How China Plan Could Change Hoops
Most agree Calipari’s strategy may eventually shake up college basketball
By BRUCE SCHOENFELD
On a Sunday last May, University of Memphis men’s basketball coach John Calipari sat in his backyard reading The New York Times and contemplating his future.
In recent seasons, Calipari has built one of the country’s top college programs at Memphis, replicating the success he had in the late 1990s at the University of Massachusetts. But like Massachusetts, Memphis isn’t built for long-term achievement. The athletic department lacks the easy revenue that goes to rivals in BCS conferences, and its winning tradition — a 1973 appearance in the NCAA championship game and a Final Four berth in 1985 — will never be confused with that of North Carolina, Indiana or Kentucky.
Despite consecutive 33-4 seasons, Calipari wondered how he could sustain the program at the level to which he’d taken it. Sitting outside, he read a column by Bill Rhoden titled “Basketball Sees Potential in China, and Vice Versa.” Rhoden noted the progress of Chinese basketball, and the NBA’s efforts to market to China. “I jumped up from the chair,” said Calipari, “thinking, ‘Maybe this could be my edge.’”
What followed is a tale of imagination and serendipity that culminated with the signing last week of a historic agreement with the Chinese Basketball Association that will see 15 Chinese basketball coaches come to the Memphis campus next month for a 10-day coaching clinic, with one remaining on Calipari’s staff for the 2007-08 season as a paid intern.
Calipari is hoping that the exchange will create a following among Chinese basketball fans for Memphis and the college game. He has agreed to hold clinics for coaches in various Chinese cities during each of the next five years. Future components of the deal discussed by Calipari and the CBA at a Wednesday meeting in Beijing included a postseason tour of China by the Memphis team and an exhibition against the Chinese Olympic team next May, and, potentially, Chinese student athletes playing basketball for the Tigers.
“If this stays in the role of just coaching, that’s great,” Calipari said. “If it goes further and the NCAA benefits, and we all benefit, that’s even better.”
The initiative marks the first foray for college sports in China, and creates an official relationship between the university and the Beijing government.
“This could definitely carry over into helping other colleges,” said former NBA coach Del Harris, who coached the Chinese national basketball team at the 2004 Athens Olympics. “Consider a market with 1.3 billion inhabitants. I mean, it’s simple mathematics. If you can expand your sphere of influence by 1.3 billion people, that’s a good thing.”
From his awakening on that sleepy Sunday in May, Calipari may have singlehandedly cracked open the door to China for U.S. college athletics.
Xia Song Emerges As Key Player
The day after he read Rhoden’s story, Calipari called Fred Smith, the CEO of Memphis-based FedEx, which does business in 200 Chinese cities, and asked what Smith thought of a China initiative involving Tigers basketball.“Brilliant,” Calipari says that Smith replied.
Calipari then called William Wesley, a friend and adviser to many past and current NBA players. Wesley told Calipari of traveling to China with LeBron James. “He’s probably bigger in China than he is in the United States,” Wesley said, encouraging the Memphis coach to pursue the idea.
Calipari had never been to China, and had no connections that he knew of with the Chinese, but he was enthusiastic and persuasive. A few weeks later, in early June, Calipari called Harris, who is respected in China as a basketball elder statesman and who had made a coaching interchange one of his 14 recommendations to the Chinese government. “I told them to do what European countries were doing as long ago as 35 to 40 years ago,” Harris said. “Coaches from Italy and Spain and Greece would come over for a month at an NCAA school. It was important that China find a way to do that.”
Calipari was proposing exactly that. In an instance of perfect timing, Harris had a meeting with a group of Chinese basketball officials — including CBA head Li Yuanwei — scheduled in Dallas the following week. Harris agreed to introduce Calipari to the group as the best man for the job.
Upon landing in Dallas, Calipari became reacquainted with Xia Song. They’d met nine years ago at a Nike clinic in Italy, but by the time Calipari had his China epiphany, he’d long forgotten. Xia, who was accompanying the group as a translator and all-around deal-maker, is an influential Chinese agent and entrepreneur who is the voice of NBA broadcasts on Chinese television, and is considered to be indispensable when it comes to doing business involving basketball in China.
“He understands both the East and West, and he’s been a conduit,” Bruce O’Neil, the president and founder of the United States Basketball Academy, an Oregon-based training facility with strong links to China, said of Xia. “He’s close to the coaches, he has access, and he’s very close with the head of the CBA.”
With Xia as the facilitator and Harris as cheerleader, the outlines of a deal were quickly hammered out between Memphis and the CBA. “We met for lunch, and by the time lunch was over two hours later, this thing was in the can,” Calipari said. “Xia said, ‘Let me meet with them back in China, and we’ll get the ball rolling.’”
The consummate insider, Xia worked the bureaucracy. By early August, six weeks after the Dallas meeting, a plan was initiated and approved, with FedEx on board as a sponsor, providing travel costs for the coaching interchange and covering camp expenses in return for visibility and the right of first refusal on sponsorship deals as the relationship progresses. Not only was Smith vociferously in favor of Calipari’s plan, but FedEx CFO Alan Graf sits on Nike’s board of directors and is well-versed in China’s sports market.
“We’ll get some brand-building, some awareness over in China and in the U.S., and we’ll see where the program goes,” Graf said. “If this has the effect that we think it will in terms of getting the FedEx name in front of the Chinese people, then we’ll expand our involvement. We will ride this wave as it grows.”
FedEx has its name on the Tigers’ basketball venue, the FedEx Forum. It is creating a major hub in China, and sponsors the Chinese Olympic badminton team. The connection with Chinese basketball seemed a natural fit, especially when it involved the hometown team.
“This outreach could get Memphis mentioned in the same breath as the Indianas and Dukes and North Carolinas and the other top programs in America,” Graf said.
Different approach than NBA
Standing between Calipari and his vision are two of the world’s densest bureaucracies: the Chinese government, which controls the CBA, and the NCAA, which has stringent — and occasionally conflicting — guidelines covering overseas travel, recruiting foreign players, coaching clinics, television and just about anything else Calipari might attempt to do in China.
After initially declining to comment on the deal, the NCAA has reacted with caution
a prepared statement called Calipari’s efforts “fascinating” — rather than ebullience.
Some are not surprised by the NCAA’s response. “I’ve approached them in the past about doing some exchange-type things, but they can’t monetize it,” said USBA’s O’Neil. “They don’t see what benefit it gives them.”
If Calipari can successfully negotiate his way between the CBA and NCAA, the real payoff will come as the relationship expands.
“The Chinese fans haven’t had a chance to see the players, coaches and fans of NCAA basketball,” Xia said. “I know that it is authentic basketball, but the Chinese people do not. Not yet.”
The CBA’s agreement with Memphis, a public institution, is perceived as a government-to-government initiative. That wasn’t the approach taken by the NBA, which has been the most aggressive American sports entity in promoting its product in China.
The NBA has cultivated Chinese markets through a purely commercial approach, with exhibition games in Shanghai and Beijing in prior years and in Macao and Shanghai this fall, with a Chinese-language Web site offering live streaming of games and with a steady flow of telecasts and licensed products.
“The NBA is the top league in the world, but the start of this program is much stronger and more official than the NBA’s relations with the Chinese Basketball Association,” Xia said. “That matters in China.”
The NBA estimates that 300 million Chinese play organized basketball, which means China has as many active players as the United States has people. “The interest in basketball there is tremendous,” Harris said. “Right now, it has been focused on the NBA, but I think they could get interested in NCAA basketball. Particularly if they had a Chinese connection.”
Over the long term, Xia imagines the best Chinese youth players going to the U.S. for college basketball — and an education. While some might remain to play in the NBA, the rest will return home to China to spread their knowledge. “A talented junior player developed playing college basketball in the States, if he comes back to China, will become a star,” he said, which would presumably send more top juniors down the same path.
This season, three Chinese-born basketball players will compete for NCAA Division I schools: Shang Ping at Nebraska, Ji Xiang at Hawaii, and 7-foot-3-inch Max Zhang at California. “Why are these kids of interest in China?” asked Terry Rhoads, the American-born managing director of Zou Marketing, a top sports marketing firm in Shanghai. “Because nobody from China, short of Ma Jian in 1993 at Utah, has really played big-time college basketball. Let’s watch those players, because their success — both on the court and in the classroom — will set a precedent.”
“Memphis will be like the Dallas Mavericks in 1999, when they drafted Wang Zhizhi as the first Chinese player in the NBA,” said Xia, who started representing Wang and Mengke Bateer (China’s second NBA player) in 2000. “When Wang stepped on the court in 2001 for the first time against the Atlanta Hawks, more than 200 million people were watching that moment live in China.”
The Potential for Memphis
It isn’t lost on Calipari that Chinese basketball fans no longer show nearly as much interest in the Mavericks as they do in the Rockets, who drafted Yao Ming No. 1 in 2003 and instantly supplanted Dallas as China’s favorite team. He’s under no illusions that his pioneer status will gain him anything more than a head start.
“Within the next three to four years, I’d hope to be fielding a team that has two or three Chinese players that are real contributors,” he said. “But this is for basketball as a whole.”
“Cal is being a revolutionary,” Wesley said. “He’s coming in and doing something that hadn’t been done before. Nobody else had the imagination to do it. And if they can get a kid from China who can play college there, then you’ll really see something. And you’ll start seeing more and more of them.”
Others agree, applauding Calipari’s long-term plan. “He’s looking two to three mountain ranges in advance and thinking what this could turn into over time,” Graf said.
Patience, however, is paramount.
“I think it’ll work, but it’ll be a long-term project,” O’Neil said. “What John’s doing has a lot of merit, but it’s an uphill battle because nobody in China knows anything about the NCAA. But when it finally takes off, it’s going to be gigantic.”
Part of what Calipari envisions is nothing less than the remaking of the University of Memphis into a national academic power. And for a university that had fewer than 400 undergraduates of Asian descent among almost 16,000 total enrollees last year, the deal complements an ongoing effort to establish an Asian presence on campus.
“I think this has potential on the academic side,” said Memphis Provost Ralph Faudree, who accompanied Calipari to China last week for the ceremony. “This is a chance for us to remake our image. It can be the front porch to academics, to give us visibility for things that can help a lot of our students.”
“For this program to sustain and grow, our campus has to grow,” Calipari said. “We have to be thought of in a different light. Dr. Faudree needs the basketball program to get him a higher profile. I need him to build better and better academics to help the reputation of the university, to take it to the next level. Increasing the Asian presence on our campus can help us do that. This is what we can be known for.”
Nobody is claiming Calipari’s visit to Beijing is the college basketball equivalent of ping-pong diplomacy. And marketers in China caution that the odds of making an impact remain long.
“We’ve got lots of people beating the basketball pathway to China, but it’s a very immature sports industry out here,” Rhoads said. “I applaud Memphis for doing this, but I think they’re running before the industry is walking. For Chinese consumers right now, this ain’t going to move the needle. Memphis will hit a kind of tipping point when one of China’s best young players cracks its lineup and actually becomes a player of significance.”
Even Xia, ever the optimist, knows that the road ahead won’t be a straight one. “There will be a lot of negotiations,” he said. “It will take a while. In China, the friendship and the trust mean everything.”
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Team C-USA falls in China opener
Team C-USA falls in China opener
Two more games on tour
The Commercial Appeal
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
DONGGUAN, China – The hastily assembled Team Conference USA lost its opener in China this morning (Memphis time), 87-80, to the Chinese National team.
University of Memphis forward Robert Dozier and Southern Miss guard Jeremy Wise each scored 13 points to lead Team C-USA, which has two more games during its week-long journey to the Far East. The Tigers’ Doneal Mack added 12 points, while UTEP center Claude Britten scored 10.
The Chinese benefited from a dramatic edge at the free-throw line, as the home team shot 25 of 39 from the line compared to Team C-USA's 12 of 18.
“There was a lot of body-to-body contact today,” Team C-USA coach John Calipari said in a press release. “Our foul trouble was mostly based on our conditioning as much as anything. We’ve only had three practices together, but I thought we played well, and I’m happy we were able to out-rebound them (43-40).
“We really enjoyed being a part of this charity event to support the earthquake victims, and it means a lot to our team, our university and our conference to be involved in this tour and to be able to help our Chinese friends in any way we can."
Memphis’ Shawn Taggart hauled down eight rebounds to go with his eight points, and Dozier grabbed seven boards.
“I’m proud to be part of this team, and I thought we played pretty well,” Wise said. “I didn’t expect any of this when I found out we were coming over here, and it’s just been an incredible experience. I’ve gotten to know all the guys and my coaches, and I feel like we’ve all come together really quickly.”
The two teams will meet in Game 2 of the three-game series on Friday in Yangjiang at 8 p.m. local time (7 a.m. CDT).
Two more games on tour
The Commercial Appeal
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
DONGGUAN, China – The hastily assembled Team Conference USA lost its opener in China this morning (Memphis time), 87-80, to the Chinese National team.
University of Memphis forward Robert Dozier and Southern Miss guard Jeremy Wise each scored 13 points to lead Team C-USA, which has two more games during its week-long journey to the Far East. The Tigers’ Doneal Mack added 12 points, while UTEP center Claude Britten scored 10.
The Chinese benefited from a dramatic edge at the free-throw line, as the home team shot 25 of 39 from the line compared to Team C-USA's 12 of 18.
“There was a lot of body-to-body contact today,” Team C-USA coach John Calipari said in a press release. “Our foul trouble was mostly based on our conditioning as much as anything. We’ve only had three practices together, but I thought we played well, and I’m happy we were able to out-rebound them (43-40).
“We really enjoyed being a part of this charity event to support the earthquake victims, and it means a lot to our team, our university and our conference to be involved in this tour and to be able to help our Chinese friends in any way we can."
Memphis’ Shawn Taggart hauled down eight rebounds to go with his eight points, and Dozier grabbed seven boards.
“I’m proud to be part of this team, and I thought we played pretty well,” Wise said. “I didn’t expect any of this when I found out we were coming over here, and it’s just been an incredible experience. I’ve gotten to know all the guys and my coaches, and I feel like we’ve all come together really quickly.”
The two teams will meet in Game 2 of the three-game series on Friday in Yangjiang at 8 p.m. local time (7 a.m. CDT).
Monday, May 26, 2008
Tiger Basketball Ranked In Top 10 In NCAA Attendance For 2007-08
Tiger Basketball Ranked In Top 10 In NCAA Attendance For 2007-08
Fifth top-10 attendance ranking in Calipari's eight years at Memphis.
A record number of Memphis fans cheered on the Tigers in 2007-08.
May 21, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The build-up for the 2007-08 University of Memphis basketball campaign began last summer, and Tiger Nation responded in a big way all season long.
For the fifth time in John Calipari's eight years, the Memphis ranked among the NCAA's top 10 in basketball attendance, as the Tigers' set a school record for total paid attendance in 2007-08. Memphis drew a record 351,718 in paid attendance over 21 games during the season. The Tigers' previous season paid attendance record was 340,723 in the 2001-02 year (21 games).
Last year, the Tigers averaged 16,748 per game to rank 10th nationally. The average attendance was the second-highest mark in Memphis school history, as the Tigers averaged 17,110 in Calipari's first year in 2000-01 (17 games).
Since Calipari's arrival in 2000-01, Memphis also ranked in the top 10 in NCAA attendance in 2000-01 (6th), 2001-02 (10th), 2002-02 (7th) and 2003-04 (10th). The 2005-06 (13th) and 2006-07 (16th) seasons both ranked in the top 20 in NCAA attendance.
