tRUE hERO SpORTS
IT is always difficult to say goodbye to a Kentucky basketball season, especially when the goodbye is said on Saturday night of the Final Four. That, though, is what we are left with. So it's now time to reflect on the season as a whole, remembering how far this team traveled, from the summer trip to Canada -- where we first saw glimpses of what was to come -- to the almost unbelievable in-season turnaround this team executed, putting themselves in a position to bring Kentucky its first Final Four in what seems like decades. The thirst was quenched, and quenched quite nicely.
So follow me after the jump for some stream-of-consciousness thoughts on the 2010-2011 season that was:
Josh Harrellson and DeAndre Liggins -- Simply put, both players became unrecognizable. The transformation both players committed to is a testament to their collective ability to recognize they weren't giving their all (something most folks have a hard time admitting). With their renewal -- Harrellson because of his never-ending glass cleaning and vastly improved offensive game, and Ligs because of his defense, his newly found ability to consistently make shots, and dedication to giving himself floor burns -- they both gave themselves a chance to make some serious dinero at the next level, whether that be in Europe or the NBA, while at the same time delighting Kentucky basketball fans with their heart and hustle; two tenets Big Blue backers rightfully demand of each player wearing "Kentucky" across their chest. So sirs, I salute you both! You've made Kentucky fans proud, your coach proud, and you've represented your families with class and dignity. (I know Ligs is contemplating testing the NBA Draft waters, but let me begin the chant here: One more year Ligs, one more year!).
Doron Lamb -- Not much to say about Lamb, except, WHAT A SUPER SWEET SHOOTING STROKE that young man has. More, give me more!
Beating Louisville -- That never gets old, no matter how many times Kentucky does it. The 'Cats have now bested the 'Cards in two straight (by a cumulative score of 149-125), five of seven, and since the rivalry became a yearly (torrid) affair, UK holds a sizable 19-11 advantage. And with next season's contest in Lex, I like UK's odds of widening the series gap. On a related note (to Card fans): If Louisville is going to keep up with the pacesetter (you know who that is, right?) it's gonna take more than Chane Behanan and Wayne Blackshear -- both good players, no doubt, but not good enough to elevate the vile Cards to the summit currently occupied by the Big Blue party bus.
Sweeping the Vols -- Beating UT always brings about a special kind of satisfaction. Maybe it's because of the Vols' domination of the football series with Kentucky, or maybe it's because I was born infused with an anti-Vol chromosome ... whatever the reason, I do love it when the round-ball 'Cats put Tennessee in their place (which is somewhere, way, way below UK in the college basketball pecking order). Even sweeter, the Wildcats have won six of seven from Tennessee ,and since 2000, UK holds a 17-4 advantage -- That's gotta hurt Vol fan, especially considering UT just ended the best six-year stretch in school history -- Perhaps UT needs to change their persuasion of orange to the burnt variety. Oh, I almost forgot -- see ya, wouldn't want to be ya Ms. Pearl, and good luck to Cuonzo Martin, maybe he will bring a modicum of respectability to the UT athletic department. A possibility which begs the question: Can the head basketball coach fire the athletic director?
Terrence Jones -- The only 'Cat to slightly regress (at least in the scoring column) during the course of the season, Jones is as gifted as any UK small forward in recent memory. Although I feel the chances are very good Jones will be paid to play next season, if the NCAA Tournament told him anything, it's that he's not ready for the NBA. Of course that won't matter, though, the Association drafts on potential, and Jones' ceiling is clearly Himalayan high.
Beating Florida, twice -- Even though the Gators won the SEC regular season title this year, Kentucky beat Billy Donovan's club twice, the final win being for the SEC Tournament championship (which in my mind makes up for coming in behind the Gators in the final standings). Suffice it to say, there is no end to the amount of joy UK beating the Gators brings me. Since the consecutive national titles Donovan caught in a bottle, the 'Cats have continued the great and long-standing tradition of beating-down their SEC brethren, winning six of the last eight contests. Bringing even greater elation is the fact that defensive guru (and Florida assistant) Larry Shyatt has left UF to take over as head Cowboy at the University of Wyoming. I guess it's back to 24-25 win seasons, and first weekend NCAA tournament exits for the Gators. But hey, nobody in the Sunshine State seems to notice, which is exactly how Billy D. likes it.
Brandon Knight -- Although the Kentucky point guard had a less-than-stellar performance against UConn in the Final Four, overall his season was phenomenal. Point guard is the hardest position to learn and master, but by mid-season Knight was making strong decisions, getting his teammates involved, and scoring when scoring was needed. The poise he developed so quickly is indeed impressive, for it's not often a freshman grabs the game by the horns and says, "I'm winning this game, right now," but that is precisely what Knight did on more than one occasion this season. If he stays with the 'Cats for another go-round, great, if not, I wish him all the best in the NBA; I'm sure he will thrive. One last thing, Knight is to be admired and appreciated for the way he handled himself, both on and off the court. He's a class act for certain. One more last thing, as most know Knight is a serious student and is on target to be a junior scholastically by the end of this semester. That's right, a junior! Amazing, simply amazing.
Darius Miller -- The once over-deferential 'Cat became the take-charge 'Cat about 25-games into the season, and like his teammates, Harrellson and Liggins, the transformation was well-timed and a sight to behold. One of only three upperclassmen on the team, Miller saw the need for leadership and helped fill the vacuum, to his great credit. Although his NCAA Tournament wasn't filled with high-scoring games, he continued to defend with a passion (Miller's defense has come light-years from his freshman year), rebound, and get the ball to his mates in a position to score, helping the team in ways not illustrated in the box score.
Beating Ohio State -- There is absolutely nothing better than the 'Cats beating a team they weren't expected to beat, and for me, outside of beating Louisville and Tennessee, beating Ohio State was the high point of a season full of mountain tops and valleys. In fact, the OSU win might be my favorite UK "moment" of the last few years. The experience was simply unadulterated elation and joy! What more can anyone ask of a basketball team but to provide their fans with a reason to be proud ... something Kentucky's win over the Buckeyes provided in spades.
Losing to UConn -- Does it shock me UK lost to the Huskies? No, but the manner in which they lost does surprise, at least me. Shooting 33% across the board -- from the field, long-range, and most shocking, the free throw line -- the 'Cats went a long way in sealing their own fate. It seemed to me the enormity of the stage had something to do with UK's sub-par effort, plus, the team seemed amped-up in a major way at the beginning of the game, using up whatever reserve they had, leaving their tank near empty the last five or six minutes. Missed shots, forced shots in the lane (when a kick-out was called for), and missed free throws, all point to a team that allowed the bright lights to get inside their heads a bit. With their tremendous defense in the second stanza, though, they gave themselves a chance to win, and for that they deserve kudos.
John Calipari -- Perhaps pulling off his most outstanding coaching job, Calipari tore down the building erected on sand, and remade the structure with a strong foundation, able to do battle with all that would tear it down. From a team that couldn't close the deal, to a team that thrived in close game situations (save the last one), Cal meshed and managed his 'Cats to 29 victories, an SEC Tournament championship, and a Final Four appearance. Along the way avoiding the pitfalls associated with a short bench and even shorter experience. Now, more than ever, I feel Cal is the right man for the job (Cal's record at UK is 64-12 .824). He "gets" the Big Blue Nation, he gets the talent, and he'll eventually get Kentucky its eighth national title (and maybe more).
Showing posts with label NCAA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCAA. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Short Basketball Thoughts
Like As SUperHerO
I will admit, I had a lot of questions when TDP hired Coach Brownell last year and was not entirely confident in the decision. We've got to give credit where credit is due and, so far, Coach Brownell has been an asset to our athletics program. Our basketball team now plays actual basketball as opposed to the street ball style that Oliver Purnell employed in his time at CU. Clemson's offense executes out of half-court sets and does not totally rely on transition points to create offense. The Clemson team lost its best player from a year ago (Booker) and had a December transfer in Noel Johnson. Despite those losses, the Tigers were able to make it to the Big Dance after a respectable regular season and ACC Tourney.
While all of the above are positives, we continue to expect continuous improvement. We won't be unrealistic (it will be difficult with the losses of Stitt and Grant next season) but will be watching to see better fundamentals and decision making in '11-'12. Brownell will also have to prove to us that he can recruit well enough to start competing and defeating the Duke's/North Carolina's of the ACC and eventually get deeper in the NCAA Tourney. As of today, Brad gets our vote of confidence and we hope that the administration will reward him and his staff for a good effort over the past year.
On the Tournament: You can argue all you want on whether or not we got hosed and were better than some teams that did not play a play-in game. The fact is that we could have taken care of business and not put ourselves in such a situation. We lost to South Carolina. Virginia, NC State, Michigan and ODU. The ACC losses are inexcusable. On top of that, we blew a game to UNC in the ACC tourney. Win a couple of those and you are golden. A win over UM and/or a win over UNC gets you more credibility. The other losses are just bad losses, period. We got what we deserved for the entire season of work
I will admit, I had a lot of questions when TDP hired Coach Brownell last year and was not entirely confident in the decision. We've got to give credit where credit is due and, so far, Coach Brownell has been an asset to our athletics program. Our basketball team now plays actual basketball as opposed to the street ball style that Oliver Purnell employed in his time at CU. Clemson's offense executes out of half-court sets and does not totally rely on transition points to create offense. The Clemson team lost its best player from a year ago (Booker) and had a December transfer in Noel Johnson. Despite those losses, the Tigers were able to make it to the Big Dance after a respectable regular season and ACC Tourney.
While all of the above are positives, we continue to expect continuous improvement. We won't be unrealistic (it will be difficult with the losses of Stitt and Grant next season) but will be watching to see better fundamentals and decision making in '11-'12. Brownell will also have to prove to us that he can recruit well enough to start competing and defeating the Duke's/North Carolina's of the ACC and eventually get deeper in the NCAA Tourney. As of today, Brad gets our vote of confidence and we hope that the administration will reward him and his staff for a good effort over the past year.
