Gov. Sam Brownback and state lawmakers took a short break from politics this morning to talk about something they all seem to agree on — their love of Jayhawks basketball.

Senators endorsed a resolution, Gov. Sam Brownback is set to sign a resolution and a basketball hoop is set up in the lobby on the first floor of the Statehouse. Meanwhile, players, including Jeff Withey, Travis Releford, Conner Teahan and Jordan Juenemann, signed autographs and shook hands while cameras flashed in the hallways.

“We are ecstatic with the performance of KU basketball — men’s and women’s — this year,” Brownback said.
Wichita Eagle


7. KANSAS

THE SKINNY: You learn after a while never to bet against Bill Self and next season will be just another example. Despite losing both Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson to the NBA, Kansas returns several key members of their rotation from their unit that reached the Final Four. Jeff Withey figures to be one of the better big men in the country next season and Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford are two grizzled perimeter players that know how to win. Look for Kevin Young and freshman Perry Ellis to round out the front court with Ben McLemore potentially adding some offensive pop at the guard spot.
CBS Rothstein Upadated Preseason Top 25


I know Bill Self has won the most games in the NCAA since he’s been at Kansas. Who are the top 10 coaches in that time period?

Since taking over the program in 2003, Self has won a national-best 269 games over the nine-year span. The Jayhawks’ run to the NCAA title game provided Self’s five-win margin over the second-place coach in that time frame, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski. Each entered the tournament with 264 wins over the nine years. Lehigh’s upset of Duke helped push Self ahead of Coach K.

The eight coaches are North Carolina’s Roy Williams (257 wins), Ohio State’s Thad Matta (247), Kentucky’s John Calipari (246), Pitt’s Jamie Dixon (238), Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim and Florida’s Billie Donovan (237) and Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun (228).

Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Texas’ Rick Barnes are just outside the top 10. It should be noted that Calipari would be No. 1 in the period if his 38 victories at Memphis in 2007-08 hadn’t been vacated by the NCAA.

As a comparison, current Kansas State coach Bruce Weber went 210-101 after taking over for Self at Illinois. Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall has won 204 games in the period, with four of the seasons coming at Winthrop.

Self has 476 total wins, good for 63rd place on the career list. He only needs 451 to catch Krzyzewski — or 18 more 25-win seasons. And for Coach K to retire.
Wichita Eagle


After the Kansas University men’s basketball team lost to the Texas Longhorns last year at Allen Fieldhouse, coach Bill Self approached KU Public Safety Sgt. Gary Wieden.

You see, for the past two years, Wieden’s been the officer responsible for guarding Self at home games. Because of other police responsibilities, Wieden wasn’t at his typical game-day spot, right behind Self.

“He was not happy I was not there,” Wieden said. “I thought he was joking.”

But along with all the other inside knowledge Wieden gleans from his access as Self’s bodyguard during games, he’s learned Self is a superstitious man.

The look on Self’s face let Wieden know he was serious.

Since then, it’s only been Wieden tasked with protecting perhaps Lawrence’s most popular person.

Getting great seats, and seeing the KU team up close, is a special honor for a lucky KU public safety officer.

“This is a real dream job,” said Wieden, a Jayhawk fan. “It’s a real plus.”

Much better than directing traffic on cold, windy game days, something Wieden had done for many years before moving up to Self’s bodyguard.

It took Wieden — a public safety officer for 33 years and former Jayhawk — three decades to earn the honor.
LJW


Just minutes after the (usually happy) fans begin to file out of Allen Fieldhouse after a Kansas basketball game, another team begins warming up.

Usually before the last fans have left the building, a group that typically numbers about 30 people gets to work on a task that will usually take at least five to six hours, and that’s if they’re lucky and skilled.

After all, someone needs to pick up all that shredded newspaper students toss in the air and the rest of the leftover trash. And that task falls to KU student organizations and nonprofit groups of all kinds who sign up for the chore in return for some cash for their group.

“It’s too much for our day-to-day staff to handle,” said Casey Cook, director of events and facilities for Kansas Athletics Inc.

Cook said many of the groups are student organizations looking for extra cash, but they get churches and other nonprofits from throughout the region.

Returning groups have a draft each year to determine which groups get which games, and how many games each group wants to do.

Men’s games pay $2,200, and women’s games start at $700 but can increase based on attendance. Women’s games against Missouri and Kansas State, for example, typically pay more, Cook said. Groups can earn an extra amount for recycling the plastic bottles they find, he said.

…KU provides leaf blowers, and teams get to work right away. Sakuvich said it’s best to work from the top down, making a sweep to pick up the bigger items, and then coming back around with the leaf blowers.

“There’s enormous amounts of newspaper,” she said.

In fact, when she goes to games, she doesn’t throw any newspaper, because she knows how much of a pain it is to pick up.

“You really learn to hate that tradition,” she said.

Cook said the athletic department does a similar program at Memorial Stadium after football games, but those cleanups are typically done starting on Sunday morning. Allen Fieldhouse, however, is an office area, too, and it’s used seven days a week. Football cleanups are often easier because there’s only one concourse to deal with, instead of Allen Fieldhouse’s three.

Sakuvich said she’s managed to find all sorts of things mixed in with that trash. Credit cards, cell phones, car keys, glasses (with a pretty thick prescription), shoes and even a pair of pants, once.

“I don’t know how you leave your shoes or pants at Allen Fieldhouse,” she said.
LJW


Brady Tanner won three gold medals in Greece last year at the World Special Olympics Games. He practices four days a week for power lifting competitions. But after his own workouts, he devotes his time to supporting Kansas women’s basketball.

Tanner participated in a Special Olympics power lifting competition on Saturday morning at Haskell Indian Nations University and when he found out the Jayhawks would be presenting the medals, he was determined to impress.

When the Jayhawks found out Tanner was going to be at the event, they contacted their coaches and asked if they could assist in some way.

The competition was split up into three different stations: dead lift, squats and bench press. Tanner attracted attention at each station. He dead lifted 450 pounds, squatted 600 and set a personal record on the bench press with 405.

“It is inspiring,” Kansas freshman guard Asia Boyd said. “I would never be able to lift that much.”

The Jayhawks trickled into the gym during the final round and Tanner made his way over to greet them. They watched and cheered as he set his new personal record. Tanner let out a triumphant cheer that filled the gym and he was met by a line of fist bumps and high fives from the team.
UDK


UDK: ACL troubles plague women's basketball


Kansas athletics presented the student-athlete members of the 2012 senior class with their K Rings in an elegant ceremony held in Allen Fieldhouse Sunday night. The program featured a handful of awards presentations as well as appearances by a host of former Jayhawk greats to help congratulate the graduating seniors on their outstanding Kansas careers.

"Tonight was about honoring our past and enhancing the tradition that goes along with being a part of the Kansas Athletics family," said Director of Athletics Sheahon Zenger following the ceremony.  "It was a perfect way for us to commemorate their graduation and the beginning of their professional lives. It was a great night."

The highlight of the night came when K Club Director and former KU student-athlete David Johnston presented the nearly 100 Jayhawks with their K rings. Johnston discussed the importance of the rings and how each ring is a symbol of the athletes' past, present and future.

"The ceremony was a way of presenting them with a symbol of the things they've experienced here at KU," said Johnston. "The K Ring is something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives and hopefully it will be something that allows them to remember the experience they shared as Jayhawks."
KU AD


A few days ago, a senior sat on the grass outside Allen Fieldhouse and tried to figure out what to say in his final column for the Kansan.

He will walk down the hill in thirteen days. He wishes it was thirteen years.

He was born in Missouri, but taken across the border a few hours after. He never returned willingly, except to scarf down a beef sandwich from Arthur Bryant’s or watch a Royals’ game. As a high school senior, he hemmed and hawed about attending other schools, but he never wavered.

He knew about the basketball. Everybody knows about the basketball, but that’s because it’s worth knowing about. Hakim Warrick made him cry in 2003; Mario Chalmers made him dogpile with his friends in 2008.

He hoped he could be a student with his team in the Final Four, because that’s when school pride would reach its highest.

Three years came and went. Kansas had some pretty damn good basketball teams. Those teams were expected to make the Final Four. They didn’t. The team in his senior year wasn’t expected to do much — not enough talent, not enough experience.

His Final Four dreams were just about dead. But then this team did something wonderful.

He watched KU survive against Purdue in the basement of a London hotel. He watched KU beat North Carolina on an iPad next to a baggage carousel at KCI. He couldn’t drive to Lawrence fast enough.

During Final Four week, he walked by the greener-than-usual grass of Fraser Hall more than he needed to. He sat in his FMS 100 class, feeling so jealous of those that have three or four more years in this wonderful place.

He ate a Wang burger at the Wheel. He ate — er, swallowed — a Smoke burger and truffle fries from The Burger Stand. He ran by Allen Fieldhouse, because there aren’t many times in life that you can run past the world’s basketball cathedral.

He drank cheap beer and hatched plans that only make sense after drinking cheap beer. He smiled with hundreds of people wearing crimson and blue all week long, ready to scream at televisions and Tyshawn Taylor.

And after Kansas beat Ohio State, he high-fived strangers and watched Kansas fans test the hydraulics of a parked truck while B Double E, a local rap artist, rapped in his ear.

It was a week that made him remember how much fun he’s had in the last four years. He’s met people he’ll never forget, people he’ll never remember and people he’ll never remember meeting. And he’s learned from all of them.

As he sat on the Fieldhouse grass, he realized something. His column was nearly finished, his college journey two weeks from completed.

He looked up at Allen Fieldhouse, then over to Fraser Hall. Two weeks left. A long walk down a hill. And then it’s over.

He swears there was something in his eye.
UDK Goble


Heat guard Mario Chalmers had a career year from the 3-point line during the regular season.

He shot a personal-best 38 percent from the arc while making 101 3-pointers, the most since his rookie year in 2008-09.

With that said, Chalmers is proving he's more than just a 3-point specialist. He said he's made an effort in recent weeks to become more of a threat off the dribble. His aggressive play led to an 11-point, nine-assist performance against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

"I'm just trying to put more pressure on the defense," Chalmers said. "I'm not trying just to be a standstill 3-point shooter. I'm trying to add more to my game."

Chalmers said the coaching staff encouraged the new approach late in the season. When the Heat added more spacing to the offensive sets, it opened more lanes for Chalmers to drive to the basket.

"It came from watching film," Chalmers said. "I'm just trying to keep everybody honest. I know a lot of people have been worried about my 3-point shooting. I want to attack the paint more."

The nine assists were a season high for Chalmers. When he is active in the offense as a distributor or scorer is when the Heat feel they are at their best.

"Give credit where credit is due," guard Dwyane Wade said. "Chalmers played a very good game for us, very focused. When he's playing that way, it makes our team that much better. Just like Chris Bosh, I think Mario Chalmers is one of the keys to us being successful."
Sun Herald

The most eye-popping aspect of Tim Jankovich's decision to come to SMU wasn't that the head coach of a solid Missouri Valley Conference program would leave that gig to be the second-in-command under nomadic Larry Brown.

It was that SMU would pay him such a staggering sum to do it.

Jankovich reportedly will earn $700,000 per year to be SMU's associate head coach and coach-in-waiting, more than $100,000 more than what the Mustangs paid previous head coach Matt Doherty last season. The highest salary an assistant coach is known to have earned prior to this is the $420,000 per year Kansas State paid Dalonte Hill before he left for Maryland last year.
Yahoo


Larry Brown, hired last week to revamp SMU’s basketball program, has cut three players, including starting point guard Jeremiah Samarrippas.

“He basically told me that I wasn’t good enough to play for him,” said Samarrippas, a sophomore.

“It’s tough for me, and it’s tough for my family. I was excited to play with Larry Brown because he’s a Hall of Famer.”

Also, according to the Dallas Morning News, Brown cut redshirt freshman Ricmonds Vilde, freshman Eric Norman and redshirt freshman Leslee Smith. SMU was 13-19 this last season.
KC Star


Kansas State basketball coach Bruce Weber added an assistant coach to his staff and signed his first recruit on Friday.

Alvin Brooks III, an assistant with Sam Houston State since 2010, announced on Twitter that he had accepted a job with the Wildcats. Brooks, who interviewed with Weber on Tuesday in Manhattan, will bring recruiting ties to Texas, which Weber has listed as a priority, and comes from a basketball family. Brooks played college basketball at Idaho State and has been an assistant at Bradley, Arkansas-Fort Smith and Midland College. His father, Alvin Brooks II, is a former coach at Houston.

Weber has one assistant spot remaining on his staff. He hired Chris Lowery as his top assistant and Jimmy Price as the team’s strength and conditioning coach earlier this month.

They will coach Darrell Johnson, a 6-foot-8 power forward from St. Louis, next year. Johnson committed to K-State last week after taking a recruiting visit and signed with the Wildcats on Friday.
KC Star


Former Arizona Wildcats guard Josiah Turner has been arrested on suspicion of DUI by UA campus police, a UAPD official said Sunday.

Turner was arrested within the past week, but no further details nor a full police report were available today, said UAPD officer Joe Bermudez.

Turner, 19, will transfer after he was suspended twice during last season for unspecified violations of team rules, the University announced earlier this month.
Arizona Daily Star


Renaldo Woolridge, a 6-foot-9 forward who played at Tennessee, said he was transferring to USC and is looking forward to playing in the 2012-13 season with the Trojans.

Woolridge, the son of former NBA player Orlando Woolridge, will "walk" as a Tennessee graduate this spring and then complete a few hours of coursework during a mini-term that will enable him to play for the Trojans without having to sit out a season.

Woolridge, who played at Studio City Harvard-Westlake High, averaged 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds last season. He joins a USC team that was decimated by injuries and finished 6-26.

“A lot of times, it takes a fall for a team to be able to rise,” Woolridge said. “They had a lot of guys hurt and they have a lot of young guys coming back. I can’t wait to contribute.”
LA Times


Maryland Terrapins men's basketball player Pe'Shon Howard was arrested early Sunday and given a criminal citation for disorderly conduct, a university police spokesman confirmed.

A campus officer was flagged down for a fight at the Shanghai Café in the 7400 block of Baltimore Avenue in College Park at about 2:25 a.m., according to Capt. Marc Limansky. Inside, people were holding one man back, and police took him outside and sat him down.

Limansky said Howard, 21, was shouting at the man and taunting him and was told to stop. The officer placed Howard under arrest for disorderly conduct when he refused to comply, Limansky said. Howard was released with a criminal citation.
Baltimore Sun


News Observer: Sam Cassell ready for his son to make his own name


The NCAA has cited the USC Athletics Department for a "failure to monitor" and has agreed with self-imposed penalties the school placed on itself late last year.

The NCAA Committee on Infraction's ruling came out Friday afternoon. It said the school had been responsible for "impermissible recruiting, extra benefits and preferential treatment."
AP


In the hours after his arrest a year ago on charges that he fixed college basketball games while at the University of San Diego, Brandon Johnson told federal agents he was informed of the point spreads, received money after games and solicited a former teammate to potentially participate in the scheme.

