to some injury problems and to the fact that they were low on the rotation, but with the departure of both Deon Thompson and Ed Davis this will make the Heels a little thin on experienced bigs next season. But, on the bright side, it does free up two scholarships for a program that rarely needs to actually recruit.
The line forms at the rear of the Smith Center, fellas. |
05-07-2010, 03:38 PM | #745 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
Despite his health problems, an NCAA investigation regarding inappropriate contact with a recruit, and a disappointing season on the court, Jim Calhoun has signed a new 5-year, $13 million contract to remain the head coach at UConn. Nothing especially odd in this, but there are a few unusual terms and conditions in this contract. For instance, he will forfeit $100,000 if the school loses an athletic scholarship due to a poor academic performance rating by his team. Also, he can retire at any time after next season, and will in that event receive either $1 million or a 5-year job with the athletic department (washing jockstraps, maybe?). The contract further stipulates that Calhoun can be removed from his job (without compensation?) if there is an NCAA or Big East violation which he is aware of, and for which he does not act to correct said violation within 10 days. How the administration thinks they can know, much less prove, such a prior knowledge or lack of reaction . . . well, it beats me.
By in large, I find nothing wrong in principle with terms such as these being included in every coach's contract. However, it does strike me as strange that UConn would be moved to pioneer this type of control. Do they know something we do not? |
05-12-2010, 05:14 PM | #746 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
The NCAA has released its list of schools whose athletic programs overachieved in academics, and three of the Final Four teams were so honored. The one or these four which was "diss-honored", you ask? West Virginia, you assume? Wrong. Michigan State, maybe? Nope. Butler then? Strike three.
Dook. |
05-13-2010, 05:27 PM | #747 | |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
Quote:
Hey, had he gone to Carolina, like he was supposed to do before Bobby Cremins lured him to Atlanta, he'd have had a degree a looooooong time ago. |
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05-17-2010, 03:30 PM | #748 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
Texas A&M recruit Michael "Tobi" Oyedeji, a 6-9 power forward from Houston Bellaire rated in the Top 100 in the 2010 class, died due to injuries sustained in a car accident Sunday, following his prom.
Condolences to his family, his friends, his teammates and classmates, and to the university. Perhaps you now know why I so often said in prior posts "Chill. It's only a game." |
05-25-2010, 04:15 PM | #749 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
The Wear twins, who announced their transfer from UNC earlier this month, have signed written offers of financial aid to attend UCLA next year. The freshmen will redshirt for one season, and have three years of eligibility left . . . unless they find some campus even closer to Huntington Beach.
Good luck to them in the balance of their careers. And for the Bruins' sake, let's hope they are more help to their program than they were to Carolina's. Let's be honest here . . . as disappointing as was the Heels' season, UCLA needs the assistance more. |
05-26-2010, 04:04 PM | #750 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
Two stories of some interest, at least to me . . . one from KU, one from UK.
As reported on this thread earlier, Lawrence is ablaze at the moment with the ticket-selling scandal, and the $#!+ is really starting to hit the fans. It has been confirmed that a handful of employees for the KU athletic department have been selling tickets to basketball and football games for at least five years, all for personal profit. (Well, since some of them were only pulling down 6-figure incomes, you can understand their need for more in the outrageously expensive environs of Lawrence.) The sales were for over 17,000 hoops ducats, and 2K gridiron stubs, with face value of at least a million. Five KU athletic staffers and one consultant have been dismissed. No word yet on criminal charges, but since it appears that one of these staffers also destroyed records to hide the thefts, I'd expect some serious jailtime to ensue. Meanwhile, in Lexington, the basketball program announced that they had an improvement in academics for the spring semester, from their fall figure of 2.025 . . . all the way up to a 2.18. |
05-28-2010, 04:15 PM | #751 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
We shift, quite drastically, our attention now to Storrs, where is appears as though the $#!+ has hit the fan . . . and some would say, about damn time:
The University of Connecticut has received notice from the NCAA which alleges 8 major violations, going well beyond the previously known one of numerous illegal calls and messages during the recruitment of former player Nate Miles (who was expelled from UConn before he played a single game). These other charges include improper benefits given to recruits, improper distribution of tickets to high-school coaches, and "a failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance" on the part of Jim Calhoun. Another serious allegation is that assistants Beau Archibald and Patrick Sellers "provided false and misleading information to NCAA investigators". Both men have resigned within the last week . . . one step ahead of the sheriff, so it appears. A hearing, at which the University can defend itself, is scheduled for October 15th. If found guilty of these charges, they could face loss of scholarships and restrictions on recruiting, but punishment may not extend to a ban from postseason play nor the forfeiture of games, as no competitive advantage seems to have been gained . . . at least for THESE charges lodged to date. The school just recently signed a 5-year extension to Calhoun's contract, yet Connecticut may be forced to Cut-Its-Connection to the man who took the program from obscurity to national prominence . . . and perhaps we know how now. There are definitely some blue Huskies in Storrs today. Well, you know what they say - U can Conn some of the people for a time, but it always bites you in the end. |
05-29-2010, 12:17 PM | #752 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
Well, I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so.
