Indiana: Top Recruit Cleared to Play

The NCAA has cleared Indiana freshman guard Maurice Creek to play this upcoming season, according to SportingNews.com’s Mike DeCourcy.

Creek is academically eligible and will be critical to coach Tom Crean’s efforts to rebuild the Hoosiers program. Ranked in the top 50, Creek might be the key recruit that helps the Hoosiers improve on a six-win season.

Crean took over last season after Indiana ousted embattled coach Kelvin Sampson. He immediately purged the roster and started from scratch, making this recruiting class one of the most important to arrive in Bloomington in years.

Mississippi State: Varnado OK After Illness Scare

Mississippi State senior center Jarvis Varnado will be fine after he became nauseous during practice and went to the hospital, according to a CBSSports.com report. 

Varnado is a critical piece of the Bulldogs’ upcoming team as a defensive monster in the post. Last season, Varnado had 170 blocks, and he needs 141 this season to break the NCAA record for career blocks. 

Varnado flirted with the NBA Draft after last season but opted to return to school for one final season in Starkville.

Pittsburgh: Panthers Tell Brown to Sit Till Christmas

Pittsburgh suspended junior forward Gilbert Brown for the fall semester, forcing him to focus on academics, according to an Associated Press report. 

Brown was a part-time starter for the Panthers last season and returns looking to improve on his 6.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He won’t be allowed to return until at least Dec. 20.

West Virginia: Mazzulla Returns to Provide Much-Needed Depth

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins has decided to let junior guard Joe Mazzulla return to the team from a four-month suspension, according to an Associated Press report.

Mazzulla averaged 5.6 points and 3.7 assists in seven games during an injury-shortened 2008-09 season. The Mountaineers have hopes that he will return fully healed and ready to lead a West Virginia squad with lofty expectations. With Da’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks returning to lead the Mountaineers, the point guard position was one of the few question marks facing Huggins and West Virginia entering the season.

Liberty: Falwell Wants Flames to Become ‘Serious Contender’ in D-I

Liberty will expand its sports facilities, including the addition of 3,000 seats in the Vines Center,  University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. announced Friday. The Vines Center opened in 1990, and the school has significantly expanded since then.

Falwell said the Williams Stadium expansion is keeping up with Liberty’s overall growth pattern. Fall enrollment for residential studies this year is expected to reach 11,900. Liberty had just over 5,000 on-campus students just 10 years ago.

“This stadium project is a natural step for Liberty in its progression from a small Bible college to a major university,” added Falwell. “That was the goal from the beginning – to be for evangelical young people what Notre Dame is to the Catholics and what Brigham Young is to the Mormons. Athletics, and football in particular, was always a big part in that vision.”

Falwell added that he wants Liberty to have the athletic facilities needed to make the Flames competitive with the top Division I programs. Liberty is a member of the Big South Conference, which includes mostly small universities in Virginia and the Carolinas.

 ”Prospective student-athletes will see Liberty as a serious contender in NCAA Division I athletics,” continued Falwell. “We’ll be able to better recruit the top student-athletes in every sport. Improvements like this will help us convey the message that Liberty is achieving excellence in academics and in all of our facilities and programs. I think this will provide a major boost in both our athletics and academic recruiting. My father always said, ‘If it’s Christian, it ought to be better.’”

Kentucky: Gillispie Arrested and Arraigned for DUI

Former Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie was arrested in Kentucky and arraigned Thursday for drunk driving, according to an Associated Press report.

Police arrested Gillispie at about 3 a.m. while he drove a white Mercedes. Police observed Gillispie going 63 mph in a 45 mph speed limit zone. He also sat motionless at a green light for more than a minute. 

When Lawrenceburg police officer Michael Corley pulled over Gillispie and confronted him, Corley said he could smell alcohol, noticed Gillispie had glassy eyes and heard Gillispie slur his speech.