But USD’s all-time leading scorer insisted, tearfully at times, that he never actually altered a game.

“I didn’t go in no game to throw it,” Johnson told two FBI agents in an interview that lasted more than an hour. “I flat didn’t throw any game. … When that game started till that game ends, nobody is in my head — no bet, nothing.”

Johnson’s interview in Houston with San Diego-based special agents Nicholas Cheviron and Gregory Houska was videotaped, and U-T San Diego obtained a transcript of it.
UT San Diego


2012-13 Early Season Events List

Conner Frankamp

Kansas' Bill Self & Rutgers are checking out 2013 NJ Roadrunners (NJ) forward Tyler Roberson. #HGJamFest

...2014 KC Run GMC (MO) PG Dom Collier lists Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, UNC, Purdue, Alabama, Kansas, Stanford, UNLV, Georgetown & New Mexico.

...LSU is going to make a run at Julius Randle. The entire Tigers staff including Johnny Jones saw the 2013 Texas Titans (TX) F play today.

...Rashad Vaughn lists Baylor, Kansas, Iowa St, Minnesota, Arizona, Arizona St, Marquette, Gtown, Texas, Tennessee, MSU, Wisconsin. #HGJamFest
https://twitter.com/#!/TheRecruitScoop

Future Kansas University small forward Brannen Greene, a 6-7, 200-pound senior-to-be from Mary Persons High, in Forsyth, Ga., played well for the Florida Rams last weekend in the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions AAU event in Suwanee, Ga.

“Greene proved why he’s the top-ranked player in Georgia and why he had so many powerhouse basketball programs fighting over him before committing to Kansas,” Rivals.com’s Dan McDonald wrote over the weekend. “He possesses one of the purest strokes in the country and has really worked on rounding out the rest of his game since this time last year.”

Noted Eric Bossi of Rivals.com: “Greene is a physical wing with deep range.”

…Also competing at Hampton EYBL was James Young, a 6-5, 200-pound senior-to-be from Troy (Mich.) High, who plays for Detroit’s The Family. The country’s No 9 prospect says Kentucky is his favorite with KU, Providence, Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan and Missouri on his list.

Rivals.com says KU has offered a scholarship to senior-to-be Tyler Roberson, a 6-7, 190-pound small forward from Roselle Catholic in Roselle, N.J. The country’s No. 34-rated player has listed KU, Syracuse, Connecticut, Louisville, N.C. State, and others. Also, KU has reportedly offered Chris McCullough, a 6-8, 200-pound junior-to-be from Salisbury (Conn.) School. The country’s No. 10-rated player in 2014 also likes UConn, St. John’s, Syracuse, Memphis, Arizona and many others.

...Lawrence basketball standout Khadre Lane has confirmed in a direct Facebook message to the Journal-World that he has transferred from Seabury Academy to Free State High.

Lane, a 6-foot-4 junior-to-be who averaged 18.3 points and 6.0 rebounds last season at Seabury, plays for KC Run GMC, formerly known as KC Pump N Run AAU. Still early in the recruiting process, Lane most recently has heard from Nebraska. He’s projected to be a mid-major to major-college recruit, with his next school year to be crucial in terms of his development.
LJW


A league that matches the 40 best Nike-sponsored AAU programs, Nike EYBL featured some of the top talents in the country.

And when the dust settled at the end of Session 2 just one program could claim to still be undefeated: CIA Bounce.

Mike George’s program from Canada moved to 9-0 in Nike EYBL play with five wins in Hampton, with their 76-71 win over Mokan Elite being the lone victory by single digits.

CIA Bounce’s most talented player is none other than 2014 prospect Andrew Wiggins, who according to some may be the best prep player regardless of class.

An extremely versatile player, Wiggins also played a big role in the World team’s win over the US in the Nike Hoop Summit early this month.

Wiggins scored 20 in the win over Mokan Elite (MO), but he isn’t the only player who has caught the eye of analysts and coaches alike.

2013 guards Tyler Ennis and Xavier Rathan-Mayes are also highly sought-after prospects, with both showing off the skills that have left so many impressed.

Ennis, who scored 20 in CIA Bounce’s win over NJ Playaz on Sunday, plays his high school basketball at St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey and ranks among the top point guards in his class.

Rathan-Mayes, who accounted for 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a win over The Family (MI), plays his high school ball alongside Wiggins at Huntington Prep in West Virginia and is more aggressive in looking to score than Ennis.
NBCsports

Shimi Ojeleye dunk vs Boo Williams! twitvid.com/PJEX5” everyone has to watch this dunk.... Damn
https://twitter.com/#!/ClaytonCuster3

Just spoke with Anthony Barber. Duke, KU & UK among the schools who have been in recent contact with him.
https://twitter.com/#!/JoshPaunilNRS/status/196675202388721665


Bill Self here for Allerik Freeman.
https://twitter.com/#!/JoshPaunilNRS/status/196663036180828160


Allerik Freeman just made a ridiculous three-pointer, beyond NBA range. Looks much better today than last night.
https://twitter.com/#!/JoshPaunilNRS


Kansas' Bill Self and Alabama's Anthony Grant among the few coaches still left checking out Boo Williams vs. Jackson Tigers. #Nike #EYBL
https://twitter.com/#!/hatfieldsports/status/196660037777768448


Jermaine Lawrence is tearing it up.

The 6-foot-10 forward from the New Rens 17U team has knocked down 13 3-pointers in three games at the Philly JamFest, including six in Friday night’s 61-59 overtime win.

“He’s really, really shooting the ball well and doing a lot of things well,” Pope John (N.J.) coach Jason Hasson told SNY.tv.

Kansas coach Bill Self watched both of Lawrence’s games Saturday and Rutgers coach Mike Rice and Cincinnati assistant Darren Savino were also on hand.

Along with Kansas, Rutgers and Cincinnati, Hasson said both St. John’s and Syracuse are working hard for Lawrence.
Zag's Blog


James Young drew Bill Self, Johm Calipari and Tom Izzo. #eybl
https://twitter.com/#!/DaveTelep/status/196600025822920704


Daily Press: Loss to MoKan Elite drops BW team to 2-5 in Nike EYBL


Daily Press: BW win twice Sunday, stay alive in Nike EYBL


NBEbasketball EYBL:
Boo Williams Day 2 recap
Day 1 Recap
James Young


Rivals Bossi: EYBL Saturday's Stars


Rivals: EYBL Top Performers Day 1 & 2


Rivals Bossi: EYBL Preview


Another ship for the 15's in the 16U division Jayhawk Inv. 16's lost in the 17's semis. 17's won the Silver Bracket at Philly Jam Fest.
https://twitter.com/#!/KCRunGMC/status/196763681567162368


JayhawkSlant: Jayhawk Invite underway


Eron Gordon is still in the eighth grade, but he has picked up his first college basketball scholarship offer.

Gordon, the youngest brother of former North Central High School and Indiana University star Eric Gordon, was offered by Indiana coach Tom Crean on Sunday night. The 6-1 Gordon played in the IndyBall.com Shootout over the weekend, playing up an age group with the 15-and-under Eric Gordon Central Stars.

Eron's father, Eric Gordon Sr., said Eron will take an unofficial visit Wednesday to Purdue. He could receive another offer.
Indy Star


Two private schools in Johnson County announced new boys basketball coaches.

St. James Academy announced Friday that Stan Dohm had been hired to replace Mark Huppe, who retired as basketball coach in March.

Dohm spent the last four seasons at Cheney, Kan., where he went 66-25 and claimed two undefeated Central Plains League championships.

…Fellow parochial school Bishop Miege also landed a new coach, introducing Fred Turner to the Stags players Thursday afternoon.

Rick Zych left Miege, 12-9, which was upset in the opening round of sub-state by Blue Valley, earlier this month to take the reins at Park Hill South.

The set in motion a cross-border coaching musical chairs, which saw Turner leave Oak Park in favor of Miege.

Turner became the 35th member of the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame when he was inducted April 5 during a ceremony at Shawnee Mission South.

He brings a 592-318 career record in 37 seasons, which includes stops at the college level with Fort Scott Community College and Avila as well as a handful of additional area high schools – West Platte, O’Hara, Lee’s Summit and Warrensburg, Mo.
KC Star


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

1. Best Defensive Tournament: Bill Self, Kansas

Over their six-game run to the finals, Self's Jayhawks posted a tournament-best average defensive NEM of 23.5, which meant they yielded 23.5 fewer points per 100 possessions than a D-I average team would have against the same competition. In the title game, they held Kentucky to its lowest PPP (1.014) of the tournament. I imagine that stat doesn't provide consolation for not, you know, winning the championship, but it's something.

Self famously used a triangle-and-two defense for key stretches against North Carolina (the final six-and-a-half minutes) in the Elite Eight and Purdue in the third round, but Kansas' success was based on more than junk-scheming. According to Synergy Sports Technology, KU played the best overall half-court defense of any Final Four team, allowing 0.724 PPP in its six games, compared to 0.778 for Louisville, 0.811 for Ohio State and 0.819 for Kentucky. Even more impressive were some of the numbers within Synergy's half-court numbers:

...In the 51 isolations KU faced in the NCAAs, it allowed just 19 points, or 0.373 PPP. This was, by a massive margin, the best of any NCAA tournament team that saw at least 20 iso possessions. Louisville was the second-best Final Four team at defending iso possessions, and it allowed 0.607 PPP.

...In the 45 post possessions KU faced, it gave just 27 points, or 0.600 PPP. This was the best of any Final Four team, and the best of any tourney team that saw at least 30 post possessions. The Jeff Withey Effect was strong during the dance.</i>

And this made me chuckle:

5. Most Improbable Upset: Anthony Evans, Norfolk State (vs. Missouri)

Norfolk State probably should have been a No. 16 seed, not a 15. It was the least efficient team in the entire tournament field, ranking 212th nationally. Kenpom.com's win-probability chart of the Hornets' second-round game against Mizzou gave the Tigers initial victory odds of 94.6 percent -- whereas Duke, in the game it lost to fellow No. 15 Lehigh, only started with odds of 78.6 percent. The efficiency numbers gave Evans' team just a 5.4 percent chance of winning ... and they somehow pulled out an 86-84 upset.

They exploited Mizzou's suspect, undersized defense with a barrage of threes, shooting an effective field-goal percentage of 62.7, and dominated the offensive glass, grabbing 43.8 percent of their misses. Tigers coach Frank Haith was not especially gracious in the post-game press conference -- he praised Norfolk's center, Kyle O'Quinn, but brought up the Hornets' "banked threes" and "airball rebounds" twice each, while never name-checking Evans, who deserved to be commended for pulling off the upset of the tournament. Here, he gets his due.
SI Luke Winn


After strong showings in the postseason, The University of Kansas men’s and women’s basketball teams are being honored by the state Legislature.

Members of both teams were scheduled to appear Friday for brief ceremonies in the House and Senate.

The men’s team won its eighth straight Big 12 Conference regular-season title and reached the final in the NCAA tournament, losing to Kentucky in the championship game.

The women ended the season with a loss to Tennessee in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament. The Jayhawks finished with a record of 21-13.
AP


With many of the decisions made by players, some going to the draft, others transferring, I tried to put down an early look at next season's top 40. There will be a number of quality teams out there, plus this can serve as fodder for college hoop junkies while we wait months until next season begins.

I know it is early, and my final preseason top 40 in late October or early November will likely have changes due to injuries, ineligible players, etc.

Here we go, my late-April version of the 2012-13 top 40.

4. KANSAS                                                                                                                                                        
BIG 12
Analysis: Keep an eye on Ben McLemore, who sat out last season. He has pro potential. Bill Self has another Big 12 front-runner.
ESPN Dick Vitale


Latest Draft Express NBA Mock Draft


9. Markieff Morris
For a while, Morris was one of the most efficient spot-up shooters in the NBA. That performance predictably dropped, but Morris is still a very good scorer in catch-and-shoot situations. According to Synergy Sports, he posts 1.021 points per possession on spot-up jumpers, which places him in the NBA's 71st percentile. Playing with Steve Nash no doubt helps Morris make the most of his open looks, but Morris also does good job of setting up his shot with a variety of moves. He can hit the jumper right off the catch if his defender plays off him, but he can also making a nice head fake and drive. That ability to mix things up keeps defenders guessing and allows Morris to have success.
Grantland's Top 10 NBA Rookies


Illinois State coach Tim Jankovich has accepted a coach-in-waiting position under SMU coach Larry Brown, the school announced Thursday.

The deal is expected to be in the range of $700,000 per year, a source with direct knowledge told ESPN.com on Thursday.

There is no time limit on when Jankovich would take over for the 71-year-old Brown.

"Tim was highly recommended by Kansas coach Bill Self, and I am very excited to have him at SMU," Brown said in a statement. "The number and quality of coaches interested in coming to SMU has been tremendous; and to get someone with his experience and success as a head coach is invaluable."
ESPN


Eastern Michigan named Kansas women’s basketball assistant coach Tory Verdi as its new head coach Thursday afternoon. Verdi resigned from his position with the Jayhawks after two years on coach Bonnie Henrickson’s staff. In addition to recruiting and scouting, Verdi worked with the team’s post players, including 2012 all-America honorable mention forward Carolyn Davis.
LJW

Over the weekend, some of the top coaches in America parked a fleet of rental cars in the rugged parking lot next to a factory in the Minneapolis suburbs that local AAU guru Rene Pulley recently converted into a multimillion-dollar basketball complex.

Mike Krzyzewski, Frank Haith, Bill Self, Tom Izzo, Tom Crean, Bo Ryan and colleagues ventured to the industrial park in search of prospects.

They shifted between four courts at the High Performance Academy as the country's top preps -- Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Tyus Jones and more -- auditioned during the first stop on Nike's EYBL summer circuit.

As the coaches who took advantage of the spring evaluation period surveyed potential contributors, they probably spied a couple of future transfers, too.

Hundreds of Division I players have decided to change uniforms since the beginning of the 2011-12 season. It's a small percentage of the total (more than 4,000 scholarship players compete at the Division I level). Yet the multitude of moves have amplified arguments about the limited loyalty at the collegiate level.
ESPN


Apparently, after North Carolina got revenge for one of the most exciting games of the season, the team debated actually snipping Duke's nets at Cameron Indoor, when it won the ACC regular-season title.

We know this because Roy Williams said so on what's being billed as the Tar Heel Tour, a intra-state state-of-the-U Q&A media blitz that's being put on by UNC. Fans asked questions, Williams answered them honestly. Scout.com's Bryan Ives was there, reporting.
Williams called this past season “hard”. Despite the 32-6 record, Williams said the team never “had the chance to celebrate” aside from the victory over Duke to end the season.

However, the team thought about cutting down the nets in Cameron Indoor Stadium, but Williams thought it “might cause a scene.”

…A member of the audience asked if Williams stopped recruiting Mason Plumlee because he did not want to go head-to-head against [Coach K]. As expected, this elicited quite a response from the Tar Heel coach.

“I went to freaking Ames, Iowa, eleven times and his [rear end] went twice,” Williams said in reference to the recruitment of Harrison Barnes. “Don't tell me I'm not going to go head-to-head.”