On the Tournament: You can argue all you want on whether or not we got hosed and were better than some teams that did not play a play-in game. The fact is that we could have taken care of business and not put ourselves in such a situation. We lost to South Carolina. Virginia, NC State, Michigan and ODU. The ACC losses are inexcusable. On top of that, we blew a game to UNC in the ACC tourney. Win a couple of those and you are golden. A win over UM and/or a win over UNC gets you more credibility. The other losses are just bad losses, period. We got what we deserved for the entire season of work
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Hva om NCAA Basketball Tournament Lagene ble trent av Development økonomer?
årlige NCAA turneringen som startet med 64 college basketball lag, nå redusert til "Sweet Sixteen".
Det er ikke allment kjent at noen lavere seedet lag i turneringen, som måtte spille mye bedre lag, desperat råd fra ledende Development økonomer.
En Columbia Professor sa at vi allerede vet det vellykkede ingredienser for et mesterskap, bare få masse støtte for innspill til en seier. Hver av hans spillere fikk en beautfiul ny basketball, men hadde ingen insentiv til å passere den, eller skyte den.
En Oxford Professor distribuert "fredsbevarende utstyr" til laget sitt, sa at det var avgjørende for hans Good Team støttet av FNs sikkerhetsråd og G-7 for å vinne. Det andre laget flyktet i panikk, men ble erklært som vinner som standard av turneringen tjenestemenn.
En NYU Professor sa en lavere seedet hadde aldri vunnet turneringen, og han så ingen grunn til at det ville være mulig nå. Han og hans team igjen for en ferie i Cancún.
Andre Professorene som Duflo, Banerjee, og Karlan satt opp randomiserte studier som spiller arbeid. Behandlinger inkludert 3-punkts skudd, kjøring layups, plukke og roll, og videre til den åpne spilleren, sammenlignet med en kontrollgruppe holder ballen fortsatt. Resultatene var av betydelig interesse, men spillerne ble veldig forvirret prøver å huske hvilke fag å sitere og bruke i hver trykk-pakket øyeblikk av spillet. De gjorde ikke gjør Sweet Sixteen.
Hernando de Soto sa det eneste som betydde noe var eiendomsrett. Han ringte for sikker titler til hans lag land. Dette teamet forsvarte sin egen banehalvdel-domstolen vellykket, men de var tvunget til å anerkjenne andre lagets rettigheter også. Det var ikke mye scoring.
Mohammed Yunus sa det handler om mikrokreditt. Han foreslo styrke sin lagets spillere med mikrolån. Dette var en stor suksess, som spillerne forlot alle retten til å starte små bedrifter som selger øl og saltstenger på tribunen.
Til slutt fikk laget spør råd fra George Mason professor i økonomi Peter Boettke en Askepott kjørt inn i Sweet Sixteen. Hva var hans strålende økonomi råd? Vel, valgte han ikke å gi noen, men han hadde faktisk spilt og trent basketball i high school og college.
Var det over karakterisering unøyaktige? Alle kan delta i de vanlige tunge satser på denne turneringen - fyll ut dine egne parentes nedenfor for å avgjøre hvem som går videre til semifinalen og deretter finalen, og som den endelige vinneren vil bli.
What if NCAA Basketball Tournament Teams were coached by Development Economists?
annual NCAA tournament that started off with 64 college basketball teams, now reduced to the “Sweet Sixteen” .
It is not widely known that some lower seeded teams in the tournament, who had to play much better teams, desperately sought advice from leading Development Economists.
A Columbia Professor said we already know the successful ingredients for a championship, just get lots of funding for the inputs to a victory. Each of his players was given a beautfiul new basketball but had no incentive to pass it or shoot it.
An Oxford Professor distributed “peacekeeping equipment” to his team, saying it was critical for his Good Team backed by the UN Security Council and the G-7 to win. The other team fled in panic, but was declared the winner by default by tournament officials.
An NYU Professor said a lower seed had never won the tournament and he saw no reason why it would be possible now. He and his team left for a vacation in Cancún.
Other Professors such as Duflo, Banerjee, and Karlan set up randomized trials for which plays work. Treatments included 3-point shots, driving layups, pick and roll, and passing to the open player, compared to a control group holding the ball still. The results were of considerable interest, but players got very confused trying to remember which study to cite and apply in each pressure-packed moment of the game. They did not make the Sweet Sixteen.
Hernando de Soto said the only thing that mattered was property rights. He called for secure titles to his team’s land. This team defended its own half-court successfully, but they were forced to recognize the other team’s rights also. There was not a lot of scoring.
Mohammed Yunus said it’s all about microcredit. He suggested empowering his team’s players with micro loans. This was a great success, as players all left the court to start small businesses selling beer and pretzels in the stands.
Finally,the team asking advice from George Mason Professor of Economics Peter Boettke made a Cinderella run into the Sweet Sixteen. What was his brilliant economics advice? Well, he chose not to give any, but he had actually played and coached basketball in high school and college.
Were the above characterizations inaccurate? Everybody can participate in the usual heavy betting on this tournament — fill out your own brackets below to determine who will advance to the semifinals and then the finals, and who the final winner will be.
Det er ikke allment kjent at noen lavere seedet lag i turneringen, som måtte spille mye bedre lag, desperat råd fra ledende Development økonomer.
En Columbia Professor sa at vi allerede vet det vellykkede ingredienser for et mesterskap, bare få masse støtte for innspill til en seier. Hver av hans spillere fikk en beautfiul ny basketball, men hadde ingen insentiv til å passere den, eller skyte den.
En Oxford Professor distribuert "fredsbevarende utstyr" til laget sitt, sa at det var avgjørende for hans Good Team støttet av FNs sikkerhetsråd og G-7 for å vinne. Det andre laget flyktet i panikk, men ble erklært som vinner som standard av turneringen tjenestemenn.
En NYU Professor sa en lavere seedet hadde aldri vunnet turneringen, og han så ingen grunn til at det ville være mulig nå. Han og hans team igjen for en ferie i Cancún.
Andre Professorene som Duflo, Banerjee, og Karlan satt opp randomiserte studier som spiller arbeid. Behandlinger inkludert 3-punkts skudd, kjøring layups, plukke og roll, og videre til den åpne spilleren, sammenlignet med en kontrollgruppe holder ballen fortsatt. Resultatene var av betydelig interesse, men spillerne ble veldig forvirret prøver å huske hvilke fag å sitere og bruke i hver trykk-pakket øyeblikk av spillet. De gjorde ikke gjør Sweet Sixteen.
Hernando de Soto sa det eneste som betydde noe var eiendomsrett. Han ringte for sikker titler til hans lag land. Dette teamet forsvarte sin egen banehalvdel-domstolen vellykket, men de var tvunget til å anerkjenne andre lagets rettigheter også. Det var ikke mye scoring.
Mohammed Yunus sa det handler om mikrokreditt. Han foreslo styrke sin lagets spillere med mikrolån. Dette var en stor suksess, som spillerne forlot alle retten til å starte små bedrifter som selger øl og saltstenger på tribunen.
Til slutt fikk laget spør råd fra George Mason professor i økonomi Peter Boettke en Askepott kjørt inn i Sweet Sixteen. Hva var hans strålende økonomi råd? Vel, valgte han ikke å gi noen, men han hadde faktisk spilt og trent basketball i high school og college.
Var det over karakterisering unøyaktige? Alle kan delta i de vanlige tunge satser på denne turneringen - fyll ut dine egne parentes nedenfor for å avgjøre hvem som går videre til semifinalen og deretter finalen, og som den endelige vinneren vil bli.
What if NCAA Basketball Tournament Teams were coached by Development Economists?
annual NCAA tournament that started off with 64 college basketball teams, now reduced to the “Sweet Sixteen” .
It is not widely known that some lower seeded teams in the tournament, who had to play much better teams, desperately sought advice from leading Development Economists.
A Columbia Professor said we already know the successful ingredients for a championship, just get lots of funding for the inputs to a victory. Each of his players was given a beautfiul new basketball but had no incentive to pass it or shoot it.
An Oxford Professor distributed “peacekeeping equipment” to his team, saying it was critical for his Good Team backed by the UN Security Council and the G-7 to win. The other team fled in panic, but was declared the winner by default by tournament officials.
An NYU Professor said a lower seed had never won the tournament and he saw no reason why it would be possible now. He and his team left for a vacation in Cancún.
Other Professors such as Duflo, Banerjee, and Karlan set up randomized trials for which plays work. Treatments included 3-point shots, driving layups, pick and roll, and passing to the open player, compared to a control group holding the ball still. The results were of considerable interest, but players got very confused trying to remember which study to cite and apply in each pressure-packed moment of the game. They did not make the Sweet Sixteen.
Hernando de Soto said the only thing that mattered was property rights. He called for secure titles to his team’s land. This team defended its own half-court successfully, but they were forced to recognize the other team’s rights also. There was not a lot of scoring.
Mohammed Yunus said it’s all about microcredit. He suggested empowering his team’s players with micro loans. This was a great success, as players all left the court to start small businesses selling beer and pretzels in the stands.
Finally,the team asking advice from George Mason Professor of Economics Peter Boettke made a Cinderella run into the Sweet Sixteen. What was his brilliant economics advice? Well, he chose not to give any, but he had actually played and coached basketball in high school and college.
Were the above characterizations inaccurate? Everybody can participate in the usual heavy betting on this tournament — fill out your own brackets below to determine who will advance to the semifinals and then the finals, and who the final winner will be.