Gillispie denied that he had been drinking and refused sobriety tests, which led to his arrest and arraignment for the DUI.

Kentucky fired Gillispie in March after a lackluster two-year stint in Lexington. Gillispie has not found a new coaching home yet. The Wildcats hired Memphis coach John Calipari to replace Gillispie.

Florida International: We Don’t Want the Champs!

According to a report from SportingNews.com, Isiah Thomas-led Florida International wants to avoid playing defending champion North Carolina in the season-opening 2K Sports Classic so much that it’s threatening to withdraw from the tournament.

Despite Florida International’s emphatic refusal to play North Carolina in the first game of the season Nov. 9, Gazelle Group representative Rick Giles, promoter of the tournament, which benefits Coaches vs. Cancer, expects Florida International to “do the right thing” and accept its match up against the Tar Heels. Giles and his group want the marquee appeal that Thomas’ coaching debut vs. North Carolina will bring.

Florida International signed a contract in 2008 to open the 2009-10 season at either Ohio State or North Carolina, Giles said. The Golden Panthers wanted Ohio State and were blindsided upon learning they were scheduled against the Tar Heels, Athletic Director Pete Garcia said.

Thomas shared Garcia’s shock after the schedule news came out.

“I had no idea,” Thomas said. “No one contacted me, our athletic director, no one. Maybe in 2010, 2011 we can play North Carolina, but not this year.”

Regardless of what happens in the classic’s earlier rounds, North Carolina, Ohio State, California and Syracuse will meet in the semifinals and finals Nov. 19-20 at Madison Square Garden.

Oklahoma State: Cowboys Get Pilgrim’s Services Immediately

Matt Pilgrim will be able to join his Oklahoma State teammates for the 2009-10 season after the NCAA granted him a waiver Aug. 21, according to a university release.

The 6-8 forward averaged 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in his two years at Hamptom College from 2006-08. He transferred to Kentucky for 2008-09 but sat out the season because of NCAA rules.

Cowboys head coach Travis Ford was thrilled after learning of the ruling that will allow Pilgrim to play without sitting out another season following his latest transfer.

“We are excited that Matt will be able to be a part of the program this season,” Ford said. “He will make an immediate impact on this team with both his abilities and his experience. He will make us a better team and brings a toughness with him.”

Grambling: White Dies After Two Weeks in Hospital Following a Workout

According to a Southwestern Athletic Conference release, Grambling State junior Henry White passed away on Wednesday at the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. White had been hospitalized since Aug. 14 after a workout at Grambling.

Grambling is investigating the circumstances that might have contributed to his passing.

“The university community is deeply saddened by the loss of one of its promising student- athletes, and our deepest sympathy is extended to his family,” Grambling President Horace Judson said.

Kentucky: Calipari Awards Krebs a Scholarship

Kentucky senior Michael Krebs finally got a scholarship, according to a university release. It was the 13th and last available scholarship for the 2009-10 Wildcats.

Krebs was a walk-on from 2007-09 and has appeared in a total of 17 games. Last season, he played in 13 games and saw 1.9 minutes of action per match. He made 1-of-4 three-point attempts.

Florida Gulf Coast: Brown Joins ’09 Recruiting Class at Last Minute

According to a Florida Gulf Coast release, the Eagles have a late addition to the team: guard Sherwood Brown, an A-student who averaged 11.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game at Olympia High School in Orlando, Fla.

The 6-3 Brown also averaged 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game while helping the Titans to the 2009 FHSAA Class 6A State Championship game.

Brown joins guards Brett Williams and Hunter Miller as newcomers at Florida Gulf Coast for the 2009-10 season.

Court Denies Delaware’s Gambling Plan

A federal appeals court rejected the state of Delaware’s plan to initiate single- and multi-game bets on sports, including NCAA basketball, according to CBSSports.com. The NCAA and several professional sports leagues challenged the state’s plan to raise money that would help it cover a budget shortfall.