Regarding Plumlee, Williams said, “It was one of the dumbest things I've ever done, because I needed two post players and all of a sudden I get a phone call from the Wear family.”

The commitment of the Wear twins locked up both post player scholarships Williams had, leaving no scholarship room for an additional post player such as Plumlee.
CBS


2012-13 Early Season Events List

Andrew White Highlights

Why did you commit to Kansas?

Kansas just gives me the opportunity to develop and play early so I just wanted to be in a space where I could come in and compete for some minutes early. It’s also a system that I think is good for shooters — my strength — and I think they’re always going to win games which is something I want to do also.

What are your thoughts on the other Kansas commits?

They all seem motivated to put the team before themselves so I think that will be a big part of our winning. When you have younger guys that buy into the team concept, that’s what it takes for people to do well and for a program that wins, you can’t go that far with anyone being selfish. The team going as far as they did this year opened my eyes to the fact that it takes the whole team and whole staff to get there and that’s where we want to go.

Do you have any funny or interesting recruiting stories?

One college coach came to my church one time and that was said to be an old school recruiting move, something that was done back in the day to really show support, I thought that was pretty interesting. I’ll keep him anonymous but it was pretty effective. It’s not the school that I chose but for a school to show up on a sunday at your church, that shows that you’re wanted and that’s a good feeling. I think it’s a very effective recruiting move.
More here with Andrew White


Kansas
Mark Lyons is leaving Xavier before his senior season, and Kansas is among a trio of high-profile programs on his short list (Arizona and Kentucky are the others). The Jayhawks have also made offers to junior shot-blocker Marcus Lee and sophomore five-star power forward Chris McCullough, both whose recruitments should intensify as the AAU season progresses.
Bossi


Jason Smith of @brewsterhoops confirms UK, KU and Arizona have all offered Mark Lyons of Xavier
https://twitter.com/#!/AdamZagoria/status/195878505702105088


Just got to cleveland..about to head out to Philly
https://twitter.com/#!/CFrankamp_23/status/195878227821076481


James Young, a 6-7, 200-pound senior-to-be from Troy (Mich.) High School, has a top three of Kentucky, KU and Michigan State (in that order), according to Rivals.com. Young averaged 26.8 points and 8.0 rebounds a game in four games at an AAU Tournament last weekend in Minnesota. He plays for The Family out of Detroit. Young, who is ranked No. 9 in the Class of 2013 by Rivals.com, hopes to pick a school this summer.
LJW


Looks like 2013 Boo Williams (VA) G Allerik Freeman will visit Villanova next Friday prior to playing in the Mary Kline Classic on Saturday.
https://twitter.com/#!/TheRecruitScoop/status/195889560398462976


A number of players took a pretty significant drop in our Consensus Recruiting Rankings since the end of July’s recruiting period, but no one fell quite as far as Nino Jackson.

Jackson was a consensus top 100 recruit after last July’s recruiting period, but as of this spring, 247 was the only site that had him in their top 100, checking in at 97th. So what happened? Well, simply put, Jackson was no where to be found.

“No one saw him play,” Jeff Borzello, CBSSports.com’s recruiting expert, said. “When kids go to schools where people don’t see them, it’s tough to evaluate them. When you’re other kids kids get better and better, and you’re not seeing certain kids at all, they drop.”

Evan Daniels of Scout.com agrees.

“It’s hard for me to rank a guy like Nino Jackson because it has been a year since I’ve seen him play,” Daniels said. “No one knows his academic situation, no one seems to have any idea what he’s going to do next year, where he’s going.”

The tricky part of evaluating prospects at the high school level — and at any level, for that matter — is not only determining who excels at a 16 year old, but judging ceiling of that player and their likelihood of reaching that ceiling. Part of the reason evaluation of a prospect starts at such a young age is to determine how much the kid’s game develops over the years. Players improve as they get older, and tracking that improvement is an integral part of the evaluation process.

Here’s a list of the 25 players that fell the furthest from their ranking in the spring (you can find the full spreadsheet here):
NBC Sports



Real Deal in the Rock founder and executive director Bill Ingram has seen plenty of talent in his amateur basketball tournament over the years. Guys like Kevin Durant, Jimmer Fredette, Blake Griffin, Tristan Thompson and Kemba Walker immediately stand out.

The 2012 tournament will feature five of the top 10 players for 2013, as ranked by 247 Sports, and at least 10 players ranked in the top 37. That includes twins Andrew Harrison, the No. 1 point guard in the nation, and Aaron Harrison, the No. 1 shooting guard in the nation, both of whom play for the Houston Defenders.

Other top 50 players for 2013 to be on the lookout for include: power forward Chris Walker of Team Breakdown; guards Chris Thomas and Nate Britt of D.C. Assault; power forward Isaiah Hicks of Garner Road Elite; small forward Nick King of M33M Elite; combo guard Rysheed Jordan of Team Philly; small forward Karviar Shepherd of Urban DFW Elite; and shooting guard Brannen Greene of the Atlanta Celtics.

Britt and Hicks are committed to North Carolina, and Greene has committed to Kansas.

About 420 teams have confirmed they’ll play in the tournament.

Anywhere from 200-300 college coaches are also expected to be in attendance. That includes Arkansas’ Mike Anderson, Kentucky’s John Calipari, Florida’s Billy Donovan, Alabama’s Anthony Grant, Missouri’s Frank Haith, UCLA’s Ben Howland, West Virginia’s Bob Huggins, South Carolina’s Frank Martin, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Tennessee’s Cuonzo Martin, Louisville’s Rick Pitino, Kansas’ Bill Self, Maryland’s Mark Turgeon and North Carolina’s Roy Williams.
247sports (Jayhawkslant.com reports Greene and Walker are not playing in Little Rock, will be with Florida Rams at the Bob Gibbons TOC)


Forty of Nike's top-shelf 16-and-under teams are vying for 24 playoff spots at the end of the summer. Six teams are undefeated after the first session and eight more are 3-1, meaning Boo's team is already at least two games in the loss column behind 14 teams.

"In the old days, when it was just tournaments, you could blow off one weekend and worry about the next tournament," Boo said. "Now, these losses stay with you all summer, and we've still got to play some really good teams later on."

Boo's team has the talent to turn around its record.

Forward Troy Williams (Phoebus) and guards Anthony Barber (Hampton High) and Charlotte import Allerik Freeman are all rated among the top 25 prospects in the Class of 2013, and the team is dotted with quality complementary players.

Boo's team lost a one- and a two-point game last weekend — one on a late 3-pointer, the other on a tip-in of a missed free throw just before the buzzer.

"We were five seconds away from being 3-1," he said.

The best way to do that, Boo said, is to goose the pace.

His team averaged 46 points per game last weekend, far below last summer's group that averaged 71 points per game.

"They talk about summer basketball being disorganized, but it doesn't have to be Princeton," Boo joked, referring to the Tigers' legendarily deliberate offense.

"We've got to get out on the break," he said. "Troy and (Barber) and Al have to be able to make more plays, and the best way to do that is to play faster. We've got to get out and score. We're a pretty good defensive team, but you're not going to be able to shut teams down every game. Too much talent to do that."

This weekend's tournament also marks the first time since 2003 that men's college coaches will be able to attend and scout players in person.
Daily Press
Boo Williams EYBL game schedule
Team profiles and players to watch


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


4/27-29 Jayhawk Invitational


4/27-29 Real Deal in the Rock


4/27 Boo Williams Nike Invitational


4/27 adidas Spring Classic


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

Rival Sports Group, an emerging firm in the sports industry, signs Thomas Robinson, former Kansas University star power forward. Robinson, a unanimous first team All American, is expected to be a top three pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

"Coach Self and the entire coaching staff along with Kansas University have done an excellent job in making Thomas the most NBA ready player in the draft and we are excited to be a big part of this process," says Jason Martin, Rival Co-Founder.

With Tony Dutt handling contracts, Robinson joins other top tier athletes who have made the decision to sign on with Rival Sports Group, an all-encompassing sports management and marketing firm.

"We are proud to welcome Thomas Robinson into the Rival family, he is a great talent and an even better person," said Richard Gebbia, CEO of Rival Sports Group. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, Rival has offices across the country.
Press Release


Congrats to my boy @_tee_y for signing with @excelsm! Welcome to the family.
https://twitter.com/#!/colea45/status/195224570154844161
(Excel Sports Management)


Fort Scott Tribune: KU Seniors visit Jayhawk-Linn


Tyshawn Taylor might be the main attraction most places for the annual KU Barnstorming Tour.

But in Hays, former Hays High School guard Jordan Juenemann might get top billing.

As it turned out, Hays High boys' basketball coach Rick Keltner -- the organizer for Saturday's exhibition game -- found out Tuesday afternoon Taylor might not be coming to Hays this weekend due to NBA workout arrangements.

But Juenemann, a 2008 Hays High graduate, will be returning to his hometown. Guard Conner Teahan -- the other senior on this season's Jayhawk team that made the national title game -- also is scheduled to play.

"I'm thrilled about it, to go back to my hometown, where I grew up," Juenemann said. "So many special people live there, where my roots are.

"I haven't been back in years. I love Hays. To go back and play in my old gym, I'm really looking forward to it -- just seeing everybody, all my friends."

Saturday's game against area senior all-stars starts at 8 p.m. at the Hays High gym.
HD News


Sporting News All-time champions, No. 3: Kansas of 2008
Kansas won its first 20 games in 2007-08 and finished with a 37-3 mark — the most wins in school history — yet the Jayhawks never held the No. 1 ranking that season. Until, that is, they cut down the nets in San Antonio, having survived — as the nation’s fourth-ranked team — the first Final Four ever featuring all four top seeds.

The upsets at the Alamodome came over North Carolina, with Tyler Hansbrough, and Memphis, with Derrick Rose; the Jayhawks had no such singular star. What they had was a team rich in frontcourt beef and perimeter savvy and an overall toughness and togetherness that enabled them to finish in the top 10 of the national rankings in assists, rebounds, blocks, steals and shooting percentage. They rarely lived by the 3-point shot; they were more old school than that.
TSN

You've seen how really good programs can swiftly spiral into part-time irrelevancy within a year or two.

Sometimes it's NCAA sanctions; sometimes it's coaching turnover; sometimes it's repeated misfires in recruiting. With very few exceptions, nothing is guaranteed for college dons, even the illustrious ones with bloated budgets and phone book-thick histories and records. Just check with USC, which has been a college football miscreant most of the past three seasons.

The Huskies are the latest example of this. Look at it now: UConn is so far removed from that 2011 shining moment. It's not the same team and it's certainly not the same program.

A 2013 postseason ban has rendered next season obsolete, no matter what any player or coach wants to spin about it.

And here's the most recent bit of bad news: Roscoe Smith, a talented-but-inconsistent wing player who averaged 4.4 points per game, abruptly transferred from UConn over the weekend. In doing so, Smith became the fifth possible defect from the team since its 20-14 season ended with a 77-64 thud of a loss in the Round of 64 against No. 8 Iowa State.
CBS


Tim Fuller has been promoted to associate head coach for the University of Missouri men’s basketball program, as announced today by Head Coach Frank Haith. Fuller earned the promotion after being an integral part of one of the most successful seasons in Mizzou Basketball history, as the Tigers amassed a 30-5 record in 2011-12, and earned a number two seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big 12 Tournament championship.
MoNet


Early Season Events List

Auburn & Kansas are now expressing interest in 2013 Team Final (PA) PF Austin Colbert.

Along with his Arizona offer, 2013 PG Jaron Hopkins added Nebraska & UTEP offers with UCLA, Kansas & Texas A&M interest, per @JoshGershon.
https://twitter.com/#!/TheRecruitScoop


Xavier Rathan-Mayes of CIA Bounce put on an offensive show this past weekend in the opening leg of Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League in Minneapolis (MN). The timing could not have been better as the NCAA reinstated the April open evaluation period and college coaches were in the building to see Rathan-Mayes fill it up all weekend.

All in all 40 NIKE affiliated AAU teams participated in the opening weekend and CIA Bounce was one of just six to finish the weekend with a 4-0 record. Rathan-Mayes finsihed the four games with an 18 points per game average, good enough to be tied for 7th in the league in scoring overall.

“It felt great to be able perform in front of the coaches, it’s an opportunity I’ve prepared for all my life since I was a small kid” Rathan-Mayes told NBE this morning, “[and it] felt great being out there with the guys winning games.”

…This past weekend Rathan-Mayes had a goal to show coaches he can be a consistent scorer. Having a reputation of a scorer that can get on a roll and be unstoppable, he wanted to prove he can produce in a consistent manner. Point proven as he put up games of 28,22 and 16 points in his four outings. His 28 point explosion got the event started off in CIA Bounce’s 20-point dismantling of Team Final, an expected EYBL championship contender on Friday.

“I just wanted to come out and have a strong weekend, really wanted to come out and make a statement prove to everyone what I’m truly capable of doing on a night in and night out basis,” he said.

A strong performance like that with college coaches looking on certainly brought more attention to his recruitment. Offers and contact have been flowing in since the games wrapped up on Sunday.
NBE Basketball


Everywhere they go these days, Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison are a featured attraction. The twin brothers from Travis High in Richmond, Texas, ranked as the No. 1 shooting guard and No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2013, respectively, tend to draw big crowds of spectators and college coaches.

That was again the case at the Pitt Jam Fest this past weekend, where coaches from all four of the twins' top schools – Maryland, Kentucky, Baylor and Villanova – could be seen watching the prized pair play for the Houston Defenders. Last summer the Harrisons appeared close to deciding between those schools, but they later pumped the brakes on their recruitment. At the Jam Fest, they reiterated they’re in no rush to make a decision.

“We’re playing it by ear and not rushing into anything,” Andrew Harrison said. “We haven’t scheduled anything.”

In addition to their top four schools, the Harrisons are considering a couple of additional suitors, Arizona and Kansas.

“We’re definitely still wide open,” Aaron Harrison said, before explaining the attraction of a couple of the schools under consideration.

Maryland: “Its basketball tradition. Coach [Mark] Turgeon was recruiting us at Texas A&M, so we’ve had a relationship with him for a while.”

Kentucky: “Just the style of play and of course, everybody wants to go to the NBA.”

Kansas: “Just the style of play and because they’ve got a lot of players going to the NBA.”

Andrew Harrison on Arizona, Baylor, Villanova, Kentucky and Maryland:

Arizona: “We know coach Book [Richardson] and coach [Sean] Miller. It’s a great basketball program and the campus is really nice.”

Baylor: “It’s close to home and a good family atmosphere.”

Villanova: “I like the way they use their guards.”

Kentucky: “Just the basketball tradition and the dribble-drive offense.”

Maryland: “The family atmosphere, the conference and the coaches.”

The Terps have a couple of additional factors working in their favor; the Harrisons' grandparents live in Baltimore, and their former AAU teammate and close friend Shaquille Cleare will be joining the program next season.

“Shaq is one of my best friends in the world, so of course that’s [a factor],” Aaron Harrison said.