Jonathan Quick may, in fact, control pucks with his mind
There were 111 saves made by five different goaltenders in the NHL on Monday night. Jonathan Quick(notes) of the Los Angeles Kings made 27 of them in a shootout win against the Calgary Flames. One of them seems to have defied the laws of physics and the logic of hockey:
(For a slightly clearer YouTube clip, head here.)
Mike Hayes brought this highlight to the forefront Wednesday on Buzzfeed, and it's really a heck of a thing. In the first period and on a power play, Jarome Iginla(notes) blasts the puck from the left side. Quick makes the save, but it trickles through and appears headed towards the goal line … before suddenly making a right turn and leaving the crease.
Kings coach Terry Murray even referenced it in the postgame: "In the first period, I know (Jarome) Iginla had a one-timer that was as good a save that maybe I've seen all year long."
Back, and to the right. Back, and to the right. Back, and to the right. That is one magic loogie.
So what was it? An optical illusion? Check out the 38-second mark of the official game highlights that seems to indicate the puck may have gone off of Quick's stick, but it's not clear:
Weird spin on the puck? Rut in the ice? The ghost of Kadeem Hardison helping the Kings win the Cup as the Sixth Man on the penalty kill?
No, really, there's only one good explanation, which is that Jonathan Quick is a telepath who can control things with his mind. Please, give this man the Vezina Trophy before he makes your brain pop like in "Scanners."
โจนาธานอาจ Site ในความเป็นจริงกับ pucks การควบคุมความคิดของเขา
มี 111 บันทึกโดยห้า goaltenders ที่แตกต่างกันใน NHL ในวันจันทร์ที่ได้คืน โจนาธานเร็ว (หมายเหตุ) ของ Los Angeles คิงส์ทำ 27 ของพวกเขาในจุดโทษชนะกับคาลการีลุกไหม้ หนึ่งในพวกเขาดูเหมือนว่าจะได้ท้าทายกฎหมายของฟิสิกส์และตรรกะของฮอกกี้ :
(สำหรับที่ชัดเจนขึ้นเล็กน้อยคลิป YouTube หัว, ที่นี่.)
Mike Hayes มานี้เพื่อเน้น Forefront พุธที่ Buzzfeed และก็จริงๆ heck ของสิ่ง ในระยะแรกและเมื่อเล่นไฟ, Jarome Iginla blasts (หมายเหตุ) เด็กซนจากด้านซ้าย เว็บไซต์ที่ทำให้ประหยัด แต่ trickles ผ่านและปรากฏมุ่งหน้าไปเส้นเป้าหมาย ... ก่อนที่จะทำก็เลี้ยวขวาออกจากรอยพับ
โค้ชเทอร์รี่คิงส์ Murray แม้อ้างอิงใน postgame :"ในช่วงแรกที่ฉันรู้ (Jarome) จำกัด Iginla ของหนึ่งตั้งเวลานั่นคือเป็นบันทึกที่ดีตลอดทั้งปีอาจจะได้เห็นผมยาว."
กลับไปและไปทางขวา กลับไปและไปทางขวา กลับไปและไปทางขวา นั่นคือหนึ่ง loogie มายากล
ดังนั้นสิ่งที่มันได้หรือไม่ ยาแสง? ตรวจสอบเครื่องหมาย 38 วินาทีของเกมอย่างเป็นทางการที่ไฮไลท์ที่น่าจะระบุเด็กซนอาจได้ไปปิดการติดด่วนของ แต่ยังไม่ชัดเจน
แปลก ๆ สปินในเด็กซน? Ruth อยู่ในน้ำแข็ง? ผีของ Kadeem Hardison ช่วยคิงส์คัพชนะเป็นคนที่หกในการลงโทษฆ่า?
ไม่มีจริงๆก็มีเพียงหนึ่งคำอธิบายที่ดีสิ่งที่ถูกโจนาธานเป็น telepath ด่วนที่สามารถควบคุมสิ่งที่มีความคิดของเขาได้ โปรดให้คน Vezina Trophy ก่อนที่เขาจะทำให้สมองของคุณป๊อปชอบในนี้"สแกนเนอร์
Jonathan webwerf mag, in werklikheid, met sy gedagte beheer puks
Daar was 111 Slaat gemaak deur vyf verskillende goaltenders in die NHL op Maandag nag. Jonathan Quick (note) van die Los Angeles Kings gemaak 27 van hulle in 'n skietery oorwinning teen die Calgary Flames. Een van hulle lyk uitgedaag het die wette van fisika en die logika van rugby:
(Vir 'n duideliker Bietjie YouTube clip, kop hier.)
Mike Hayes het hierdie die voorhoede Woensdag tot hoogtepunt op Buzzfeed, en dit is regtig 'n klink van' n ding. In die eerste periode en op 'n mag speel, Jarome Iginla (notas) storms die kabouter vanaf die linkerkant. Webwerf maak die stoor, maar dit trickles deur en verskyn onder leiding Teen die doel lyn ... VOOR skielik maak 'n draai regs en Leaving die styging.
Konings afrigter Terry Murray selfs gekla dit in die postgame: "In die eerste periode, ek weet (Jarome) Iginla limiet van 'n een-timer Dit was so goed' n red wat dalk het ek gesien het die hele jaar lank."
Terug, en aan die regterkant. Terug, en aan die regterkant. Terug, en aan die regterkant. Dit is een magie loogie.
So, wat was dit? 'N optiese illusie? Check uit die 38-sekonde-merk van die amptelike wedstryd hoogtepunte Dit blyk aan te dui die kabouter kan gegaan het af van Quick se stok, maar dit is nie duidelik:
Weird spin op die kabouter? Ruth was in die ys te voorskyn? Die spook van Kadeem Hardison Helpende die Kings wen die Cup as die sesde Man op die boete dood te maak?
Nee, regtig, is daar net een goeie verduideliking wat Jonathan Quick is 'n telepaat wat nie kan beheer dinge met sy gees. Asseblief, gee hierdie man die Vezina Trophy voordat hy jou brein pop soos in "Scanners."
乔纳森网站可能，事实上，他的精神控制凸轮
有五个不同goaltenders在NHL在周一晚111扑救。乔纳森快速（笔记），洛杉矶国王队27日在枪战中击败他们的卡尔加里火焰。其中一个似乎已经违背了物理定律和曲棍球的逻辑：
（对于一个更清晰的轻微的YouTube片段，头在这里。）
迈克海斯把这个突出的Forefront上Buzzfeed周三，它真的是见鬼的事情。在第一期，一个权力游戏，Jarome Iginla（笔记）爆炸从左侧球。网站使保存，但它滴滴通过，似乎飞向球门线...在突然作出右转离开折痕。
国王队主教练特里穆雷在赛后甚至引用它：“在第一阶段，我知道（Jarome）Iginla的一个计时器限制，也是很好的保存，也许我见过常年了。”
回，并在右边。回，并在右边。回，并在右边。这是一个神奇的loogie。
因此，究竟是什么？一种错觉？检查出的官方游戏的38秒大关强调这似乎表明了冰球可能已经快速的棒了，但现在还不清楚：
奇怪的自旋对冰球？露丝在冰？哈迪森鬼的Kadeem帮助国王队取胜的罚款作为第六人杀死的世界杯？
不，真的，只有一个很好的解释，认为这是Jonathan Quick是泰合志恒谁可以控制他的思想的东西。请给这个人Vezina杯之前，他让你的大脑一样流行“扫描仪”。
Jonathan Sitio puede, de hecho, con sus duendes maliciosos de control mental
Hubo 111 Guarda hecho por cinco porteros diferentes en la NHL en la noche del lunes. Jonathan Quick (notas) de los Kings de Los Ángeles hicieron 27 de ellos en la tanda de ganar contra los Calgary Flames. Uno de ellos parece haber desafiado las leyes de la física y la lógica de hockey:
(Para un poco más claro clip de YouTube, la cabeza aquí.)
Mike Hayes interpuso el presente para resaltar el miércoles Forefront en Buzzfeed, y es realmente un heck de una cosa. En el primer período y en un juego de poder, Jarome Iginla (notas) explosiones el disco desde el lado derecho. Sitio hace el salve, pero se escurre a través y parece dirigirse hacia la línea de gol ... ANTES de repente haciendo un giro a la derecha y dejar el pliegue.
Entrenador de los Kings Terry Murray aún se hace referencia en la posterior al partido: "En el primer período, lo sé (Jarome) limitar Iginla de un temporizador que fue tan buena la salvedad de que tal vez yo he visto durante todo el año."
Atrás y hacia la derecha. Atrás y hacia la derecha. Atrás y hacia la derecha. Esa es una flema magia.
Entonces, ¿qué era? Una ilusión óptica? Echa un vistazo a la marca de 38 segundos del juego oficial pone de relieve que parece indicar que el disco puede haber salido de palo rápido, pero no está claro:
Extraño giro en el disco? Ruth estaba en el hielo? El fantasma de Kadeem Hardison Ayudar a los Reyes a ganar la Copa como el sexto hombre de la pena de muerte?
No, en realidad, sólo hay una buena explicación, que ¿Cuál es Jonathan Quick es un telépata que puede controlar las cosas con su mente. Por favor, a este hombre el Trofeo Vezina ANTES de que hace que su cerebro pop como en "Scanners".
(For a slightly clearer YouTube clip, head here.)
Mike Hayes brought this highlight to the forefront Wednesday on Buzzfeed, and it's really a heck of a thing. In the first period and on a power play, Jarome Iginla(notes) blasts the puck from the left side. Quick makes the save, but it trickles through and appears headed towards the goal line … before suddenly making a right turn and leaving the crease.
Kings coach Terry Murray even referenced it in the postgame: "In the first period, I know (Jarome) Iginla had a one-timer that was as good a save that maybe I've seen all year long."
Back, and to the right. Back, and to the right. Back, and to the right. That is one magic loogie.
