Quote :

"OK, so I just went on http://www.nbadraft.net ..... they have a mock draft listed and Hickson been an early 2nd rounder in 2008 since he declared. Now he is listed in 2009.... WTF? It was updated yesterday. I know he hasn't hired an agent-I guess someone's assumming he'll be back???"

i checked it a couple days ago and it had him around 33 in this years.

[Edited on April 29, 2008 at 6:04 PM. Reason : .]

4/29/2008 6:03:29 PM

Yeah, they have him at 26 in 2009. It shows him as a Freshman but all of the other guys in 09 have the wrong class as well.

4/29/2008 6:36:10 PM

uhh he is a freshman and none of the other guys have their class wrong either

4/29/2008 6:43:02 PM

Yes, he is a freshman in 2008, not 2009. I am well aware of that you fucking retard.

4/29/2008 10:17:30 PM

I still don't think JJ will be back...

It might be old but Tyler Hansbrough's brother is transferring to Notre Dame. Also, Jamar Smith was kicked off of the Tennessee bball team.

It really doesn't make much sense to predict a Top 10 yet with who is and is not returning not settled but I think we can make a few consensus Top 10 picks knowing that most, if not all, of the following teams will return:

Duke
Louisville
UConn

[Edited on May 1, 2008 at 4:54 PM. Reason : x]

5/1/2008 4:54:09 PM

UCLA will still be a consensus top 10

5/1/2008 4:57:48 PM

Quote :

"Just this week ESPN’s Chad Ford said: "I love Hickson’s game, but the draft is so crowded. He’d be better off going back to school, dominating for a year and then testing the waters as a sophomore." Of course, any and all of this ‘guidance’ may be irrelevant if JJ is committed to entering the NBA Draft come hell or high water…and, that seems to be the case. The comments under JJ’s name on CBS Sportsline’s tracking of the early entrants says: "Nobody was in more of a hurry to get to the NBA than this guy.""

5/1/2008 5:01:49 PM

speaks volumes of our current situation if true.

Sounds like Sid wouldn't be too surprised if BC is done too from that interview...

[Edited on May 1, 2008 at 5:13 PM. Reason : x]

5/1/2008 5:12:34 PM

Quote :

"Sounds like Sid wouldn't be too surprised if BC is done too from that interview..."

indeed. our program is a train wreck right now.

5/1/2008 5:27:39 PM

Duke just picked up a big man for next year.. Miles Plumlee, who decommitted from Stanford, is coming to Durham to join his brother (Mason Plumlee, a 2009 recruit).. gives them a little bit of size at least

5/1/2008 8:39:46 PM

^just what dook needs, more white guys.

5/1/2008 9:20:57 PM

evidently mason is a lot better than mike

5/1/2008 9:48:27 PM

Losing Dawkins is making it even harder for K to recruit the black athlete

5/1/2008 11:14:43 PM

wasn't he the only black guy on the coaching staff?

5/1/2008 11:19:46 PM

they're adding nate james to make up for it

5/2/2008 1:35:57 AM

Quote :

"Also, Jamar Smith was kicked off of the Tennessee bball team."

Ramar Smith??? I haven't seen anything on it....I never liked him and thought the team was actually better run when Jordan Howell was running the show. Ramar couldn't shoot for shit and took dumb shots.

Also isn't it bad for Coach K to be taking a Stanford recruit from Dawkins? Or did the kid rule out Stanford completely?

5/2/2008 2:03:12 AM

i think after the Stanford coach left, no one really contacted Miles immediately or let him know what was happening... so he had no interest in Stanford after that, regardless of who was coming in... the whole Duke situation is pretty funny though.. Duke's AD goes to LSU, Stanford's coach goes to LSU, Johnny Dawkins goes to Stanford from Duke, Miles Plumlee goes from Stanford to Duke

5/2/2008 2:09:28 AM

^^ yeah, him and duke crews apparently.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=3376459

Agree? Disagree? 10 is a little excessive, but 8 will be a lock. The Top 11 in that league will be the best 1-11 in basketball history though. Vegas has it's odds for next season now that the deadline has passed for "testing the water" and 6 of the Top 12 odds to win the title next year are from the Big East. Interesting...

Now that we have a better idea of who is staying/going and I'm a bit under the weather tonight, I'm going to critique your Top 25 Brass...