The attendance figures have translated into a huge homecourt advantage for the Tigers. In the Calipari era, Memphis has a 134-18 record (.882 winning percentage) at home, including games at The Pyramid and FedExForum. In their four years at FedExForum (2005-08), the Tigers have a 74-9 mark (.892 winning percentage).
In 2007-08, Kentucky led the nation in attendance, averaging 22,554 fans per game. North Carolina (20,497), Syracuse (20,345) and Tennessee (20,267) were second, third and fourth, respectively, in attendance.
Last season, Memphis had nine games that drew over 17,500, including a FedExForum record crowd of 18,864 for the Tigers' thrilling 85-71 win over Georgetown.
For all-game attendance (home, road, neutral), Memphis ranked third nationally with total attendance of 644,435. Kansas and North Carolina were first and second, respectively, in that attendance category.
The Tigers drew record attendance on the road all season, especially in Conference USA play. Memphis played six of its eight C-USA road games before capacity (or larger) crowds at Marshall, Tulsa, Houston, UAB, Tulane and Southern Miss.
Memphis finished the 2007-08 campaign with an NCAA record 38 wins (38-2 record) and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament championship game. The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in both national polls for a school-record five-straight weeks during the season, swept the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles for a third-straight year.
Fifth top-10 attendance ranking in Calipari's eight years at Memphis.
A record number of Memphis fans cheered on the Tigers in 2007-08.
May 21, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The build-up for the 2007-08 University of Memphis basketball campaign began last summer, and Tiger Nation responded in a big way all season long.
For the fifth time in John Calipari's eight years, the Memphis ranked among the NCAA's top 10 in basketball attendance, as the Tigers' set a school record for total paid attendance in 2007-08. Memphis drew a record 351,718 in paid attendance over 21 games during the season. The Tigers' previous season paid attendance record was 340,723 in the 2001-02 year (21 games).
Last year, the Tigers averaged 16,748 per game to rank 10th nationally. The average attendance was the second-highest mark in Memphis school history, as the Tigers averaged 17,110 in Calipari's first year in 2000-01 (17 games).
Since Calipari's arrival in 2000-01, Memphis also ranked in the top 10 in NCAA attendance in 2000-01 (6th), 2001-02 (10th), 2002-02 (7th) and 2003-04 (10th). The 2005-06 (13th) and 2006-07 (16th) seasons both ranked in the top 20 in NCAA attendance.
The attendance figures have translated into a huge homecourt advantage for the Tigers. In the Calipari era, Memphis has a 134-18 record (.882 winning percentage) at home, including games at The Pyramid and FedExForum. In their four years at FedExForum (2005-08), the Tigers have a 74-9 mark (.892 winning percentage).
In 2007-08, Kentucky led the nation in attendance, averaging 22,554 fans per game. North Carolina (20,497), Syracuse (20,345) and Tennessee (20,267) were second, third and fourth, respectively, in attendance.
Last season, Memphis had nine games that drew over 17,500, including a FedExForum record crowd of 18,864 for the Tigers' thrilling 85-71 win over Georgetown.
For all-game attendance (home, road, neutral), Memphis ranked third nationally with total attendance of 644,435. Kansas and North Carolina were first and second, respectively, in that attendance category.
The Tigers drew record attendance on the road all season, especially in Conference USA play. Memphis played six of its eight C-USA road games before capacity (or larger) crowds at Marshall, Tulsa, Houston, UAB, Tulane and Southern Miss.
Memphis finished the 2007-08 campaign with an NCAA record 38 wins (38-2 record) and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament championship game. The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in both national polls for a school-record five-straight weeks during the season, swept the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles for a third-straight year.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Memphis/Conference USA Team Heads To China Sunday
Memphis/Conference USA Team Heads To China Sunday
May 25, 2008
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Have basketball, will travel - to the Far East, that is.
This morning, seven players from the University of Memphis - joined by two players from UTEP and Southern Miss and one from Tulsa - began a 20-hour, plane-ride journey to China for a nine-day, three-exhibition game tour.
"This is going to be an interesting trip," said Memphis head coach John Calipari. "Basically, it's two or three different teams, one day of practice, three games in six days and the flight over is probably 20 hours. It's a neat trip, and we are playing the (Chinese) national team.
"The people over in that region of China are anxious for us to get over there, and it's going to be fun."
Joining Calipari on staff for the trip are Tiger assistant John Robic and operations staffer Rod Strickland. UTEP head coach Tony Barbee and Tulsa head coach Doug Wojcik are also assisting Calipari on the trip.
The squad's first game is scheduled for May 28 at 7:30 pm local time (6:30 a.m. Memphis time; 13-hour difference). The second game is May 30 at 7:30 p.m. local time (6:30 a.m. CT), while the final contest is the same time on June 1.
After the exhibition games, the team returns to the United States, while Calipari and his Memphis staff stay another week in China to conduct basketball clinics.
The games are a part of the Memphis initiative with the Chinese Basketball Association for the next five years. The agreement started in the fall of 2007 when Calipari invited a group of 15 Chinese coaches to observe preseason practices at the Larry O. Finch Center on the University of Memphis campus. One coach - Cui Wanjun - remained with the Tigers throughout the entire 2007-08 campaign.
Memphis/Conference USA Team Exhibition Schedule
May 28 - 7:30 pm local (6:30 am CT)/Dongguan Tangxia (gym) in Dongguan
May 30 -- 7:30 pm local (6:30 am CT)/Yangjiang (gym) in Yangjiang
June 1 -- 7:30 pm local (6:30 am CT)/Huizhou Jiangbei (gym) in Huizhou
Players
Memphis
Antonio Anderson
Robert Dozier
Willie Kemp
Doneal Mack
Pierre Niles
Jeff Robinson
Shawn Taggart
Southern Miss
Andre Stephens
Jeremy Wise
Tulsa
Ben Uzoh
UTEP
Claude Britten
Julyan Stone
May 25, 2008
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Have basketball, will travel - to the Far East, that is.
This morning, seven players from the University of Memphis - joined by two players from UTEP and Southern Miss and one from Tulsa - began a 20-hour, plane-ride journey to China for a nine-day, three-exhibition game tour.
"This is going to be an interesting trip," said Memphis head coach John Calipari. "Basically, it's two or three different teams, one day of practice, three games in six days and the flight over is probably 20 hours. It's a neat trip, and we are playing the (Chinese) national team.
"The people over in that region of China are anxious for us to get over there, and it's going to be fun."
Joining Calipari on staff for the trip are Tiger assistant John Robic and operations staffer Rod Strickland. UTEP head coach Tony Barbee and Tulsa head coach Doug Wojcik are also assisting Calipari on the trip.
The squad's first game is scheduled for May 28 at 7:30 pm local time (6:30 a.m. Memphis time; 13-hour difference). The second game is May 30 at 7:30 p.m. local time (6:30 a.m. CT), while the final contest is the same time on June 1.
After the exhibition games, the team returns to the United States, while Calipari and his Memphis staff stay another week in China to conduct basketball clinics.
The games are a part of the Memphis initiative with the Chinese Basketball Association for the next five years. The agreement started in the fall of 2007 when Calipari invited a group of 15 Chinese coaches to observe preseason practices at the Larry O. Finch Center on the University of Memphis campus. One coach - Cui Wanjun - remained with the Tigers throughout the entire 2007-08 campaign.
Memphis/Conference USA Team Exhibition Schedule
May 28 - 7:30 pm local (6:30 am CT)/Dongguan Tangxia (gym) in Dongguan
May 30 -- 7:30 pm local (6:30 am CT)/Yangjiang (gym) in Yangjiang
June 1 -- 7:30 pm local (6:30 am CT)/Huizhou Jiangbei (gym) in Huizhou
Players
Memphis
Antonio Anderson
Robert Dozier
Willie Kemp
Doneal Mack
Pierre Niles
Jeff Robinson
Shawn Taggart
Southern Miss
Andre Stephens
Jeremy Wise
Tulsa
Ben Uzoh
UTEP
Claude Britten
Julyan Stone
Odds and Ends From Dan Wolken
CDR epilogue
Another player who has been working out hard recently is Chris Douglas-Roberts, who is using renowned NBA trainer Tim Grover to prepare for the draft. Grover's client list is off the charts -- his most famous was Michael Jordan -- and according to ESPN.com, Douglas-Roberts is currently working out at his Chicago gym with fellow probable first-round picks O.J. Mayo, Brandon Rush, Bill Walker and Donte Green.
Most projections have Douglas-Roberts going anywhere from No. 10 to No. 22 in the draft.
In other words, for any fans still holding out hope that Douglas-Roberts might come back to school -- and yes, those sentiments still pop up on Internet message boards from time to time -- please move on.
If his former roommate and sidekick Antonio Anderson can, so can you.
"That's what we all come here for, to get the opportunity to play at the next level," Anderson said. "His chance came, and I told him, he's got to go get it. He had a terrific three years here, and I'm going to miss him, but he's going to be making a lot of money."
Assistant update
Former Memphis assistant Chuck Martin, who became the head coach at Marist last month, was back in town Friday to see his family -- Martin is living in a hotel in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., until his wife and children can move -- and observe the pre-China practice with a member of his new coaching staff.
Since taking the job, Martin has already signed four players, which isn't a surprise since he has plenty to sell on the recruiting trail. Not only is Martin going to run Memphis' dribble-drive motion offense, but he's also in a league with a history of success in the NCAA Tournament with schools such as Iona, Manhattan and Siena, which beat Vanderbilt this year in the first round.
Martin also has a campus that offers a quaint private school setting just an hour from his recruiting wheelhouse in New York City.
"The campus is beautiful," Martin said. "The dorms overlook the Hudson River. It's ridiculous."
Cal's camp
The John Calipari Basketball School will include four different camps this year, beginning June 2-5 with the "Spring into Hoops" session. Mike Miller's shooting camp is June 9-11. On June 23-26, Memphis will hold its elite camp, dubbed the "Serious Skills Session." The final session is July 28-31. All camps are $200 and run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on their respective days. Register online at coachcalipari.com.
Etc.
Memphis ranked 10th in attendance for the 2007-08 season at 16,748 fans per game. Kentucky led the way with average crowds of 22,554. ... Rivals.com ranked Memphis' four-man recruiting class No. 5 in the country behind UCLA, Kansas, Wake Forest and Louisville. The Tigers could add one more player in athletic 6-7 forward Emmanuel Negedu, who initially signed with Arizona but was released from his letter of intent last week. Negedu, ranked No. 40 overall, has a close relationship with Memphis assistant Josh Pastner, who recruited him last year when he worked at Arizona. Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Indiana are also on Negedu's list. ... Calipari still has one more assistant coach to hire but said Friday that probably wouldn't happen until he returns from China. Though the team comes back June 2, the coaches are staying until June 8 to conduct coaching clinics.
To reach Dan Wolken, call 529-2365; e-mail: wolken@commercialappeal.com.
Evans working on endurance
Evans working on endurance
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, May 25, 2008
At the insistence of his older brother and legal guardian, incoming University of Memphis freshman Tyreke Evans began working with a personal trainer when he was just 13 years old. Since then, "Team Tyreke," has grown to include a footwork specialist and a chiropractor.
Now, Evans is planning to spend the next several weeks working with a track coach to help build his endurance and ability to run in Memphis' fast-paced system.
"That style is like a track meet," said big brother Reggie. "His ticker isn't exercised to do that type of running. We're going to get him doing track drills on how to pace yourself and how to breathe correctly."
When it comes to laying the groundwork for an NBA career, Tyreke Evans is impressively ahead of the curve.
While he may not have quite as many athletic gifts of Derrick Rose, who looks like he's going to parlay his only season at Memphis into the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, the two players are at completely different ends of the spectrum when it comes to physical preparation for their basketball careers.
Whereas Rose never lifted a weight before he got to Memphis, Evans has been training with Lamont Peterson for practically all of his teenage years. Whereas Rose's famously bad diet included copious amounts of Twizzlers and Gummi Bears, Evans regularly consults with a nutritionist.
And whereas Rose had a tendency to tire out at the end of big games in which he had to play almost all of the minutes, Evans is already preparing to go the distance.
"We saw that game against Tennessee," Reggie Evans said, referring to the Tigers' 66-62 loss last season. "Derrick and (Chris Douglas-Roberts), those two guys look healthy enough to run all day, and they were out of gas. 'Reke would be in big trouble."
Though some criticisms of Evans may be legitimate -- the most obvious is how often he shot the ball in high school and in the various all-star games -- even his biggest detractors can't question his work ethic.
Not when you consider he's putting up 1,500 shots a day, plus a daily lifting program, speed drills and everything else he's doing five months before his first college basketball game.
"Everybody's telling me Tyreke is working harder than they've ever seen him work, and he's really excited about being here and playing for us," coach John Calipari said. "It's absolutely driven him to another level."
There's also a sense, according to Reggie Evans, that Tyreke has been a bit undervalued in some circles, perhaps as a backlash to how long he's been in the spotlight. Rivals.com, for instance, ranked five players in the 2008 class ahead of Evans, who was named MVP of both the McDonald's All-American game and the Jordan Brand Classic.
"Here's a kid who is still, to himself, trying to keep proving everybody wrong," Reggie Evans said. "He's a forgotten kid. He's old news because he's been around for a while. ... You're kind of like old talk. That's what keeps him working hard. People are saying he can't play Memphis' style. That's crazy. He's like, I want to go to Memphis and prove everybody wrong. I love that about the kid."
Calipari's team gets jump on 2008-09 while soaking up culture in China
Calipari's team gets jump on 2008-09 while soaking up culture in China
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, May 25, 2008
The impact of the University of Memphis' association with Chinese basketball was evident last month when a delegation from the Big Ten visited the world's most populous country.
"One of their assistants," coach John Calipari said, "called back to say, 'Everywhere we go, they're asking, are you guys Memphis?'"
Given the vast potential for confusion in any East-West meeting, it was a minor and understandable mistake. It was also a potential preview of the reception for Memphis' delegation when seven Tigers players and five from other Conference USA schools arrive in Guangzhou sometime Monday for a weeklong trip highlighted by three exhibition games against the Chinese national team.
"You can imagine what has been built up, the goodwill of our team coming to China," Calipari said. "It's going to be exciting stuff."
For the Tigers, this rare overseas opportunity will serve two important purposes.
First, from a practical standpoint, it's the start of the 2008-09 season for Memphis' returning players. Though the dynamic will obviously change once the Tigers are able to play with their four incoming recruits, Calipari will at least get a sense of where the team stands on some key issues such as how junior Willie Kemp will play at point guard, whether sophomore Jeff Robinson will flourish in an expanded role and how junior Shawn Taggart will function as the primary post threat.
"I've been working out, trying to get ready for this point right now, so I'm happy to go out and play against guys like that," Taggart said. "It's going to be good competition for us to come together."
It's hard to gauge how this team, which will wear a special C-USA uniform rather than a Memphis uniform, will fare against the Chinese.
Fortunately for the Tigers, they won't have to match up against Houston Rockets center Yao Ming or Milwaukee Bucks forward Yi Jianlian, but they will have to adjust to international rules.
"They've got huge guys -- 6-8, 6-9 guards," Memphis senior Antonio Anderson said. "We've got to learn the rules, and the lane's a little wider. We have to be prepared in all aspects of how to play. We're looking forward to this experience. It's going to be great for me personally and the guys on the team and from the other schools. I'm pretty pumped up."
And they'll have to do it with just one day of practice. Memphis and the five additional players -- Tulsa guard Ben Uzoh, Southern Miss guard Jeremy Wise and forward Andre Stephens and UTEP guard Julyan Stone and center Claude Britten -- had just two sessions at the Finch Center on Saturday before taking off this morning.