So what was it? An optical illusion? Check out the 38-second mark of the official game highlights that seems to indicate the puck may have gone off of Quick's stick, but it's not clear:
Weird spin on the puck? Rut in the ice? The ghost of Kadeem Hardison helping the Kings win the Cup as the Sixth Man on the penalty kill?
No, really, there's only one good explanation, which is that Jonathan Quick is a telepath who can control things with his mind. Please, give this man the Vezina Trophy before he makes your brain pop like in "Scanners."
โจนาธานอาจ Site ในความเป็นจริงกับ pucks การควบคุมความคิดของเขา
มี 111 บันทึกโดยห้า goaltenders ที่แตกต่างกันใน NHL ในวันจันทร์ที่ได้คืน โจนาธานเร็ว (หมายเหตุ) ของ Los Angeles คิงส์ทำ 27 ของพวกเขาในจุดโทษชนะกับคาลการีลุกไหม้ หนึ่งในพวกเขาดูเหมือนว่าจะได้ท้าทายกฎหมายของฟิสิกส์และตรรกะของฮอกกี้ :
(สำหรับที่ชัดเจนขึ้นเล็กน้อยคลิป YouTube หัว, ที่นี่.)
Mike Hayes มานี้เพื่อเน้น Forefront พุธที่ Buzzfeed และก็จริงๆ heck ของสิ่ง ในระยะแรกและเมื่อเล่นไฟ, Jarome Iginla blasts (หมายเหตุ) เด็กซนจากด้านซ้าย เว็บไซต์ที่ทำให้ประหยัด แต่ trickles ผ่านและปรากฏมุ่งหน้าไปเส้นเป้าหมาย ... ก่อนที่จะทำก็เลี้ยวขวาออกจากรอยพับ
โค้ชเทอร์รี่คิงส์ Murray แม้อ้างอิงใน postgame :"ในช่วงแรกที่ฉันรู้ (Jarome) จำกัด Iginla ของหนึ่งตั้งเวลานั่นคือเป็นบันทึกที่ดีตลอดทั้งปีอาจจะได้เห็นผมยาว."
กลับไปและไปทางขวา กลับไปและไปทางขวา กลับไปและไปทางขวา นั่นคือหนึ่ง loogie มายากล
ดังนั้นสิ่งที่มันได้หรือไม่ ยาแสง? ตรวจสอบเครื่องหมาย 38 วินาทีของเกมอย่างเป็นทางการที่ไฮไลท์ที่น่าจะระบุเด็กซนอาจได้ไปปิดการติดด่วนของ แต่ยังไม่ชัดเจน
แปลก ๆ สปินในเด็กซน? Ruth อยู่ในน้ำแข็ง? ผีของ Kadeem Hardison ช่วยคิงส์คัพชนะเป็นคนที่หกในการลงโทษฆ่า?
ไม่มีจริงๆก็มีเพียงหนึ่งคำอธิบายที่ดีสิ่งที่ถูกโจนาธานเป็น telepath ด่วนที่สามารถควบคุมสิ่งที่มีความคิดของเขาได้ โปรดให้คน Vezina Trophy ก่อนที่เขาจะทำให้สมองของคุณป๊อปชอบในนี้"สแกนเนอร์
Jonathan webwerf mag, in werklikheid, met sy gedagte beheer puks
Daar was 111 Slaat gemaak deur vyf verskillende goaltenders in die NHL op Maandag nag. Jonathan Quick (note) van die Los Angeles Kings gemaak 27 van hulle in 'n skietery oorwinning teen die Calgary Flames. Een van hulle lyk uitgedaag het die wette van fisika en die logika van rugby:
(Vir 'n duideliker Bietjie YouTube clip, kop hier.)
Mike Hayes het hierdie die voorhoede Woensdag tot hoogtepunt op Buzzfeed, en dit is regtig 'n klink van' n ding. In die eerste periode en op 'n mag speel, Jarome Iginla (notas) storms die kabouter vanaf die linkerkant. Webwerf maak die stoor, maar dit trickles deur en verskyn onder leiding Teen die doel lyn ... VOOR skielik maak 'n draai regs en Leaving die styging.
Konings afrigter Terry Murray selfs gekla dit in die postgame: "In die eerste periode, ek weet (Jarome) Iginla limiet van 'n een-timer Dit was so goed' n red wat dalk het ek gesien het die hele jaar lank."
Terug, en aan die regterkant. Terug, en aan die regterkant. Terug, en aan die regterkant. Dit is een magie loogie.
So, wat was dit? 'N optiese illusie? Check uit die 38-sekonde-merk van die amptelike wedstryd hoogtepunte Dit blyk aan te dui die kabouter kan gegaan het af van Quick se stok, maar dit is nie duidelik:
Weird spin op die kabouter? Ruth was in die ys te voorskyn? Die spook van Kadeem Hardison Helpende die Kings wen die Cup as die sesde Man op die boete dood te maak?
Nee, regtig, is daar net een goeie verduideliking wat Jonathan Quick is 'n telepaat wat nie kan beheer dinge met sy gees. Asseblief, gee hierdie man die Vezina Trophy voordat hy jou brein pop soos in "Scanners."
乔纳森网站可能，事实上，他的精神控制凸轮
有五个不同goaltenders在NHL在周一晚111扑救。乔纳森快速（笔记），洛杉矶国王队27日在枪战中击败他们的卡尔加里火焰。其中一个似乎已经违背了物理定律和曲棍球的逻辑：
（对于一个更清晰的轻微的YouTube片段，头在这里。）
迈克海斯把这个突出的Forefront上Buzzfeed周三，它真的是见鬼的事情。在第一期，一个权力游戏，Jarome Iginla（笔记）爆炸从左侧球。网站使保存，但它滴滴通过，似乎飞向球门线...在突然作出右转离开折痕。
国王队主教练特里穆雷在赛后甚至引用它：“在第一阶段，我知道（Jarome）Iginla的一个计时器限制，也是很好的保存，也许我见过常年了。”
回，并在右边。回，并在右边。回，并在右边。这是一个神奇的loogie。
因此，究竟是什么？一种错觉？检查出的官方游戏的38秒大关强调这似乎表明了冰球可能已经快速的棒了，但现在还不清楚：
奇怪的自旋对冰球？露丝在冰？哈迪森鬼的Kadeem帮助国王队取胜的罚款作为第六人杀死的世界杯？
不，真的，只有一个很好的解释，认为这是Jonathan Quick是泰合志恒谁可以控制他的思想的东西。请给这个人Vezina杯之前，他让你的大脑一样流行“扫描仪”。
Jonathan Sitio puede, de hecho, con sus duendes maliciosos de control mental
Hubo 111 Guarda hecho por cinco porteros diferentes en la NHL en la noche del lunes. Jonathan Quick (notas) de los Kings de Los Ángeles hicieron 27 de ellos en la tanda de ganar contra los Calgary Flames. Uno de ellos parece haber desafiado las leyes de la física y la lógica de hockey:
(Para un poco más claro clip de YouTube, la cabeza aquí.)
Mike Hayes interpuso el presente para resaltar el miércoles Forefront en Buzzfeed, y es realmente un heck de una cosa. En el primer período y en un juego de poder, Jarome Iginla (notas) explosiones el disco desde el lado derecho. Sitio hace el salve, pero se escurre a través y parece dirigirse hacia la línea de gol ... ANTES de repente haciendo un giro a la derecha y dejar el pliegue.
Entrenador de los Kings Terry Murray aún se hace referencia en la posterior al partido: "En el primer período, lo sé (Jarome) limitar Iginla de un temporizador que fue tan buena la salvedad de que tal vez yo he visto durante todo el año."
Atrás y hacia la derecha. Atrás y hacia la derecha. Atrás y hacia la derecha. Esa es una flema magia.
Entonces, ¿qué era? Una ilusión óptica? Echa un vistazo a la marca de 38 segundos del juego oficial pone de relieve que parece indicar que el disco puede haber salido de palo rápido, pero no está claro:
Extraño giro en el disco? Ruth estaba en el hielo? El fantasma de Kadeem Hardison Ayudar a los Reyes a ganar la Copa como el sexto hombre de la pena de muerte?
No, en realidad, sólo hay una buena explicación, que ¿Cuál es Jonathan Quick es un telépata que puede controlar las cosas con su mente. Por favor, a este hombre el Trofeo Vezina ANTES de que hace que su cerebro pop como en "Scanners".
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Wes Leonard Dies: High School Basketball Player Collapses After Game-Winning Shot
Idea FOr RigHt Coaching..
FENNVILLE, Mich. — One moment: a perfect shot to end a perfect season. The star player, just 16, lifted off the floor in celebration. Teenagers triumphant, crowds cheering, the district playoffs ahead, the future open wide.
The next: Wes Leonard on the gym floor, his enlarged heart failing, his life fading just a few moments after his victory layup. Packed bleachers suddenly stunned by an event that made basketball seem a distant, unimportant memory.
A day after Leonard died from an enlarged heart, this small town near Lake Michigan remembered an "all-American kid" whose athletic heroics had been local legend since middle school, when opposing coaches sometimes asked to see his birth certificate, not believing someone so young could be so skilled.
"He was a good kid, a good friend to have and a good person to hang around with," DeMarcus McGee, who played football and basketball with Leonard, said between sobs. "You never thought it could be him. He was so healthy. It shouldn't happen."
On Thursday evening, Leonard sent the ball through the hoop from close range with less than 30 seconds left in the game. The final shot gave Fennville High a 57-55 victory over Bridgman High and a 20-0 regular season.
After the teams exchanged handshakes, Fennville players celebrated. Some began scrambling to organize a team photo that would commemorate their undefeated record. That's when the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Leonard collapsed, with an estimated 1,400 fans watching.