Still, anyone declaring the twins a strong lean toward any specific school is probably speculating. Even those closest to their father and AAU coach, Aaron Harrison Sr., say he’s not given any hints as to where they may be leaning.

The battle for the dynamic duo seems likely to continue until late this summer, after they take more visits. Maryland, Kansas and Villanova are all likely destinations for unofficials, said Aaron Jr.
Baltimore Sun


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


4/27-29 Jayhawk Invitational (Schedule now posted)


4/27-29 Real Deal in the Rock


4/27 Boo Williams Nike Invitational


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

Lawrence, Kansas, home to the University of Kansas, put itself on the map in a whole new way on April 21. Volunteers at the school prepared a record-breaking 4,689-pound plate of nachos with all the fixings–meat, beans and peppers–for attendees of the school’s annual Kansas Relays. The feat easily surpassed the previous record of 3,999 pounds of nachos, set by the Ninety Nine Restaurant in Billerica, Massachusetts in October 2011.

The cheesy snack was served to any Kansas Relays ticket-holders who kicked in a $1 donation or a canned food item, proceeds of which will benefit the Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen. It’s probably healthier than eating the nachos.
Time (Yes, it's now officially the off-season lol)


Earlier this spring, Kansas coach Bill Self said he was still interested in adding another guard to the roster. In the last couple of days, a potential target materialized.

Mark Lyons, a former Xavier guard who has decided to transfer, will visit Kansas, his former prep school coach told The Star on Tuesday.

Jason Smith, who coached Lyons at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H, — the same school that produced Thomas Robinson and Naadir Tharpe — said Lyons also would probably visit Kentucky and Arizona.

Lyons, a redshirt junior, averaged 15.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists last season at Xavier, which finished 23-13 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 before losing to Baylor. He was also suspended two games for his role in Xavier’s brawl with Cincinnati in December. If he finishes his degree this spring, he could enroll in a graduate program at his new school and be eligible immediately.

…Lyons could be a natural fit at Arizona. He was recruited to Xavier by current Wildcats coach Sean Miller, and the Wildcats are in desperate need of a guard after the departure of freshman Josiah Turner.

But Lyons might make sense at Kansas as well. In the backcourt rotation, Bill Self will have seniors Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford, sophomore Tharpe, second-year freshman Ben McLemore and true freshman Andrew White. But only Johnson and Tharpe have point-guard skills.

Lyons, who is listed at 6 feet 1, is also more of a combo guard. He hit 39.2 percent of his three-pointers last season and would give Kansas another outside threat.
KC Star


Former Xavier University basketball combo guard Mark Lyons said Tuesday he is considering a transfer to just three schools — Kansas University, Kentucky and Arizona.

He told the Journal-World he has not set any dates for campus visits to the three finalists.
LJW


South Carolina sophomore Damontre Harris, a Trinity Christian graduate who plans to transfer out of the Gamecocks' program, is scheduled to take an official visit to Florida this weekend and go to Kansas late the following week. Virginia Commonwealth and Marquette are two other schools he might visit.

Harris' high school coach, Trinity Christian's Heath Vandevender, said Harris is not considering N.C. State, the one school South Carolina has blocked as a potential transfer option.

Ranked the No. 68 prospect in the prep class of 2010 by ESPN.com, the 6-foot-9 Harris picked South Carolina over Florida, Wake Forest and Maryland. He averaged 6.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks last season, when he was named to the SEC All-Defensive team. South Carolina fired coach Darrin Horn in March and hired Frank Martin away from Kansas State.

Coaches from Florida, Kansas and Virginia Tech flew to Columbia, S.C., last week on the last day of a live recruiting period.

As a sophomore, Harris scored 12 points, grabbed nine rebounds and matched his career high of six blocks in a 74-66 loss at Florida. He had nine points and six boards in a home loss to the Gators.

VCU coach Shaka Smart was a Florida assistant in 2008-09, and he recruited Harris during that time. John Pelphrey was the Florida assistant who traveled to South Carolina last week.

John Richardson, the Virginia Tech assistant who visited Columbia, is joining the Old Dominion staff as part of the mass exodus from Blacksburg, Va. News of his departure broke Monday, the same day Virginia Tech fired head coach Seth Greenberg.

As for Marquette, the Golden Eagles were one of the schools that offered a scholarship to former Trinity Christian center Mike Thorne, who redshirted this past season as a freshman at Charlotte.
Fayetteville Observer


Although this year’s recruiting period appears to have ended on a whiff, this is not the year to be upset with Self’s recruiting prowess, as Kansas fans have been in the past. Even when recruiting is rough, it always seems to work out for Self, and this year, there was nothing coarse about the recruiting period.

Ellis is a likely starter, and at the very least, will be a contributing factor for the team, along with White, who will provide much-needed depth off the bench. Jamari Traylor hasn’t even been mentioned. He’ll also provide much needed big-man minutes off the bench. (Sorry, Justin Wesley, hope you enjoyed your time on the court this season.) And even the class of 2013 boasts a top player in 6-foot-inch forward Brannen Greene, whose verbal commitment allows Self to spend his energy on other top prospects for next year.

Kansas is one point guard away from having a class that could give them everything they needed. The Jayhawks will have depth next season, but if Self learned anything from this season — and it’s a safe bet that he did — he’ll use a tighter rotation. This year’s class allows him to do just that.

Everyone will know his role, once again. It’s perfect. In the past, when Self has brought in an eye-widening recruiting class, players often didn’t know their roles. They didn’t gel like this year’s team did, and it’s led to early and disappointing downfalls in the tournament.

And if this column hasn’t convinced you thus far — if you still think Self needs to recruit better for Kansas to succeed long term — remember, Norm Roberts is replacing Danny Manning as an assistant coach. Roberts is the coach who helped recruit Self’s first class at Kansas and his master class at Illinois, which included Dee Brown and Deron Williams.

So, don’t fret. Things are looking up for Kansas on the recruiting trail, even if the 2012 recruiting period is over.
UDK


USA Today NBA mock draft (TRob #3)


Draft Express NBA mock draft (TRob #4)


St. Anthony’s Friars annual beefsteak dinner will be held tonight at the CERC on 9th St. in Jersey City at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $125. Tyshawn Taylor, Class of 2008, will be the guest speaker during the event.
NJ.com


Kansas assistant Tory Verdi is expected to be named Eastern Michigan's new head women's basketball coach later this week, a source told The Detroit News on Tuesday.

The source spoke to The Detroit News on condition of anonymity because the university has not announced the hire. That announcement could take place as early as Thursday.

Verdi, 37, helped Kansas to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2000 this season, advancing to the Sweet 16.

Verdi was an assistant at Nebraska from 2005-10, helping the Cornhuskers to a 32-2 record and Big 12 championship his final year in Lincoln. He was responsible for coaching the post players, including first-team All-American Kelsey Griffin, who went on to become Big 12 Player of the Year and the No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 WNBA draft.

Verdi also coached in the WNBA, working as an assistant for the Connecticut Sun, who won the Eastern Conference title in 2004 and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals in 2003, losing to the Detroit Shock.
Detroit News

Early Season Events List

CHAMPIONS CLASSIC (Georgia Dome - Atlanta)
Date: Nov. 13
Teams: Michigan State vs. Kansas; Duke vs. Kentucky in Atlanta

CBE CLASSIC (Sprint Center - Kansas City)
Dates: Nov. 19-20
Teams: Kansas, Saint Louis, Texas A&M, Washington State
CBS


Baylor forward Quincy Miller, the Big 12 co-Freshman of the Year, has changed his mind and will declare for the NBA draft instead of returning to school. He's the first one-and-done player in program history.

Miller initially said on April 10, the NCAA deadline for announcing, that he was going back to Waco, Texas, for his sophomore season. But the NBA deadline is this Sunday. Players still had 19 days to make a final decision on the draft, even after making a public statement on returning to school.
NY Daily News


Frank Martin says he didn't leave Kansas State because of problems with Wildcat officials or administrators, no matter how much some believe that's the main reason he took South Carolina's basketball job.

"I didn't run away from Kansas State," Martin told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Martin has spent the past four weeks since taking over the Gamecocks' program from Darrin Horn setting up his office, meeting current players and recruiting new ones. Still, Martin gets asked too frequently, "Why leave a winning Wildcats program for one that was in last place in the Southeastern Conference?"

"I'm just telling you, (Gamecocks AD) Eric Hyman put his arms around me and it was hard for me not to feel the passion that he had for building the men's basketball program," Martin said. "I've never been through this before."

Since taking over for his mentor Bob Huggins, the 46-year-old coach had rejuvenated Kansas State and put together one of the most successful stretches in the Wildcats' long basketball history. The team had reached four NCAA tournaments in the past five years, including a trip to the round of eight in 2010.

Kansas State athletic director Jim Currie said after Martin's departure he always wanted the coach to be part of the long-term fabric of the school. Martin said there was no rift.

"I was happy there. Obviously, there's a team in place that can challenge for that Big 12 championship," he said. "We left a lot of good behind. You don't do that because you're unhappy."
AP


I like Frank Martin. I like the way he runs a program and I like the way he sticks up for his players. He’s tough and he demands perfection from his players, but the genuinely emotional responses he’s had in press conferences the past two NCAA tournaments (one time defending Jacob Pullen when his senior was crying after his final loss as a collegian and the other when he choked up talking about Jamar Samuels, who was suspended for his final game as a Wildcat) should tell you just how much he cares about those kids.

But I simply am not buying what he’s selling.
NBC Sports


Tony Benford is finally getting his chance as a head coach.

Benford was hired Tuesday by North Texas as men's basketball coach after spending the past four years on Buzz Williams' staff at Marquette. He was a college assistant for 20 years, with stops at Arizona State, Nebraska and New Mexico.
FW Star-Telegram


Four hours after the appeals hearing that determined if Florida International would release him from his scholarship as he requested, sophomore Dominique Ferguson checked his email to see if he'd gotten a response.

The email he found left him angry and flabbergasted.

An appeals panel consisting of three FIU board members refused to grant Ferguson his release, meaning the former highly touted recruit would have to pay his own way to play basketball at another Division I college. The panel members wrote they believed it would be more "beneficial" to Ferguson to stay at FIU even though he'd just explained he no longer felt comfortable after the firing of coach Isiah Thomas and he wanted to attend school closer to his family in Indianapolis.

"They've given schools way too much power to tell another human being what they can and can't do," Ferguson said. "They've never met me before. They don't know me from the next athlete. For them to tell me it would be more beneficial to stay here, it's kind of a slap in the face."

Unable to transfer and unwilling to remain at FIU, Ferguson decided Monday night that he will enter the NBA draft, as first reported earlier Tuesday by CBSSports.com. The 6-foot-8 forward was once a top 100 prospect, but he would be very unlikely to be drafted this June after averaging 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds this past season for an FIU team that lost 21 games last season.

Ferguson stopped short of saying FIU was forcing him to enter the draft by not releasing him from his scholarship, but he acknowledged he only began considering this option once he lost his appeal. An FIU spokesman did not return an email seeking comment from athletic director Pete Garcia or new coach Richard Pitino.
Yahoo


Jalen Rose wants his banners back, Mary Sue Coleman has no interest in replacing them and Dave Brandon isn't sure Michigan could re-raise them if it wanted to.

The Michigan athletic director said earlier this week that the university is currently spending "zero time" on the topic of the Michigan basketball program's removed banners until the disassociation between the school and former Fab Five member Chris Webber ends in 2013.

And even when it does end, he's not positive he can restore the physical remnants of the famed Fab Five to the Crisler Center rafters.

"We're not even sure that we could put those banners up," Brandon said. "If you vacated wins and forfeited wins and basically cleared the record books of any activity, it's hard to believe we could put back up the banners. We've never even gauged with the NCAA to see if that were possible.

"And, truthfully, if we had to forfeit the wins, it doesn't seem appropriate."
Ann Arbor News


Adidas Basketball today unveiled its newest shoe, the adizero Crazy Light 2. Weighing 9.5 ounces, it replaces its predecessor—the adizero Crazy Light—as the lightest shoe in basketball. We’ll have more extensive coverage of both the release and the shoe itself, but for now, check out the snapshots above and details below, courtesy of our friends at adidas.
SLAM

Everythings RockChalk #SWagg #Swagg..
https://twitter.com/#!/OfficialRioRCJH/status/194977967166857216


The 2013 point guard ran the show for the Rams, displaying the ability to get to the basket off the bounce at will. Hill also did a good job of distributing the basketball, setting up Walker and Kansas commit Brannen Greene frequently.

Greene wasn’t always on with his perimeter jumper but he kept at it, and Greene is talented enough to attack the rim as well. But if there’s one thing that he’ll need to continue to work on as the spring/summer wears on it’s getting his teammates involved more. Do that and a player who’s already difficult to stop becomes an even tougher matchup.
NBE Basketball


Chris McCullough, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound junior-to-be from Salisbury School in Salisbury, Conn., has been offered a scholarship by KU, rivals.com reports.

McCullough, who is originally from Bronx, N.Y., has already visited St. John’s, Seton Hall, Arizona, UConn, and Syracuse. Rivals.com’s No. 10-rated player holds scholarship offers from KU, North Carolina, UConn, Pitt, Louisville, Florida, Arizona, Memphis and Iowa State.

“Chris received an offer today from Kansas,” McCullough’s AAU coach, Terrance “Munch” Williams, told NYCHoops.net.

When asked specifics, Team SCAN coach Williams said: “Head coach Bill Self and assistant Norm Roberts called me today.”

Team SCAN will play in the Boo Williams AAU tournament this weekend.

“I’m looking for playing time as a freshman and want a school with a good graduation rate,” McCullough told recruitingspotlight.wordpress.com. “I want an up-tempo, fast-pace team that uses the pick and roll.”

McCullough wants to make a decision this summer.

…Przemek Karnowski, a 7-foot high school senior center from Poland, will not visit KU or Duke, according to dukehoopblog.com. Gonzaga is considered the favorite with Marquette and Cal-Berkeley possible destinations. He’s been compared to the NBA’s Marc Gasol. Gonzaga coach Mark Few traveled to Warsaw recently to watch Karnowski play. Earlier this week, it was reported that Duke and KU were trying to get involved.
LJW


Metro Hawks guard Isaiah Lewis continued his high-scoring ways. He led his team in every game, including 18 in the final game a loss against NY Lighting. Lewis is listing Louisville as one of his five schools but it doesn’t appear the Cardinals are showing a ton of interest

...Andrew Wiggins and Julius Randle kept impressing. Wiggins had 19 in a CIA Bounce win, while Randle had 26 as Team Texas Titans beat the Arkansas Wings. In the loss, Moses Kingsley had 15 points and six rebounds for the Wings.

…BeeJay Anya with a solid 14-point, seven-rebound game in the final for Team Takeover.
Louisville CJ: Nike EYBL final recap


The Boo Williams Summer League's boys 17-under team finished with one victory in four games in the first weekend of the Nike Elite YOuth Basketball League in the Minneapolis area.

The BWSL lost its opener to to Team United of North Carolina 69-50 Friday night, then played three close games.