Calipari said he would likely try to play the Memphis players together as much as possible.
"It's three games in six days, so there's not a whole lot we can really put in or add to it," Calipari said. "Maybe the first 12 minutes, we play our seven guys, then the next eight minutes we go with their five guys. Then we can have a couple guys sub in for them if they get exhausted. I think that's the easiest way to do this when you have absolutely one day of practice."
In some ways, however, the most important benefit of this trip is educational. None of Memphis' players have ever traveled so far away from home to a place so different from their own.
Despite the hectic schedule of games, Calipari said there will be time for cultural experiences. All three of the Tigers' games will be played in the vicinity of Guangzhou, the economic hub of South China and the third-largest city on the mainland. The metropolitan area is home to 9.75 million people and is just a 90-minute train ride from Hong Kong.
"It's different food, different culture; a lot of things are different over there," Taggart said. "And I've heard the shopping is cheaper, too."
The Tigers will also have to deal with a 13-hour time difference and a trip that will essentially take 24 hours from the time they leave Memphis until they arrive in Guangzhou.
"We've never been out of the country, so it's going to be a great trip," Kemp said. "The flight time and time changes, we'll probably be sleeping. It's daylight there when it's nighttime over here, so we have to get used to it."
After the players return on June 2, Calipari and assistants John Robic and Rod Strickland will remain in China for another week to conduct coaching clinics. This will be the first of five annual trips Calipari plans to make with his staff and a C-USA all-star team, per the terms of the exchange program he created last summer.
Last fall, the Chinese Basketball Association sent a group of coaches to observe the Tigers for 10 days during their preseason practices. One of them, Cui Wanjun, stayed with the team all season and witnessed their run to the national championship game. More coaches will be coming to Memphis next fall.
"Think about it," Calipari said. "These players are going to China, a country that had the iron curtain down not long ago. ... It's going to be a neat trip. I think people in that region are anxious for us to get over there. It should be fun."
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, May 25, 2008
The impact of the University of Memphis' association with Chinese basketball was evident last month when a delegation from the Big Ten visited the world's most populous country.
"One of their assistants," coach John Calipari said, "called back to say, 'Everywhere we go, they're asking, are you guys Memphis?'"
Given the vast potential for confusion in any East-West meeting, it was a minor and understandable mistake. It was also a potential preview of the reception for Memphis' delegation when seven Tigers players and five from other Conference USA schools arrive in Guangzhou sometime Monday for a weeklong trip highlighted by three exhibition games against the Chinese national team.
"You can imagine what has been built up, the goodwill of our team coming to China," Calipari said. "It's going to be exciting stuff."
For the Tigers, this rare overseas opportunity will serve two important purposes.
First, from a practical standpoint, it's the start of the 2008-09 season for Memphis' returning players. Though the dynamic will obviously change once the Tigers are able to play with their four incoming recruits, Calipari will at least get a sense of where the team stands on some key issues such as how junior Willie Kemp will play at point guard, whether sophomore Jeff Robinson will flourish in an expanded role and how junior Shawn Taggart will function as the primary post threat.
"I've been working out, trying to get ready for this point right now, so I'm happy to go out and play against guys like that," Taggart said. "It's going to be good competition for us to come together."
It's hard to gauge how this team, which will wear a special C-USA uniform rather than a Memphis uniform, will fare against the Chinese.
Fortunately for the Tigers, they won't have to match up against Houston Rockets center Yao Ming or Milwaukee Bucks forward Yi Jianlian, but they will have to adjust to international rules.
"They've got huge guys -- 6-8, 6-9 guards," Memphis senior Antonio Anderson said. "We've got to learn the rules, and the lane's a little wider. We have to be prepared in all aspects of how to play. We're looking forward to this experience. It's going to be great for me personally and the guys on the team and from the other schools. I'm pretty pumped up."
And they'll have to do it with just one day of practice. Memphis and the five additional players -- Tulsa guard Ben Uzoh, Southern Miss guard Jeremy Wise and forward Andre Stephens and UTEP guard Julyan Stone and center Claude Britten -- had just two sessions at the Finch Center on Saturday before taking off this morning.
Calipari said he would likely try to play the Memphis players together as much as possible.
"It's three games in six days, so there's not a whole lot we can really put in or add to it," Calipari said. "Maybe the first 12 minutes, we play our seven guys, then the next eight minutes we go with their five guys. Then we can have a couple guys sub in for them if they get exhausted. I think that's the easiest way to do this when you have absolutely one day of practice."
In some ways, however, the most important benefit of this trip is educational. None of Memphis' players have ever traveled so far away from home to a place so different from their own.
Despite the hectic schedule of games, Calipari said there will be time for cultural experiences. All three of the Tigers' games will be played in the vicinity of Guangzhou, the economic hub of South China and the third-largest city on the mainland. The metropolitan area is home to 9.75 million people and is just a 90-minute train ride from Hong Kong.
"It's different food, different culture; a lot of things are different over there," Taggart said. "And I've heard the shopping is cheaper, too."
The Tigers will also have to deal with a 13-hour time difference and a trip that will essentially take 24 hours from the time they leave Memphis until they arrive in Guangzhou.
"We've never been out of the country, so it's going to be a great trip," Kemp said. "The flight time and time changes, we'll probably be sleeping. It's daylight there when it's nighttime over here, so we have to get used to it."
After the players return on June 2, Calipari and assistants John Robic and Rod Strickland will remain in China for another week to conduct coaching clinics. This will be the first of five annual trips Calipari plans to make with his staff and a C-USA all-star team, per the terms of the exchange program he created last summer.
Last fall, the Chinese Basketball Association sent a group of coaches to observe the Tigers for 10 days during their preseason practices. One of them, Cui Wanjun, stayed with the team all season and witnessed their run to the national championship game. More coaches will be coming to Memphis next fall.
"Think about it," Calipari said. "These players are going to China, a country that had the iron curtain down not long ago. ... It's going to be a neat trip. I think people in that region are anxious for us to get over there. It should be fun."
Reach Dan Wolken at 529-2365; read his blogs on the Tigers at thememphisedge.com.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Anderson returning to U of M
Anderson returning to U of M
Guard withdraws name from NBA draft
By Dan Wolken
Originally published 03:11 p.m., May 23, 2008
University of Memphis guard Antonio Anderson withdrew his name from the NBA Draft on Friday morning and announced he would return to school for his senior season.
Anderson, who led the Tigers in minutes played each of the last three years, said his decision was easy once he learned he would not be picked in the first round of the draft, which guarantees an NBA contract.
“I got feedback that I’d go second round, and I wasn’t comfortable with that,” said Anderson, who averaged 8.6 points and 3.4 assists last season. “Coming back here for another year, I can get better in every aspect of my game and try to win some more ballgames and have fun again, have another great year and see where it can take me.”
Anderson’s return ensures the Tigers will have enough quality depth in the backcourt next season to make a long NCAA Tournament run, despite the loss of guards Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts to the NBA. Anderson projects to start alongside junior Willie Kemp and incoming freshman star Tyreke Evans, with junior Doneal Mack, sophomore Jeff Robinson and incoming freshman Wesley Witherspoon also in the mix.
With Anderson pulling out of the draft before the team leaves Sunday for a week-long trip to China, just one player — forward Robert Dozier — remains in limbo. Coach John Calipari said Friday he has been setting up individual workouts for Dozier once the team returns on June 2.
Like Anderson, Dozier does not project as a first-round pick but might ultimately decide to stay in the draft anyway.
“My suggestion is to explore it to the end and here’s why: I only want him to come back if he wants to be the player of the year in the country, if he has that desire,” Calipari said. “If it’s like, ‘Man I wish …’ then don’t come back. Go about your business, do what you have to do. I want him to thoroughly explore.”
Anderson, who is just 25 credits short of graduation, said he hopes Dozier decides to come back but won’t pressure him.
“Rob is his own person,” Anderson said. “I want the best for Rob whether he stays or comes back. I want him to come back so he can help me out, but it’s up to him. It’s his decision. If he goes for it, he goes for it. If he comes back, I’ll be happy, as well. I’m with him regardless.”
Two main factors that played into Anderson’s decision could probably be applied to Dozier’s, as well.
Whereas Dozier and Anderson were complimentary players on past Memphis teams — neither has averaged double figures in scoring for a season — both would have the opportunity to take on expanded roles as seniors.
Plus, next year’s draft projects to be far weaker in terms of underclassmen, giving them better opportunities to be selected in the first round.
“As stocked as the draft is and a lot of freshmen coming out, it’s pushing a lot of guys back,” Anderson said. “I’m not going to make a mistake that would impact me for the rest of my life.”
Regardless of Dozier’s decision, the Tigers are now close to finalizing their roster for next season. The other possible addition is 6-7 forward Emmanuel Negedu, who was released by Arizona from his letter of intent this week. Negedu was recruited to Arizona by Josh Pastner, who joined the Memphis coaching staff last week.
Negedu is looking at Memphis, Indiana, Georgia Tech and Tennessee, but it’s unlikely any decision will be made before the Tigers return from China, especially since this is a dead period in recruiting.
Either way, junior forward Shawn Taggart said he was excited about the roster going forward, especially with Anderson back in the fold.
“That’s a big deal,” Taggart said. “I’m happy he came back. He’s one of my closest friends, and he’s a great player. … We’re going to be very good.”
— Dan Wolken: 529-2365
Memphis' Anderson withdraws from NBA draft
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- University of Memphis guard Antonio Anderson has withdrawn from the 2008 NBA Draft and is returning to school for his final season of eligibility.
He said in a statement released by the school Friday that he'd been projected as a second-round pick, and he was not satisfied with that.
Anderson has 897 career points for the Tigers. This past season, he was the team's fourth-leading scorer at 8.6 points per game. He tied for the team lead with 49 steals and was second with 136 assists.
Anderson also was the most valuable player of the Conference USA Tournament.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
ESPN - Comments on Recruiting - See #1 and #10
A look at the 10 most significant recent developments on the recruiting scene
By Antonio Williams
ESPN.com
Updated: May 20, 2008
Both the early and late signing periods have produced a number of interesting occurrences that have had a major impact on the national recruiting landscape, dramatically altering the course of more than a few prominent college basketball programs.
These 10 events have significantly impacted college basketball and recruiting:
1. Evans goes walking in Memphis
After having a laundry list of schools well into the latter stages of his recruiting, Tyreke Evans narrowed his choices down to Connecticut, Louisville, Memphis, Texas and Villanova. Eventually, he whittled this impressive list down to two, with Villanova and Memphis left standing. Evans elected to take his considerable scoring talents to Memphis, where he should have plenty of opportunities.
Memphis will welcome Evans' prolific ability and mentality, given the fact that the Tigers will lose both Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts, the top two scorers on a team that played in the national title game. With shooting guard Antonio Anderson also testing the NBA draft waters, Evans may have even more scoring opportunities. Getting a talent such as Evans to Memphis also attracts other talented players, and Memphis coach John Calipari parlayed the momentum of Evans' commitment into a verbal pledge from Wesley Witherspoon, one of the top undeclared prospects in the Class of 2008 during the late signing period.
2. Troubles abloom in Bloomington
When Kelvin Sampson left Oklahoma to take the head coaching post at Indiana, he faced some minor sanctions from "excessive calling" of recruits, in the words of the NCAA. Sampson could not make calls to recruits, but these sanctions did not seem to hinder the rebuilding efforts that Sampson started at Indiana. After Indiana's controversial recruitment of uber-prospect Eric Gordon ended with the guard eventually choosing Indiana -- and leaving Illinois in the dust -- Sampson seemed well on his way to restoring the Hoosiers to national prominence.
With trouble appearing to be in the rearview mirror -- the Hoosiers started the season as a top 10 team -- and Gordon's presence paying immediate dividends on the court, Sampson assembled another top recruiting class for 2008. However, one of the recruits, Bud Mackey, ran afoul of the law and faced an indictment on drug trafficking. The Hoosiers had no choice but to withdraw their scholarship offer to Mackey. Then, allegations surfaced that Sampson and his staff violated the NCAA-mandated restrictions placed on phone calls to recruits. Sampson eventually lost his job during the season, the team lost games during this unstable phase and recruits expressed their interests in going elsewhere. Indiana released top recruit Devin Ebanks, who signed with West Virginia, and point guard Terrell Holloway, who signed with Xavier, from their letters of intent. Eventually, Indiana hired former Marquette coach Tom Crean. He has managed to rebound by signing one of his former Marquette recruits, ESPN 100 guard Nick Williams and talented guard Verdell Jones.
3. Billy and the kids
Since his arrival at Kentucky, coach Billy Gillispie, known for his legendary work ethic, has not disappointed the Kentucky faithful on the recruiting trails. Upon taking the reins, he delivered 2007 top-10 prospect Patrick Patterson to Lexington and followed that performance with pledges from two top-50 wing prospects: Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins. However, Gillispie's recruiting triumphs with younger prospects have dominated the headlines in recent weeks.
2010 ESPN Super 60 prospect Dominique Ferguson's verbal commitment to the Wildcats in late April served as the start of a whirlwind of momentum among underclassmen for Kentucky. Ferguson joins Super 60 members K.C. Ross-Miller and Dakotah Euton as members of the 2010 class who have given an oral pledge to the Wildcats. Ross-Miller and Euton both committed last summer. Soon afterward, California eighth-grader Michael Avery committed to Kentucky. Next, freshman Vinny Zollo announced his intentions to attend Kentucky in 2011, followed by word that Gillispie offered a scholarship to fellow 2011 prospect Jeremiah Davis. During this stretch, Gillispie also managed to get a verbal promise from 2009 ESPN 100 prospect Jon Hood.
4. The O.J. Mayo saga
Two years ago, USC coach Tim Floyd had the ingredients and the recipe needed to cook up one of the top up-and-coming college basketball programs in the country. With talented players Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt, and Taj Gibson and the pristine Galen Center serving as the foundation, Floyd had the facilities and the players to win games and in the process, gain the attention of some of the country's top prospects. (The program also could sell the experience of playing under the bright lights of Los Angeles.) USC had all the parts to deliver award-winning performances on the big stage except a true star to play the lead. Enter phenom O.J. Mayo.
With cross-town rival UCLA enjoying its own rebirth of sorts under Ben Howland and the early departures of both Young and Pruitt for the NBA draft, Mayo had the opportunity to immediately fill the backcourt void for the Trojans. USC has played in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament only twice since 1979, and Mayo had the chance to take the Trojans on a historic ride and create a legacy as one of the top freshmen to ever lace them up. Although the Trojans lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament this season, Mayo had a good year, leading the Pac-10 in scoring despite carrying major expectations and serving as the focal point of every opponent's defense.
Following his stellar freshman campaign, allegations emerged that Mayo accepted improper gifts before his enrollment at USC and during his time as a student. If current investigations find truth in these allegations, the Trojans will undoubtedly face sanctions that will have a major impact on their recruiting immediately. Top-10 prospect Demar Derozan has stated that these accusations could lead him to seek a release from the letter of intent he signed with USC. The Trojans have verbal commitments from other talented prospects -- including Malik Story and Leonard Washington -- they also could lose if they are penalized as a result of the investigation.