"Thirty seconds earlier, he was laying in the winning bucket," said Ryan Klingler, basketball coach in Fennville, about 200 miles west of Detroit. "And then 10 seconds later ... everything's pulled out from under you, from out of nowhere."
Leonard was rushed to nearby Holland Hospital, where paramedics performed CPR before he was pronounced dead. An autopsy conducted Friday by the Ottawa County medical examiner showed Leonard died of cardiac arrest due to an enlarged heart.
"It shouldn't have been like this," teammate Adam Siegel said. "Too young."
FENNVILLE, Mich. — One moment: a perfect shot to end a perfect season. The star player, just 16, lifted off the floor in celebration. Teenagers triumphant, crowds cheering, the district playoffs ahead, the future open wide.
The next: Wes Leonard on the gym floor, his enlarged heart failing, his life fading just a few moments after his victory layup. Packed bleachers suddenly stunned by an event that made basketball seem a distant, unimportant memory.
A day after Leonard died from an enlarged heart, this small town near Lake Michigan remembered an "all-American kid" whose athletic heroics had been local legend since middle school, when opposing coaches sometimes asked to see his birth certificate, not believing someone so young could be so skilled.
"He was a good kid, a good friend to have and a good person to hang around with," DeMarcus McGee, who played football and basketball with Leonard, said between sobs. "You never thought it could be him. He was so healthy. It shouldn't happen."
On Thursday evening, Leonard sent the ball through the hoop from close range with less than 30 seconds left in the game. The final shot gave Fennville High a 57-55 victory over Bridgman High and a 20-0 regular season.
After the teams exchanged handshakes, Fennville players celebrated. Some began scrambling to organize a team photo that would commemorate their undefeated record. That's when the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Leonard collapsed, with an estimated 1,400 fans watching.
"Thirty seconds earlier, he was laying in the winning bucket," said Ryan Klingler, basketball coach in Fennville, about 200 miles west of Detroit. "And then 10 seconds later ... everything's pulled out from under you, from out of nowhere."
Leonard was rushed to nearby Holland Hospital, where paramedics performed CPR before he was pronounced dead. An autopsy conducted Friday by the Ottawa County medical examiner showed Leonard died of cardiac arrest due to an enlarged heart.
"It shouldn't have been like this," teammate Adam Siegel said. "Too young."
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Dear Dan Owens
Dear Mr. Owens:
As Captain James Tiberius Kirk said to Commander Kruge in Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock, "I have had enough of you."
Your latest attempt to rabble-rouse for the Kentucky Derby Festival Classic has crossed the line from advocacy into an intolerable display of bad manners and worse sportsmanship. I am not inclined to rebuke your every utterance, but will you kindly, for the love of the game and its sponsors, stop trying to set Kentucky fans against each other, and stop trying to frighten UK's recruiting class into thinking that the Bluegrass is full of madmen with nothing better to do than attack the quite rational decision of young men and their families?
Many Kentucky fans in Louisville, like myself who have lived here since 1988, have attended the Kentucky Derby Festival Classic game many times. I have personally had a relationship with the KDF Classic on other projects, a relationship I value and appreciate. I love the Kentucky Derby Festival, the basketball game, and the excitement it generates in the River City.
What I do not love is your continued unethical offensive on the University of Kentucky for not having players attend this year's game, at least so far. Your outright attacks on the University in general and Head Coach John Calipari in particular are reprehensible, over the top, and utterly odious. Every Kentucky fan in the city, including me, would rather have a Kentucky player on the KDF Classic roster. At this point, every one of us will be disappointed. But that doesn't mean we won't attend the game.
John Calipari has continually told you and anyone who would listen that he isn't interested in involving himself in the decisions of our 2011 recruits. Whether or not he ever did so before is utterly and completely irrelevant, and at minimum, decorum requires that you accept his decision whether or not you agree with it. You have previously made your disagreement publicly known. When is enough enough?
Mr. Owens, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported today that you referred to former NBA star Michael Jordan, presumably in connection with the Jordan Brand Classic, thus, in an email to the University of Kentucky:
Regarding Jordan, Owens wrote, “He plays golf, gambles and butchers the King's English.”
Whether or not this is true is irrelevant. It is offensive ... no, unconscionable ... for an official involved with a class affair like the KDF Classic to attack another event in this way. This is the sort of rhetoric I have come to associate with the worst kind of sports fans and political hacks.
This reference to John Calipari is also far beyond offensive:
Owens also referred to Calipari associate William Wesley, also known in basketball circles as “World Wide Wes,” and his relationship with Gilchrist and Gilchrist's mother. Owens later sent an e-mail that he said was “a retraction of any false or defamatory comments.”
Mr. Owens, the familial relationships of the Gilchrist family are none of your bloody business, sir. Retracting your comments does not remove them, especially when what is required is an abject, self-abasing apology for this execrable rhetoric.
I regret having to say this, Mr. Owens, but in your zeal, you have beclowned yourself, and embarrassed the Classic and the Kentucky Derby Festival, and arguably the city of Louisville and Commonwealth of Kentucky. At minimum, I call on you to make a sincere and public act of contrition for this insensitive, narcissistic and utterly bellicose behavior.
As Captain James Tiberius Kirk said to Commander Kruge in Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock, "I have had enough of you."
Your latest attempt to rabble-rouse for the Kentucky Derby Festival Classic has crossed the line from advocacy into an intolerable display of bad manners and worse sportsmanship. I am not inclined to rebuke your every utterance, but will you kindly, for the love of the game and its sponsors, stop trying to set Kentucky fans against each other, and stop trying to frighten UK's recruiting class into thinking that the Bluegrass is full of madmen with nothing better to do than attack the quite rational decision of young men and their families?
Many Kentucky fans in Louisville, like myself who have lived here since 1988, have attended the Kentucky Derby Festival Classic game many times. I have personally had a relationship with the KDF Classic on other projects, a relationship I value and appreciate. I love the Kentucky Derby Festival, the basketball game, and the excitement it generates in the River City.
What I do not love is your continued unethical offensive on the University of Kentucky for not having players attend this year's game, at least so far. Your outright attacks on the University in general and Head Coach John Calipari in particular are reprehensible, over the top, and utterly odious. Every Kentucky fan in the city, including me, would rather have a Kentucky player on the KDF Classic roster. At this point, every one of us will be disappointed. But that doesn't mean we won't attend the game.
John Calipari has continually told you and anyone who would listen that he isn't interested in involving himself in the decisions of our 2011 recruits. Whether or not he ever did so before is utterly and completely irrelevant, and at minimum, decorum requires that you accept his decision whether or not you agree with it. You have previously made your disagreement publicly known. When is enough enough?
Mr. Owens, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported today that you referred to former NBA star Michael Jordan, presumably in connection with the Jordan Brand Classic, thus, in an email to the University of Kentucky:
Regarding Jordan, Owens wrote, “He plays golf, gambles and butchers the King's English.”
Whether or not this is true is irrelevant. It is offensive ... no, unconscionable ... for an official involved with a class affair like the KDF Classic to attack another event in this way. This is the sort of rhetoric I have come to associate with the worst kind of sports fans and political hacks.
This reference to John Calipari is also far beyond offensive:
Owens also referred to Calipari associate William Wesley, also known in basketball circles as “World Wide Wes,” and his relationship with Gilchrist and Gilchrist's mother. Owens later sent an e-mail that he said was “a retraction of any false or defamatory comments.”
Mr. Owens, the familial relationships of the Gilchrist family are none of your bloody business, sir. Retracting your comments does not remove them, especially when what is required is an abject, self-abasing apology for this execrable rhetoric.
I regret having to say this, Mr. Owens, but in your zeal, you have beclowned yourself, and embarrassed the Classic and the Kentucky Derby Festival, and arguably the city of Louisville and Commonwealth of Kentucky. At minimum, I call on you to make a sincere and public act of contrition for this insensitive, narcissistic and utterly bellicose behavior.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
College Basketball's 2011 All-America Team ... With No Early Entry
We've never stood against a man being able to make a living -- unless your somehow involved in the endless Bachelor series of shows -- at least until we started thinking about what the current All-American teams would look like without early entry.
Then we wept like Dick Vermeil watching an episode of Oprah.
Oh, what could have been for college basketball.
In our latest installment of the FanHouse teams, we take a look at what the All-American team might have looked like if there were no early entry in college basketball.
The Rules
We generally disregarded matriculation choices that might have been made differently by players due to scholarship limits or backlog -- for example, John Calipari has personally recruited enough players to fill out the Chicago Bears roster and have enough left over for a Cubs game -- but we did give some weight to how much playing time would be available for freshmen in a game that still included star seniors. It did not, however, keep us from naming back-to-back Calipari recruits Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans to our teams.
We also played the role of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions for two players -- one that made our first team and one that would have likely been a second-teamer. We granted Rose eligibility for his senior year despite the still murky entrance chicanery at Memphis while we ruled O.J. Mayo permanently ineligible.
Rose's issue was one of eligibility, which the NCAA typically deals with by forcing a player to sit out certain games, even if it's a matter of a year (And, presumably, qualify legally, depending on the still hazy details of his SAT score). Mayo, meanwhile, was an amatuerism issue, which remains sacrosanct to the NCAA. (Ask Enes Kanter.) Had Mayo remained in school or Tim Floyd remained coach, the NCAA likely would've looked deeper into the Mayo side of the case and come down with a "permanently ineligible" ruling.
We think. If we're wrong, you have 90 days to submit your appeal, and four to six weeks later we'll let you know we don't care.
Besides, it's our team. If the Field of Dreams guys could leave out Ty Cobb, we can leave out Mayo.
We also opted not to include Brandon Jennings, who on talent alone would be somewhere in the top two teams, but never actually played college basketball.