On Saturday, Boo's team lost to Athletes First of Oklahoma 47-45, then beat the Indy Spiece team on Indiana 42-40.

On Sunday, the group closed out the weekend with a 51-50 loss to Team Takeover of the Washington, D.C., area.

Statistical leaders:

Team United: Al Freeman 20, Anthony Barber 12, Troy Williams 11, Eric Johnson 3, Brandon Self 2, Devon Hall 1, Jacob Duncan 1.

Athletes First: Al Freeman 12, Troy Williams 8, Anthony Barber 7, Ramone Snowden 7, Tony Nunn 4, Devon Hall 4, Eric Johnson 0.

Indy Speice: Anthony Barber 13, Troy Williams 10, Al Freeman 8, Eric Johnson 5, Tony Nunn 2, Devon Hall 2, Brandon Self 2.

Team Takeover: Anthony Barber 19, Al Freeman 13, Troy Williams 6, Eric Johnson 5, Brandon Stith 3, Tony Nunn 2, Ramone Snowden 2.
Daily Press


Baylor offered Xavier Rathan-Mayes, a 2013 SG from CIA Bounce (CAN). UCLA, Gonzaga, Seton Hall, LSU, Oregon & USF also offered today.
https://twitter.com/#!/TheRecruitScoop/status/194984942122450947


High school basketball transfers don't happen in Sacramento nearly as much as they do in Southern California, where all the title teams seem to be clogged with players coming and going.

But there was a stunner of a switch this week that could impact two Division I programs.

Malik Pope, a promising and still-growing 6-foot-7 sophomore defensive specialist center, left Burbank of the Metro Conference and enrolled into Laguna Creek of the Delta Valley Conference after his mother moved within that Elk Grove Unified School District residential boundary, The Bee learned Friday.

The Elk Grove Citizen published in its Friday print and online edition that Pope was transferring to Sheldon High, the program that stormed to D-I Section and NorCal titles and became the section's first large-school boys program to play for a state title. Burbank coach Lindsey Ferrell said that Pope was headed to Laguna Creek.

The coach said he was disappointed by the transfer but not crushed by the loss as he is known to always be perpetually upbeat. Still, Ferrell doesn't agree that Pope's move from a decades-long basketball force on Florin Road will suddenly enhance Pope's game, nor could he explain exactly why the transfer happened, except that perhaps Pope's family prefer that Pope started more this past season. Ferrell went with a senior-dominated lineup with Pope playing a lot of minutes.
Sac Bee


I still think there's a lot of confusion out there over what constitutes an offer versus interest in potentially offering.

Multiple times this weekend I saw tweets about school x offering player Y when I happened to be sitting right next to head coach of school x

I would immediately ask coach X if they had offered and several times I got a "Who is that?"

It's tricky. I feel like if a kid says he has an offer we have to report it as such but sometimes they are getting misled
https://twitter.com/#!/ebosshoops


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


4/24/2012 9:14 PM
Some changes were made to the schedule's they will be posted ASAP. Thank you for your patience. Thanks, Jayhawk Invitational Staff
4/27-29 Jayhawk Invitational


4/27-29 Real Deal in the Rock


4/27 Boo Williams Nike Invitational


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar (updated to reflect April Eval period changes)


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

Hall of Fame basketball coach Larry Brown was formally introduced as SMU’s head coach on Monday at a news conference.

The 71-year-old Brown, who reportedly will receive $1.75 million a year for five years, was on the top of his game, cracking jokes with one of his pupils, invited guest Bill Self, and former SMU coach and fellow North Carolina graduate Matt Doherty, in attendance.

…Brown, who met with SMU’s current players before the news conference with Doherty, quipped that among the changes in college athletics that he must adjust to is text messaging.

“I’m just learning how to text,” Brown said. “I think I’m going to have to get really proficient in that.”

Brown said that he filled in the current SMU players on his background, though they were blank when he mentioned he played for Frank McGuire and mentioned Henry Iba. He joked that he didn’t dare mention James Naismith, the inventor of the game.

Later, they did appear to get the longtime NBA coach’s reference to his famous spat with start Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson.

“I love practice,” Brown said then mimicked Iverson’s notorious press conference. “Practice. I’m talking about practice.”
LJW

Seth Greenberg was fired as the men's basketball coach at Virginia Tech on Monday, a decision athletic director Jim Weaver said he and basketball administrator Tom Gabbard arrived at last week as they assessed the state of the program.

The discussion came after a second assistant coach in two weeks, and sixth in four years, announced he was leaving Greenberg's staff, this time to take an assistant's job at ACC rival Clemson. Associate head coach James Johnson, a five-year member of Greenberg's staff, was offered a salary matching the one he was to receive at Clemson, but still declined.

"Coach Johnson came to my office Friday morning and told me that it had nothing to do with money," Weaver said.

Last week, Rob Ehsan left to become an assistant at Alabama-Birmingham, and was accompanied by director of basketball operations Jeff Wulbrun, who got an assistant's position at UAB, leaving only John Richardson and Greenberg on the Tech staff.

Within three hours of Tech's announcement about Greenberg, Old Dominion announced it had hired Richardson, who spent five years on Blaine Taylor's staff before going to Blacksburg.
AP

Kansas University is recruiting former Xavier University basketball combo guard Mark Lyons, according to Lyons’ former prep school coach, Jason Smith.

Lyons, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior out of Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., and originally from Schenectady, N.Y., was released from his scholarship agreement at Xavier on Monday.

…Lyons was recruited to Xavier by current Arizona head coach Sean Miller.

Arizona recently lost a point guard in sophomore-to-be Josiah Turner, who has announced plans to transfer to a yet-to-be-determined school. KU returns starting combo guard Elijah Johnson and reserve point Naadir Tharpe, who played sparingly as a freshman.

…James Young, a 6-5 junior from Troy, Mich., is considering KU, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan State and others, Rivals.com reports. Young is rated No. 9 in the Class of 2013. He averaged 25 points a game (hitting 12 of 27 threes) during a weekend AAU tournament in Minnesota, which KU coach Bill Self attended.
LJW


James Young’s offensive explosion was impressive, especially considering that he led The Family to a 3-1 record on the weekend. Young is regarded as a top-15 prospect in the class of 2013 in most circles because of his rare combination of athleticism, size and skill. Grades have been and continue to be an issue in his recruitment but Michigan State has long been considered the favorite for his services.
umhoops


At the end of Monday’s 57-minute commitment ceremony, Parker briefly toyed around with baseball caps from Georgia and Ohio State before revealing a t-shirt with the UCLA logo on it.

“I just wanted to go to a place with a winning tradition,” Parker said.

At UCLA, Parker will also be going to place with a familiar face. Last June, the Bruins hired Korey McCray, the former CEO of the Atlantic Celtics AAU team. While Parker has played primarily for the Georgia Stars AAU team over the years, he appeared in several tournaments with the Celtics. He has a tight friendship with McCray, who has trained Parker since he was 12 years old.

“Yes sir, I did want to play for Korey,” Parker said. “We’re extremely close. He’s like an older brother to me, and he has been looking out for me for a long time … I really thought if I went to UCLA, Korey could really develop me. He pushes me hard.”

At UCLA, Parker will also be reunited with his AAU teammate, small forward Jordan Adams, the former Central Gwinnett standout who transferred to Virginia’s Oak Hill prep school this season. Adams signed with UCLA last November.
AJC


Said Norman Parker: “I’m sure that connection helped. [McCray] was a pipeline directly to the [Tony Parker] family – that’s my guess … They didn’t hire [McCray] for his looks.”
AJC


"I just thought UCLA was the perfect place for me to get better, be successful," Parker said at the end of an hour-long ceremony at which he announced his decision. "With the prestigious open run that they have in the summertime, I just thought UCLA would be a great place. I have three great guys recruiting me in Kyle Anderson, Shabazz (Muhammad) and Jordan (Adams)."
ESPN


How will Parker and Josh Smith share the floor? Both are big, both are strong and both are powerful low-post presences. In other words, they are the same player. What happened with UConn this season should give you concern about two unproven centers sharing the floor. Along those same lines, will Josh Smith’s aversion to exercise rub off on Parker, who is checking in at 270 lb himself?

- Will Howland have enough front court minutes to go around? In addition to Smith and Parker, both of the Wear twins and Anthony Stover will need minutes. Anderson, Muhammad and Adams can all be considered small forwards as well, meaning that you can legitimately say UCLA’s roster has eight front court players and two back court players. How will that work?

- Most importantly, however, is the question of whether or not Howland will be able to get all of that talent to be able to play together. He’s had talented recruiting classes before (see: 2009), and we all saw how that played out. The SI article from February should make you even more concerned about his ability to manage talent.

UCLA will be one of the most talented teams in the country heading into 2012-2013 and will likely be found somewhere near the top of most preseason top 25 lists. They probably deserve that consideration, but there is still plenty for this team to prove before you give them a free-pass to the Final Four.
NBCSports


Olympic High basketball star Allerik Freeman got a scholarship offer from Duke Monday night, Trojans coach Ty Baumgardner said.

Freeman, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, averaged 17.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals for Olympic last season, helping the Trojans to a 28-2 record and a second straight N.C. 4A Western Regional appearance. Freeman was the District 9 player of the year, the ME-GA 7 conference player of the year, an Associated Press N.C. All-American and the N.C. Preps' N.C. 4A state player of the year.

Freeman is ranked No. 13 nationally by ESPN. He had previously narrowed his college choices to Kansas and Villanova, but his list may be changing now. He also has offers from UCLA and Ohio State.
Charlotte Observer


Smith said that at some date in May or June, he will sit down with Jabari and his parents to narrow the list of schools. After the youngster makes some more unofficial campus visits this summer, Smith predicts that the nation's top-rated player will make a decision in the fall prior to his senior season.

…Choosing a college might be more difficult for Parker than winning a fourth state title in a row and repeating as Illinois' Mr. Basketball. He is said to adore Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. But his mother is overly impressed with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. And his father admires North Carolina coach Roy Williams.

But what about the Kentucky/Nike/John Calipari influence? How can you ignore their recent track record of success? And what if, as one veteran observer of the recruiting wars speculates, Nike offers Sonny Parker a prestigious position in the giant shoe company's hierarchy?
csnchicago


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


4/27-29 Jayhawk Invitational


4/27-29 Real Deal in the Rock


4/27 Boo Williams Nike Invitational


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar (updated to reflect April Eval period changes)


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

Kansas University senior-to-be Elijah Johnson had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee last week, coach Bill Self said in a phone interview from the recruiting trail on Saturday night.

Johnson, a 6-4, 195-pound combo guard from Las Vegas, will return to the court in six to eight weeks, Self indicated.

“The reason we’re not going to bring him back sooner is there’s no reason to rush it,” Self said, explaining, “it was a scope. There was some swelling. When you have floating particles, they need to get in there and clean it up. By the middle of June he should be close to 100 percent. He should be good to go in June. This will not set him back at all.”

Johnson in the interim will “rehab it, get it stronger,” Self said of the knee.

Johnson — he averaged 10.2 points, 3.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds a game last season — had some swelling during the NCAA tournament.

“He played on it. It was something that didn’t bother him,” Self said of Johnson’s play. “But he couldn’t last another year without getting it cleaned up. We did an MRI after the season that told us it needed to be cleaned up.”
LJW


The Athletic Department of Pratt Community College is pleased to announce an evening of sports entertainment to be provided for Pratt and the surrounding area.

On Saturday, May 5th, the famous KU Barnstormers will be in town to play an exhibition basketball game against a team of “locals.” The event will be held at Dennis Lesh Sports Arena on the campus of PCC.

Tickets are $5 per person, no passes or complimentary tickets will be honored. Tickets are available online at prattcc.edu, at the PCC athletic department or at the door.

An autograph session is scheduled from 5-6:45 p.m. but officials stress that a ticket purchase does not guarantee an autograph. Game tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Among the Jayhawk players expected to appear are Connor Teahan, Jordan Juenemann and Tyshawn Taylor, although  KU players are subject to change.
Pratt Tribune


My son just looked at the KU team poster in his room and asked if the pic of @KevinYoung40 was me when I was a lil boy
https://twitter.com/#!/waynesimien/status/194249028190486528


The University of Kansas and the City of Lawrence will rename stretches of two streets after former KU football coach and player Don Fambrough at a ceremony on Saturday, April 28.

The ceremony, which will feature KU officials, Lawrence City Commissioner Hugh Carter and Fambrough’s son Preston, will take place at 11:15 a.m. at what is now the intersection of 11th and Maine Streets.

The Lawrence City Commission voted in March of 2012 to rename 11th Street, from Mississippi Street to Missouri Street, Fambrough Drive.  KU will rename the stretch of Maine Street behind the Memorial Stadium press box Fambrough Way.
KU AD

UConn's mass exodus continued -- the tally is now at five -- as sophomore forward Roscoe Smith has been granted his release from scholarship, a source told Hearst Connecticut Media Group Saturday morning. The story was first reported by CBSSports.com and later confirmed by the UConn athletic department.

Smith's impending exit deals another crippling blow to UConn's depleted frontcourt, which has already lost Alex Oriakhi to transfer -- he committed to Missouri on April 13 -- and freshman Andre Drummond to the NBA Draft. Reserve big man Michael Bradley also filed for transfer, leaving Tyler Olander as the only post player with significant experience.

Smith, a starter in 33 of 41 games during UConn's run to the 2011 national title, struggled to crack the rotation on a regular basis this past year. He averaged just 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game. A natural small forward, Smith received most of his time as a high-post player, where he thrived for a critical five-game stretch that helped UConn clinch its NCAA berth.
CT Post


Former University of Arizona basketball player Jesse Perry was arrested Friday by Tucson police and charged with felony domestic violence after a woman was briefly hospitalized with injuries she said were caused by Perry.

According to the police report, a woman on Friday was treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening and released from the hospital the same day. Police investigating the injuries said they "learned that the suspect of the assault had previously had a romantic relationship with the victim, making the assault domestic violence in nature."
FS Arizona

What will Tony Parker do today?

The Atlanta schoolboy legend will make his highly-anticipated college decision shortly after 4 p.m. Monday.

Parker, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 20 overall college basketball prospect by Scout.com, will pick between hats from Duke, UGA, UCLA, Kansas, Ohio State and Memphis.

“Whichever college gets Tony, they will be getting a player with a good feel for the game and a great basketball IQ, along with an incredible post presence,” Miller Grove High School basketball coach Sharman White told the AJC on Sunday night.