A "shocker" in the New York Time last night, stating that the NCAA is investigating former Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe for serious violations regarding both his academic history and recruitment. This includes his improbably drastic improvement as a student after his transfer to A.H. Parker High School for his senior season, a jump which enabled him to meet the minimum standards for receiving a scholarship to Kentucky. Further, it is alleged that his high school coach, Maurice Ford, paid "at least" three months rent on his mother's house during that time, and an anonymous college coach reported that Ford asked him for money to recruit Bledsoe. All three of these charges are extremely serious, and if they are proven will result in much more dire consequences for Kentucky than would those pending against UConn, and are much more embarassing for the university than is the ticket scandal at Kansas . . . or at least it WOULD be embarrassing, were it not for the fact that Wildcats don't seem to give a damn how they win, as long as they do so. The NCAA does not comment on ongoing investigations, and neither Bledsoe nor Calipari were "available to comment" . . . maybe because their lawyers have taken a long weekend. Back when Calipari first took the job at Lexington, I took flak from some because I predicted it would be a toss-up what he did first . . . win Kentucky another national championship or land the school back on probation. I think the odds have shifted now. |
05-30-2010, 02:45 PM | #754 |
Adjusting to the Life
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
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05-31-2010, 09:30 AM | #755 | |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
Quote:
Of course, the NCAA may decide that land in Kentucky ain't worth that much anyway, so what's the harm? |
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05-31-2010, 10:52 AM | #756 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
UK spokesman DeWayne Peevy (yeah, of course he'd be named something like that, Joe Bob Jr.) has e-mailed a statement to the effect that Eric Bledsoe was cleared academically by the NCAA to be eligible for a scholarship at Kentucky - which is true. The NCAA did review his transcripts, and their clearinghouse did rubber-stamp them.
The statement does not address the issue of whether or not those transcripts were valid, but merely is an attempt by Kentucky to say that the NCAA is culpable, not them. I cannot say their point is totally bogus. I CAN say that it is an excuse, not a reason, and one that will be ineffective if the NCAA's investigation yields rotten fruit. Hey, right or wrong, the Committee is not about to sanction themselves - just like Kentucky is not about to stand up and say they made a mistake. As for the charges regarding the payment of money to Bledsoe's mother or his high-school coach, there is no report of any refutement out of Lexington. |
06-01-2010, 05:48 PM | #757 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
This just in, from Chapel Hill:
High school junior forward James McAdoo (man, that last name sounds familiar) is considering attending summer sessions over the next few months in an attempt to graduate early and begin his career at Carolina a year early. The early entrance of a recruit is not unknown (Duke had one last year, for instance) but this would be the first for UNC . . . much like Bob McAdoo was the first JUCO transfer for Dean Smith 'way back when I was a student myself. And speaking of transfers, college junior forward Justin Knox is transferring from Alabama to Chapel Hill for his senior season. Bottom line, for those of you who were earlier despairing - or rejoicing - at Carolina's lack of depth down low for the 2010-11 campaign when the Wear twins decided to move back home to California . . . well, perhaps you were a tad premature. |
06-04-2010, 01:04 PM | #758 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
Two reports from the Pac-10 and Big Ten, regarding the potential destruction of the Big 12, which are somewhat conflicting:
The Pac-10 meets this weekend in San Francisco, and will reportedly discuss inviting 6 of the Big 12 teams to join them in a huge expansion of their league. The teams are allegedly Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Colorado . . . none of which will ever be "Pacific Coast" schools, even after The Big One eventually strikes. Ohio State president Gordon Gee has advised Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany by e-mail that he has spoken with University of Texas president Bill Powers about leaving the Big 12 to enter the Big Ten conference. So, the Big 12 may be gutted by the Pac-10, the Big East by the Big Ten, and Texas may be in two . . . or would that be three? . . . different conferencs next season. Well, we've always heard they do things big in Texas. |
06-05-2010, 11:27 AM | #759 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
There is only one story that bears reporting today, as any other would be a mundane and irrelevant - and irreverent - distraction.
John Wooden, the legendary coach of UCLA who won 10 national championships, including 7 in succession, and led his team to an 88-game winning streak (not to mention his leadership of them off the court) died last evening at the age of 99 from natural causes. Rest in peace. |
06-09-2010, 03:37 PM | #760 |
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Re: College Hoops Thread '09-'10
The NCAA is sanctioning 137 schools due to a low Academic Progress Rate, but only 7 of these schools are in BCS conferences. Furthermore, in regards to the 3 highest-profile sports - football and men's and women's basketball - only 2 schools stand to get penalized. Colorado will lose one scholarship in men's basketball (as if that matters, since the Buffaloes are not much of a factor there) and four in football (a somewhat different matter, as they do "compete" on the gridiron - on occasion). But the BIG one may be Syracuse. The Orange may lose up to two scholarships, if academically ineligible players leave the school before next season.
"The APR measures the classroom performance of every Division 1 team and is based on data collected from 2005-06 through 2008-09." So, if you are wondering why whatever school you love to hate is NOT on this elect list . . . just wait. |
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