College Basketball - The Offseason

[Gold Storm]

Depending on how it goes for Jeremy Tyler, we will see more kids go to Europe instead of college and in this case senior year of high school. This wait for the first kid to get hurt or be exposed as not that good over in Europe and see how people react

However, players in Europe do play in their pro leagues out of high school, so maybe it will not turn out too be that bad for them. I believe that we will still see the major stars stay in America and play one year in college because they will get more face time and exposure.

Surprising nobody, Lawson, Ellington, are leaving early and going pro.

[RedEyedGhost]

Yep pretty good day today (other than the fact that I have a physical virus, and I feel like complete ass - worst sore throat I've ever had).

Since this is Lawson and Ellington's second time declaring for the draft, they are 100% gonzo. I guess that's why they waited to declare so close to the deadline.

Stephan Curry has also declared. And Skip Bayless would take him second in the draft :stunned: I know Bayless's shtick is to say stoooooooopid stuff to get people talking, but that's just ridiculous.

And the one from Memphis is going to petition the NCAA to try and go without sitting out a year.

In his press conference, Xavier made it sound like CJ already got the NCAA exception to play next year. Because last year he got hurt and took a medical redshirt, and while he practiced with Memphis after coming back from the injury he never played.

[RedEyedGhost]

I don't think there was any real doubt that Lawson and Ellington were gone, but they waited so long before they announced their intentions. Although they probably waited to get plenty of "one-more-year" love from the co-eds on campus.

Lawson had such a good season that there was no way his stock was getting any higher. Ellington had a great numbers the NC game, and he seemed to want to get to the league pretty bad last year.

Overall I think this year's draft is pretty weak, but it is pretty loaded for PG's (and that's why I think Collins decided not to declare) - Ricky Rubio, Brandon Jennings, Johnny Flynn, Jeff Teague, Patty Mills, Steph Curry, Darren Collison, and Eric Maynor. Plus Tyreke Evans may be picked as a PG. NBAdraft.net has 8 PG's in the 1st round and 3 of the next 6 in the 2nd. Draftexpress has 10 in the first (they include Evans as a PG), and they think Jrue Holiday will go in the first round (I think he'll ultimately go back to UCLA, but who knows).

[Rhom]

I am virus free and running a new much more robust anti-virus program. That's the last time I ever visit hotasianbabes.com!!! :lol:

Now that I have unfettered access to the intrawebz I need to get caught up on on the rumors and innuendo from the world of basketball.

[Rhom]

GJ Vilarino lands at Gonzaga.

Good for him. He got an undue amount of grief from Kentucky fans worried that he wasn't good enough to play at UK and I always felt bad for the kid. When Calipari told him he wasn't likely to play much, he opted to reopen his commitment. Everything I've read for the last two years has said that he is a great kid. I hope he does well out west.

[Rhom]

Triple post incoming.

I don't have a link to any specific articles, but I am fascinated by this new phenomenom of coaches using Twitter. Calipari has thousands of insatiable Wildcat fans following his every move through this thing. (People claim its really him... but I have to believe that its an executive assistant putting up what Cal tells him.) Apparently, Tom Crean at Indiana got him turned onto it. The two of them had a little "contest" to see who could get more followers and Calipari "won." (Duh.)

I've not signed up for it... but the good stuff is always referenced in my usual haunts around Teh Intrawebz. Already, I have learned that I am in for a treat because Patrick Patterson will be awesome in the dribble drive motion offense and that Jodie Meeks only missed 3 shots in 45 minutes during the individual instruction workouts.

What I find interesting is that this would have to be a nightmare for the NCAA. Coaches are banned from texting recruits individually, but what about if the recruit signs up to follow the coach on Twitter? That's a public venue. If the NCAA tries to restrict that, then why don't they restrict coaches from going out and making thinly veiled recruiting pitches disguised as credit card commercials?

Bottom line, I just don't see how the NCAA can ever keep up with technology. They'll always be a step or two behind.

[Rhom]

Found an article about coaches and Twitter that was pretty good. Its more from a football prospective, but it does touch on a lot of the themes I was talking about yesterday.

Oh and one more thing...

REG... you and me. Mano a Mano. Cat vs. Bird.

:box:

Winner gets Harrison Barnes!

Its on like Donkey Kong!