5. Hopson Volunteers for Tennessee
Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, with his outstanding basketball knowledge and infectious personality, landed a commitment from an elite prospect when 2008 McDonald's All-American Scotty Hopson decided he would head to Knoxville for the next phase of his basketball career. Pearl previously played All-American Chris Lofton at shooting guard. What Lofton lacked in height and athleticism for the position, he more than compensated for with shooting ability, character and determination. Hopson, who originally committed to Mississippi State, provides the Volunteers with prototypical size and elite athleticism at the 2-guard slot. With Hopson on board, expect Tennessee to arrive as a mainstay on the national recruiting scene.
6. Brady Bunch no more at LSU
At first glance, John Brady's departure from LSU might appear to be a minor event. Upon further analysis, however, Brady's firing could have a major impact on the college basketball landscape, particularly at UCLA.
The Bruins had already put together the top recruiting class in the country, with all-everything guard Jrue Holiday, Jerime Anderson, and Malcolm Lee joining power forward Drew Gordon in UCLA's 2008 recruiting haul. Now, there is wide-spread speculation that former LSU signee and ESPN 100 power forward J'Mison Morgan will join the Bruins after he received his release from LSU. Morgan's commitment would further bolster UCLA's already stellar class. During this recent run of success, which has included three consecutive Final Four berths, UCLA has experienced issues on the front line that severely hindered the Bruins' chances of winning the title. With this outstanding group of incoming freshmen -- and the prospects of adding Morgan -- UCLA may finally have all of the parts needed to bring the title back to Westwood.
7. Tar Heels ring in the New Year
Many experts thought the Tar Heels lost their recruiting touch at the beginning of the early signing period, during which they lost a couple of elite prospects to other top programs. In November 2008, however, top-10 prospect Tyler Zeller chose the Tar Heels, which seemed to dramatically reverse their recruiting fortunes. North Carolina rode the momentum of Zeller's commitment to a very successful beginning to the 2008 calendar year.
Tyler Zeller runs the floor better and more consistently than most big men, so he'll fit right in at UNC.
In the first week of 2008, John Henson, a talented ESPN 100 power forward from the Class of 2009, delivered a verbal pledge to the Tar Heels. Shortly after Henson's commitment, two more ESPN 100 frontcourt players -- twin brothers Travis and David Wear -- decided they will don the Carolina Blue in college. A few days later, 2010 ESPN Super 60 prospect Reggie Bullock selected North Carolina. 2009 top-10 player Dexter Strickland rounded out North Carolina's incredible January by giving a verbal pledge to the Tar Heels. So much for all of the talk that UNC coach Roy Williams lost his recruiting fastball.
8. Dawkins will Duke it out at Stanford
In somewhat of a surprise, longtime top Duke assistant Johnny Dawkins left Tobacco Road for Stanford's redwood country. Many thought Dawkins would remain with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and one day take over as Coach K's successor. Instead, Dawkins opted for Stanford to take over for Trent Johnson when he departed for LSU.
In Dawkins, Stanford has a leader familiar with coaching and recruiting under high academic standards and expectations. Dawkins also has international coaching experience under his belt (he contributed as part of Coach K's USA Basketball staff). Dawkins, with his coaching experience and knowledge, should have no problem maintaining Stanford's success on the national scene. Duke faithful will welcome Dawkins' success at Stanford. Surprisingly, a number of Coach K's disciples have endured their share of adversity as head coaches. Former Missouri coach Quin Snyder resigned due to pressures that arose from scandals. Current Harvard coach Tommy Amaker seemed to land on his feet after receiving his pink slip from Michigan. However, Harvard currently finds itself battling allegations of improper contact with recruits.
9. The Crimson curve
Amaker wasted little time in building excitement when he started to assemble a top-25 2008 recruiting class, headlined by talented center Frank Ben-Eze. Then, allegations of recruiting violations threw a curveball to the Crimson's reclamation project. Although the NCAA has not officially stated that Harvard engaged in illegal recruiting tactics, the fear of action from the NCAA has dramatically altered Harvard's once-impressive recruiting class. Ben-Eze, after originally pledging to Harvard, has signed with Davidson while he rehabs from a rather serious knee injury. In the coming weeks, players and college programs will play close attention to the situation at Harvard, and the Crimson's remaining 2008 recruiting class could have more significant changes.
10. Cousins blazing trails in Birmingham
The center of the recruiting universe was Birmingham, Ala., when 2009 top-5 prospect DeMarcus Cousins announced he would remain in-state to play for Mike Davis at UAB. Davis had no problem luring top talent at his previous head coaching post at Indiana and seems to have brought that formula to Birmingham. In Cousins, Davis has the elite prospect who has the talent to change the fortunes of a program. Cousins' commitment could also alter the course of an entire conference.
With schools such as Louisville departing for other conferences, Conference USA has experienced a decrease in level of play and respectability on the national scene. Only Memphis remains as a national power in the league. Cousins has the ability to shift the balance of power in Conference USA. Though he cannot accomplish this task alone, his presence has already started to play immediate dividends for the Blazers. Shortly after Cousins committed, Tamir "Pops" Jackson, another ESPN 100 prospect from the Class of 2009, delivered a verbal pledge to Davis and UAB. With this type of talent headed to Birmingham, Conference USA will start to garner national praise. Conference USA, if it wants relevancy on the national scene, needs more schools to develop their programs to challenge Memphis. With the additions of Cousins and Jackson, UAB seems well on its way to helping restore the league.
By Antonio Williams
ESPN.com
Updated: May 20, 2008
Both the early and late signing periods have produced a number of interesting occurrences that have had a major impact on the national recruiting landscape, dramatically altering the course of more than a few prominent college basketball programs.
These 10 events have significantly impacted college basketball and recruiting:
1. Evans goes walking in Memphis
After having a laundry list of schools well into the latter stages of his recruiting, Tyreke Evans narrowed his choices down to Connecticut, Louisville, Memphis, Texas and Villanova. Eventually, he whittled this impressive list down to two, with Villanova and Memphis left standing. Evans elected to take his considerable scoring talents to Memphis, where he should have plenty of opportunities.
Memphis will welcome Evans' prolific ability and mentality, given the fact that the Tigers will lose both Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts, the top two scorers on a team that played in the national title game. With shooting guard Antonio Anderson also testing the NBA draft waters, Evans may have even more scoring opportunities. Getting a talent such as Evans to Memphis also attracts other talented players, and Memphis coach John Calipari parlayed the momentum of Evans' commitment into a verbal pledge from Wesley Witherspoon, one of the top undeclared prospects in the Class of 2008 during the late signing period.
2. Troubles abloom in Bloomington
When Kelvin Sampson left Oklahoma to take the head coaching post at Indiana, he faced some minor sanctions from "excessive calling" of recruits, in the words of the NCAA. Sampson could not make calls to recruits, but these sanctions did not seem to hinder the rebuilding efforts that Sampson started at Indiana. After Indiana's controversial recruitment of uber-prospect Eric Gordon ended with the guard eventually choosing Indiana -- and leaving Illinois in the dust -- Sampson seemed well on his way to restoring the Hoosiers to national prominence.
With trouble appearing to be in the rearview mirror -- the Hoosiers started the season as a top 10 team -- and Gordon's presence paying immediate dividends on the court, Sampson assembled another top recruiting class for 2008. However, one of the recruits, Bud Mackey, ran afoul of the law and faced an indictment on drug trafficking. The Hoosiers had no choice but to withdraw their scholarship offer to Mackey. Then, allegations surfaced that Sampson and his staff violated the NCAA-mandated restrictions placed on phone calls to recruits. Sampson eventually lost his job during the season, the team lost games during this unstable phase and recruits expressed their interests in going elsewhere. Indiana released top recruit Devin Ebanks, who signed with West Virginia, and point guard Terrell Holloway, who signed with Xavier, from their letters of intent. Eventually, Indiana hired former Marquette coach Tom Crean. He has managed to rebound by signing one of his former Marquette recruits, ESPN 100 guard Nick Williams and talented guard Verdell Jones.
3. Billy and the kids
Since his arrival at Kentucky, coach Billy Gillispie, known for his legendary work ethic, has not disappointed the Kentucky faithful on the recruiting trails. Upon taking the reins, he delivered 2007 top-10 prospect Patrick Patterson to Lexington and followed that performance with pledges from two top-50 wing prospects: Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins. However, Gillispie's recruiting triumphs with younger prospects have dominated the headlines in recent weeks.
2010 ESPN Super 60 prospect Dominique Ferguson's verbal commitment to the Wildcats in late April served as the start of a whirlwind of momentum among underclassmen for Kentucky. Ferguson joins Super 60 members K.C. Ross-Miller and Dakotah Euton as members of the 2010 class who have given an oral pledge to the Wildcats. Ross-Miller and Euton both committed last summer. Soon afterward, California eighth-grader Michael Avery committed to Kentucky. Next, freshman Vinny Zollo announced his intentions to attend Kentucky in 2011, followed by word that Gillispie offered a scholarship to fellow 2011 prospect Jeremiah Davis. During this stretch, Gillispie also managed to get a verbal promise from 2009 ESPN 100 prospect Jon Hood.
4. The O.J. Mayo saga
Two years ago, USC coach Tim Floyd had the ingredients and the recipe needed to cook up one of the top up-and-coming college basketball programs in the country. With talented players Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt, and Taj Gibson and the pristine Galen Center serving as the foundation, Floyd had the facilities and the players to win games and in the process, gain the attention of some of the country's top prospects. (The program also could sell the experience of playing under the bright lights of Los Angeles.) USC had all the parts to deliver award-winning performances on the big stage except a true star to play the lead. Enter phenom O.J. Mayo.
With cross-town rival UCLA enjoying its own rebirth of sorts under Ben Howland and the early departures of both Young and Pruitt for the NBA draft, Mayo had the opportunity to immediately fill the backcourt void for the Trojans. USC has played in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament only twice since 1979, and Mayo had the chance to take the Trojans on a historic ride and create a legacy as one of the top freshmen to ever lace them up. Although the Trojans lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament this season, Mayo had a good year, leading the Pac-10 in scoring despite carrying major expectations and serving as the focal point of every opponent's defense.
Following his stellar freshman campaign, allegations emerged that Mayo accepted improper gifts before his enrollment at USC and during his time as a student. If current investigations find truth in these allegations, the Trojans will undoubtedly face sanctions that will have a major impact on their recruiting immediately. Top-10 prospect Demar Derozan has stated that these accusations could lead him to seek a release from the letter of intent he signed with USC. The Trojans have verbal commitments from other talented prospects -- including Malik Story and Leonard Washington -- they also could lose if they are penalized as a result of the investigation.
5. Hopson Volunteers for Tennessee
Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, with his outstanding basketball knowledge and infectious personality, landed a commitment from an elite prospect when 2008 McDonald's All-American Scotty Hopson decided he would head to Knoxville for the next phase of his basketball career. Pearl previously played All-American Chris Lofton at shooting guard. What Lofton lacked in height and athleticism for the position, he more than compensated for with shooting ability, character and determination. Hopson, who originally committed to Mississippi State, provides the Volunteers with prototypical size and elite athleticism at the 2-guard slot. With Hopson on board, expect Tennessee to arrive as a mainstay on the national recruiting scene.
6. Brady Bunch no more at LSU
At first glance, John Brady's departure from LSU might appear to be a minor event. Upon further analysis, however, Brady's firing could have a major impact on the college basketball landscape, particularly at UCLA.
The Bruins had already put together the top recruiting class in the country, with all-everything guard Jrue Holiday, Jerime Anderson, and Malcolm Lee joining power forward Drew Gordon in UCLA's 2008 recruiting haul. Now, there is wide-spread speculation that former LSU signee and ESPN 100 power forward J'Mison Morgan will join the Bruins after he received his release from LSU. Morgan's commitment would further bolster UCLA's already stellar class. During this recent run of success, which has included three consecutive Final Four berths, UCLA has experienced issues on the front line that severely hindered the Bruins' chances of winning the title. With this outstanding group of incoming freshmen -- and the prospects of adding Morgan -- UCLA may finally have all of the parts needed to bring the title back to Westwood.
7. Tar Heels ring in the New Year
Many experts thought the Tar Heels lost their recruiting touch at the beginning of the early signing period, during which they lost a couple of elite prospects to other top programs. In November 2008, however, top-10 prospect Tyler Zeller chose the Tar Heels, which seemed to dramatically reverse their recruiting fortunes. North Carolina rode the momentum of Zeller's commitment to a very successful beginning to the 2008 calendar year.
Tyler Zeller runs the floor better and more consistently than most big men, so he'll fit right in at UNC.
In the first week of 2008, John Henson, a talented ESPN 100 power forward from the Class of 2009, delivered a verbal pledge to the Tar Heels. Shortly after Henson's commitment, two more ESPN 100 frontcourt players -- twin brothers Travis and David Wear -- decided they will don the Carolina Blue in college. A few days later, 2010 ESPN Super 60 prospect Reggie Bullock selected North Carolina. 2009 top-10 player Dexter Strickland rounded out North Carolina's incredible January by giving a verbal pledge to the Tar Heels. So much for all of the talk that UNC coach Roy Williams lost his recruiting fastball.
8. Dawkins will Duke it out at Stanford
In somewhat of a surprise, longtime top Duke assistant Johnny Dawkins left Tobacco Road for Stanford's redwood country. Many thought Dawkins would remain with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and one day take over as Coach K's successor. Instead, Dawkins opted for Stanford to take over for Trent Johnson when he departed for LSU.
In Dawkins, Stanford has a leader familiar with coaching and recruiting under high academic standards and expectations. Dawkins also has international coaching experience under his belt (he contributed as part of Coach K's USA Basketball staff). Dawkins, with his coaching experience and knowledge, should have no problem maintaining Stanford's success on the national scene. Duke faithful will welcome Dawkins' success at Stanford. Surprisingly, a number of Coach K's disciples have endured their share of adversity as head coaches. Former Missouri coach Quin Snyder resigned due to pressures that arose from scandals. Current Harvard coach Tommy Amaker seemed to land on his feet after receiving his pink slip from Michigan. However, Harvard currently finds itself battling allegations of improper contact with recruits.
9. The Crimson curve
Amaker wasted little time in building excitement when he started to assemble a top-25 2008 recruiting class, headlined by talented center Frank Ben-Eze. Then, allegations of recruiting violations threw a curveball to the Crimson's reclamation project. Although the NCAA has not officially stated that Harvard engaged in illegal recruiting tactics, the fear of action from the NCAA has dramatically altered Harvard's once-impressive recruiting class. Ben-Eze, after originally pledging to Harvard, has signed with Davidson while he rehabs from a rather serious knee injury. In the coming weeks, players and college programs will play close attention to the situation at Harvard, and the Crimson's remaining 2008 recruiting class could have more significant changes.
10. Cousins blazing trails in Birmingham
The center of the recruiting universe was Birmingham, Ala., when 2009 top-5 prospect DeMarcus Cousins announced he would remain in-state to play for Mike Davis at UAB. Davis had no problem luring top talent at his previous head coaching post at Indiana and seems to have brought that formula to Birmingham. In Cousins, Davis has the elite prospect who has the talent to change the fortunes of a program. Cousins' commitment could also alter the course of an entire conference.
With schools such as Louisville departing for other conferences, Conference USA has experienced a decrease in level of play and respectability on the national scene. Only Memphis remains as a national power in the league. Cousins has the ability to shift the balance of power in Conference USA. Though he cannot accomplish this task alone, his presence has already started to play immediate dividends for the Blazers. Shortly after Cousins committed, Tamir "Pops" Jackson, another ESPN 100 prospect from the Class of 2009, delivered a verbal pledge to Davis and UAB. With this type of talent headed to Birmingham, Conference USA will start to garner national praise. Conference USA, if it wants relevancy on the national scene, needs more schools to develop their programs to challenge Memphis. With the additions of Cousins and Jackson, UAB seems well on its way to helping restore the league.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Mike DeCourcy - Making the case for a NBA draft age of 20
Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News
Making the case for a NBA draft age of 20
Posted: May 19, 2008
When the folks at Harris Interactive recently released their annual survey of America's most popular sports, basketball got slammed. Once ahead of baseball in the race to be a distant second to this nation's football obsession, the ratings for hoops have slipped to Beauty and the Geek territory.