One final note, as with our usual setup of FanHouse teams, we tried to balance out the positions to form a working lineup, unlike the typical All-America teams. Our sincerest apologies to third-teamer John Wall and Sir not-appearing-on-this-list Jeff Teague, among others.
Comments are by FanHouse college hoops editor Ray Holloman and associate editor Matt Snyder, who had to be wrestled by three men and an ill-tempered bonobo to give up his campaign for Indiana's Jordan Hulls.
First Team
Derrick Rose, Sr., PG Memphis -- Rose played his lone year in college like a bowling ball on a billiards table, banging around, over and through anybody he darn well pleased. As a senior, Rose would likely be one of the best point guards college basketball has ever seen. The 2009 NBA rookie of the year is averaging 25 points and eight assists a game in the NBA this year and has developed a capable perimeter jumpshot, fixing one of his few weaknesses on the amateur level. Letting him play another three years of college basketball would be like letting Charlie Sheen run a fraternity's pledge week and equally unpleasant for everyone else involved. -- RH
Eric Gordon, Sr. SG, Indiana -- He averaged 20.9 points a game as a freshman for the Hoosiers, and this with an injured wrist for more than half the season. His numbers suffered, but still looked really impressive. The combination of deep range plus explosiveness to the hoop would make him a lethal offensive force. Considering he's averaging 24.1 points a game in the NBA, the guess here is he would have his way with the rest of the Big Ten this season, assuming he could stay healthy. -- Matt Snyder
Michael Beasley, Sr. SF, Kansas State -- One in a nice little line of freakish players from the Class of 2011, Beasley could do pretty much anything at the collegiate level. In his lone NCAA season, he averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds while helping to put Kansas State on the national map. Playing alongside our team's center in Minnesota, Beasley is putting up 20 points a game in the NBA. Who could stop him in the Big 12 right now? He'd go for 30 a night. -- MS
Blake Griffin, Sr. PF, Oklahoma -- The NBA's dunkomatic averaged 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds a game as a sophomore. He ended up missing his entire would-be-rookie season in the NBA due to injury. Upon return this season, he was so rusty he's averaging, uh, 22.8 points and 12.6 boards. The stats don't even tell the whole story. He's been a highlight reel. Imagine the poor kid from Northwest Pay-for-Play State that would wind up on the wrong end of a poster in an early-season patsy game. Heck, he would've played against Division III Chaminade this year, who are even worse than the Clippers. -- MS
Kevin Love, Sr. C, UCLA -- How stacked is this first team? Love has tied Moses Malone's ancient record with 44 consecutive double-doubles in the NBA. He goes for 21 and 15 a game. In this scenario, he would be playing in the Pac-10. He could be looking at Elgin Baylor (while at the University of Seattle) numbers. -- MS
Second Team
Tyreke Evans, Jr. PG Memphis -- Evans' game is more suited to the widely spaced, 1-on-1 game in the NBA, but that wouldn't keep the 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year from marching through college basketball like Patton through a game of RISK. Like Rose, Evans wasn't a great outside shooter in college, but was the perfect catalyst for Calipari's dribble-drive motion. Evans likely would've played the off-guard -- or gone elsewhere -- in light of Rose's commitment, but at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds and dynamic off the dribble, he would've been a star anywhere.
Evan Turner, Sr. SF, Ohio State -- Turner was the national player of the year as a junior and it's a good bet he'd thrive even more with big Jared Sullinger drawing attention on the block and savvy point guard Aaron Craft dishing the rock. The stat-sheet stuffer went for 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists last year. His numbers might look slightly different with the dynamic of the team being different, but that doesn't mean he'd be any worse a player. -- MS
Donte Greene, Sr. PF Syracuse -- "Power" forward might be stretching it for a player who's built more Olive Oyl than Popeye, but Greene's size, athleticism and touch on the perimeter made him a serious matchup problem for Orange opponents at either forward position. The 25th pick in the 2008 draft, Greene averaged 17.7 points per game in the Big East as a freshman, fourth in the toughest league in the country. Plus, Greene sticking around for four years would level some of the karmic imbalance for wearing the student-made "Don'te Leave" t-shirts before declaring for the NBA draft. -- RH
DeJuan Blair, Sr. PF Pitt -- The Panthers are already the nation's best offensive rebounding team among major conferences without adding in Blair, a man who treated rebounding as a holy calling. As a sophomore, Blair posted a 126.7 offensive efficiency rating and led the nation in offensive rebounding percentage. A Scottie Reynold's dash denied him a trip to the Final Four in his last season at Pitt, but that likely would've changed in the following two years. In 2010, Pittsburgh opponents would have to try and rebound against Blair and Gary McGhee in the frontcourt. Or, if they preferred something slightly easier, they could try a relay race against Usain Bolt and Zenyatta. -- RH
DeMarcus Cousins, So. C, Kentucky -- The big man went for 15.1 points, 9.8 boards and nearly two blocks a game in his only collegiate season. He's only putting up only slightly worse numbers in the NBA. If John Calipari could have convinced Cousins to stay in school one more year -- and keep those elbows to himself -- the Wildcats would have a national championship contender with his dominance in the paint. -- MS
Third Team
John Wall, So. PG, Kentucky -- As we wrote early in his Kentucky career, the Wildcat point guard made UK history more frequently than he had to shave, which was even more tribute to his splendid athleticism than his perma-peach fuzz. No one-and-done was as hard to say goodbye to as Wall, who, unlike most one-and-doners, took his sublime talents to a national championship contending team on one of college basketball's blue bloods and one sports' biggest stages. Wall averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 assists per game as a freshman and would, without a doubt, be the premiere playmaker in college basketball. He still likely wouldn't be shaving much. -- RH
Jrue Holiday, SG Jr. UCLA -- Holiday's freshman year in Westwood wasn't the sort of year you'd tell your kids about, but had he returned to play point guard after the graduation of Darren Collison, Holiday would've blossomed as a star on the college stage. Holiday has thrived with the 76ers since taking over as the starting point guard last year and shown much more offensive flair than his so-so freshman campaign at UCLA. Whether he would've thrived in Ben Howland's system is up for debate, but it certainly didn't keep Jordan Farmar, Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook from star turns. --RH
James Harden, SR. SG Arizona State -- Harden beat out USC's DeMar DeRozan for the last slot on the team purely on scoring prowess. Harden averaged 20.1 points per game on Herb Sendek's glacially paced 60 possessions-per-game Arizona State team. Making a college basketball fan want to watch a Sendek offense is in itself feat enough to win an Emmy, let alone make this team. --RH
Wesley Johnson, Sr. SF Syracuse -- Unfortunately, the last thing we college basketball fans remember about Johnson are his NBA draft night pants, a sartorial tribute to your parents' couch. The oldest player on this list, Johnson likely would've managed something in the neighborhood of 18 and 10 as a fifth-year senior, which likely would've gotten him a spot on the All-American team ahead of other contenders like Duke's Kyle Singler. If you prefer a more traditional power forward here, Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors and Ohio State's Derrick Favors are up next. -- RH
J.J. Hickson, Sr. PF N.C. State - So, the ACC's only representative played for N.C. State? Color us surprised as well. In real life, Hickson would almost certainly lose out Singler, as he did for the 2008 ACC Rookie of the Year Award, but we need soemone to play with his back to the basket. Hickson's professional career has been impressive -- he's a 16 and 10 guy even with a certain former teammate's talents now in Miami, and as a senior in the ACC, would be a consistent double-double player. Of course, even with Tracy Smith playing alongside him, N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe would likely still find a way to coach this team to irrelevancy, putting this last slot in the hands of Kansas' Cole Aldrich or Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu.--RH
Closest Current Players
Jimmer Fredette, BYU: Fredette may be the most likely to emerge from current players, not because he's the best of the lot, but because his level of competition wouldn't be as wildly changed as a major conference. He'd still average 25 a game and still have an utterly cool first name that would distract voters from things like defense and non-ball-hoggery. But with all the stars still in college, it's difficult to project where BYU and Fredette would impact the national consciousness. Could he pull a Stephen Curry or would Fredette be more Norris Cole, a great scorer on a team with little mainstream attention?
Nolan Smith, G Duke: Duke's roster would remain unchanged, save for players the Blue Devils may not have recruited due to their short-timer billing, if any. Only a handful of players would return to the ACC, meaning Smith would probably still be the best player on the best team in the ACC and a 20-plus point player. (Of course, Wake Forest might argue -- returning Jeff Teague, James Johnson and Al-Farouq Aminu with an outside shooter like Gary Clark sounds like the perfect combination to beat the current Duke team). Kyle Singler would have a heck of an argument based on the same criterion.
Jared Sullinger, F Ohio State: Sullinger was the last of the current players we cut, which is likely fitting as college basketball's best talent is almost always its freshmen class. There are a few questions with Sullinger, primarily how he'd stack up against a college landscape that still had quality big men like Cole Aldrich and Patrick Patterson (among those not selected to our three teams) roaming the paint. There's also the question of playing time. While Ohio State's recruiting wouldn't have been quite what it was, Sullinger would have to find playing time among some combination of B.J. Mullens, Kosta Koufos and Greg Oden, who undoubtedly would still be around on a medical redshirt. Or in his case, a Medicare redshirt. That's without considering the number of shots Evan Turner would still be around to demand.
Then we wept like Dick Vermeil watching an episode of Oprah.
Oh, what could have been for college basketball.
In our latest installment of the FanHouse teams, we take a look at what the All-American team might have looked like if there were no early entry in college basketball.
The Rules
We generally disregarded matriculation choices that might have been made differently by players due to scholarship limits or backlog -- for example, John Calipari has personally recruited enough players to fill out the Chicago Bears roster and have enough left over for a Cubs game -- but we did give some weight to how much playing time would be available for freshmen in a game that still included star seniors. It did not, however, keep us from naming back-to-back Calipari recruits Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans to our teams.