Edit: And now John Wall is visiting North Carolina Central. Seriously?!!? Kid, narrow it down to UK, Duke, and UNC and get it over with. I understand that you want to see who's coming back or not for those schools before picking.

[RedEyedGhost]

Found an article about coaches and Twitter that was pretty good. Its more from a football prospective, but it does touch on a lot of the themes I was talking about yesterday.

If a coach is not exploiting a legal avenue for recruiting than that is their own fault.

Oh and one more thing...

REG... you and me. Mano a Mano. Cat vs. Bird.

:box:

Winner gets Harrison Barnes!

Its on like Donkey Kong!

Belief on the web is that Duke is very far in the lead for Barnes. Mainly because he took an unofficial to Durham last year for the UNC game on his own dime. So far he's keeping it very close to the vest.

He's playing at the Jayhawk Invitational tonight (and all weekend) in Lawrence, so there should be some pretty good first hand reports coming out.

He'll be going head to head with our '10 verbal - Royce Woolridge

Edit: And now John Wall is visiting North Carolina Central. Seriously?!!? Kid, narrow it down to UK, Duke, and UNC and get it over with. I understand that you want to see who's coming back or not for those schools before picking.

This report says it's between Miami and UK. Of course it's a Miami source...

A source close to Miami's program has said that during Wall's recruiting visit to Coral Gables last week, the 6'4" guard from Raleigh's Word of God Christian Academy told Haith his decision would come down to Kentucky and Miami, according to Jorge Milan of the Palm Beach Post.

Naturally, recruiting whispers come buried under a pile of salt. And the news differs from the 19-year-old's public statement that he will whittle his options down to three or four from Duke, North Carolina State, Baylor, Kentucky, Miami, Florida, Kansas and Memphis any moment now.

Who can tell what's going on with Wall's recruitment though.

[Rhom]

Who can tell what's going on with Wall's recruitment though.

Agreed. At this point, I'd almost just rather move on and pick up Bledsoe. (But there are whispers that he may not qualify and might be headed for a 5th year prep school.) From everything I've read, it really seems like it will come down to Kentucky and Duke.

Another interesting recruiting tidbit says Lance Stephenson has contacted Kentucky. Our cupboard is getting pretty full... I honestly think Stephenson would be better off at St. John's or Maryland at this point.

Calipari made a trip out west to visit the EA Sports campus for a photo/video shoot for their NCAA Basketball game. He also met with Steve Nash. I thought it was pretty neat to see how its all done. They have a fake team and a fake UK crowd that they filmed and Calipari cutting down some nets.

[RedEyedGhost]

For God's sake when is the deadline for these fuckers to pick a school?

There isn't one. Brandon Rush didn't decide until the fall semester had already started.

[H von T]

Alex Tyus decided to return to Florida. I can't say this actually affects anything. He's pretty much a non-entity as far as starters go, but at least he'll add some depth next year I guess. Billy D is frantically trying to recruit John Wall, but me thinks he's a bit late on that one.

[Rhom]

Alex Tyus decided to return to Florida. I can't say this actually affects anything. He's pretty much a non-entity as far as starters go, but at least he'll add some depth next year I guess. Billy D is frantically trying to recruit John Wall, but me thinks he's a bit late on that one.

Where is Calathes projected in the draft? Is he not likely to return? Right about now, Billy D is wishing he had massaged Jai Lucas' ego just a bit more.

What's the word down there on why everything is in so much upheaval? Or does anyone care? Spring football has already started.

[H von T]

Where is Calathes projected in the draft? Is he not likely to return? Right about now, Billy D is wishing he had massaged Jai Lucas' ego just a bit more.

What's the word down there on why everything is in so much upheaval? Or does anyone care? Spring football has already started.

Billy has always had a lot of players transfer to other schools or turn pro when they really shouldn't. I can't remember their names, but players left florida and became starters at Washington, Maryland, Ole Miss, Cincinnatti, and Oklahoma State. Losing Lucas wasn't a big deal. Next year we have Kenny Boynton coming in and people seem pretty excited about him.