… BruinsBall.com, a website which covers UCLA basketball, made its prediction on Sunday night: “I just got the final word from my sources that Parker is going to sign with UCLA. While nothing is ever 100% in the recruiting game, I cap it at 90% that Parker will be a Bruin, 9% that he will head to Georgia to stay close to home, and 1% that he will choose elsewhere.”
AJC


Another player I saw during the time at Hopkins was Kansas commitment Conner Frankamp. The 6-foot-1 guard was sensational with 21 points for KC Run GMC. He’s a top 50 player and proved that to me on this night.
Louisville CJ NY2LA day one

VIDEO: Capital Classic Recap

VIDEO: Cap Classic practice


Brannen Greene had a big game in the championship. 17 points. Hit at least 3 threes
Rivals ($): adidas VIP Exclusive Run Friday recap, video spotlight on Brannen Green


Przemek Karnowski, a 7-foot-1, 280-pound center from Poland, is reportedly considering Gonzaga, Marquette, Duke, Kansas and Pac-12 schools, dukehoopblog.com reports. Karnowski helped lead Poland to the silver medal at the U-17 World Championships in Germany. He will be a freshman next season.
LJW


In other recruiting news, KU has offered a scholarship to Marcus Lee, a 6-8 junior power forward from Deer Valley High in Antioch, Calif., according to Bossi.

Indiana, Florida and several Pac-12 schools are involved. KU coach Bill Self reportedly saw Lee play at an AAU tournament in Minneapolis last weekend.
LJW


Lee said he has heard from “most of the Pac-12 and Big-12” and will get a lot more interest after a solid weekend for the California Supreme team in the event.

Indiana had coaches at every game Lee played. Lee said the Hoosiers have not extended a scholarship offer but was “hoping” to hear from them soon.

With his progression, Lee is expected to rise in the rankings. He has been to Pepperdine, California and St. Mary’s and said he wants to visit Texas and Texas A&M.

ESPN.com had him ranked as the No. 10 player in California before this spring.

“I have improved a lot,” he said. “ ... I just tried to keep working. I think more than anything it was me knowing I am a big man. I floated a lot freshman and sophomore year. But I try to be a big man.”
Lousiville CJ

The focus early Saturday morning on Day 2 of Hoop Group’s Pittsburgh Jam Fest centered on the Harrison twins, the 2013 Houston guard duo, both of whom are Top 5 prospects in the country.

The two, Andrew and Aaron, led an athletic Houston Defenders team to a first-round victory, with a bleacher full of college coaches looking on.

“Our lists are still open,” Andrew told NBCSports.com. “We have a top four, but that doesn’t mean another school can’t come up.”

The duo lists Kentucky, Maryland, Baylor, and Villanova as the leading programs at this point.

Kansas assistant Norm Roberts was in attendance to watch the Defenders win, as was Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon.

Harrison also made one thing clear: they will choose a school as a duo and are set on playing together in college.

“We’re definitely a package deal,” said Aaron. “One-hundred percent.”

They are coached by their father, Aaron Sr., with the Defenders and attend Travis High School (Tx.).
NBCSports


Jabari Parker is the No. 1 player in the Class of 2013 and one of the best high school players nationally in any class.

The Chicago native said he doesn’t have a list of schools narrowed down yet and is being “patient.”

But he talked about the recruiting process after helping the Mac Irvin Fire team to a win in the Elite Youth Basketball League event on Friday night.
VIDEO: Jabari Parker talks recruiting


After a bit of a quiet season at Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), Ishmail Wainright of Team Takeover showed why he is still an elite 2013 prospect against top-rated sophomore Andrew Wiggins and CIA Bounce. Wainright made life miserable for Wiggins defensively, limiting the Huntington Prep (W.Va.) star to just eight points on 2 of 6 shooting. The 6-5, 220-pound wing-forward also contributed 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists in a losing effort. No hesitation in saying he's one of the best defenders in the country.

...Expect Semi Ojeleye to climb in the MaxPreps Class of 2013 Top 100 when it is updated in July. Currently ranked No. 39, the Ottawa, Kan., product is an athletic 6-6 wing-forward that can guard virtually every position on the floor and has a fluid stroke. He's a really nice kid, too.

His older brother Victor played at Kansas State and the Wildcats were a strong player in his recruitment under Frank Martin. New K-State head coach Bruce Weber hasn't wasted any time getting acquainted.

"He's been to our school twice," Ojeleye said of Weber. "He's shown a lot of interest. I feel like it would be a nice fit. The fans, since they know my brother, it would be a great place to play and great environment."

Ojeleye averaged 31.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game as a junior at Ottawa, earning Junior All-American honors from MaxPreps. He expects to narrow a growing list of suitors toward the end of the summer.
MaxPreps


Team Texas Titans junior Julius Randle is a stud. He had 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals in a win over Team United. Oh yeah, he also had a two-handed dunk over a defender just before the buzzer for the 66-64 win. He’s one of the elite players – likely No. 2 behind Jabari Parker – in the ’13 class. In the first game of the day, Randle had nine points and eight rebounds as the Titans beat the Wisconsin Playground team.

…Marcus Lee had six points, six rebounds and three blocks for Supreme. Lee had 17 points and six rebounds later in a big win over the Georgia Stars.

…Metro Hawks guard Isaiah Lewis is a solid combo guard and lists Louisville in his top five. But he’s a lot like Anton Gill and not as good in my opinion. I would imagine that Louisville won’t make much of a move on Lewis at this time.

…Team Takover is also struggling at 0-3. BeeJay Anya has played up and down, including a 12-point, five-rebound effort in a loss to Meanstreets.
LCJ: EYBL day two


The star of just about any game he plays is Class of 2013 top-ranked player Jabari Parker (photo). The 6-foot-8 standout from Chicago Simeon had 20 points in 23 minutes and just attacks the rim. He helped the Mac Irvin Fire to a win over the Bluff City Legends 73-67. Parker has improved his perimeter game and is just the all-around best player in the country. His motor goes and goes and goes. He’s fun to watch.

…In the loss, Al Freeman led Boo Williams with 20 points, while UK target Troy Williams – who is looking at the Wildcats and North Carolina – had 11 points but only managed 5 of 13 field goals. I was impressed with the improved and controlled play of Anthony Barber, who had 12 and said UK and U of L have inquired.

…Louisville target Isaiah Lewis had 23 points on 8 of 15 from the field as the Metro Hawks beat the Tennessee Travelers 64-61.
LCJ: EYBL day one


The Boo Williams Summer League boys' 17-under team fell to 0-2 in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Saturday afternoon in Eagan, Minn.

The BWSL team led Athletes First of Oklahoma by nine at halftime, but couldn't hold the lead and lost 47-45.

Boo's team faces the Speice team of Indianapolis at 7:30 Eastern time, then finishes off the first of four EYBL weekends on Sunday by playing Team Takeover of Washington, D.C., at 1:30 EDT.

The next series of EYBL games will be next Friday through Sunday at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton.

Boo's team lost its first game Friday night to Team United of North Carolina 69-50.

For the second straight game, Al Freeman of Olympic High School in Charlotte led the BWSL team. He scored 12, but was the only player in double figures.

Troy Williams of Phoebus had 8 and Hampton's Anthony Barber 7, but they combined to miss 17 of their 24 shots.
Daily Press


NY2LA event results


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


4/27-29 Jayhawk Invitational


4/27-29 Real Deal in the Rock


4/27 Boo Williams Nike Invitational


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar (updated to reflect April Eval period changes)


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

ESPN Draft guru, David Thorpe. In his ESPN Insider piece, Thorpe notes that Anthony Davis is the obvious choice for Toronto should they win the draft, but his next best option for them wouldn't be Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Instead, it would be Florida's Bradley Beal or Kansas' Thomas Robinson.

From the piece:

Perfect fit: Bradley Beal, Thomas Robinson

DeMar DeRozan is a good NBA scorer, but his lack of perimeter shooting and suspect defense warrants looking into a replacement, if it makes sense. It makes sense with Beal, who projects as an outstanding shooter and a very good scorer. He should become a better player than DeRozan in almost every other facet of the game. In fact, adding Beal would allow the Raptors to bring DeRozan off the bench, where he could end up being an excellent sixth man while still being a primary scorer. Both guys could even finish games together since Beal will be able to defend many small forwards thanks to his length and strength. Toronto can't go wrong with Robinson, either, as he would fill a huge need for athleticism on the front line with the perfect game for Casey -- tough and energetic and willing to fight and defend. Robinson would play major minutes as a rookie and improve the Raptors in his first season.
RaptorsHQ


Actor/comedian Rob Riggle is about to live a sports fan’s dream: He will host The 2012 ESPYS on July 11 at 9 p.m. ET.

Many will recognize Riggle from his correspondent work alongside Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. He has also flexed his comic muscles in film roles including The Hangover (who can forget the taser scene?), Step Brothers and The Other Guys.

What many may not know is that Riggle is also an active Marine. He is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and has served overseas in Liberia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.

“The ESPYS are proud to support Disney’s ‘Heroes Work Here’ program and we’re honored to have a Marine Corps officer serve as this year’s host,” said ESPN’s EVP of Programming and Acquisitions, Norby Williamson. “Rob’s diverse background and comic style will bring new elements to the show and we’re looking forward to an entertaining show that will speak to the core sports fan.”

Riggle has been keeping busy recently with his role in the action-comedy 21 Jump Street and voicing the character of Mr. O’Hare in Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.

In March, Riggle visited the ESPN campus to promote 21 Jump Street as part of the Bristol “Car Wash” and it gave the Kansas native a chance to discuss his beloved teams: the Kansas City Royals, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas Jayhawks.

Front Row caught up with Riggle to ask about his upcoming role as the host of ESPN’s 20th ESPYs telecast:


Here’s the rare case where 14 is greater than 180,000.

Kansas University’s 14th appearance in the men’s basketball NCAA Final Four cost the city nearly $180,000 in expenses to oversee the downtown parties that ensued — and no one at Lawrence City Hall minds a bit.

“There were costs for sure, but there was a tremendous benefit for the community,” City Manager David Corliss said. “There is no question in my mind that the community reaps a benefit that is multiple times larger than what it costs us.”

A new report prepared by Corliss’ office found city expenses related to the Final Four totaled $179,786, with overtime wages paid to police officers the largest expense.

The city is expecting tax revenues from sales made at restaurants, bars, grocery stores, T-shirt shops and elsewhere to more than offset those expenses, but such tax revenue reports from the state won’t be available for another month or more. But in 2008, when the Jayhawks won the National Championship, City Hall had a good tax collection year. The city’s drink tax revenues in 2008 jumped by $270,000 for the year. The city’s sales tax collections increased by nearly $782,000, although it is impossible to know how much of that is directly related to Final Four-fueled spending.
LJW


Aishah Sutherland came to Lawrence on Late Night as a senior in high school in 2007 and fell in love. She chose Kansas with the goal of changing the program. She now leaves with the second most blocks in program history and a Sweet 16 appearance to go along with all the other memories.

“I felt like I left my mark here,” Sutherland said. “How we finished it was a great way to finish my senior year.”

…Assistant coach Chester Nichols said her contributions this season were necessary for the success the team achieved in the end.

“We don’t win without Aishah,” Nichols said. “The bigger the game, the bigger she played.”

Henrickson texted Sutherland before the tournament and told her that teams can go only as far as their seniors take them. Sutherland reassured her coach that she could lead this team. Since Sutherland helped carry the team in the tournament and kept her promise, she would be able to cherish that accomplishment for the rest of her life.

“It is better when she left than when she got here,” Henrickson said, “and that is her legacy here.”

Sutherland was not alone in her march to the end though. Goodrich led the team with four straight 20-point performances to end the season and valiantly lead the Jayhawks without Davis.

When the decision came around for who to be named Ms. Jayhawk, an award honoring high character and high competitive drive, the staff couldn’t choose between Davis and Goodrich. Instead of leaving one of the two out, the staff awarded it to both players.

“Those two kids are as good off the court as they are on the court and that matters,” Henrickson said.

The Jayhawks are back participating in individual practices and preparing for the next season. Kansas will return all of its players except Sutherland next season.
UDK


Last day to enter to win Final Four prize packs from LJW

Larry Brown is returning to college to get back into coaching.

The 71-year-old Hall of Fame coach was hired Thursday at SMU. It is his first college job in nearly a quarter century, and comes at a struggling program that is headed to the Big East after next season.

"It's a challenge like everything. The greater the challenge, the greater the opportunity," Brown told The Associated Press by phone from his home in Philadelphia.

Brown, the only coach to win an NBA championship and NCAA title, hasn't coached since leaving the Charlotte Bobcats in December 2010 after the NBA's team's 9-19 start. His contract there was to run through the end of the current season.

SMU hasn't won an NCAA tournament game since 1988, the year Brown led Kansas to the national championship in his last season as a college coach.

"It's not like I haven't been involved. I live in Villanova, I've been to Kentucky's practices the last two years, Kansas practices, Maryland's practices and Villanova, I've probably seen them practice 50 times a year," Brown said, when asked about returning to the college level.

"People have to understand, you're coaching college kids in the NBA, so I've found out kids want to be taught, they want to be coached, they want to get better," he said. "I really think the fact that I've had a background in both areas is going to help me."

The Mustangs fired Matt Doherty last month after six seasons.

"Larry Brown is one of the top coaches in the history of the game," SMU athletic director Steve Orsini said. "He is a legend and has made every team he has ever coached a winner. As we transition into the nation's top basketball conference, the Big East, his leadership will be invaluable."

Details of Brown's deal, including the length of the contract, weren't released by the private school. Brown said he wasn't ready to discuss who his assistant coaches would be. He said he has had plenty of inquiries about joining his staff.

"That's the hardest thing I think," he said. "I don't have enough jobs to help people that have been great to me. It's been pretty painful in that respect."
AP


Brown spent several weeks with KU’s team this past season, following the Jayhawks through the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments.

“Our players loved him,” KU coach Bill Self said. “This means a lot, because I know how much it means to him. He has nothing to prove, but he’s passionate and he loves to coach. They hired a guy who is a proven winner.”

Self, who spoke on Brown’s behalf to SMU athletic director Steve Orsini, said that Brown, who is in good physical condition and works out regularly, seems closer to 55 years old than 71.

“People have to understand, you’re coaching college kids in the NBA, so I’ve found out kids want to be taught, they want to be coached, they want to get better,” Brown said. “I really think the fact that I’ve had a background in both areas is going to help me.”

The Morning News said SMU is willing to pay more than $800,000 a year with a five-to-seven year guaranteed deal to secure Jankovich as top assistant. Former Illinois assistant Jerrance Howard and Kentucky assistant Rod Strickland are expected to join Brown.
LJW


Nineteenth-century British prime minister and author Benjamin Disraeli once said "Desperation is sometimes as powerful an inspirer as genius." With the hire of coaching legend and septuagenarian serial employment philanderer Larry Brown, SMU athletic director Steve Orsini went one philosophical level deeper. He's made a move that smacks of both driving forces.

Having already been rejected several times during his coaching search, Orsini was left with a couple of unsavory options. He could spin the wheel on a relative no-name, hope he guesses right, and see the fruits of improvement a few years down the road after a brutal introduction to life as a big boy in the Big East. Or he could go for immediate gratification by throwing huge money (by modern Mustang standards) at one of the giants of the coaching realm, someone who was as desperate as Orsini.

Orsini chose Choice B, even waiting awkwardly while Brown flirted with and was (assumedly) shot down by an alternative option in Portland. Hey, without pride, there is no shame.

