The Morning Dish – Friday, April 1st
South Carolina Claims the NIT Title: South Carolina nipped St. Joseph’s 60-57 in the NIT’s championship game as guard Tarence Kinsey hit the game-winning three-pointer with less than two seconds remaining. Coach Dave Odom won his second NIT title in six years. He won the tournament in 2000 with Wake Forest, and he also guided South Carolina to the final two seasons ago. NIT most valuable player Carlos Powell led all scorers with 16 points. St. Joseph’s was led by senior three-pointer specialist Pat Carroll, who scored 15 points, including a three-pointer that tied the game in the final minute. Odom left Kinsey, a defensive specialist, in the game rather than calling a timeout so that the Hawks couldn’t set up their defense for the final play. The plan worked and South Carolina claimed the NIT title.
Tulane Hires Terp Assistant: Maryland coach Gary Williams will lose a second assistant coach in less than a month when Tulane officials announce that they have hired Terrapin assistant coach Dave Dickerson. Green Wave officials are expected to make the announcement later today, as Dickerson will join fellow assistant Mike Lonergan as first-time Division I coaches at another school. Lonergan left Maryland to replace Vermont’s Tom Brennan. Dickerson has been an assistant at Maryland since 1996 and also has experience at Gardner – Webb, James Madison and Radford. As Siena officials fill the Saints’ open position, the coaching carousel has one less open seat in this year’s Coaching Changes .
Spartan Turns Saintly: Siena officials report that UNC – Greensboro coach Fran McCaffery will leave the Spartans to lead the Saints. McCaffery has been the Spartans’ coach for the past five seasons and also coaches at Lehigh after serving as an assistant coach at Notre Dame for 11 years. The Saints hope McCaffery will provide better results than Rob Lanier, who finished this past season with a 6-24 record.
Centenary Finds a Gent in Arkansas: Centenary officials unearthed the next Gent coach in Arkansas. Razorback assistant coach Rob Flaska will become Centenary’s coach after serving as coach Stan Heath’s top assistant. He was responsible for coordinating the team’s recruiting efforts. After attracting several top recruits to Arkansas, Centenary officials hope he can replicate that success to make the Gents a more serious contender in the Mid-Continent Conference. Flaska replaces former Centenary coach Kevin Johnson, who resigned at the end of this past season.
Beilein to Hang Around Longer: Hoping to end speculation that coach John Beilein may defect to Virginia, West Virginia officials extended the contract of the Mountaineers’ coach by two years through 2012. Beilein guided West Virginia to an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and came within a few minutes of reaching the Final Four. The Mountaineers hired Beilein in April 2002 after he had coached five seasons at Richmond.
Solomon Gets Do-Over: St. Bonaventure coach Anthony Solomon received a free pass for the Bonnies’ worst season in decades when school officials granted Solomon a one-year extension through the 2008-09 season. Solomon took over the Bonnies in May 2003 after the Bonnies were saddled with sanctions because of an ineligible player. St. Bonaventure forfeited their final games of the 2003 season, leading to the firing of former coach Jan van Breda Kolff. Several players and recruits opted not to return to the Bonnies, so Solomon has been working short-handed for the past two seasons, during which he compiled a 9-47 record. That is possibly the worst record of any coach earning a contract extension.
Gilchrist Dips into the Draft: Maryland junior point guard John Gilchrist became the first of potentially four talented ACC point guards to choose the NBA Draft over another year of college basketball. Coach Gary Williams said Gilchrist will test the waters to appraise his value in the draft, leaving open the possibility of returning to Maryland. But Williams said Gilchrist would need to adjust his attitude if he returns, especially in terms of giving a complete effort in practice and games. Williams questioned Gilchrist’s dedication to defense and said he didn’t think Gilchrist dominated the other talented ACC guards, including Wake Forest’s Chris Paul, North Carolina’s Raymond Felton and Georgia Tech’s Jarrett Jack. All three of those guards could follow Gilchrist’s lead in the coming weeks.
Pirate Jumps Ship: Seton Hall junior guard J.R. Morris announced Wednesday that he will enter the NBA Draft rather than return for his senior season. Morris averaged 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game for the Pirates last season. But he finished the season on suspension because he did not meet his academic qualifications. Morris has not hired an agent, so if he receives negative feedback from NBA scouts, he could return to Seton Hall.
Ewing Moving On: With a full cupboard at forward, Indiana sophomore forward Patrick Ewing Jr. decided to leave the Hoosiers to transfer to another program. Indiana has Auburn transfer Marco Killingsworth and a pair of recruits to contend with Ewing for playing time. He averaged four points and 3.8 rebounds in 29 games this past season.
Xavier Loses Guard: Xavier coach Sean Miller announced that freshman guard Chuchill Odia will not return next season to play for the Musketeers. Odia played in 25 games this past season, but he averaged only 8.8 minutes per game. And he played only four minutes in the team’s final six games.