1. North Carolina - at this point I think they are a bit high at 1. If Ellington AND Lawson come back then obviously this will hold. Right now they are Top 5-7.
2. UCLA - Love is gone but Collison made the right choice and I think Westbrook comes back. With Holliday and a few other big catches coming in, they should be Top 5 again.
3. Kansas - they lose A TON. Top 10? Maybe, but not Top 5.
4. Memphis - reloaded with some quality talent in a weak conference. Yes.
5. Stanford - not even Top 50 anymore with the Lopez twins BOTH hiring agents.
6. Texas - losing Augustin likely moves them down 10-15 spots
7. Duke - they will be predictably top 3 but are still soft for postseason play
8. Louisville - top class coming in and surprisingly everyone but Caracter coming back. Losing Padgett hurts but Samuels will soften the blow. Top 8 is realistic.
9. Tennessee - Lofton, Crews and the PG Smith out. Back to the middle of the pack in the SEC unless the super frosh Hopson can carry them.
10. Michigan State - safe pick as always.
11. Florida - well they will lose Speights likely but the talent is there for a Top 20 team. Top 11 is pushing it.
12. Pitt - Safe pick. They return most everyone but have a history of being about right here.
13. Wisconsin - again, safe pick.
14. Xavier - hmmm... tough to read. I'd lean more towards borderline Top 25 team.
15. Georgetown - a little high for me. They are in the toughest conference and will be "reloading" a bit
16. Ohio State - Koufos leaving means they will likely be a Top 30 at best
17. Texas A&M - don't know much about them this year, but seems a bit high
18. Villanova - 2 years from now, if Reynolds stays all 4 years, look out. Borderline Top 30 in '08-'09
19. Clemson, VT, UMD, or hopefully us - UMd with Tyree Evans SHOULD be Top 20, but Gary is Gary and who knows what we'll get.
20. Gonzaga - Underrated team. They have premium talent in a weak conference. Heytvelt should be much better and Day will continue to mature.
21. Kentucky - Meh. I don't think they are that good, though Patterson returning is big. Losing out on Majok, who most think is power conference ready hurt.
22. Oregon/Arizona most likely - Oregon, yes. Arizona, no. Bayless is gone and I think ASU has certainly passed UofA right now.
23. UConn - consensus Top 5 team everywhere I've seen. Top recruiting class and everyone of importance returning 100%.
24. West Virginia or Marquette - WVU is nothing with Joe Alexander who should leave. Marquette should return everyone but lose one of the best coaches in America in Crean. Top 15 talent though and VERY experienced.
25. Davidson (the loss of Richards will hurt, but they should still be good) - I love this team, but a repeat of last year is unlikely.

Some teams that you didn't list that I think will have big years: Arizona State, Notre Dame (any Top 25 without them is crazy to me), Wake Forest (I have them #3 in the ACC this year) and Oklahoma (Griffin is back).

5/3/2008 10:17:04 PM

Yeah I'm definitely dropping Stanford out of my Top 25 with all that has happened. Kansas goes down to Top 15 status maybe. UCLA will probably repeat as Pac 10 champs b/c they still will have a lot of talent there, though a lot of it will be less experienced than in the past. Memphis will still run C-USA, but they will lose more than one game this year. Texas may still be good if they can adequately place Augustin. Duke will have Plumlee, Mr. Two Left Feet aka Zoubek, and that Olek guy. So they might get better in rebounding. Louisville will win the BE, unless UConn has something to say about it. UConn move into my Top 10. UT will drop a fair amount with everyone that's going away. I think they finish 3rd in the SEC East. I think UF will actually be Top 15. Donovan will have those freshmen playing a whole lot better. Pitt and Wisc. stay in the Top 15. XU I agree is tough to read. I think G'town is still in the Top 25, just don't know where. Yeah with Koufos gone they might take a hit to their post play and might be borderline Top 25. Gillispie should have UK back in the Top 25 this year, but there win total won't be that impressive to those that know how weak the SEC is now. I think Oregon will be in the Top 25, and yes Arizona losing Bayless will hurt a lot, but I think with Olson coming back to coach they will fix some of their problems. I think they are borderline Top 25. Remember that they had the toughest schedule in the nation last year. TAMU should be Top 25. Villanova I think will be in the Top 25. I'm still not sold on ASU. ND will be most assuredly Top 25. Wake Forest will be Top 20. OU might be in the top 25. The Big XII losing a lot should help them in the W column. Maryland or VT will be Top 25 as the 4th best team in the ACC. Davidson will get more press coverage and should hover around the 21-25 spot. I'm not sure how I'll fill my updated one out yet, but remember I made that original Top 25 before I knew what coaches and players were leaving. Most of those teams I listed seem like they will be in the Top 25, but the orders might be different.

5/3/2008 11:04:53 PM

ACC forecast cloudy
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/1060343.html

5/4/2008 12:11:58 PM

Quote :

"9. N.C. STATE (15-16, 4-12) PROJECTED STARTERS: Brandon Costner, Jr., F; Ben McCauley, Sr., F; Courtney Fells, Sr., W; Julius Mays, Fr., G; Farnold Degand, Jr., G. If J.J. Hickson pulls out of the draft, the entire offensive equation will change. But unless that happens, the Wolfpack has to hope Costner reverts to the productive scoring ways (16.8 ppg) of 2006-07. Either way, the addition of the 6-2 Mays should improve team quickness and provide more perimeter scoring punch. The bench could be a plus, if Dennis Horner, Tracy Smith and Trevor Ferguson just make average offseason improvements. OVERVIEW: The pressure is beginning to mount on Sidney Lowe as he enters his third season, and there's no question that a healthy Degand is the key to the Pack's progress."