I did my own little survey, less scientific, when speaking at Wright State's tipoff luncheon last November. To get an idea of how the NBA is viewed by typical college fans, I asked audience members to raise their hands if they had a negative view of the NBA. You'd have thought I had just offered them 23-cent pizzas.
Basketball is a great game, but the sport is fractured. We again were reminded of that when ESPN's Outside the Lines reported USC star O.J. Mayo was paid thousands of dollars by an agent's "runner" while Mayo played high school ball and one season with the Trojans.
Would an increase in the NBA's draft age minimum to 20 fix everything?
Goodness, no.
There's one reason I'm certain it's a good move, though: Many agents think it's a bad one.
Those who fought against NBA commissioner David Stern's original proposal for a 20-year age minimum -- and helped get it cut in contract negotiations to the current 19 -- largely did so because it's easier to bamboozle high school kids. Agents are attaching themselves to younger players and do not want extended college careers to delay their payoffs. They might masquerade behind a concern about the rights of athletes to earn a living, but it's mostly about their own net worths.
For too long, there has been no attention paid to basketball's bottom line. In 1994, before the NBA's introduction of a rookie salary scale essentially invited high school players into the draft, 19 percent of Americans identified basketball -- college (8 percent) or pro (11) -- as their favorite sport. Now it's down to 8 percent, split evenly between the two. David Falk, who gained fame as Michael Jordan's agent, believes the players association should recognize how the decline in popularity affects them and support increasing the age minimum.
"The lack of connection with these superstars really hurts the business of sport," Falk told the SportBusiness Journal's Liz Mullen. Later, he added, "The point is all the players are making less money if the product is inferior."
Stern is not blameless in the decline, but he deserves credit for trying to reverse it. At the Final Four, the NBA and NCAA announced a partnership designed to address concerns at the game's grass-roots level. An enhanced age minimum is not explicitly part of that initiative, but it would benefit the sport by delivering better trained and better known players to the league.
Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com.
Looking Forward to 2009 Recruiting (I know Its a Long Way Off, But I Need Something To Write About)
2009 Players Considering - Memphis
NAME POS HT WT SCHOOL RANK GRADE
Xavier Henry Shooting Guard 6-6 205 Putnam City H.S. (OK) SG #1 92
Lance Stephenson Point Guard 6-5 200 Lincoln H.S. (NY) PG #1 92
Leslie McDonald Shooting Guard 6-5 200 Briarcrest H.S. (TN) SG #3 91
Nolan Dennis Shooting Guard 6-5 185 Richland Hills H.S. (TX) SG #5 91
Kenny Boynton Shooting Guard 6-2 180 American Heritage H.S. (FL) SG #6 91
Noel Johnson Small Forward 6-6 190 Fayette County H.S. (GA) SF #3 91
Christian Watford Small Forward 6-8 215 Shades Valley H.S. (AL) SF #4 90
Karron Johnson Power Forward 6-7 225 Mount Zion Christian Acad (NC) PF #14 88
Omari Lawrence Shooting Guard 6-3 185 Saint Raymond (NY) SG #8 87
Durand Scott Small Forward 6-4 175 Rice H.S. (NY) SF #13 86
Glenn Bryant Power Forward 6-7 190 Oak Hill Academy (VA) PF #23 83
Demetrius Walker Small Forward 6-3 180 Junipero Serra H.S. (CA) SF #28 75
LaRon Dendy Center 6-10 205 Hope Christian (NC) JC 68
Ferrakohn Hall Power Forward 6-7 210 White Station H.S. (TN) PF #69 67
Dan Jennings Center 6-8 225 Oak Hill Academy (VA) 40
James Still Center 6-8 205 Community H.S. (MI) 40
NAME POS HT WT SCHOOL RANK GRADE
Xavier Henry Shooting Guard 6-6 205 Putnam City H.S. (OK) SG #1 92
Lance Stephenson Point Guard 6-5 200 Lincoln H.S. (NY) PG #1 92
Leslie McDonald Shooting Guard 6-5 200 Briarcrest H.S. (TN) SG #3 91
Nolan Dennis Shooting Guard 6-5 185 Richland Hills H.S. (TX) SG #5 91
Kenny Boynton Shooting Guard 6-2 180 American Heritage H.S. (FL) SG #6 91
Noel Johnson Small Forward 6-6 190 Fayette County H.S. (GA) SF #3 91
Christian Watford Small Forward 6-8 215 Shades Valley H.S. (AL) SF #4 90
Karron Johnson Power Forward 6-7 225 Mount Zion Christian Acad (NC) PF #14 88
Omari Lawrence Shooting Guard 6-3 185 Saint Raymond (NY) SG #8 87
Durand Scott Small Forward 6-4 175 Rice H.S. (NY) SF #13 86
Glenn Bryant Power Forward 6-7 190 Oak Hill Academy (VA) PF #23 83
Demetrius Walker Small Forward 6-3 180 Junipero Serra H.S. (CA) SF #28 75
LaRon Dendy Center 6-10 205 Hope Christian (NC) JC 68
Ferrakohn Hall Power Forward 6-7 210 White Station H.S. (TN) PF #69 67
Dan Jennings Center 6-8 225 Oak Hill Academy (VA) 40
James Still Center 6-8 205 Community H.S. (MI) 40
ESPN 150 Top Recruits (Evans #4, Garcia #61, Witherspoon #72, Simpkins NR)
The ESPN 150 Class: 2008
The complete ESPN 150 is below.
Last Updated: 5/19/2008 Data provided by Scouts, Inc.
ESPN 150 - Class of 2008
RANK NAME POSITION STATE GRADE SCHOOL
1 Brandon Jennings PG CA 92 Arizona
2 Samardo Samuels C NJ 92 Louisville
3 Jrue Holiday SG CA 92 UCLA
4 Tyreke Evans SG PA 92 Memphis
5 Al-Farouq Aminu SF GA 92 Wake Forest
6 Tyler Zeller PF IN 92 North Carolina
7 Demar DeRozan SF CA 92 USC
8 B.J. Mullens C OH 92 Ohio State
9 Kemba Walker PG NY 92 Connecticut
10 Ed Davis PF VA 92 North Carolina
11 Delvon Roe PF OH 92 Michigan State
12 Greg Monroe PF LA 92 Georgetown
13 JaMychal Green PF AL 91 Alabama
14 William Buford SG OH 91 Ohio State
15 Luke Babbitt PF NV 91 Nevada
16 Scotty Hopson SF KY 91 Tennessee
17 Elliot Williams SG TN 91 Duke
18 Sylven Landesberg SF NY 91 Virginia
19 Drew Gordon PF CA 91 UCLA
20 Howard Thompkins PF GA 91 Georgia
21 Michael Dunigan C IL 91 Oregon
22 Chris Singleton PF GA 91 Florida State
23 Willie Warren SG TX 91 Oklahoma
24 Larry Drew PG CA 91 North Carolina
25 Mike Rosario SG NJ 91 Rutgers
26 Iman Shumpert SG IL 91 Georgia Tech
27 Malcolm Lee PG CA 91 UCLA
28 DeQuan Jones SF GA 91 Miami (FL)
29 Henry Sims C MD 91 Georgetown
30 Tony Woods C GA 90 Wake Forest
31 Darius Miller SF KY 90 Kentucky
32 Yancy Gates PF OH 90 Cincinnati
33 Terrelle Pryor SF PA 90 None
34 Kevin Jones PF NY 90 West Virginia
35 Draymond Green PF MI 90 Michigan State
36 Rashanti Harris C MS 90 None
37 Emmanuel Negedu PF NH 90 Arizona
38 Phillip McDonald SG TX 90 New Mexico
39 Eloy Vargas PF FL 90 Florida
40 Nick Williams SG AL 90 Indiana
41 Jeff Withey C CA 90 Arizona
42 J'Mison Morgan C TX 90 None
43 Romero Osby PF MS 90 Mississippi State
44 Kenneth Kadji C FL 90 Florida
45 Klay Thompson SF CA 90 Washington State
46 Kris Joseph SF DC 90 Syracuse
47 Jason Clark SG VA 90 Georgetown
48 DeAndre Liggins SF NV 90 Kentucky
49 Sean Mosley SG MD 89 Maryland
50 Jerime Anderson PG CA 89 UCLA
51 Rotnei Clarke PG OK 89 Arkansas
52 Ty Walker C NC 89 Wake Forest
53 J'Covan Brown SG TX 89 Texas
54 Rayford Shipman SF FL 89 Florida
55 Kenny Frease C OH 89 Xavier
56 Xavier Gibson C AL 89 Florida State
57 Storm Warren PF LA 89 Louisiana State
58 Tony Mitchell SF GA 89 Alabama
59 Mookie Jones SF NY 89 Syracuse
60 Chris Braswell PF MD 89 Georgetown
61 Angel Garcia PF IN 89 Memphis
62 Quintrell Thomas PF NJ 89 Kansas
63 David Loubeau PF FL 88 Texas A&M
64 Allan Chaney PF CT 88 Florida
65 Murphy Holloway SF SC 88 Mississippi
66 Travis Releford SG KS 88 Kansas
67 Anthony Jones SF TX 88 Baylor
68 Miles Plumlee PF NC 88 Duke
69 Paul Williams SG MI 88 Dayton
70 Erving Walker PG NY 88 Florida
71 D.J. Seeley SG CA 88 California
72 Wesley Witherspoon SF GA 88 Memphis
73 Jeff Taylor SF NM 88 Vanderbilt
74 Dashan Harris PG FL 88 Texas A&M
75 Elston Turner Jr. SG TX 88 Washington
76 Scott Suggs SG MO 88 Washington
77 Cashmere Wright PG GA 88 Cincinnati
78 John Brandenburg C MO 88 Virginia
79 Korie Lucious PG WI 88 Michigan State
80 Demetri Goodson PG TX 88 Gonzaga
81 Walter Offutt SG IN 87 Ohio State
82 Anthony Booker PF MO 87 Southern Illinois
83 Nasir Robinson SF PA 87 Pittsburgh
84 Roscoe Davis PF MD 87 West Virginia
85 Terrico White SG TN 87 Mississippi
86 Terrance Henry PF LA 87 Mississippi
87 Lance Goulbourne SF NJ 87 Vanderbilt
88 Matt Gatens SG IA 87 Iowa
89 Jeremy Green SG TX 87 Stanford
90 Anthony Crater PG NH 87 Ohio State
91 Andrew Steele SG AL 87 Alabama
92 Darryl "Truck" Bryant PG NY 87 West Virginia
93 Phillip Jurick C TN 87 Tennessee
94 Mark McLaughlin SG WA 86 Nevada
95 Brad Tinsley PG OR 86 Vanderbilt
96 Reggie Jackson SG CO 86 Boston College
97 Clarence Trent PF NV 86 None
98 Scottie Haralson SG MS 86 Connecticut
99 Renaldo Woolridge SF CA 86 Tennessee
100 Mike Harthun SG OR 86 Washington State
101 Olek Czyz PF NV 86 Duke
102 Brendon Lavender SG AZ 86 Arizona
103 Jared Berggren C MN 85 Wisconsin
104 Tom Pritchard PF OH 85 Indiana
105 Kevin Dillard PG IL 85 Southern Illinois
106 Sean Kilpatrick SG NY 85 None
107 Colton Iverson C SD 85 Minnesota
108 Steve Tchiengang PF FL 85 Vanderbilt
109 Toby Veal SF GA 85 Colorado
110 Tyshawn Taylor PG NJ 85 Kansas
111 Luke Loucks PG FL 85 Florida State
112 Paul McCoy PG OR 85 Southern Methodist
113 Darius Morrow PF GA 85 East Carolina
114 Tanner Smith SG GA 85 Clemson
115 Assane Sene C CT 84 Virginia
116 Delwan Graham SF GA 84 LSU
117 David Gibbs PG CT 84 Massachusetts
118 Miguel Paul PG FL 84 Missouri
119 Josh Benson PF OH 84 Dayton
120 Travon Woodall PG NJ 84 Pittsburgh
121 Latavious Williams PF MS 84 None
122 Stan Simpson C IL 84 Illinois
123 Jordan Taylor PG MN 84 Wisconsin
124 Grant Gibbs PG IA 84 Gonzaga
125 Frankie Sullivan PG AL 84 Auburn
126 Damier Pitts PG VA 84 Marshall
127 Dominique Buckley PG MI 83 Iowa State
128 Teondre Williams SG GA 83 Oregon
129 Ashton Gibbs SG NJ 83 Pittsburgh
130 Ian Markolf C TX 83 Wisconsin
131 Ralph Sampson, III C GA 83 Minnesota
132 Corbin Ray SF TX 83 Texas Tech
133 C.J. Williams SF NC 83 N.C. State
134 Brett Thompson C IL 83 Saint Louis
135 Andre Young PG GA 83 Clemson
136 Verdell Jones PG IL 83 Indiana
137 Steve Moore C MO 83 Missouri
138 Jiovanny Fontan PG NJ 83 Fordham
139 Travis Leslie SF GA 83 Georgia
140 Freddie Riley SG FL 82 Florida Atlantic
141 Max Kenyi SG DC 82 Harvard
142 Brian Walsh SG PA 82 Xavier
143 Tyreese Breshers PF CA 82 Washington
144 Catalin Baciu C NC 82 Clemson
145 Matt Roth SG IL 82 Indiana
146 Drew Wiley SF OR 82 Oregon
147 Jordan Theodore PG NJ 82 Seton Hall
148 Julius Mays PG IN 82 N.C. State
149 Lorne Jackson PG CA 82 Pepperdine
150 John Shurna PF IL 82 Northwestern
The complete ESPN 150 is below.
Last Updated: 5/19/2008 Data provided by Scouts, Inc.
