Explorers Pick Up Gillen’s Pieces: La Salle coach John Giannini has hired Walt Fuller to be an assistant coach. Fuller had been an assistant for the past six seasons under former Virginia coach Pete Gillen. The Cavaliers ditched Gillen and his staff after another disappointing season. Fuller has also been an assistant at William and Mary and Drexel, his alma mater. [7/20/05]
Yarbrough Chooses Former Co-Worker: New Southeast Louisiana coach Jim Yarbrough has selected Paul Harrison as an assistant coach. Harrison and Yarbrough worked together for several years at the College of Charleston, helping make the Cougars a perennial conference champion. Harrison left that position to obtain a law degree from Tulane. He also has experience as an assistant at Long Island. The Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana system must approve Harrison. [7/20/05]
Zips Promotes Shaka: Akron coach Keith Dambrot rewarded assistant coach Shaka Smart for two years’ good work with the Zips by promoting him to associate coach. Smart joined Akron after working for Dayton as coordinator of basketball operations for two seasons. He left coach Oliver Purnell’s staff after Purnell accepted the Clemson position. Smart also has been an assistant at California University of Pennsylvania. [7/20/05]
Peacocks Replace Assistant: St. Peter’s coach Bob Leckie has replaced assistant coach Dennis Cook with Steve Finamore. Cook left the Peacocks to pursue other opportunities. Finamore comes to St. Peter’s after most recently coaching a high school in Portland, Mich. While working on a degree from Michigan State, he worked on the support staff of coach Tom Izzo. [7/27/05]
May’s the Best: Former North Carolina forward Sean May earned another accolade to add to his collection. The Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association named May the 2005 Athletic Coast Conference Male Athlete of the Year. His consistent performance last season guided the Tar Heels to a regular-season conference title and NCAA championship. He is only the second Tar Heel to win the award in the past 20 years but the 13th overall in the history of the award. Last season, May averaged 17.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. He was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round of the NBA Draft. [7/20/05]
Southern Miss Highlights the Top of the World: The field for the Top of the World Classic, hosted by Division II Alaska-Fairbanks, has been released. Southern Mississippi will be the highest profile participant, representing Conference USA. The realigned C-USA, however, may equal the Mountain West in strength. San Diego State, a Mountain West participant, joins Southern Miss and the rest of the field, which includes Montana State, Illinois-Chicago, Kennesaw State, Denver and Lamar. Kennesaw State will be making its Division I debut in the pre-season tournament. [7/20/05]
Mountain High Hoops: A trio of Colorado teams and St. Mary’s will comprise the first Colorado Classic, Attitude vs. Altitude. The pun-inspired name could become more common if the classic’s promoters successfully lure Alabama, Gonzaga, North Carolina, UCLA, Arizona, Louisville or Connecticut in coming years. All have discussed the possibility. This year’s version will feature Colorado, Colorado State, Denver and St. Mary’s. Although no heavyweights grace the bill, those four should provide a pair of competitive games at the Pepsi Center. [7/20/05]
Hall Enshrines UConn: Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun will officially join the Basketball Hall of Fame in September, but the Huskies’ program joined it this week. The hall opened a permanent exhibit that honors Calhoun and the Huskies’ program in Springfield, Mass. Under Calhoun, the Huskies have become a perennial national title contender, winning two championships and 15 Big East titles. He helped Connecticut move the center of gravity in the Big East out of Washington, D.C., and Georgetown in the 1980s to Storrs in the 1990s.
The hall will induct Calhoun, his friend and colleague Jim Boeheim of Syracuse, longtime coach and broadcaster Hubie Brown, former LSU women’s coach Sue Gunter and Brazilian star Hortencia Marcari in September. [7/20/05]
Rough Return: Former Razorback Ron Huery, a talented guard for Arkansas from 1986-1991, is in jail on a rape charge, among others. Police records indicate that Huery, 38, forced his ex-girlfriend into his vehicle, took her to his apartment, beat her and raped her. Huery had returned to Arkansas to complete his bachelor’s degree in education. He graduated in May. One of the school’s most prolific scorers and assist leaders, Huery has a criminal record after being convicted of cocaine possession in 1994.