5/4/2008 10:30:48 PM

[insider information]J'mison Morgan (6'10" 270 lb Center) has been officially released from his 2008 LOI at LSU. Expect him to ink with UCLA by the weekend[/insider information]

5/5/2008 4:51:10 PM

Coach K hires Nate James to replace Johnny Dawkins. I guess Chris Carrawell wasn't available...

5/6/2008 1:31:59 PM

^well it's been obvious for months. nate james has shown up behind the bench for the latter half of duke's season.

5/6/2008 1:34:02 PM

In addition to losing Smith and Crews, the NCAA just yanked a scholarship from Tennessee for failing to meet academic standards set previously. Bad week to be Bruce Pearl.

5/6/2008 6:08:45 PM

ECU loses 2 hours of practice per week. Maybe they won't beat us this year.

5/6/2008 8:17:25 PM

hahahahhah... please God tell me the reason I've been hearing why Miles Simon was let go by UofA is true...

On a few of the Scout.com boards there is a rumor going around that Simon was banging Olsen's new, much younger, wife...

I heard she has a thing for flattops so maybe Brandon Jennings can hit that shit too?

** eh, after googling christine olson, I call bs on this rumor. she isn't hot at all... simon can do much, much better... though I'm sure he'd get some props in pickup games with UofA alums...

[Edited on May 7, 2008 at 3:25 PM. Reason : x]

5/7/2008 3:21:02 PM

5/7/2008 3:25:53 PM

ahahahaha, a couple months ago I posted that O'Neil was let go because he was banging Olson's wife. That was a very strange firing, esp. since O'Neil said he wanted to go come back.

5/7/2008 3:38:30 PM

Congrats to C.J. Williams. Williams was named the Cape Fear Region Player of the Year by the Fayetteville Observer. He was also selected 2nd team all-state by the Associated Press. He was also expectedly selected all-county. Williams was selected to compete in the Florida-USA All-Star Game and the Carolina Classic which pits the best players from North Carolina against the best players from South Carolina, which was held in the Bobcats Arena on April 5th.

Also congrats to Julius Mays. Mays, who led the entire Grant County in scoring, was named 1st team all-state by the Associated Press and was named Grant County's Player of the Year by the Marion Chronicle-Tribune for the third consecutive season. Mays was picked all-county as well. Mays was also selected to the 4-A all-tournament team. Mays was selected to the Indiana Senior All-Star team. Mays will face his teammate and fellow State commit, Scott Wood, who was selected as one of six core players for the Indiana Junior All-Star team, when they face off in two exhibition games in June. Basically that says that Scott Wood is one of the six best juniors in the state according to coaches and others around Indiana.

5/7/2008 10:48:27 PM

Top 20 College Hoops Markets according to the media audit study. Percentages indicate percentage of households that watch college basketball.

1. Lexington (65.7%)
2. Raleigh-Durham (61.8%)
3. Louisville (60.8%)
4. Tucson, Ariz. (58.5%)
5. Columbus, Ohio (56.5)
6. Cincinnati (55%)
7. Columbia-Jefferson City, Missouri (53.6%)
8. Eugene-Springfield, Ore. (52.9%)
9. Syracuse, N.Y. (52.9%)
10. Columbia, S.C. (52.4%)
11. Memphis (51.4%)
12. Madison, Wisc. (48.8%)
13. Charlotte, N.C. (48.1%)
14. Indianapolis, Ind. (48%)
15. Little Rock, Ark. (47.6%)
16. Greensboro, N.C. (47.5%)
17. Dayton, Ohio (47.5)
18. Spokane, Wash. (47.3)
19. Kansas City (47.1%)
20. Grand Rapids, Mich. (46.5%)

[Edited on May 9, 2008 at 10:19 AM. Reason : ]

5/9/2008 10:19:11 AM

link?

5/9/2008 11:49:43 AM

^ Top of page 3
http://www.themediaaudit.com/mar08_fyi.pdf

Also it can be seen here a little down the page
http://www.kentucky.com/276/story/374955.html



http://www.charlotte.com/sports_breaking/story/616703.html

West Virginia coach Huggins hurt in airport fall

West Virginia University officials say basketball coach Bob Huggins has been taken to a hospital in Charlotte for precautionary reasons after tripping on an airport tarmac and hitting his head on the pavement.

Athletic director Ed Pastilong says Huggins had a bump on his head, and never lost consciousness.