ESPN 150 - Class of 2008
RANK NAME POSITION STATE GRADE SCHOOL
1 Brandon Jennings PG CA 92 Arizona
2 Samardo Samuels C NJ 92 Louisville
3 Jrue Holiday SG CA 92 UCLA
4 Tyreke Evans SG PA 92 Memphis
5 Al-Farouq Aminu SF GA 92 Wake Forest
6 Tyler Zeller PF IN 92 North Carolina
7 Demar DeRozan SF CA 92 USC
8 B.J. Mullens C OH 92 Ohio State
9 Kemba Walker PG NY 92 Connecticut
10 Ed Davis PF VA 92 North Carolina
11 Delvon Roe PF OH 92 Michigan State
12 Greg Monroe PF LA 92 Georgetown
13 JaMychal Green PF AL 91 Alabama
14 William Buford SG OH 91 Ohio State
15 Luke Babbitt PF NV 91 Nevada
16 Scotty Hopson SF KY 91 Tennessee
17 Elliot Williams SG TN 91 Duke
18 Sylven Landesberg SF NY 91 Virginia
19 Drew Gordon PF CA 91 UCLA
20 Howard Thompkins PF GA 91 Georgia
21 Michael Dunigan C IL 91 Oregon
22 Chris Singleton PF GA 91 Florida State
23 Willie Warren SG TX 91 Oklahoma
24 Larry Drew PG CA 91 North Carolina
25 Mike Rosario SG NJ 91 Rutgers
26 Iman Shumpert SG IL 91 Georgia Tech
27 Malcolm Lee PG CA 91 UCLA
28 DeQuan Jones SF GA 91 Miami (FL)
29 Henry Sims C MD 91 Georgetown
30 Tony Woods C GA 90 Wake Forest
31 Darius Miller SF KY 90 Kentucky
32 Yancy Gates PF OH 90 Cincinnati
33 Terrelle Pryor SF PA 90 None
34 Kevin Jones PF NY 90 West Virginia
35 Draymond Green PF MI 90 Michigan State
36 Rashanti Harris C MS 90 None
37 Emmanuel Negedu PF NH 90 Arizona
38 Phillip McDonald SG TX 90 New Mexico
39 Eloy Vargas PF FL 90 Florida
40 Nick Williams SG AL 90 Indiana
41 Jeff Withey C CA 90 Arizona
42 J'Mison Morgan C TX 90 None
43 Romero Osby PF MS 90 Mississippi State
44 Kenneth Kadji C FL 90 Florida
45 Klay Thompson SF CA 90 Washington State
46 Kris Joseph SF DC 90 Syracuse
47 Jason Clark SG VA 90 Georgetown
48 DeAndre Liggins SF NV 90 Kentucky
49 Sean Mosley SG MD 89 Maryland
50 Jerime Anderson PG CA 89 UCLA
51 Rotnei Clarke PG OK 89 Arkansas
52 Ty Walker C NC 89 Wake Forest
53 J'Covan Brown SG TX 89 Texas
54 Rayford Shipman SF FL 89 Florida
55 Kenny Frease C OH 89 Xavier
56 Xavier Gibson C AL 89 Florida State
57 Storm Warren PF LA 89 Louisiana State
58 Tony Mitchell SF GA 89 Alabama
59 Mookie Jones SF NY 89 Syracuse
60 Chris Braswell PF MD 89 Georgetown
61 Angel Garcia PF IN 89 Memphis
62 Quintrell Thomas PF NJ 89 Kansas
63 David Loubeau PF FL 88 Texas A&M
64 Allan Chaney PF CT 88 Florida
65 Murphy Holloway SF SC 88 Mississippi
66 Travis Releford SG KS 88 Kansas
67 Anthony Jones SF TX 88 Baylor
68 Miles Plumlee PF NC 88 Duke
69 Paul Williams SG MI 88 Dayton
70 Erving Walker PG NY 88 Florida
71 D.J. Seeley SG CA 88 California
72 Wesley Witherspoon SF GA 88 Memphis
73 Jeff Taylor SF NM 88 Vanderbilt
74 Dashan Harris PG FL 88 Texas A&M
75 Elston Turner Jr. SG TX 88 Washington
76 Scott Suggs SG MO 88 Washington
77 Cashmere Wright PG GA 88 Cincinnati
78 John Brandenburg C MO 88 Virginia
79 Korie Lucious PG WI 88 Michigan State
80 Demetri Goodson PG TX 88 Gonzaga
81 Walter Offutt SG IN 87 Ohio State
82 Anthony Booker PF MO 87 Southern Illinois
83 Nasir Robinson SF PA 87 Pittsburgh
84 Roscoe Davis PF MD 87 West Virginia
85 Terrico White SG TN 87 Mississippi
86 Terrance Henry PF LA 87 Mississippi
87 Lance Goulbourne SF NJ 87 Vanderbilt
88 Matt Gatens SG IA 87 Iowa
89 Jeremy Green SG TX 87 Stanford
90 Anthony Crater PG NH 87 Ohio State
91 Andrew Steele SG AL 87 Alabama
92 Darryl "Truck" Bryant PG NY 87 West Virginia
93 Phillip Jurick C TN 87 Tennessee
94 Mark McLaughlin SG WA 86 Nevada
95 Brad Tinsley PG OR 86 Vanderbilt
96 Reggie Jackson SG CO 86 Boston College
97 Clarence Trent PF NV 86 None
98 Scottie Haralson SG MS 86 Connecticut
99 Renaldo Woolridge SF CA 86 Tennessee
100 Mike Harthun SG OR 86 Washington State
101 Olek Czyz PF NV 86 Duke
102 Brendon Lavender SG AZ 86 Arizona
103 Jared Berggren C MN 85 Wisconsin
104 Tom Pritchard PF OH 85 Indiana
105 Kevin Dillard PG IL 85 Southern Illinois
106 Sean Kilpatrick SG NY 85 None
107 Colton Iverson C SD 85 Minnesota
108 Steve Tchiengang PF FL 85 Vanderbilt
109 Toby Veal SF GA 85 Colorado
110 Tyshawn Taylor PG NJ 85 Kansas
111 Luke Loucks PG FL 85 Florida State
112 Paul McCoy PG OR 85 Southern Methodist
113 Darius Morrow PF GA 85 East Carolina
114 Tanner Smith SG GA 85 Clemson
115 Assane Sene C CT 84 Virginia
116 Delwan Graham SF GA 84 LSU
117 David Gibbs PG CT 84 Massachusetts
118 Miguel Paul PG FL 84 Missouri
119 Josh Benson PF OH 84 Dayton
120 Travon Woodall PG NJ 84 Pittsburgh
121 Latavious Williams PF MS 84 None
122 Stan Simpson C IL 84 Illinois
123 Jordan Taylor PG MN 84 Wisconsin
124 Grant Gibbs PG IA 84 Gonzaga
125 Frankie Sullivan PG AL 84 Auburn
126 Damier Pitts PG VA 84 Marshall
127 Dominique Buckley PG MI 83 Iowa State
128 Teondre Williams SG GA 83 Oregon
129 Ashton Gibbs SG NJ 83 Pittsburgh
130 Ian Markolf C TX 83 Wisconsin
131 Ralph Sampson, III C GA 83 Minnesota
132 Corbin Ray SF TX 83 Texas Tech
133 C.J. Williams SF NC 83 N.C. State
134 Brett Thompson C IL 83 Saint Louis
135 Andre Young PG GA 83 Clemson
136 Verdell Jones PG IL 83 Indiana
137 Steve Moore C MO 83 Missouri
138 Jiovanny Fontan PG NJ 83 Fordham
139 Travis Leslie SF GA 83 Georgia
140 Freddie Riley SG FL 82 Florida Atlantic
141 Max Kenyi SG DC 82 Harvard
142 Brian Walsh SG PA 82 Xavier
143 Tyreese Breshers PF CA 82 Washington
144 Catalin Baciu C NC 82 Clemson
145 Matt Roth SG IL 82 Indiana
146 Drew Wiley SF OR 82 Oregon
147 Jordan Theodore PG NJ 82 Seton Hall
148 Julius Mays PG IN 82 N.C. State
149 Lorne Jackson PG CA 82 Pepperdine
150 John Shurna PF IL 82 Northwestern
Gary Parrish's Top 10 Recruiting Classes (Memphis 4th)
UCLA's bear of a class best of recruiting bunch
May 19, 2008
By Gary Parrish
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
The nation's top uncommitted prospect is now committed.
His name is Devin Ebanks.
He announced Sunday that he'll enroll at West Virginia.
Ben Howland is no loser on the recruiting trail.
And that should pretty much do it for the Class of 2008 -- except for the ongoing Emmanuel Negedu saga, of course -- considering there are now only two players in Rivals.com's Top 150 that remain uncommitted. One is Bud Mackey, who is currently in jail and facing felony drug charges after allegedly taking 1.6 grams of cocaine into his school. The other is Rashanti Harris, who is expected to land in a prep school rather than a college program because of grades.
In other words, those guys are irrelevant to this class.
So now seems like as good a time as any to look at the landscape and try to figure out which programs had the best recruiting classes and are, in turn, adequately equipped to do well in the coming years, though you should remember none of this ensures immediate success. I mean, Florida and Syracuse had two of the best three recruiting classes last year and used them to make an NIT run.
It's safe to assume UCLA and Wake Forest expect more this time around.
Anyway, here's one man's view of the nation's top 10 classes ...
1. UCLA
Best recruit: Jrue Holiday (Rivals.com's No. 2 prospect)
The Bruins have signed papers from four Top 50 prospects, including future pro Jrue Holiday. That alone was probably good enough to secure the top spot. But UCLA clinched the honor when J'Mison Morgan got his release from LSU and committed to UCLA last week to give Ben Howland a five-player class that when grouped with Darren Collison (and perhaps Josh Shipp and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute) seems good enough to lead the Bruins to their fourth straight Final Four.
2. Ohio State
Best recruit: B.J. Mullens (Rivals.com's No. 1 prospect)
The Buckeyes trend of luring NBA-level big men has continued thanks to B.J. Mullens. He's one of two top 25 prospects Thad Matta landed, and his ability to grab the ball and dunk it in a way Kosta Koufos never embraced will be a welcomed addition to OSU.
3. Wake Forest
Best recruit: Al-Farouq Aminu (rated No. 7 by Rivals.com)
It's honorable that all three Wake Forest recruits stuck with their commitments even after the untimely death of Skip Prosser because they didn't have to, you know? A different kind of kid might've used the tragedy as an excuse to look elsewhere. But Al-Farouq Aminu, Ty Walker and Tony Woods all signed as planned, meaning Dino Gaudio has three top 20 prospects set to enroll.
4. Memphis
Best recruit: Tyreke Evans (Rivals.com's No. 6 prospect)
The Morris twins decommitted early and Ebanks chose West Virginia at the last minute. Still, the Tigers managed to sign a splendid class, which is a testament to just how many elite prospects the Memphis staff developed relationships with. Tyreke Evans is an NBA talent, the kind of one-and-done player who could fill the scoring role vacated by Chris Douglas-Roberts. Three other top 100 prospects are expected to join him on campus, among them fellow late signee Wesley Witherspoon.
5. Louisville
Best recruit: Samardo Samuels (Rivals.com's No. 9 prospect)
Rick Pitino has another stellar class, just like always. Throwing Samardo Samuels into the lineup with Terrence Williams and Earl Clark will make the Cardinals a legitimate national title contender. Terrence Jennings, a top 20 prospect, will add depth in the frontcourt and give Pitino several solid options while searching for a lineup that works.
6. Kansas
Best recruit: Marcus Morris (Rivals.com's No. 29 prospect)
The Jayhawks needed a big class because of expected personnel losses, and they secured one by any standard. Like Florida's class, this collection of prospects is light on one-and-done players but high in terms of quality contributors. There are four signees ranked between 29 and 77, and Mario Little might be the best junior-college player in the country.
7. Florida
Best recruit: Eloy Vargas (Rivals.com's No. 26 prospect)
Billy Donovan signed another great class even if there isn't an obvious star in the bunch. Of course, that shouldn't worry Donovan too much. Who among us thought Al Horford and/or Joakim Noah would be stars coming out of high school? (Note: Horford was rated two spots behind Sasha Kaun and Noah was rated two spots behind Lorenzo Mata).
8. Georgetown
Best recruit: Greg Monroe (Rivals.com's No. 8 prospect)
All four Georgetown signees are top 85 players, including Greg Monroe -- a 6-foot-10 forward from Louisiana who chose the Hoyas over LSU and Duke. He's not a traditional big man in the mold of Roy Hibbert or Alonzo Mourning. But Monroe likely will develop into a great player, though there are questions about whether he's consistent enough to be a star immediately.
9. Connecticut
Best recruit: Ater Majok (Rivals.com's No. 13 prospect)
Kemba Walker is the best-known of the UConn recruits given his McDonald's All-American status. But Ater Majok might be the better NBA prospect considering he's a 6-foot-10 forward capable of playing away from the basket, and the presence of Hasheem Thabeet will ensure Majok will be given that opportunity.
10. North Carolina
Best recruit: Ed Davis (Rivals.com's No. 15 prospect)
No recruiting list is complete without the Tar Heels, who will forever be a dominant entity in terms of securing prospects. This year was no different with UNC signing three top 75 players who should help Roy Williams carry the No. 1 ranking in most preseason polls.
And Now That Recruiting Is Over, the Long Hot Summer Begins Until Midnight Madness
Oh well, I guess I have to start spending some time with my other hobbies. Four and half months until Midnight Madness. Here is a great picture of Tyreke Evans to keep you company.
Roster of C-USA Players Headed to China With Cal
China roster
Posted by Dan Wolken
Here’s the roster that will go to China representing Memphis and Conference USA, as of Monday:
Memphis
G - Antonio Anderson
G - Willie Kemp
G - Doneal Mack
G - Jeff Robinson
F - Robert Dozier
F - Shawn Taggart
F - Pierre Niles
Tulsa
G - Ben Uzoh
C - Jerome Jordan
Southern Miss
G - Jeremy Wise
F - Andre Stephens
UTEP
G - Julyan Stone
C - Claude Britten
Sunday, May 18, 2008
CA's Geoff Caulkins - Johnson is joining in chase for Big East
Johnson is joining in chase for Big East
By Geoff Calkins
Sunday, May 18, 2008
There was Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson, working away in Destin, Fla., attending Conference USA's spring meetings, when his phone started to ring and ring and ring.
Everyone wanted to know about a local television report that Memphis officials are in "serious talks" to join the Big East.
Not true, Johnson said.
"I have had no meetings with the Big East," he said.
So that was that. End of story, right?
Except Johnson was almost certainly fudging when he gave that quote. And, let me just say for the record, I couldn't be prouder of the guy.
***
R.C. Johnson has done some truly impressive things during his 12-year tenure with the school.
He's upgraded the facilities. He's revolutionized fund-raising. He's made some incredibly smart, ambitious hires.
In many decades, that would have been enough to solidify Johnson's legacy as a first-class athletics director.
Not this decade, though.
Now the single most important job of an athletics director is to make certain his or her school is in the right conference. At that critical task, Johnson has failed.
Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida all have left Conference USA for the Big East since Johnson arrived in Memphis. Memphis sent out some really snappy pamphlets, but, stunningly, the Big East was not impressed.
"It was totally a geographic issue," Johnson said in the wake of the decision, and it's likely he was right.
But it didn't feel like Memphis had done everything possible to be included in the Big East, or had even made a particularly forceful case for itself.
I wrote that the Memphis leadership had blown it on this one. Influential boosters felt the same way.
It was maddening, really. Why was Johnson being so stubborn and/or shortsighted?
Asked to name the most important challenge facing Memphis in the coming years, Johnson said, simply, "finances."
Didn't he understand that getting into a BCS conference would change the athletic department's financial outlook instantly? Or did he think the task was just too hard?
"I don't want to raise false hopes," said Johnson.
If in doubt, aim low?
As recently as last August, the university held a press conference to announce a $3 million gift by FedEx to build a new baseball stadium.
I used the occasion to ask FedEx CFO Alan Graf about the Big East.
"I have told both Shirley (Raines) and R.C. -- who needs to lead this effort -- that FedEx thinks we should do something more formal," said Graf.
That column irritated Johnson to no end. He objected to both the timing and the tone.
But here we are, nine months later, and it couldn't be more clear that Johnson has come around.
That's the significance of the Fox 13 report. It's further affirmation that Johnson is taking a very different approach to Big East membership this time.
No, Memphis and the Big East are not in "serious talks." Serious talks take place when both sides have agreed on a certain course and are working on the terms of a deal. Nothing like that is happening between Memphis and the Big East.
The Big East has too many basketball schools (16), for one thing. It isn't about to add one more.
But is it possible that the eight all-sports schools might ultimately decide to split off from the basketball-only schools? Sure. They'd then have to add at least one school (to set up an eight-game football schedule) and as many as four (to set up a Big East championship game).