[7/20/05]
Williams Says he Misunderstood Rules: Former Kansas and current North Carolina head coach Roy Williams said that there was no intentional wrongdoing when he approved gifts to graduating players and others whose eligibility had expired. He issued the statement in response to Kansas’ recent admission of NCAA rules violations in its athletic department. Payments and clothing went as far back as 1998, and Williams cited a “communication problem” with the school’s compliance department in believing the gifts were permitted. Before leaving to coach his alma mater in 2003, Williams reached four Final Fours and won 418 games in 15 seasons at Kansas. [7/17/05]
Brown Makes Plea, Gets Suspended Sentence: Former Virginia center Elton Brown pleaded guilty to a concealed weapon charge and was sentenced to a 10-day suspended jail term and ordered to pay court costs. Brown was also charged with brandishing a firearm, but that was dismissed since he did not point the gun at anyone. His lawyer said that he legally purchased the gun, but never got a concealed weapon permit. Brown was a co-captain as a senior during the 2004-05 season. [7/16/05]
Ernie’s Our Man: Amidst rumors that personal problems might lead to a change, Oregon has repeated the news that head coach Ernie Kent’s contract has been extended through 2010. The extension was first announced on June 20, but they decided to re-announce it with remarks from Kent. In recent months, allegations of marital infidelity have come up on Internet message boards, as well as concerns about travel and cell phone expenditures in the basketball program. The school’s general counsel said Kent has done nothing inappropriate or out of line. In eight seasons at his alma mater, Kent has posted a 149-94 record and led the Ducks to the NCAA Tournament three times, including a run to the Elite Eight in 2002. [7/16/05]
Changes for the Cardinals: Louisville head coach Rick Pitino announced two changes with his staff for next season. Bill Burke will be Pitino’s administrative assistant after serving as director of basketball operations for the past three seasons, taking over for Vince Taylor. Taylor will leave the staff for a job in the NBA. Brian Merritt will replace Burke after two seasons as an assistant coach. [7/16/05]
Walsh to Land Further South: After staying in the NBA Draft without a first round guarantee, then going undrafted, former Florida Gator Matt Walsh is expected to sign a two-year contract with the Miami Heat. Walsh led the Gators in three-point shooting last season at 42.6 percent and was second on the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game, and thought he could be a first round pick. Walsh seemed happy about the deal, especially with who one of his teammates will be, as he commented to the Associated Press, “I’m going to be a teammate with Shaq. Thinking about that is crazy. It’s a dream come true.” [7/15/05]
Aggies Suspend Leading Scorer: New Mexico State suspended leading scorer Duane John indefinitely for violating team and athletic department policies. Athletic director McKinley Boston would not comment further, citing an investigation of the situation. John, who was academically ineligible for part of last season, averaged 14.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. The 6’6″ senior guard started his college career at Missouri, transferring before the 2002-03 season. [7/15/05]
Weber Receives Extension: Illinois will keep head coach Bruce Weber around a little longer, as the board of trustees approved a two-year extension and raise for the coach who took them through a historic season in 2004-05. The Illini tied an NCAA record with 37 wins this season before falling in the national championship game, and Weber is the first coach in Big Ten history to win consecutive outright conference championships in his first two seasons. The extension runs his contract up through the 2010-11 season. [7/15/05]
Willson Moves South to Elon: David Willson has joined the staff at Elon as an assistant coach, head coach Ernie Nestor and athletic director Alan White announced. A native of Memphis, Tenn., Willson spent last season as an assistant at William & Mary, where he worked with post players and was involved in recruiting, scouting and administrative responsibilities. He graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in 2004 after earning three varsity letters for the Division III Tigers. [7/15/05]
Great Matchups Set For Maui: The matchups are now set for the EA Sports Maui Invitational, and with a loaded field the matchups promise to be good ones. Arizona takes on Kansas in one first-round game, while Connecticut takes on Arkansas to cap one half of the bracket. In the other half, Gonzaga takes on Maryland and Michigan State takes on host Chaminade. Arizona, Kansas, Michigan State, Connecticut and Gonzaga were all in the NCAA Tournament last season; Arizona, Kansas and Michigan State have won the tournament in the past. [7/14/05]
Judge Orders Documents to be Released to Former Coach: The NCAA must release all documents on its investigation of the Ohio State basketball program to former head coach Jim O’Brien, according to a judge’s decision yesterday. The school fired O’Brien after he acknowledged giving a recruit $6,000 in 1999, which he contends was allowed because the recruit wasn’t eligible to play college ball. O’Brien is seeking the $3.5 million that was remaining on his contract at the time of his firing. The lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial on Oct. 11. [7/14/05]
Kiefer Faces Discipline: Purdue will discipline senior forward Matt Kiefer after the legal process finishes, according to head coach Matt Painter. The 6’10″ forward was arrested in his hometown of Evansville, Ind. and charged with public intoxication over the weekend. He was released from jail on Sunday after posting a $50 bond. Kiefer started 22 of the Boilermakers’ 28 games last season and averaged 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. [7/13/05]
Although it wasn’t quite as bad as last season, this was hardly one for the books for Wake Forest. After an 82-60 blowout loss against Maryland on Thursday, the Demon Deacons finished 13-18 overall. That doesn’t seem so bad, and a few teams had worse records, but look deeper and you see a team that, quite simply, was not good.
Ron Hunter is a terrific addition to the Colonial Athletic Association coaching ranks. That could have been said before the season given his track record and the impression he made on Media Day in October, but after the CAA Tournament it bears repeating because it was so obvious.
In theory, the next six days should be quite stressful for Drexel and head coach Bruiser Flint. As the regular season champions of the CAA, they are guaranteed a bid to the NIT, but naturally hope the NCAA Tournament comes calling. Flint doesn’t seem stressed at all about it, however, and his experience is a key factor in that.