We also played the role of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions for two players -- one that made our first team and one that would have likely been a second-teamer. We granted Rose eligibility for his senior year despite the still murky entrance chicanery at Memphis while we ruled O.J. Mayo permanently ineligible.
Rose's issue was one of eligibility, which the NCAA typically deals with by forcing a player to sit out certain games, even if it's a matter of a year (And, presumably, qualify legally, depending on the still hazy details of his SAT score). Mayo, meanwhile, was an amatuerism issue, which remains sacrosanct to the NCAA. (Ask Enes Kanter.) Had Mayo remained in school or Tim Floyd remained coach, the NCAA likely would've looked deeper into the Mayo side of the case and come down with a "permanently ineligible" ruling.
We think. If we're wrong, you have 90 days to submit your appeal, and four to six weeks later we'll let you know we don't care.
Besides, it's our team. If the Field of Dreams guys could leave out Ty Cobb, we can leave out Mayo.
We also opted not to include Brandon Jennings, who on talent alone would be somewhere in the top two teams, but never actually played college basketball.
One final note, as with our usual setup of FanHouse teams, we tried to balance out the positions to form a working lineup, unlike the typical All-America teams. Our sincerest apologies to third-teamer John Wall and Sir not-appearing-on-this-list Jeff Teague, among others.
Comments are by FanHouse college hoops editor Ray Holloman and associate editor Matt Snyder, who had to be wrestled by three men and an ill-tempered bonobo to give up his campaign for Indiana's Jordan Hulls.
First Team
Derrick Rose, Sr., PG Memphis -- Rose played his lone year in college like a bowling ball on a billiards table, banging around, over and through anybody he darn well pleased. As a senior, Rose would likely be one of the best point guards college basketball has ever seen. The 2009 NBA rookie of the year is averaging 25 points and eight assists a game in the NBA this year and has developed a capable perimeter jumpshot, fixing one of his few weaknesses on the amateur level. Letting him play another three years of college basketball would be like letting Charlie Sheen run a fraternity's pledge week and equally unpleasant for everyone else involved. -- RH
Eric Gordon, Sr. SG, Indiana -- He averaged 20.9 points a game as a freshman for the Hoosiers, and this with an injured wrist for more than half the season. His numbers suffered, but still looked really impressive. The combination of deep range plus explosiveness to the hoop would make him a lethal offensive force. Considering he's averaging 24.1 points a game in the NBA, the guess here is he would have his way with the rest of the Big Ten this season, assuming he could stay healthy. -- Matt Snyder
Michael Beasley, Sr. SF, Kansas State -- One in a nice little line of freakish players from the Class of 2011, Beasley could do pretty much anything at the collegiate level. In his lone NCAA season, he averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds while helping to put Kansas State on the national map. Playing alongside our team's center in Minnesota, Beasley is putting up 20 points a game in the NBA. Who could stop him in the Big 12 right now? He'd go for 30 a night. -- MS
Blake Griffin, Sr. PF, Oklahoma -- The NBA's dunkomatic averaged 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds a game as a sophomore. He ended up missing his entire would-be-rookie season in the NBA due to injury. Upon return this season, he was so rusty he's averaging, uh, 22.8 points and 12.6 boards. The stats don't even tell the whole story. He's been a highlight reel. Imagine the poor kid from Northwest Pay-for-Play State that would wind up on the wrong end of a poster in an early-season patsy game. Heck, he would've played against Division III Chaminade this year, who are even worse than the Clippers. -- MS
Kevin Love, Sr. C, UCLA -- How stacked is this first team? Love has tied Moses Malone's ancient record with 44 consecutive double-doubles in the NBA. He goes for 21 and 15 a game. In this scenario, he would be playing in the Pac-10. He could be looking at Elgin Baylor (while at the University of Seattle) numbers. -- MS
Second Team
Tyreke Evans, Jr. PG Memphis -- Evans' game is more suited to the widely spaced, 1-on-1 game in the NBA, but that wouldn't keep the 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year from marching through college basketball like Patton through a game of RISK. Like Rose, Evans wasn't a great outside shooter in college, but was the perfect catalyst for Calipari's dribble-drive motion. Evans likely would've played the off-guard -- or gone elsewhere -- in light of Rose's commitment, but at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds and dynamic off the dribble, he would've been a star anywhere.
Evan Turner, Sr. SF, Ohio State -- Turner was the national player of the year as a junior and it's a good bet he'd thrive even more with big Jared Sullinger drawing attention on the block and savvy point guard Aaron Craft dishing the rock. The stat-sheet stuffer went for 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists last year. His numbers might look slightly different with the dynamic of the team being different, but that doesn't mean he'd be any worse a player. -- MS
Donte Greene, Sr. PF Syracuse -- "Power" forward might be stretching it for a player who's built more Olive Oyl than Popeye, but Greene's size, athleticism and touch on the perimeter made him a serious matchup problem for Orange opponents at either forward position. The 25th pick in the 2008 draft, Greene averaged 17.7 points per game in the Big East as a freshman, fourth in the toughest league in the country. Plus, Greene sticking around for four years would level some of the karmic imbalance for wearing the student-made "Don'te Leave" t-shirts before declaring for the NBA draft. -- RH
DeJuan Blair, Sr. PF Pitt -- The Panthers are already the nation's best offensive rebounding team among major conferences without adding in Blair, a man who treated rebounding as a holy calling. As a sophomore, Blair posted a 126.7 offensive efficiency rating and led the nation in offensive rebounding percentage. A Scottie Reynold's dash denied him a trip to the Final Four in his last season at Pitt, but that likely would've changed in the following two years. In 2010, Pittsburgh opponents would have to try and rebound against Blair and Gary McGhee in the frontcourt. Or, if they preferred something slightly easier, they could try a relay race against Usain Bolt and Zenyatta. -- RH
DeMarcus Cousins, So. C, Kentucky -- The big man went for 15.1 points, 9.8 boards and nearly two blocks a game in his only collegiate season. He's only putting up only slightly worse numbers in the NBA. If John Calipari could have convinced Cousins to stay in school one more year -- and keep those elbows to himself -- the Wildcats would have a national championship contender with his dominance in the paint. -- MS
Third Team
John Wall, So. PG, Kentucky -- As we wrote early in his Kentucky career, the Wildcat point guard made UK history more frequently than he had to shave, which was even more tribute to his splendid athleticism than his perma-peach fuzz. No one-and-done was as hard to say goodbye to as Wall, who, unlike most one-and-doners, took his sublime talents to a national championship contending team on one of college basketball's blue bloods and one sports' biggest stages. Wall averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 assists per game as a freshman and would, without a doubt, be the premiere playmaker in college basketball. He still likely wouldn't be shaving much. -- RH
Jrue Holiday, SG Jr. UCLA -- Holiday's freshman year in Westwood wasn't the sort of year you'd tell your kids about, but had he returned to play point guard after the graduation of Darren Collison, Holiday would've blossomed as a star on the college stage. Holiday has thrived with the 76ers since taking over as the starting point guard last year and shown much more offensive flair than his so-so freshman campaign at UCLA. Whether he would've thrived in Ben Howland's system is up for debate, but it certainly didn't keep Jordan Farmar, Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook from star turns. --RH
James Harden, SR. SG Arizona State -- Harden beat out USC's DeMar DeRozan for the last slot on the team purely on scoring prowess. Harden averaged 20.1 points per game on Herb Sendek's glacially paced 60 possessions-per-game Arizona State team. Making a college basketball fan want to watch a Sendek offense is in itself feat enough to win an Emmy, let alone make this team. --RH
Wesley Johnson, Sr. SF Syracuse -- Unfortunately, the last thing we college basketball fans remember about Johnson are his NBA draft night pants, a sartorial tribute to your parents' couch. The oldest player on this list, Johnson likely would've managed something in the neighborhood of 18 and 10 as a fifth-year senior, which likely would've gotten him a spot on the All-American team ahead of other contenders like Duke's Kyle Singler. If you prefer a more traditional power forward here, Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors and Ohio State's Derrick Favors are up next. -- RH
J.J. Hickson, Sr. PF N.C. State - So, the ACC's only representative played for N.C. State? Color us surprised as well. In real life, Hickson would almost certainly lose out Singler, as he did for the 2008 ACC Rookie of the Year Award, but we need soemone to play with his back to the basket. Hickson's professional career has been impressive -- he's a 16 and 10 guy even with a certain former teammate's talents now in Miami, and as a senior in the ACC, would be a consistent double-double player. Of course, even with Tracy Smith playing alongside him, N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe would likely still find a way to coach this team to irrelevancy, putting this last slot in the hands of Kansas' Cole Aldrich or Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu.--RH
Closest Current Players
Jimmer Fredette, BYU: Fredette may be the most likely to emerge from current players, not because he's the best of the lot, but because his level of competition wouldn't be as wildly changed as a major conference. He'd still average 25 a game and still have an utterly cool first name that would distract voters from things like defense and non-ball-hoggery. But with all the stars still in college, it's difficult to project where BYU and Fredette would impact the national consciousness. Could he pull a Stephen Curry or would Fredette be more Norris Cole, a great scorer on a team with little mainstream attention?
Nolan Smith, G Duke: Duke's roster would remain unchanged, save for players the Blue Devils may not have recruited due to their short-timer billing, if any. Only a handful of players would return to the ACC, meaning Smith would probably still be the best player on the best team in the ACC and a 20-plus point player. (Of course, Wake Forest might argue -- returning Jeff Teague, James Johnson and Al-Farouq Aminu with an outside shooter like Gary Clark sounds like the perfect combination to beat the current Duke team). Kyle Singler would have a heck of an argument based on the same criterion.