That kind of split could open a spot for Memphis. If and when it happens, Johnson is making certain the university is prepared.
Which brings us back to Johnson's denial this past week, and to his quote, and to how he almost certainly fudged.
"I have had no meetings with the Big East," said Johnson, and that's probably true.
But what's a "meeting" anyway? Do telephone calls count? How about discussions at a cocktail party?
Let's say that FedEx officials -- and this is purely hypothetical -- chatted up Big East officials at the Final Four. That wouldn't be a meeting, would it?
This much is true: Big East officials are keenly aware that Memphis wants to be a part of the league's future. They also know what Memphis is prepared to do to join the conference and how FedEx could help.
Does that mean Memphis has been in "serious talks" with the Big East?
No.
Lobbying the Big East?
Certainly.
Discussing possibilities with the Big East?
Oh, call it what you will.
I call it evidence that Johnson is doing everything he can to get Memphis into a conference that is worthy of the program. What more can anyone ask?
To reach Geoff Calkins, call him at 529-2364 or e-mail calkins@commercialappeal .com. You can hear his radio show, "The Geoff & Gary Show," from 7 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN 730.
By Geoff Calkins
Sunday, May 18, 2008
There was Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson, working away in Destin, Fla., attending Conference USA's spring meetings, when his phone started to ring and ring and ring.
Everyone wanted to know about a local television report that Memphis officials are in "serious talks" to join the Big East.
Not true, Johnson said.
"I have had no meetings with the Big East," he said.
So that was that. End of story, right?
Except Johnson was almost certainly fudging when he gave that quote. And, let me just say for the record, I couldn't be prouder of the guy.
***
R.C. Johnson has done some truly impressive things during his 12-year tenure with the school.
He's upgraded the facilities. He's revolutionized fund-raising. He's made some incredibly smart, ambitious hires.
In many decades, that would have been enough to solidify Johnson's legacy as a first-class athletics director.
Not this decade, though.
Now the single most important job of an athletics director is to make certain his or her school is in the right conference. At that critical task, Johnson has failed.
Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida all have left Conference USA for the Big East since Johnson arrived in Memphis. Memphis sent out some really snappy pamphlets, but, stunningly, the Big East was not impressed.
"It was totally a geographic issue," Johnson said in the wake of the decision, and it's likely he was right.
But it didn't feel like Memphis had done everything possible to be included in the Big East, or had even made a particularly forceful case for itself.
I wrote that the Memphis leadership had blown it on this one. Influential boosters felt the same way.
It was maddening, really. Why was Johnson being so stubborn and/or shortsighted?
Asked to name the most important challenge facing Memphis in the coming years, Johnson said, simply, "finances."
Didn't he understand that getting into a BCS conference would change the athletic department's financial outlook instantly? Or did he think the task was just too hard?
"I don't want to raise false hopes," said Johnson.
If in doubt, aim low?
As recently as last August, the university held a press conference to announce a $3 million gift by FedEx to build a new baseball stadium.
I used the occasion to ask FedEx CFO Alan Graf about the Big East.
"I have told both Shirley (Raines) and R.C. -- who needs to lead this effort -- that FedEx thinks we should do something more formal," said Graf.
That column irritated Johnson to no end. He objected to both the timing and the tone.
But here we are, nine months later, and it couldn't be more clear that Johnson has come around.
That's the significance of the Fox 13 report. It's further affirmation that Johnson is taking a very different approach to Big East membership this time.
No, Memphis and the Big East are not in "serious talks." Serious talks take place when both sides have agreed on a certain course and are working on the terms of a deal. Nothing like that is happening between Memphis and the Big East.
The Big East has too many basketball schools (16), for one thing. It isn't about to add one more.
But is it possible that the eight all-sports schools might ultimately decide to split off from the basketball-only schools? Sure. They'd then have to add at least one school (to set up an eight-game football schedule) and as many as four (to set up a Big East championship game).
That kind of split could open a spot for Memphis. If and when it happens, Johnson is making certain the university is prepared.
Which brings us back to Johnson's denial this past week, and to his quote, and to how he almost certainly fudged.
"I have had no meetings with the Big East," said Johnson, and that's probably true.
But what's a "meeting" anyway? Do telephone calls count? How about discussions at a cocktail party?
Let's say that FedEx officials -- and this is purely hypothetical -- chatted up Big East officials at the Final Four. That wouldn't be a meeting, would it?
This much is true: Big East officials are keenly aware that Memphis wants to be a part of the league's future. They also know what Memphis is prepared to do to join the conference and how FedEx could help.
Does that mean Memphis has been in "serious talks" with the Big East?
No.
Lobbying the Big East?
Certainly.
Discussing possibilities with the Big East?
Oh, call it what you will.
I call it evidence that Johnson is doing everything he can to get Memphis into a conference that is worthy of the program. What more can anyone ask?
To reach Geoff Calkins, call him at 529-2364 or e-mail calkins@commercialappeal .com. You can hear his radio show, "The Geoff & Gary Show," from 7 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN 730.
Tigers Miss; Devin Ebanks Signs LOI with West Virginia
Ebanks Signs LOI
By Bryan Messerly for MSNsportsNET.com
May 18, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Devin Ebanks, who is ranked as one of the top basketball players in the country by numerous scouting services, has signed a grant-in-aid to attend West Virginia University in 2008-09 and play basketball for the Mountaineers, Coach Bob Huggins announced today.
Ebanks, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Long Island City, N.Y., is ranked second among small forwards and 11th overall in the class of 2008, according to Rivals.com. He is ranked fourth among small forwards and 13th overall, according to Scout.com.
Ebanks attended St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn., where he averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as a senior for Coach Jere Quinn. One of his best games was an 87-80 victory over South Kent, when he had a career-high 44 points to go with 14 rebounds. As a junior, he averaged 23 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Ebanks scored more than 1,000 points in his two seasons at St. Thomas More and was selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic all-star game in New York last month.
"Devin gives us a very versatile scorer who can score in multiple ways," says Huggins. "At 6-foot-9, he's an outstanding perimeter shooter with size and mobility."
In the summer of 2007, Ebanks was one of 30 high school players to be invited to the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and averaged 28.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He also shot 60.2 percent from the field and tallied 1.8 steals in 29.8 minutes per game. As a sophomore at Bishop Loughlin in Brooklyn, he averaged 18 points, nearly six rebounds and 1.3 assists. Ebanks played AAU basketball for Team Takeover and Coach Lawrence McGugins.
"He had a great visit to our campus last month," says Huggins. "One of the many things that pushed us over the top were his visits with our president and athletic director. Devin was impressed to spend a half hour with the president and athletic director, and had the feeling that everyone here is onboard to win a national championship."
Ebanks joins Darryl "Truck" Bryant (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Roscoe Davis (Upper Marlboro, Md.) and Kevin Jones (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) as signees for the 2008-09 season.
"On his visit, he fit in terrific with our team," says Huggins. "Our guys like him and look forward to playing with him. I think these four players give us an outstanding recruiting class. We have four guys who will be outstanding BIG EAST players and who will keep us in the national picture."
By Bryan Messerly for MSNsportsNET.com
May 18, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Devin Ebanks, who is ranked as one of the top basketball players in the country by numerous scouting services, has signed a grant-in-aid to attend West Virginia University in 2008-09 and play basketball for the Mountaineers, Coach Bob Huggins announced today.
Ebanks, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Long Island City, N.Y., is ranked second among small forwards and 11th overall in the class of 2008, according to Rivals.com. He is ranked fourth among small forwards and 13th overall, according to Scout.com.
Ebanks attended St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn., where he averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as a senior for Coach Jere Quinn. One of his best games was an 87-80 victory over South Kent, when he had a career-high 44 points to go with 14 rebounds. As a junior, he averaged 23 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Ebanks scored more than 1,000 points in his two seasons at St. Thomas More and was selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic all-star game in New York last month.
"Devin gives us a very versatile scorer who can score in multiple ways," says Huggins. "At 6-foot-9, he's an outstanding perimeter shooter with size and mobility."
In the summer of 2007, Ebanks was one of 30 high school players to be invited to the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and averaged 28.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He also shot 60.2 percent from the field and tallied 1.8 steals in 29.8 minutes per game. As a sophomore at Bishop Loughlin in Brooklyn, he averaged 18 points, nearly six rebounds and 1.3 assists. Ebanks played AAU basketball for Team Takeover and Coach Lawrence McGugins.
"He had a great visit to our campus last month," says Huggins. "One of the many things that pushed us over the top were his visits with our president and athletic director. Devin was impressed to spend a half hour with the president and athletic director, and had the feeling that everyone here is onboard to win a national championship."
Ebanks joins Darryl "Truck" Bryant (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Roscoe Davis (Upper Marlboro, Md.) and Kevin Jones (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) as signees for the 2008-09 season.
"On his visit, he fit in terrific with our team," says Huggins. "Our guys like him and look forward to playing with him. I think these four players give us an outstanding recruiting class. We have four guys who will be outstanding BIG EAST players and who will keep us in the national picture."
Saturday, May 17, 2008
From Dan Wolken on Conference Realignment
On conference realignment
Posted by Dan Wolken
When wishful thinking is combined with exceptionally vague reporting, the imagination can run wild.
And so it was on Thursday, when the city of Memphis and blogs nationwide were buzzing about Fox 13’s Wednesday night newscast claiming that Memphis was in talks with the Big East about joining the mega-conference.
Immediately, the Commercial Appeal called athletic director R.C. Johnson and Big East officials for the standard denials. Meanwhile, the mere idea of a move was enough to light up message boards and talk radio shows, trying to fill the vast empty spaces left by Fox’s report. How would such a move happen? When would it occur? Those are just two of the many questions that were conveniently left unanswered.
Based on numerous conversations over the course of many weeks, I will offer the following:
Do I think there is merit to the idea that powerful forces representing the interests of Memphis have made overtures to the Big East? Absolutely. In fact, that notion isn’t very new. This is a passage from a story I wrote last March — a somewhat controversial story in Conference USA circles on the day the 2007 league basketball tournament began.
While the Tigers have indeed blossomed into a national power the past two years, the biggest concern among those close to the program is whether that could continue in C-USA should Calipari leave. Calipari nearly took the North Carolina State job last spring and will likely continue to be hotly pursued by major programs that have openings in the future.
For that reason, several prominent boosters advocate Memphis not just position itself for the next conference realignment but to actively pursue membership in another league.
“We are a thoroughbred racehorse right now, and we need to be playing basketball with other thoroughbreds,” said Rick Spell, who sits on the six-member executive committee of the Tiger Athletic Advisory Board.
“Due to John’s magnificent marketing and coaching capabilities, the conference is not a concern. And we like our conference members. These are great universities, but I am concerned if John were to not be our coach, would we be able to maintain the high level that Memphis (fans) would want and feel they deserve?
“For the long-term viability of our basketball program, there needs to be massive Conference USA improvement, which may not be possible. Therefore, we need a conference that can give us a conference of peers.”
But which conference would that be? And how would Memphis get there?
The Big East already passed on Memphis once, and by signing a new TV deal worth more than $200 million with ESPN, its membership appears stable for the foreseeable future. Though it’s easy to envision the league’s eight private, non-football schools — most of whom are currently struggling to compete — eventually splitting off into their own league and opening slots in the Big East, it’s probably a distant scenario.
Though there is no current groundswell of conference movement that could have an impact on Memphis, the dominoes could start falling at any time.
“I believe the landscape will change again, and there will be another opportunity for the University of Memphis to take a shot at a BCS league,” said Alan Graf, executive vice president/CFO at FedEx and a significant Tigers supporter.
“You’ve got Tennessee and Ole Miss, so you wouldn’t think they’d want Memphis in the Southeastern Conference. You hear some about whether Arkansas is leaving or not. You hear a lot of rumors from time to time. Obviously, we’d never be in the Big Ten, but they only have 11 teams and would probably like a 12th, so there are things you could see out there starting a sort of chain reaction.”
In August, my colleague Geoff Calkins reinforced that idea:
But if (R.C.) Johnson is smart, he’ll call (Dave) Bronczek or FedEx CFO Alan Graf before the week is out. The conversation should go something like this.
Johnson: “Now that the baseball stadium is taken care of, I need one more favor.”
FedEx: “Just ask.”
Johnson; “I need one of you to serve on a special blue-ribbon task force I’m putting together to get Memphis into a BCS conference.”
FedEx: “What took you so long?”
That last line isn’t farfetched, either, after what Graf said about such a task force Thursday.
“I have told both Shirley (Raines) and R.C. — who need to lead this effort — that FedEx thinks we should do something more formal,” he said. “We would be ready and willing to be involved.”
So, in other words, I (and well-connected sources I speak with regularly) have no doubt that some of this has taken place.
But the devil’s in the details.
At this point — at least until there’s some evidence that the entire college sports landscape is about to change — it’s hard to see these supposed conversations as anything more than jockeying for position.
Given the Big East’s current configuration — 8 for football, 16 for basketball — there simply isn’t room for a Memphis all-sports membership unless somebody like Rutgers, Syracuse or Notre Dame leaves for the Big 10 or the Big East is getting ready to split up into a 9-team or 12-team all-sports conference. And if that’s about to happen, Fox 13 is way, way, way, way, way out in front on the nation’s biggest college sports story of the last couple years and doesn’t even know it. And even at that, it’s practically impossible for the conferences to start the revolving door until 2010.
Here’s what Memphis fans should be focused on right now. Given what happened in the last round of conference realignment — the perception among people that matter is that Memphis didn’t necessarily put it’s best foot forward in its argument to get into the Big East — I have no doubt that the school is going to be extremely well-prepared the next time.
The general speculation is that there will be a comprehensive push, once the sands begin to shift, which would probably include the Liberty Bowl and a major FedEx sponsorship package. Until then, there’s not much to do but wait for the dominoes to start falling.
Excellent Article From the The University Daily Kansan - Memphis Still Hurts, It's Hard to Dislike the Tigers
Memphis Still Hurts
It's hard to dislike the Tigers.
May 16, 2008
By Case Keefer
Inevitably, the national championship victory comes up everyday. You know it does.
It might be when you wake up and internally debate if Mario Chalmers released the shot with 3.9 or 3.8 seconds left to play. It might be when you open your closet and have to decide which of the wardrobe-full of national championship shirts to wear that day. It might be when you’re driving to class and see the national championship license plate frame on a Nissan Pathfinder with Illinois tags. Wait – I actually did see that Pathfinder this morning.
Nevertheless, it happened, Kansas 75, Memphis 68, and it’s made being in Lawrence as jolly as an episode of Father Knows Best for the last month.
But for a second, reverse those feelings. Imagine if Sherron Collins doesn’t make an incredible steal on an in-bounds pass and drain a three-pointer with two minutes to go. Imagine if the Tigers actually could shoot free throws like coach John Calipari insisted they could all season long. Think of the heartbreak. Picture the despair.
Welcome to Memphis, Tennessee. While Lawrence has basked in its glory, Memphis is left to contemplate what could have been. This column, Tiger loss is a tough one to let go, by Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal perfectly illustrates the attitude of the town since that night - April 7th, 2008.
I’m not saying it’s unfair. I’m not saying Memphis should have won. And I’m certainly not suggesting that Lawrence hasn’t felt that hurt all too often in the last 20 years. But it’s always interesting to look back at the other side of the battle in perspective. In this case, it shows you how much the Tigers meant to their town.
*****
Memphis is a great city. It’s more than Elvis’ birthplace (of course, because it’s my birthplace). But seriously, Beale Street is one of the more under-rated tourist attractions in the nation and there’s plenty to keep you occupied around the city. And it’s a passionate sports town.