Yet those who are guffawing about how badly Orsini butchered his search to have to come begging to Brown are ignoring a salient point. The salient point. Brown clearly is a competent choice, but it's not about that. It's not about how many games he wins or how long Brown will stay or whom his hand-picked successor will be. It's about this column. And others like it. And a week of news stories. And relentless Twitter buzz.

Orsini hired Brown for right now, this moment, where for the first time in ages, we're talking about SMU basketball. That's the genius in this particular moment of desperation. No other realistic hire could have done that.
SI


West Virginia Athletics Director Oliver Luck would like to see kinder, gentler Mountaineers fans.

Luck, the guest speaker at Thursday night's Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner at Wheeling Park's White Palace, delivered a message of sportsmanship as the school prepares to begin play in the Big 12 Conference this fall.

Admitting WVU fans suffer from a reputation ''that's a little bit rough around the edges,'' Luck said he would like to see that smoothed a bit.

…''It may be unrealistic to expect everybody to toe the line, but we're trying to get as many folks as we can to just create a little more of a friendly atmosphere,'' Luck said. ''As you're at Mountaineer games this fall and you see someone in a burnt orange shirt walking by, or a purple TCU Horned Frog shirt, Baylor Green and Gold, or even a Marshall shirt, go over and extend a hand and say, 'Welcome to Morgantown.' If they're out of state, welcome them to the state. 'Come on over and tell us how things are in Ames, Iowa, or Manhattan, Kansas.'

''The vast majority of people are very welcoming," he added. "There are some folks who are just born and raised that if they see someone in an opposing T-shirt, they yell an obscenity. Nobody wants to be cursed at. You can razz people. But bring them over and give them a beer before you tell them we're going to beat them by 70.''

Not only would this help the school's reputation, he said, it could help with its recruiting. Texas exports the most college students in the country, Luck noted.
Link


Duke released a statement last night regarding guard Andre Dawkins after rumors were running rampant about his future in Durham.

"Andre Dawkins remains a member of the Duke basketball program. There is a possibility of him redshirting next season, but no decision will be made on that until the fall."

Dawkins' father, Andre Sr. told Stephen Wiseman of the Durham Herald-Sun that his son is still dealing with the after-affects of his sister's death. Lacey Dawkins, then 21, was killed in a car crash on her way to see Dawkins play at Duke in 2009.

"He's dealt with a lot. It's been tough. It hasn't been easy at all," Dawkins' father told the Raleigh News & Observer. "With the fast pace of playing high-level basketball you don't really get time to deal with things like that."

Dawkins joined Duke a year earlier than expected in 2009 -- and has been a role player each of his three seasons in Durham. He averaged 8.4 points this past season in 22.4 minutes and shot 39 percent from beyond the arc.
CBS


Bo Ryan is a Philly guy who came to Wisconsin to coach basketball in 1976 and never left the state. He spent 15 seasons in Division III, became the Badgers’ coach at 53 and has won at an amazing rate.

He operates one of college basketball’s most admirable programs, and few among his peers are more widely respected.

All of that bought Bo Ryan nothing as he spent the last 48 hours getting trashed in the media cycle.

Perhaps you heard. Ryan has a player, Jarrod Uthoff, who after redshirting as a freshman decided to transfer. The coaching staff came up with a list of 25 schools where Uthoff couldn’t go, and when that information went public, Ryan went on the skewer.

Limit a transfer’s destinations when coaches can bolt their program for any job at any time?

Block an athlete whose team pours millions into a school’s athletic coffers, including a coach’s paycheck?

Universities are in the process of granting more freedoms to athletes, like the proposed annual stipend, not restricting them.

But restrictive is how Ryan’s action has been interpreted, and he sought to clarify his position with interviews on Thursday, including one with The Star.

“We’ve become a whipping boy for this whole thing,” Ryan said. “But there’s a process that needs to be followed.”

That happened on Thursday afternoon. Uthoff went through an appeal process and was told that the restriction included only Big Ten schools. And even that isn’t a complete road block. Like the Big 12, a Big Ten athlete can transfer within a conference but would lose a year of eligibility.

Lack of playing time, change in a system or coach are the most common reason for a transfer, although Ryan knows that only through hearsay. He’s only had one other player transfer from his program in 11 seasons at Madison.
KC Star

We’re hearing from several sources close to the situation that UCLA is expected to add a commitment from highly touted big man Tony Parker in the next few days.
Jon Rothstein


This is what it’s like to be Jabari Parker, the nation’s top high school basketball player.

One day he’s presenting a project in his Spanish class, turns around and sees Alonzo Mourning. Parker takes a seat and grins. The former Miami Heat star is making a surprise visit to give him the Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year award.

And there are nights like this.

Parker and his teammates from Simeon Career Academy are holed up in a classroom after beating Whitney Young in the Illinois state playoffs.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo were in the stands. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his wife were there, too, sitting next to Parker’s mom, Lola.

… Parker is a prodigy, and that can be dicey in any era.

Before he was Kareem, Lew Alcindor led his Manhattan high school team on a 71-game winning streak and went on to become the leading NBA scorer of all time. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett all made successful jumps from high school to the NBA when the league allowed it. But for every safe landing, there are plenty of players who never became one of the game’s best — JaRon Rush and Sebastian Telfair, to name just two.

Parker is determined to follow his own path, keeping all the adulation in perspective. Most nights, he tries to accommodate his young fans. He poses for pictures and signs autographs to show his appreciation.

“I can see myself as a role model,” Parker says.

Good thing, too. In a world fueled by social media, where every move is caught on camera or dissected in 140 characters, the lights are shining brighter than ever on sports’ youngest stars.

“I used to hear all this stuff about Kareem, Lew Alcindor, all the players having hundreds of letters,” says Jabari’s father, Sonny Parker, who played six seasons with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA after starring at Chicago’s Farragut Career Academy, where Garnett played as a senior. “Now, he can’t go to the bathroom without it (being posted) on Twitter.”

…Few have the talent he has.

Lola Parker could see it when Jabari, the youngest of seven children, was in the second grade and going against fourth and fifth-graders in a league set up by Sonny, who established a foundation to help inner city youth in Chicago after he retired.

Sonny, by the way, isn’t the only professional athlete in the family. Lola has four relatives with pro football experience: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Moeaki; Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Haloti Ngata; Philadelphia Eagles fullback Stanley Havili; and, running back Harvey Unga, a 2010 supplemental draft pick by the Chicago Bears.

Jabari might be the best of the bunch.

Scholarship offers started when he was in the sixth grade. Back then, they came from Illinois, Brigham Young, Washington, Purdue and Kansas, the Parkers say. UCLA started showing interest, too, and pretty much everyone was offering one by the time he hit high school.

To get an idea how big Parker is now, go back to an evening in September, when Simeon hosted an open gym. Not even a practice, mind you, but an open gym.

A who’s who of coaches jammed the court from baseline to baseline.

Krzyzewski was there. So were Izzo and Roy Williams (North Carolina), Thad Matta (Ohio State) and Bill Self (Kansas). In all, some 40 coaches looked on, and as word spread that this was no ordinary session, that something special was happening, fans started packing the place, too.

“It was like the movie ‘Blue Chips’ — and this was open gym,” Sonny says. “The school had been in session a couple days. They closed down the barber shop, they came over to the school. It was packed in the gym. The coaches were coming in limos. It was unbelievable.”

…For now, he plans to narrow his list of colleges down to five later this spring. A Mormon mission is a possibility for him at some point, too.

Before he does that, he talks about needing to “polish up the little things before I step into the real world.”

An ability to express himself more smoothly, even when he’s tired, is among the items on his to-do list. Playing to his ability is another.

“I just want to prove to myself every time I’m on the court that I’m able to live up to those expectations,” he says.
AP


Rivals: Parker moves to top of 2013 rankings


USA Basketball U18 National Team announced


The spring signing period is more than a week old and college coaches across the nation are hitting the road to look for new talent at NCAA-approved spring tournaments over the next few weekends.

Rivals.com takes a look around the country and hits on some happenings and news from conference to conference.
Rivals Eric Bossi: Hitting the road ($)


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


4/20 Under Armour Hoop Group Jam Fest


4/20 adidas VIP Exclusive Run


4/20 Nike EYBL session #1


4/20 Pangos Spring Spectacular


4/20 King James Southern Exposure


4/21 Capital Classic (Andrew White) Official site linked now. Rosters listed.


4/27-29 Jayhawk Invitational


4/27-29 Real Deal in the Rock


4/27 Boo Williams Nike Invitational


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


The oldest son of Virginia’s career scoring leader and a North Carolina shooting guard with scholarship offers from Kansas and Villanova are among the key additions to Boo Williams’ elite travel team this spring and summer.

Locals such as Hampton High point guard Anthony Barber, Phoebus small forward Troy Williams and Cape Henry Collegiate guard Devon Hall remain the squad’s linchpins. But as usual, Boo has recruited outside Hampton Roads to prepare for national-caliber competition.

The most renowned of his additions is Al Freeman from Olympic High in Charlotte, N.C. A 6-foot-4 guard in the class of 2013, he recently narrowed his college options to Kansas and Villanova, according to Rivals.com.
Daily Press


The former Missouri-commit said the newfound interest shown by Duke is a huge development because of his potential interest in them. He’s also a little surprised that they’ve gotten in contact with his Montrose Christian (Maryland) coaches.

“It’s a big step. Honestly, from my point of view, I never thought that Duke would be interested in me,” the Missouri-native said. ”But they made the call to my coach and said they’re interested in me and [class of 2013 shooting guard] Matt [Jones] (Duke) has been talking about it a lot.

“I think they will be a big player because they’re a power house. I’d definitely take a visit and see how it is [if they keep showing interest].”

However, because it remains to be seen whether Duke will keep showing interest, Wainright has a top four that doesn’t include the Blue Devils.

“Right now, I’m most interested in Syracuse, Kansas, Missouri and Florida, those are the ones standing out the most to me,” Wainright said. ”The coaching staffs and the way those schools are playing right now have separated them from everyone else.”

As he’s stated before, one of the things most important to him is his relationship with the coaching staff at his potential college. In that category, there are also four programs standing out.

“I’m from Missouri so me and the Missouri coaches are tight and [assistant] coach [Adrian] Autry from Syracuse too,” Wainright said. ”From Alabama, [head] coach [Anthony] Grant and I have a great relationship and from Kansas [assistant coach] Danny Manning and [head] coach [Bill] Self.”

…During the summer, he will make the switch to play for Team Takeover (DC), one of the best AAU teams in the country. The program, based out of the nation’s capital, went undefeated in the regular season of the Nike EYBL and won the Pitt Jam Fest. Wainright will be joined by class of 2013 center BeeJay Anya, among other top rated recruits.
Link


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar (updated to reflect April Eval period changes)


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

Tyshawn Taylor made a visit to Topeka on Wednesday night for a book signing at Kansas Sampler.  Taylor joined ESPN.com writer Jason King to promote "Beyond the Phog."

"I think the way we finished up was tremendous," Taylor, said. "I'm proud of how we fought all year and I'm proud of how we came as a team together throughout the process of how we got to the national championship game."

Taylor is on track to graduate from KU next month with a degree in Communications.  
KSNT


The final piece of the puzzle has now been put into place, Miller School senior Andrew White III signed his NCAA National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Kansas on Monday at Alumni Gymnasium in Charlottesville.

The 6-6, 210-pound senior made the decision on Dec. 2 to attend the storied program that just happens to be the national runner-up before the Mavericks took the floor against Woodberry Forest.

"I like the spacing of how they run the offense," said White of why he picked Kansas. "They have multiple guards that have a lot of versatility and that's a skill I would like to perfect.

"They break people down off the dribble. They put a lot of shots up, they throw the alley-oop, they get out in transition and they get a lot of support."

The signing was a wonderful occassion, according to his family.

Miller School had about 75 people in attandance in Alumni Hall Gymnasium including immediate and extended family, friends, White's AAU coaches, Miller School coaches and students, players and their families as well as well as the school's headmaster and his wife and other faculty and administrators.

"I think what I really liked about the school, when I visited the campus, was its atmosphere and good academics," White added. "But one of the best things was the support the school had for its athletics."
Progress-Index


FB Video: Jeff Withey reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear


It’s not every day you get 10 minutes of individual instruction from Jerry West, one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

But Warriors forward Brandon Rush was the lucky player on the receiving end of that expertise after the team’s Wednesday morning shootaround.

“That was definitely a big thing to hear from him,” said Rush, who is averaging 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this year. “He gave me a few pointers on what I need to work on and offered to work me out during the summertime.”

West is a Warriors minority owner and once in a while will pop into a practice. That’s what West did, imparting specific wisdom to Rush.

“Using your body well, how to draw fouls, how to create space,” responded Rush, when asked what West told him. “Just a quick tutorial on how to do those things.”
CSN Bay Area


Senior Aishah Sutherland received a standing ovation to conclude the Kansas women’s basketball year-end banquet and senior recognition ceremony held Wednesday night in the KU Union Ballroom.

After a highlight video to start the event, Kansas Athletics Director Sheahon Zenger welcomed the crowd of nearly 300 and congratulated the Jayhawks on their incredible NCAA Sweet 16 run. Head coach Bonnie Henrickson then addressed the group of staff, team and supporters before handing out the team awards.

Juniors Carolyn Davis and Angel Goodrich, sophomore Tania Jackson and freshman Natalie Knight were first acknowledged as members on the AD Honor Roll. Goodrich and Jackson also received plaques for earning Academic All-Big First Team honors, while Davis received her award for being named to the second team.

Next, a trio of Jayhawks was recognized for their All-Big 12 appointments. In 2011-12, Davis earned a spot on the first team, Goodrich on the second team and Sutherland on the honorable mention list. Davis and Goodrich remained on stage as the duo received awards for being named All-Americans. Davis was a WBCA All-America Honorable Mention and Goodrich was All-America Honorable Mention by both the WBCA and Associated Press.

Henrickson finished the award portion of the ceremony by presenting Davis and Goodrich with the Ms. Jayhawk Award, the evening’s top honor.
KU AD


David Booth will receive the KU School of Business’ Distinguished Alumni Award at a ceremony with Governor Sam Brownback on Thursday. Booth made international news in 2010 with his purchase of James Naismith’s original 13 rules of basketball. He is giving them to KU to house in a new facility to be built. But Booth has also done a number of other philanthropic things in the community and has seen national business success. He founded Dimensional Fund Advisors in 1981 and oversees the firm’s key corporate initiatives and strategic long-range planning as chairman and co-CEO.

Booth is a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Kansas Endowment Association. The University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business was named in honor of David, where he also serves as a lifetime member of the school’s advisory council.

David Booth, who resides in Austin, Texas, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1968 and a master’s in business in 1969 from the University of Kansas. He received his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1971.

Thursday’s ceremony is a private event at the Oread.
6Lawrence

Turns out, the last of Pat Summitt’s incredible 1,098 victories as Tennessee’s women’s basketball coach came against Kansas in a Sweet 16 game in Des Moines, Iowa. The Vols overcame a halftime deficit and won 84-73 before losing to eventual NCAA champion Baylor in the regional final.