According to an exemption in the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, Delaware is eligible to offer the same type of gambling games it provided between 1975 and 1992. In Delaware’s case, it offered a game in which gamblers could pick several NFL games in a lottery. The state attempted to use that precedent to extend gambling to more sports and for single games.

Texas: Backcourt Depth Boosted by Brown

Texas received word that freshman guard J’Covan Brown is clear to play, according to FOXSports.com’s Jeff Goodman. The NCAA ruled Brown academically ineligible last year, and he worked on his grades to successfully become eligible for the upcoming season. Brown will have an opportunity to compete for the starting point guard position with Dogus Balbay and Jai Lucas.

Hawaii: Rainbow Warriors Add Transferred Firepower

Hawaii just got itself two new Rainbow Warriors as a report from FoxSports.com states that ex-Arizona Wildcat Zane Johnson and former Duquesne player Aleksandar Milovic have transferred to the university on scholarships. Both players will have to sit out the 2009-10 season before becoming eligible to play.

The 6-5 Johnson was at Arizona for two years. Last season, he started 11 Pac-10 Conference games and made 41 percent of his three-pointers as the Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. Meanwhile Milovic, a 6-7 swingman, saw limited action as a freshman at Duquesne following a high school senior season in which he averaged 21.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

Johnson and Milovic join Douglas Kurtz, Jeremy Lay and Dwain Williams to complete Hawaii’s 2009-10 recruiting class.

Middle Tennessee State: Davis Picks Operations Director

Former Odessa College assistant coach Mike Scutero has been named Middle Tennessee State’s new director of basketball operations, according to a release from the university.

In five years at Odessa College, Scutero helped the Wrangler team to three consectuive 20-win seasons, including a conference championship in 2007-08. Before that, Scutero had been a coach at Winter Springs High School in Winter Springs, Fla.

“Mike has an outstanding work ethic and excellent energy and will be a good addition to our staff,” Middle Tennessee’s head coach Kermit Davis said. “We look forward to having him and his family as part of the Murfreesboro community.”

Rutgers: Fred Hill Takes Care of Some ‘Family Matters’

Junior Corey Chandler was kicked off the Rutgers basketball team for violating athletic department policies, according to an Associated Press report.

Rutgers coach Fred Hill did not give specific reasons for the guard’s dismissal, calling it a “family matter.”

Chandler averaged seven points and 3.3 rebounds in 32 appearances last season. In 2007-08, he had averaged 11.9 points and four rebounds per game.

Hill also announced that the team has a new assistant coach in Sal Mentesana and that Craig Carter will be the program’s recruiting coordinator.

Southern Miss: Eagles Add One Guard, Lose Another

Southern Miss will gain the services of former Kansas State guard Buchi Awaji, who transferred to the Eagles and received a waiver so that he can play this season, according to the Hattiesburg American. He will add some depth to the Eagles, who lose Rodney McCauley, who left the team to transfer to Ranger College in Texas. Awaji had better statistics than McCauley last season, averaging 4.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game compared to McCauley’s 1.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

Oklahoma State: Cowboys Must Wait for Johnson

Oklahoma State won’t have the services of recruit Karron Johnson, according to an Associated Press report. Johnson will attend a junior college, and he could join the Cowboys later if he meets academic standards. Johnson was a top 100 recruit according to Rivals.com.

Florida: Frontcourt Depth Diminishes

Florida might enter the season with fewer players available in the frontcourt because Adam Allen had a second leg surgery and Eloy Vargas could be academically ineligible, according to the Associated Press. Neither player figures to have a central role for the Gators, who don’t have too many experienced players to fill the front line.

Cincinnati: Center From ’61 and ’62 Championship Teams Dies

Former Cincinnati center Paul “Duke” Hogue died Monday of heart and kidney failure, according to an Associated Press report. Hogue was the most outstanding player of the NCAA Tournament when the Bearcats won the 1962 championship.