When the NFL announced it was expanding in the early 1990s, Memphis and its citizens put their hearts and souls into getting a team. They would be called the Memphis Hound Dogs and play at the Liberty Bowl. It was going to happen. It had to happen. It….failed.
Jacksonville and Charlotte were announced as the locations for the two expansion teams. Memphians were as lifeless as their native brethren Elvis. Adding insult to injury, the Houston Oilers bypassed Memphis and decided to move to Nashville a few years later. But wait - the Oilers had no where to go while their Nashville stadium was being constructed. Someone came up with the bright idea of having the team play in Memphis for two years.
Memphis was understandably bitter. No one, I mean no one went to the games. Despite an exciting team led by 24-year olds Steve McNair and Eddie George, Memphis wanted no part of this. The eight home games were some of the poorest attended events in the history of the NFL.
No thanks, we don’t want someone else’s team. There’s no reason to support these vagabond Oilers. That was the city’s attitude. The Oilers scrapped the idea of staying for an extra year. They got out faster than Amy Winehouse at rehab.
Not that there aren’t happier Memphis sports stories. AutoZone Park, home to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, is the nation’s premiere minor league baseball facility and cost a staggering $80 million to build. The city finally lured a professional sports franchise when the NBA’s Grizzlies descended upon the home of the blues seven years ago.
*****
I only chose to tell that story because of how well it describes the sports culture of Memphis. The NFL failures show how desperately the town wanted a team to be proud of. Memphis longed for a winner for the last 15 years. The city found that in the Tigers.
Calipari deemed this year’s Tigers as a “dream team”. And it’s hard to argue against that.
Before the national championship, Memphis flirted with perfection by only losing one game all season.
Yeah, yeah, its Conference USA schedule was noticeably easier than most of the nation’s elite teams. Memphis gets to play Rice, East Carolina and the Texas School for the Athletically Inclined every year instead of say, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky.
(Upon further review, the Texas School for the Athletically Inclined is not in the CUSA but the MIC - My Imagination Conference. I apologize.)
But that didn’t really matter this year. If you watched the games, it was obvious that Calipari’s squad was something special. More importantly, they were easy to root for. Just take a glance down the starting roster.
Derrick Rose was the Axel Rose of the group. A Chicago-bred point guard, who will be a star in the NBA as early as next season, was simply dazzling to watch. Junior guard Antonio Anderson served as the defensive stopper with the kind of unselfishness that would make his pre-school teacher proud. That’s without even mentioning the team’s best college guard, All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts.
The starting frontcourt was so intimidating it could probably scare away whatever was inside of Emily Rose. Senior center Joey Dorsey and junior forward Robert Dozier made it a habit of embarrassing opposing big men.
These kids weren’t from Overland Park – or the Memphis-equivalent Germantown – either. Calipari plucked them straight out of the inner city. As the Kansas City Star’s Jason Whitlock wrote in this column, Calipari not afraid to take a chance on kids, Dorsey’s Baltimore home was basically a real-life version of HBO show The Wire’s setting.
But Calipari was able to coach them. Sure, there were trying times as there are with any college basketball program. In the end, though, the five guys on the court collectively were playing as hard as they could for not only themselves but the city of Memphis.
In fact, they were playing for the city of Memphis above all else. Want proof? Check out the welcome home video here from April 8th. Dorsey, Douglas-Roberts, Rose and the bunch couldn’t stop talking about Memphis.
That’s not normal. College athletes always thank the fans, the coaches and their teammates but rarely do they feel as strongly about their city as the Tigers did.
It’s far from surprising, though. Nope – not if you understand the way Memphis embraced this basketball team.
It's hard to dislike the Tigers.
May 16, 2008
By Case Keefer
Inevitably, the national championship victory comes up everyday. You know it does.
It might be when you wake up and internally debate if Mario Chalmers released the shot with 3.9 or 3.8 seconds left to play. It might be when you open your closet and have to decide which of the wardrobe-full of national championship shirts to wear that day. It might be when you’re driving to class and see the national championship license plate frame on a Nissan Pathfinder with Illinois tags. Wait – I actually did see that Pathfinder this morning.
Nevertheless, it happened, Kansas 75, Memphis 68, and it’s made being in Lawrence as jolly as an episode of Father Knows Best for the last month.
But for a second, reverse those feelings. Imagine if Sherron Collins doesn’t make an incredible steal on an in-bounds pass and drain a three-pointer with two minutes to go. Imagine if the Tigers actually could shoot free throws like coach John Calipari insisted they could all season long. Think of the heartbreak. Picture the despair.
Welcome to Memphis, Tennessee. While Lawrence has basked in its glory, Memphis is left to contemplate what could have been. This column, Tiger loss is a tough one to let go, by Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal perfectly illustrates the attitude of the town since that night - April 7th, 2008.
I’m not saying it’s unfair. I’m not saying Memphis should have won. And I’m certainly not suggesting that Lawrence hasn’t felt that hurt all too often in the last 20 years. But it’s always interesting to look back at the other side of the battle in perspective. In this case, it shows you how much the Tigers meant to their town.
*****
Memphis is a great city. It’s more than Elvis’ birthplace (of course, because it’s my birthplace). But seriously, Beale Street is one of the more under-rated tourist attractions in the nation and there’s plenty to keep you occupied around the city. And it’s a passionate sports town.
When the NFL announced it was expanding in the early 1990s, Memphis and its citizens put their hearts and souls into getting a team. They would be called the Memphis Hound Dogs and play at the Liberty Bowl. It was going to happen. It had to happen. It….failed.
Jacksonville and Charlotte were announced as the locations for the two expansion teams. Memphians were as lifeless as their native brethren Elvis. Adding insult to injury, the Houston Oilers bypassed Memphis and decided to move to Nashville a few years later. But wait - the Oilers had no where to go while their Nashville stadium was being constructed. Someone came up with the bright idea of having the team play in Memphis for two years.
Memphis was understandably bitter. No one, I mean no one went to the games. Despite an exciting team led by 24-year olds Steve McNair and Eddie George, Memphis wanted no part of this. The eight home games were some of the poorest attended events in the history of the NFL.
No thanks, we don’t want someone else’s team. There’s no reason to support these vagabond Oilers. That was the city’s attitude. The Oilers scrapped the idea of staying for an extra year. They got out faster than Amy Winehouse at rehab.
Not that there aren’t happier Memphis sports stories. AutoZone Park, home to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, is the nation’s premiere minor league baseball facility and cost a staggering $80 million to build. The city finally lured a professional sports franchise when the NBA’s Grizzlies descended upon the home of the blues seven years ago.
*****
I only chose to tell that story because of how well it describes the sports culture of Memphis. The NFL failures show how desperately the town wanted a team to be proud of. Memphis longed for a winner for the last 15 years. The city found that in the Tigers.
Calipari deemed this year’s Tigers as a “dream team”. And it’s hard to argue against that.
Before the national championship, Memphis flirted with perfection by only losing one game all season.
Yeah, yeah, its Conference USA schedule was noticeably easier than most of the nation’s elite teams. Memphis gets to play Rice, East Carolina and the Texas School for the Athletically Inclined every year instead of say, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky.
(Upon further review, the Texas School for the Athletically Inclined is not in the CUSA but the MIC - My Imagination Conference. I apologize.)
But that didn’t really matter this year. If you watched the games, it was obvious that Calipari’s squad was something special. More importantly, they were easy to root for. Just take a glance down the starting roster.
Derrick Rose was the Axel Rose of the group. A Chicago-bred point guard, who will be a star in the NBA as early as next season, was simply dazzling to watch. Junior guard Antonio Anderson served as the defensive stopper with the kind of unselfishness that would make his pre-school teacher proud. That’s without even mentioning the team’s best college guard, All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts.
The starting frontcourt was so intimidating it could probably scare away whatever was inside of Emily Rose. Senior center Joey Dorsey and junior forward Robert Dozier made it a habit of embarrassing opposing big men.
These kids weren’t from Overland Park – or the Memphis-equivalent Germantown – either. Calipari plucked them straight out of the inner city. As the Kansas City Star’s Jason Whitlock wrote in this column, Calipari not afraid to take a chance on kids, Dorsey’s Baltimore home was basically a real-life version of HBO show The Wire’s setting.
But Calipari was able to coach them. Sure, there were trying times as there are with any college basketball program. In the end, though, the five guys on the court collectively were playing as hard as they could for not only themselves but the city of Memphis.
In fact, they were playing for the city of Memphis above all else. Want proof? Check out the welcome home video here from April 8th. Dorsey, Douglas-Roberts, Rose and the bunch couldn’t stop talking about Memphis.
That’s not normal. College athletes always thank the fans, the coaches and their teammates but rarely do they feel as strongly about their city as the Tigers did.
It’s far from surprising, though. Nope – not if you understand the way Memphis embraced this basketball team.
I Agree With Bruce Pearl - Early Exit Players Like Rose and CDR Hurt the School's Graduation Rates, Can Cause NCAA Penalties
I brought up this exact thing two days ago in responding to a reader's comment. Think about it - Rose and CDR leaving early mean neither graduate and that works against the new NCAA rules for required number of players graduating. One and done and early exit players (while most likely really good players) can have a negative effect if the program loses scholarships. COACH
Pearl rips NCAA early-exit rules
Posted: Friday May 16, 2008 06:10AM ET
After a season during which Tennessee lost a basketball scholarship for poor academic performance, Coach Bruce Pearl on Thursday called for changes to NCAA rules that penalize schools when players turn pro early or voluntarily leave for other schools. Under the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate system, schools are penalized when players are academically ineligible or when they leave the program. Universities are most heavily penalized when a player who is academically ineligible leaves the program. Pearl said he supports the intent of the rules but worries that schools are being unfairly punished when players leave on their own or transfer to other schools after being dismissed for disciplinary reasons.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
From Rivals.com - Derek Kellogg Happy to Find Himself at Home
Kellogg happy to find himself at home
By Andrew Skwara
Rivals.com College Basketball Staff Writer
The happiest man in college basketball may be the one who recently moved into Travis Ford's old office.
Three weeks ago, Derek Kellogg landed his first head-coaching gig, replacing Ford at Massachusetts. But this isn't your traditional story of some guy getting his start at the bottom of the Division I ranks far from home.
Former UMass point guard Derek Kellogg, an assistant under John Calipari at Memphis, has his first head-coaching job.
Kellogg was born, raised and played his high school ball 25 minutes from the UMass campus, in Springfield, Mass., home of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Kellogg went on to be a starting point guard for John Calipari at UMass during the program's glory days in the early to mid-1990s. That's where he met his future wife, Nicole. It's where he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Calipari. And much of his family still lives nearby, including his parents, who reside about 10 miles from UMass' home arena, the Mullins Center.
Five days after Kellogg was introduced as the Minutemen's new coach in front of 1,500 fans at a news conference, he experienced another huge thrill: Nicole gave birth to their first child, Maximus Antonio Kellogg.
"Two of my wife's college roommates sent us a UMass baby outfit about a month ago, so it turned out to get be a good omen," Kellogg said in a thick New England accent. "I've always felt that this is one of the greatest jobs in the country. Obviously, I'm a little biased in saying that. It holds a special place in my heart.
"But everybody I've known who has ever gone to school here has said they've had an unbelievably enjoyable experience. This is a great area to be in and live. Many people stay here their whole lives. I love everything about Amherst. ... This is my dream job, and I envision myself being here for a long, long time."
Perhaps that's why UMass didn't pursue more high-profile candidates. They spent much of the past two months trying to hold onto Ford, who was linked to several openings before his third season with the Minutemen came to an end. Ford turned down an offer from Providence and spoke to LSU officials about their opening. On April 10, the school issued a news release in which athletic director John McCutcheon said, "As all of you know, we've gone through the last couple of days with a great deal of anticipation. We would like everyone to know that Travis Ford will be with us for many years to come."
But five days later, Ford interviewed for the opening at Oklahoma State and went on to sign a seven-year contract worth $9.1 million with the Cowboys.
"We were real depressed," Minutemen shooting guard Ricky Harris said. "There was a lot of sadness all around. It was also tough for Ford to leave the people here."
There were understandable reasons for wanting to stay at UMass. Ford leaves behind a team that will have one of the nation's top backcourts next season, another source for Kellogg's enthusiasm.
Harris, who will be a junior in 2008-09, averaged 18.2 points while earning the Atlantic 10's most improved player award and helping lead UMass to the NIT championship game this past season.
Veteran Chris Lowe gives Kellogg the luxury of having a four-year starting point guard. The senior-to-be is coming off a year where he averaged 11.8 points and led the Atlantic 10 with 6.3 assists per game.
Wake Forest transfer Anthony Gurley, a former four-star recruit who sat out last season, could start alongside Harris and Lowe. A 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Boston, Gurley averaged 6.4 points in 14.5 minutes per game as a freshman in the ACC two seasons ago.
"Anthony is a great shooter and he's also athletic," said Lowe, who battled against Gurley in practice last season. "He's also got a great work ethic."
The Minutemen are losing their top three rebounders and leading scorer Gary Forbes (19.4 ppg), but three other reserves who averaged double-digit minutes are returning.
"This team is very tailor-made for what we did at Memphis," said Kellogg, who had been an assistant under Calipari with the Tigers for the past eight seasons. "We are a little thin on the rebounding department and I'm not sure who we are going to throw the ball to on the inside, but these guys are used to playing an up-tempo style and we have the personnel needed to run this and be very successful."
By "this," Kellogg means the dribble-drive motion offense that Memphis used to reach three consecutive Elite Eights, tie an NCAA-record with 104 victories over the past three seasons and reach the 2008 national title game. The offense is predicated on guards beating their defenders off the dribble and attacking the basket. Little screening is used and the ball is not passed inside much. Post players largely remain on the weak side in hopes of scoring on a putback.
Kellogg already has put plans in place to implement the same system at UMass. He hired former Pepperdine coach Vance Walberg, the architect of the dribble-drive motion offense, as an assistant, and the players have begun working on its basic principles in offseason workouts.
"I think this offense can showcase my abilities, especially in the open court," Harris said. "There are a lot more iso's (isolations) - that is the biggest difference. I've got an all-around game and I can use it more now. In the past, if I got a rebound, I gave it to Chris. Now, I can push the ball up the court myself."
Lowe also gave the new offense rave reviews. "It's a very fun style to play," he said. "Once we get it down, we can be scary good."
That must sound scary to the rest of the A-10, considering the Minutemen tied for eighth in the nation in scoring last season at 81.5 points per game. The high mark was 107 points in a victory over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.
The implementation of a fast-paced offense often makes new coaches popular with their players, but it's the eight years that Kellogg spent under Calipari at Memphis that give him instant credibility.
"He comes from one of the best programs in the country," Lowe said. "If you want to win and have a chance to play at the next level, you have to listen to him."
Kellogg was part of a Memphis program that won 11 games in the past three NCAA Tournaments. Kellogg gives much of the credit to Calipari's ability to scout players who steadily improve once they're in college. The Tigers had only one McDonald's All-American (Derrick Rose) last season.
"I worked with one of the best guys in college coaching and one of the best recruiters in the business," said Kellogg, who was selected one of Rivals.com's top 25 recruiters in 2006. "He took many guys who weren't rated highly coming out of high school and zeroed in on their potential to get better.
"He often took guys with chips on their shoulder, guys who would come in with something to prove. That's what I will be looking to do here. I want gym rats. I want players with passion."
Andrew Skwara is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at askwara@rivals.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)