Pastilong says Huggins and other athletic department staff flew to Charlotte on Thursday morning for a Mountaineer Athletic Club event. After Huggins got off the plane, he was checking his cell phone messages when he tripped over a cone on the tarmac and hit his head.

[Edited on May 9, 2008 at 11:56 AM. Reason : ]

5/9/2008 11:50:51 AM

bwahahaha!!!

That's 10x better than Roy tripping over the lamp cord.

And a big WTF to Lute Olson. In the last month, he has fired Kevin O'Neil, fired Miles Simon, hired Mike Dunlap, and his other assistant (recruiting) just resigned when Dunlap was hired-he went to Memphis.

[Edited on May 9, 2008 at 12:52 PM. Reason : q]

5/9/2008 12:36:27 PM

was anybody surprised about the OJ Mayo allegations?

5/11/2008 4:48:12 PM

Someone give me a reason to be optimistic about our basketball team this year.

I don't particularly think we have the most talented players, I don't think we have a very good head coach and I don't think we have the players that will outwork teams night after night...

Someone?

5/22/2008 11:54:28 AM

how did i not hear about the duke crews and ramar smith deal at tennessee?

i need to get back with it... it's almost 3 weeks [old]

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2008/may/02/duke-crews-and-ramar-smith-not-return/

5/22/2008 12:08:59 PM

^^ optimism, i cannot give you, b/c there's no reason for it.

however, i'll give you something. new jersey paper is reporting that seton hall is in the mix for receiving a brandon costner transfer.

5/22/2008 1:00:31 PM

How in the hell could Costner transfer?

He is a R-Soph and he would play 1 year at his new school...

[Edited on May 22, 2008 at 1:49 PM. Reason : I thought he was graduating too?]

5/22/2008 1:49:00 PM

Actually, if Seton Hall had a graduate program that NC State does not offer he can apply for a waiver and be eligible this year... but that is really far fetched and the NCAA Clearinghouse probably wouldn't even grant him the waiver.

5/22/2008 1:57:24 PM

^That actually makes sense. This is the second time I have heard about that exact transfer rule in the last couple of weeks. I don't even think you have to petition. Found this, written today.

Quote :

"The Pirates have one ship remaining and are in the mix for Montclair's Brandon Costner, who may transfer from N.C. State. "I know academics are very important to Brandon [a rising redshirt junior] and his parents," NC State coach Sidney Lowe told the Charlotte Observer in April. "I think they thought about him coming to school for three years and graduating. "So that’s going to be always there. So that changes our thought process in terms of recruiting. We have to make sure we’ll have enough big guys to replace J. J. (Hickson) and Brandon and then Ben [McCauley] next year.”"

[Edited on May 22, 2008 at 2:01 PM. Reason : g]

5/22/2008 1:58:04 PM

Quote :

"Lowe told the Charlotte Observer in April"

That was from a Seton Hall blog, and they found that quote from Lowe in the Charlotte Observer just recently in which he explains that Costner would be graduating early. Lowe does expect Costner to be back. Costner isn't going anywhere. I'm pretty sure we would have known by now if he was transferring.

I think Seton Hall fans are reaching a little bit.

[Edited on May 22, 2008 at 2:05 PM. Reason : ]

5/22/2008 2:00:23 PM

But in theory, he could graduate this summer, go to Seton Hall, and play right away-as long as he was in Grad School, right? I've been hearing about a couple bball guys (not from State) considering this lately.

That is a reach for SH though.

[Edited on May 22, 2008 at 2:09 PM. Reason : aa]

5/22/2008 2:08:17 PM

^didn't they change the rule that allows you to transfer to another school after graduating without sitting out a year?

5/22/2008 2:25:31 PM

That's the rule I'm talking about. I know that Alfred Aboya from UCLA just graduated after only three years. He wants to be President of Cameroon or something but UCLA doesn't have the grad program he wants. He found a couple schools that do have it-if he enrolls for the Fall he still has a year of eligibility.

I'm almost positive that this is the same rule that allowed Steven Hauschka to play football last year.

5/22/2008 2:33:46 PM

the rule that allowed hauschka to play last year has already been removed.

5/22/2008 3:44:31 PM

Quote :

"J'mison Morgan, a 6-10 270 lb. center from Dallas, Texas who originally committed to Louisiana State University announced at a press conference today that he will attend UCLA and play for the Bruins in the upcoming season."

#5 rated center for the 2008 class. His four-star ranking drops UCLA's 2008 recruiting class from 4.5 to 4.4 average stars

5/23/2008 3:59:19 PM

pretty sad when a 4 star recruit drops your average.

5/24/2008 1:33:52 AM

ahah we would kill for a 4-star recruit right now.....

Hell we might kill for ANY recruit.

5/24/2008 1:46:06 AM

So does anyone think we can make the NCAA Tournament this year?

5/24/2008 10:49:51 PM