Northeastern fought turnovers often this season, and had relatively mixed results with some streaks along the way. The Huskies should be better next season, but there is clear room for improvement and that was evident on Saturday night in the season-ending loss.
With UNCW’s season over, there’s a look toward a brighter future that was helped by this weekend in Richmond. The young Seahawks had some bright spots during the season in trying to rebuild, and capped it off with something else they can take with them.
James Madison came into the season as an interesting team to project. There was not a lack of talent, and it wasn’t a young team, but there were intangibles questions. In the end, injuries were the biggest problem, but the Dukes kept fighting right to the end no matter how demoralizing the injuries were.
Notes on the first round of the CAA Tournament, where the seeds held to form, the first 20-20 game in tournament history occurred and a team that went bowling to help get ready for the opening game of the day came out on top.
We check in with some quick hitters on a couple of America East teams, a contrast of freshmen from an earlier game, Georgia Tech’s defense against Boston College and the Missouri Valley.
The last decisive play in Harvard’s 55-54 loss to Penn on Saturday night will stay in many people’s minds. For the Crimson player who was involved in it, one hopes the college basketball gods have a better ending in store later on.
The stage is set. Saturday night at Lavietes Pavilion will be a potentially epic battle with first place on the line after Friday night’s results. Old rivals Yale and Harvard will battle for the top, with Harvard hoping for a repeat of the result the last time these two teams met.
Last Thursday, Idaho State finally made it’s choice, hiring Montana assistant Bill Evans as it’s head coach. So far, reaction has been mixed by at least one of the couple of forum posts dedicated to the decision as well as the local scribe’s feelings. Here’s the traditional “welcome to town” …
This is what the head honchos wrote on Monday: Big Sky (March 3) Top seed: Montana. The Big Sky regular-season championship came down to the final game, in which the Grizzlies avenged their only loss in Big Sky play by beating Weber State in Missoula. Tournament stakes: Although Weber State …
We take a look at the award winners, from the two-time conference Player of the Year to the Newcomer of the Year, as well as a couple of early tournament games.
Why did the Cleveland State Vikings recently have a five game losing streak? It’s simple–whenever a team loses their most valuable player, they’re going to suffer. The Cleveland State Vikings have had their fair share of above-average talent on the roster over the past few years. Cedric Jackson played briefly …
The Cleveland State Vikings and Detroit Titans squared off on Thursday evening at the Wolstein Center in a matchup with major ramifications for seeding in the Horizon League Tournament. Both the Vikings and the Titans headed into Thursday’s matchup riding drastically different five-game streaks. Picked by many preseason analysts to …
The last week of conference play has arrived in the Horizon League. Over the past few years, the battle for the top seeds in the Horizon League has not been decided until the final game of conference play. This year is no exception, with multiple teams having a legitimate chance …
The Cleveland State Vikings and Drexel Dragons squared off on Saturday morning at the Wolstein Center as part of ESPN’s BracketBusters series. Saturday’s contest marks the second straight year in which the Vikings have participated in the BracketBusters series. Last season, the Vikings dropped a hard-fought contest to Old Dominion …
Although the rivalry between the Cleveland State Vikings and Butler Bulldogs may not be as nationally known as the rivalry between Duke and North Carolina, the intensity that is in the air whenever these two Horizon League rivals square off is just as strong. In fact, the animosity between these …
The Cleveland State Vikings and Valparaiso Crusaders squared off on Thursday night at the Wolstein Center in one of the most important games of the season for both teams. While the Vikings’ season-opening victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores may have been extremely important with regards to quality wins that are …
JUST IN TIME FOR TONIGHT’S GAMES… All the news you ever wanted to know about the Big Sky, the weekly edition. YOUR WEEKLY DAMIAN LILLARD IS A STUD LINK-FEST: A Salt Lake Tribune story on his success. USA Today also jumped in sometime in the last week to talk about …
In a game with major implications for the regular season Horizon League championship and seeding for the Horizon League Tournament, the Cleveland State Vikings dominated the Milwaukee Panthers by a score of 83-57 in a game in which the Panthers never led. The Vikings and Panthers began the day in …
One team stands alone atop the standings for now, with another a little behind them and a logjam near the middle of the pack.
The Cleveland State Vikings started 2012 off on a winning note with a 69-48 victory at home on Saturday afternoon over the visiting Loyola Ramblers. In his pregame radio comments, Vikings coach Gary Waters stated that the Ramblers’ 5-10 record heading into Saturday’s matchup was deceiving and that the Ramblers were …
Opening weekend in the Big Sky Eastern Washington Record: 7-7, 1-1 Weekend: 1-1 Major superlatives: Won by 16, lost by 8; 76.5 ppg for, 72.5 against; plus-4 scoring margin; 52-112 FG; 20-53 3pt; 29-43 FT. Summary: One night, the lead stuck. The other, it didn’t. The Eagles made an early …
The Big Sky is about to dive in to conference play, and so far, the season has unfolded pretty much as expected, with Sacramento State looking like the one surprise.
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