The main sports columnist for the Gainesville paper wrote about players leaving a couple of weeks ago. His main point was that Billy is "reestablishing his control" over the program. I'm not exactly sure what that means. Chaney and Calathes leaving are seen as part of Billy regaining control. Also, Gator fans really underestimated how much losing the top 6 players from the NCAA championship teams would hurt. Speights turning pro last year killed any hope of an inside game this past season. Billy has also whiffed on some recruit. Two commits couldn't get admitted to UF and ended up starting for FSU and Memphis. He also seems to like skinny white guys and this hasn't worked out so great lately.

I've read Calathes is projected as a very late first rounder at best. There are questions about his athleticism. He hasn't signed with an agent and is still enrolled, but he has been working out at IMG in Tampa. He's not officially gone, but I can't see him coming back.

ETA: Gator fans are cuming in their pants about next football season. Spring practice is over and the dog days of summer have started.

[BLU-RAY]

Ha, apparently Hasheem Thabeet is working with a trainer out here or something for the summer, so I ran into him at pub night last night. Dude is fucking tall, it's like going to parties and seeing the Lopez twins again. Sticks out above the crowd.

[WarGalley]

Ha, apparently Hasheem Thabeet is working with a trainer out here or something for the summer, so I ran into him at pub night last night. Dude is fucking tall, it's like going to parties and seeing the Lopez twins again. Sticks out above the crowd.

Thabeet is a stick. He should be in the weight room every single day minus one rest day when he should do streching or yoga or something.

Off topic: Are you a senior? I feel like you've been at Stanford forever. I was at Northwestern for 5 years on a semi-COOP engineering pace, so no biggie.

[RedEyedGhost]

There's an interview with Harrison Barnes here after tonight's games at the Jayhawk Invitational. He seems like a very bright kid (and word is he has a 3.9 GPA), and it sounds like he knows exactly what he wants to get out of his college recruitment.

[BLU-RAY]

Thabeet is a stick. He should be in the weight room every single day minus one rest day when he should do streching or yoga or something.

Off topic: Are you a senior? I feel like you've been at Stanford forever. I was at Northwestern for 5 years on a semi-COOP engineering pace, so no biggie.

:lol:

Yeah, I've been here as long as I've been on the board; I joined freshman year, and it's senior spring now. I'll actually be here another year getting a masters, too.

And yeah, Thabeet's pretty skinny.

[Rhom]

There's an interview with Harrison Barnes here after tonight's games at the Jayhawk Invitational. He seems like a very bright kid (and word is he has a 3.9 GPA), and it sounds like he knows exactly what he wants to get out of his college recruitment.

I want that kid even more now. Potentially the top player in his class and articulate?!!? I remember reading about him last year, at that time I thought most people thought he was a virtual lock for Iowa State. (Isn't his mom a professor there?) He'd be a good addition to any school as a player and later as an alum.

Is Thabeet from the west coast? or is his agent out there? What's he doing out there with work outs?

[Rhom]

Back on the John Wall discussion... This ACC Insider article encourages John Wall to go to UK, and implies that the ACC schools are just plain too good for him. I hope Wall's reading it. It pissed me off on some level and I'm not quite certain why, but I think it was just some of the clueless snarkiness about the writing.

Even teams with plenty of blue chip talent to put around him might want to think twice about mortgaging their programs – and in Krzyzewski’s case, their principles (emphasis added)– by bringing in a stop-gap solution such as Wall.

Excuse me? Did I miss something here? What principles does Coach K have on the line by recruiting this kid? He’s had early entrants and even a “one and doner†before. What’s the implication here?

Let him go to Kentucky, where he’ll help John Calipari get established and maybe sell a few tickets (emphasis added) before leaving for the NBA. Duke, UNC and State simply don’t need the aggravation.

Hey asshole. News flash. We never have problems selling tickets. Even when we havn’t been ranked for basically the last two and a half years we sell out a 24,000 seat arena. Those trust fund kids over at Duke can’t even sell out a 10,000 seat fieldhouse if its not a conference game.

Sad. I hope Wall reads the article and realizes what kind of cluelessness passes for basketball analysis in that state.

[RedEyedGhost]

Back on the John Wall discussion... This ACC Insider article encourages John Wall to go to UK, and implies that the ACC schools are just plain too good for him. I hope Wall's reading it. It pissed me off on some level and I'm not quite certain why, but I think it was just some of the clueless snarkiness about the writing.

:o

That article is a mess. Does the "acc insider" actually get paid for that drivel? I'm guessing that guy's never watched Wall play.