Jared Sullinger, F Ohio State: Sullinger was the last of the current players we cut, which is likely fitting as college basketball's best talent is almost always its freshmen class. There are a few questions with Sullinger, primarily how he'd stack up against a college landscape that still had quality big men like Cole Aldrich and Patrick Patterson (among those not selected to our three teams) roaming the paint. There's also the question of playing time. While Ohio State's recruiting wouldn't have been quite what it was, Sullinger would have to find playing time among some combination of B.J. Mullens, Kosta Koufos and Greg Oden, who undoubtedly would still be around on a medical redshirt. Or in his case, a Medicare redshirt. That's without considering the number of shots Evan Turner would still be around to demand.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
NCAA confirms half-truths, lies and violations in UT men's basketball
RIGht basKetBall oBjecTive
The Notice of Allegations released Wednesday revealed the NCAA enforcement staff’s interpretation of half-truths, lies and violations committed within the Tennessee men’s basketball program.
Still to come are the consequences as determined by the NCAA, and how they might affect coach Bruce Pearl’s future.
UT has 90 days to respond in writing to the allegations — 10 basketball-related and nine major — that were detailed in the 26-page report.
UT will appear before the NCAA Committee on Infractions on June 10-11 in Indianapolis. The committee would then make the conclusions on the violations.
The announcement of the NCAA’s sanctions on the program will follow, likely in late fall based on the time line in Connecticut’s recently concluded men’s basketball case.
Penalties in another similar NCAA case, involving the Chattanooga men’s basketball team, suggest the Vols will likely be placed on probation and lose scholarships at a minimum.
Hamilton said when UT received its letter of inquiry on Sept. 10 that there’s a possibility Pearl could be suspended from his coaching duties for a year.
Hamilton has since said that UT could retain Pearl even if the NCAA suspends Pearl for a year.
“It’s our intention to keep him,’’ Hamilton said on Feb. 16. “Unless there’s something (severe violation) out there we’re unaware of.’’
Hamilton released a statement Wednesday indicating there weren’t many surprises in the report.
“... most items noted in this document have already been reported broadly,’’ Hamilton’s statement said.
The one basketball-related violation in the Notice of Allegations that hadn’t been reported involves Pearl and UT associate head coach Tony Jones making an in-person, off-campus contact with prospect Jordan Adams at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy on Sept. 14, 2010.
The Notice of Allegations requests “a statement (from UT) indicating the reasons Pearl and Jones made an impermissible contact with Adams in light of NCAA legislation prohibiting such contacts.’’
Two sources in the UT athletic department who requested anonymity because of the NCAA case has not been completed, said Hamilton has been aware of the so-called “bump” violation, which refers to an unintentional impermissible contact. The sources said UT’s compliance department deemed it wasn’t a violation, and so it wasn’t self-reported.
The sources said Tennessee will likely appeal the violation in its response letter to the NCAA within the next 90 days.
Four of the other eight major violations are directly related to testimony from Pearl and his three assistant coaches — Jones, Steve Forbes and Jason Shay — involving a Sept. 20, 2008 cookout at Pearl’s home that three junior prospects on unofficial visits attended.
The prospects, all UT verbal commitments at the time, were Aaron Craft (now at Ohio State), Josh Selby (now at Kansas) and UT freshman Jordan McRae.
A photo of Pearl and Craft was taken at the cookout and surfaced as evidence of a violation, as off-campus contact is not allowed during an official visit.
When shown the black-and-white reproduced photo in an initial interview with NCAA investigators on June 14, 2010, Pearl and his assistants denied having absolute knowledge of where the photo was taken.
Pearl later requested a second interview with the NCAA, conducted Aug. 5, 2010, during which he admitted to knowing the photo was taken at his home.
That led to an unethical conduct charge being levied against Pearl for his false and misleading testimony in the original NCAA interview.
UT revealed on Sept. 10 a list of self-imposed severe and unprecedented sanctions as a result of Pearl’s tainted testimony.
Among the penalties has been a 25 percent reduction in all four coaches’ salaries, including Pearl’s $1.5 million loss to be taken out over the next five years, and off-campus recruiting bans of varying length for each of the coaches.
Beginning on Sept. 24, 2010, Pearl and Forbes were suspended for a year, Jones for nine months and Shay for three months.
SEC commissioner Mike Slive took further unprecedented action in November, issuing Pearl an eight-game league suspension that took place from Jan. 8 to Feb. 5. Jones assumed game-day head coaching duties in Pearl’s absence, posting a 5-3 SEC mark during that period.
Pearl, who has been working under a Letter of Appointment after his contract was terminated by UT as a result of the ongoing NCAA case, issued a statement on Wednesday.
“The penalties imposed on our program have been severe ...,’’ Pearl’s statement said. “I appreciate the opportunity to serve the University of Tennessee, and everyone in our basketball program is finding ways to improve every day.’’
UT and Pearl have been in negotiations to complete a new contract since October, but as time passed it became apparent a deal wouldn’t be concluded prior to the receipt of the Notice of Allegations.
The three assistant coaches have been charged with a “failure to furnish full and complete information relevant to the investigation.’’
While severe and perhaps even major in nature, the charge the assistants face is considerably lighter than a show cause penalty would have been.
Any school wanting to hire a coach served with an active show cause designation must appear before the NCAA infractions committee and potentially face new sanctions.
The Notice of Allegations released Wednesday revealed the NCAA enforcement staff’s interpretation of half-truths, lies and violations committed within the Tennessee men’s basketball program.
Still to come are the consequences as determined by the NCAA, and how they might affect coach Bruce Pearl’s future.
UT has 90 days to respond in writing to the allegations — 10 basketball-related and nine major — that were detailed in the 26-page report.
UT will appear before the NCAA Committee on Infractions on June 10-11 in Indianapolis. The committee would then make the conclusions on the violations.
The announcement of the NCAA’s sanctions on the program will follow, likely in late fall based on the time line in Connecticut’s recently concluded men’s basketball case.
Penalties in another similar NCAA case, involving the Chattanooga men’s basketball team, suggest the Vols will likely be placed on probation and lose scholarships at a minimum.
Hamilton said when UT received its letter of inquiry on Sept. 10 that there’s a possibility Pearl could be suspended from his coaching duties for a year.
Hamilton has since said that UT could retain Pearl even if the NCAA suspends Pearl for a year.
“It’s our intention to keep him,’’ Hamilton said on Feb. 16. “Unless there’s something (severe violation) out there we’re unaware of.’’
Hamilton released a statement Wednesday indicating there weren’t many surprises in the report.
“... most items noted in this document have already been reported broadly,’’ Hamilton’s statement said.
The one basketball-related violation in the Notice of Allegations that hadn’t been reported involves Pearl and UT associate head coach Tony Jones making an in-person, off-campus contact with prospect Jordan Adams at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy on Sept. 14, 2010.
The Notice of Allegations requests “a statement (from UT) indicating the reasons Pearl and Jones made an impermissible contact with Adams in light of NCAA legislation prohibiting such contacts.’’
Two sources in the UT athletic department who requested anonymity because of the NCAA case has not been completed, said Hamilton has been aware of the so-called “bump” violation, which refers to an unintentional impermissible contact. The sources said UT’s compliance department deemed it wasn’t a violation, and so it wasn’t self-reported.
The sources said Tennessee will likely appeal the violation in its response letter to the NCAA within the next 90 days.
Four of the other eight major violations are directly related to testimony from Pearl and his three assistant coaches — Jones, Steve Forbes and Jason Shay — involving a Sept. 20, 2008 cookout at Pearl’s home that three junior prospects on unofficial visits attended.
The prospects, all UT verbal commitments at the time, were Aaron Craft (now at Ohio State), Josh Selby (now at Kansas) and UT freshman Jordan McRae.
A photo of Pearl and Craft was taken at the cookout and surfaced as evidence of a violation, as off-campus contact is not allowed during an official visit.
When shown the black-and-white reproduced photo in an initial interview with NCAA investigators on June 14, 2010, Pearl and his assistants denied having absolute knowledge of where the photo was taken.
Pearl later requested a second interview with the NCAA, conducted Aug. 5, 2010, during which he admitted to knowing the photo was taken at his home.
That led to an unethical conduct charge being levied against Pearl for his false and misleading testimony in the original NCAA interview.
UT revealed on Sept. 10 a list of self-imposed severe and unprecedented sanctions as a result of Pearl’s tainted testimony.
Among the penalties has been a 25 percent reduction in all four coaches’ salaries, including Pearl’s $1.5 million loss to be taken out over the next five years, and off-campus recruiting bans of varying length for each of the coaches.
Beginning on Sept. 24, 2010, Pearl and Forbes were suspended for a year, Jones for nine months and Shay for three months.
SEC commissioner Mike Slive took further unprecedented action in November, issuing Pearl an eight-game league suspension that took place from Jan. 8 to Feb. 5. Jones assumed game-day head coaching duties in Pearl’s absence, posting a 5-3 SEC mark during that period.
Pearl, who has been working under a Letter of Appointment after his contract was terminated by UT as a result of the ongoing NCAA case, issued a statement on Wednesday.
“The penalties imposed on our program have been severe ...,’’ Pearl’s statement said. “I appreciate the opportunity to serve the University of Tennessee, and everyone in our basketball program is finding ways to improve every day.’’
UT and Pearl have been in negotiations to complete a new contract since October, but as time passed it became apparent a deal wouldn’t be concluded prior to the receipt of the Notice of Allegations.
The three assistant coaches have been charged with a “failure to furnish full and complete information relevant to the investigation.’’
While severe and perhaps even major in nature, the charge the assistants face is considerably lighter than a show cause penalty would have been.
Any school wanting to hire a coach served with an active show cause designation must appear before the NCAA infractions committee and potentially face new sanctions.
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