“I was thinking about that,” Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson said Wednesday. “I guess we’re the answer to a trivia question.”

Henrickson hated the loss, but relished the opportunity to compete against one of the greatest coaches in any sport.

Tennessee announced Wednesday that Summitt, 59, is stepping down less than a year after she received a diagnosis of early-onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type. Longtime assistant Holly Warlick will take over as head coach. Summitt becomes head coach emeritus and will continue to remain involved in recruiting on campus and player mentoring.
KC Star


The University of Texas men's basketball team will meet UCLA on Dec. 8 at Reliant Stadium.
The game will be the centerpiece of a basketball weekend at Reliant Park.
The UT/UCLA game will be part of a college basketball doubleheader.
The second game is not set yet, but it could involve two high profile women's teams.
Reliant Stadium officials are also planning a high school doubleheader the night before.
MyFoxHouston


The #Mizzou- UCLA basketball series is a home and home. At renovated Pauley Pavilion next season and at MU in 2013-14.
https://twitter.com/#!/BlumbergOTB/status/192718635729563651


Like jilted lovers, persistent telemarketers and overeager reality TV contestants, college basketball coaches and administrators rarely accept rejection gracefully.

Tulsa star Jordan Clarkson learned that firsthand this week when he informed the Golden Hurricane of his intent to transfer and submitted a list of nine schools he wanted to have permission to contact.

Even though the sophomore guard's father insists those nine are neither members of Conference USA nor future opponents for Tulsa, athletic director Ross Parmley only granted three of the schools permission to contact Clarkson. That leaves Clarkson with the option of transferring to Vanderbilt, Colorado or TCU if those schools have interest and a scholarship for him, or paying his own way at a school of his choice.

"I do believe it's an abuse of power," Mike Clarkson said. "Given what my son has done at the University of Tulsa and how he has conducted himself, what I asked for is what is the reasoning behind it. That is something we've actually requested and haven't gotten any answer on."

Tulsa spokesman Donald Komkalski declined to make Parmley available for an interview or to provide an explanation for the school's decision to restrict Clarkson's options. Speculation at Tulsa has been that Clarkson wanted to transfer to Texas or another power-conference program in his home state, but his father is adamant that the family still has not spoken to any coaches and no tampering has taken place.

In a year in which college basketball is on pace to produce a record number of transfers, similar disputes to the one between Clarkson and Tulsa are flaring up across the nation.
Yahoo


C.J. Leslie returning for his junior year at N.C. State is great news for the Wolfpack, its fans and coach Mark Gottfried. It's terrific for next year's prospects as well.

But it's even better for Leslie.

Leslie's trek from a raggedly-skilled freshman who seriously needed a basic course in Hoops 101 to a maturing young man has been a fascinating one. And it's to Leslie's credit he's made this decision.

The long-armed 6-foot-9 forward likely would have been a first-round pick this summer had he bolted, especially if it was all just about basketball. But in his case, it wasn't just about hoops and his unique potential. It was about questions regarding his attitude, character and the degree of risk a team would execute in drafting Leslie.
FSsports


The Toledo men's basketball team will be banned from next year's postseason because of past academic problems after the NCAA denied the school's appeal.

The ban stems from several years of below-standard scores on the NCAA's Academic Performance Rate that a year ago cost Toledo three scholarships.
AP


March Madness is over, but new data from Millennial Media and the Interactive Advertising Bureau shows just how much of a cross-platform phenomenon the NCAA tournament has become.

…The study did not break out usage by tablet, but research by comScore said 20% of total online traffic in the first round of the tournament was driven by tablets -- in this case, the iPad. The paywall likely pushed down traffic overall. Multichannel News reported that traffic to the NCAA site during the tournament fell 6% from last year to 51.6 million visits. The site averaged 1.1 million daily visitors, down 10%. Mobile traffic dropped only 1%.

The Millennial/IAB study found that 69% of those surveyed used their mobile device while watching the tournament. An equal proportion said the mobile option allowed them to access content conveniently. In addition to watching live games, nearly half of mobile users (48%) checked scores during the tournament, a quarter read about teams or players, 23% checked brackets and 20% watched highlights.

Among self-described “passionate fans,” 88% used their devices for March Madness-related activity, and 40% purchased a tournament-related app. Within this same group, more than a quarter (25%) followed the games mainly through their smartphone.
More

ESPN HS All-Americans (Ellis 3rd team, Adams HM)


Wednesday was the final day of a "contact period" in which college basketball coaches can make recruiting visits, and at least a few were trying to take advantage of a last-minute opportunity to check in with South Carolina sophomore Damontre Harris, who has been granted permission to explore the option of transferring.

The only school on the Gamecocks' restricted list is N.C. State, meaning Harris could even transfer to an SEC rival.

Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey planned to fly to Columbia, S.C., on Wednesday afternoon, and a representative of Kansas had hopes of arriving Wednesday night, although the weather was going to make that difficult.

Ranked the No. 68 prospect in the prep class of 2010 by ESPN.com during his senior year at Trinity Christian in Fayetteville, Harris picked South Carolina over Florida, Wake Forest and Maryland. He averaged 6.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks last season, when he was named to the SEC All-Defensive team.
Fayetteville Observer


The tweet went out at 10:43 Tuesday night from the University of Memphis men's basketball Twitter account.

"Tony parker," the mysterious message read.

No explanation followed.

Instead, the tweet mentioning the name of an unsigned 2012 center prospect out of Lithonia, Ga., whom Memphis has long coveted was deleted a few minutes later.

The culprit: coach Josh Pastner. Turns out, Pastner mistakenly tweeted the name while trying to do a search for "Tony parker" on Twitter.

Though unintentional, the error still required that Memphis self-report the secondary violation of NCAA bylaws, which prohibit college coaches from publicly discussing unsigned recruits.
Memphis Commercial Appeal


4/20 Under Armour Hoop Group Jam Fest


4/20 adidas VIP Exclusive Run


4/21 Capital Classic (Andrew White) Official site linked now. Rosters listed.


Study hall first thing in the morning at an all star game! First time for everything I guess...
https://twitter.com/#!/AndrewWhite_34/status/192957318399397888


4/23 @TonyParker32 will announce his college decision, per his HS @coachswhite at @MillerGroveHoop.
https://twitter.com/#!/JustinDYoung/status/191991043678412801


4/27-29 Jayhawk Invitational


4/27-29 Real Deal in the Rock


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar (updated to reflect April Eval period changes)


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

Jayhawk-Linn High School has always had the Jayhawk logo attached to it, so it would only make sense that some former Jayhawks make their presence known in the Mound City school.

The Kansas Barnstorming Tour is making a stop at Jayhawk-Linn on April 25 for an 8 p.m. tipoff against the Southeast Kansas All-Stars. The tour will bring to town former Kansas players Tyshawn Taylor, Connor Teahan and Jordan Juenemann to put on show for the crowd.

All three Kansas players helped their team to the national championship game, where they came up short against Kentucky. Along with Mound City, the barnstorming tour will make several stops around the state.

It will be the tour’s first stop in Mound City as it has stopped in Louisburg several times in years past.

Doors will open at the high school at 6 p.m. for autographs and Louisburg band ‘Face for Radio’ will provide pregame entertainment around 6:30 p.m. Tickets will be $5 for the event and can be purchased at Jayhawk-Linn High School, Jayhawk Elementary or Redlogic Communications.

All of the Jayhawk-Linn basketball seniors will be on the Southeast Kansas All-Star team along with select seniors from Prairie View, Pleasanton, Crest, Fort Scott and Iola High Schools.
For more information, contact Jayhawk-Linn High School at (913) 795-2224.


University of Kansas basketball players Justin Wesley and Jeff Withey spent part of their weekend (Saturday, April 14) reading to some wide-eyed kids at the Lawrence Public Library.

The event celebrated the "championship round" of the library's inaugural Tournament of Kids' Books.  Throughout March, the library asked children from the Lawrence community to vote for their favorite books bracket-style, from the Sweet 16 all the way to the championship round.

Wesley and Withey each read a children's book to a crowd of nearly 100 children and family members. They then helped library officials announce the title of the book the kids' votes had declared the winner: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling.

…Kansas Athletics' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee arranged the players' appearance as part of its community-involvement initiative.

"It was worth it just to see the kids' interest in books," Wesley said.  "I hope our involvement makes them even more interested in learning through reading."
KU AD

Never has SMU basketball made such a big splash in central Illinois.

After a report said Larry Brown agreed to become the SMU coach, sources confirmed former Illini assistant coach Jerrance Howard accepted a job on the Mustangs’ staff, and Illinois State coach Tim Jankovich was close to finalizing a deal to become Southern Methodist’s coach in waiting.

Howard served as interim coach at Illinois when the school fired Bruce Weber on March 9, but he wasn’t retained after Illinois hired John Groce to replace Weber. Howard had an offer to work under Weber at Kansas State, and his name was mentioned in other openings.

He chose to work under Brown, a 71-year-old Hall of Famer who is the only coach in the game’s history to win NCAA and NBA titles. A source said Howard would get a significant pay increase from the $180,000 per season he made at Illinois. According to reports, former Kentucky assistant Rod Strickland would also join the SMU staff.

Jankovich, Howard and Strickland all have ties to Kansas coach Bill Self or Kentucky’s John Calipari. The coaches who met in the NCAA title game this season remain tight with Brown after working under him at Kansas.

A source close to the SMU program expected Jankovich to be offered between $800,000 and $1 million per year. Jankovich made a little more than $400,000 at Illinois State, where he returned the bulk of the roster from a 21-14 team that came within an overtime loss in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game of reaching the NCAA bracket.

The Redbirds will likely be the league’s top challenger to favored Creighton in the Valley race this winter. Illinois State athletic director Gary Friedman attended the Illinois-Illinois State baseball game here Tuesday night.

Calipari and William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley, the well-known college basketball power broker, were helping Brown assemble his crew, a report said. Brown visited SMU Sunday and Monday.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Brown said Tuesday afternoon he only wanted to formally accept if “all things are in place. I’m sure they (SMU) feel the same way.

“Nothing’s been finalized. I don’t know who put that out. Ever since my trip to Dallas, I’ve had a thousand people calling me for a job, I know that.’’
PJ Star


USA Today Photos: Larry Brown's long coaching career


The history of our world, the basketball world, is being rewritten before our eyes. This isn’t 1972. Bill Walton isn’t slinging hook shots in tube socks and short shorts.

Am I a fan? Absolutely not. I prefer my college athletes have more staying power than a fraternity party hook up. I prefer that the term upperclassmen refer to someone with a little more seniority than a sophomore.

I believe college is a privilege, not a layover. And I believe learning is a gift, not an inconvenience.

I like continuity. I like when fans can invest in a person and not just a player because they actually have time to get to know the person before the player moves on.

But I’m also a realist and I realize that conventions don’t last. The construct of the rules dictate how the game is played, and one overriding rule from 1972 still applies: He who has the best players wins.

…It may not be palatable to the traditionalists among us. It may, frankly, be downright disheartening.

But it’s reality.

So long as the rules are written to allow for a college drive-thru service, this is the way the world will work.
ESPN


In an interview with The Sports Animal in Oklahoma City (transcribed by Sports Radio Interviews), Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, when asked what can be done to “fix the game of college basketball,” put the onus on the NBA.

“First of all college basketball doesn’t control college basketball. The NBA controls college basketball," Krzyzewski said. "They are the ones, along with the players’ union, that sets the rule. College basketball just reacts to what the NBA does to include the early entry date. College basketball put out April 10th (as the date by when players must declare their intention to enter the draft). Well, that date doesn’t mean anything. April 29th (the NBA’s deadline) is when guys have a chance to put their names in the NBA Draft.

“I think one of the main things that has to happen is college basketball has to have a relationship with the NBA. There should be someone in charge of college basketball who, on a day-to-day basis, sets an agenda for our great sport. We don’t have anything like that. As a result, we don’t have a voice with the NBA or the players’ union, and that’s just kind of sad.”

NBA commissioner David Stern maintains that it his league's job to watch over college basketball. The rule is "not geared to whether it's a good thing for the colleges," Stern said earlier this month.

While Austin Rivers will leave Duke after his freshman year to enter the draft, Krzyzewski said Duke puts a greater emphasis on recruiting guys who’ll stick around for a few years.

“We can’t go after every one-and-done guy because a lot of the guys—and they are great players and great kids—but school isn’t as important (to them). A lot of those guys a number of years ago didn’t have to go to college. Dwight Howard. Kobe Bryant. LeBron James. ...

“It’s not even going one year. They are going to spend maybe six-seven months (at school). ... We have a great school, but it’s not as attractive as going someplace else, so we have to be careful with who we get involved with because it could be a monumental waste of time for us.”
Link


Considering how busy North Carolina coach Roy Williams has been the past few weeks -- contacting 25 NBA teams as his players pondered going pro, having three underclassmen ultimately declare early for the NBA draft, helping four of his players hire agents -- he hasn’t had time to start interviewing candidates for his vacant assistant coaching position.

But when he does make a hire, he said, it will be a person with UNC ties.

“I’ve had three guys from Kansas call me and apply, and I told them, ‘I love you, but I can’t do that. I came here, I brought two Kansas players with me, so the next guy has got to be a North Carolina guy,'" Williams said Tuesday night during the Rams Club’s Tar Heel Tour event in the Triangle. “We’ve had some pretty impressive people that I’ve talked to.”

…Williams said Joe Holladay, who was Williams’ longtime assistant who slid over to become director of basketball operations three seasons ago, will take over Haase’s recruiting duties for the next two weekends. After that, he’ll get down to the nitty-gritty of finding a new assistant coach.

“I’ve never hired somebody that I didn’t personally know by either working with them or working with somebody that I knew -- with the exception of Steve Robinson [who has served as a member of Williams’ coaching staff for 17 seasons]. And that’s been great."
ESPN


Bundled into the NCAA’s academic reform package is a mandate that as of the end of the 2013 academic year, junior college transfers must now have a 2.5 GPA in their transferable credits in order to be eligible for a four-year school.

That’s not only up from a 2.0, but also higher than is required for initial eligibility for freshmen (2.3 under the new NCAA rules) and significantly higher than virtually every university requires for continuing eligibility.

“It almost seems like they’re legislating it this way because they don’t want junior college kids anymore,’’ said Steve Forbes, a former Tennessee assistant who is now the head coach at Northwest Florida State, a team that made it all the way to the NJCAA title game this year. “To be honest, it’s outlandish.’’

And he is not alone in condemning the GPA change’s potential impact.

“I think what you’ll have is fewer guys who make it [to a four-year school],’’ Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “And also, after that freshman year, you might see more coaches shy away or not take a commitment because they aren’t as sure that they’ll get the grade.’’

Drew said he expects nothing less than a considerable shift in the junior college landscape from this, with schools that had been perennial powerhouses falling by the wayside if they fail to send their players to Division I schools.

It will come down, he said, to money. Those that have the funding to offer academic support and tutoring will flourish; others will not.

“Over time, I’m sure you’ll see different schools emerging because they have the resources,’’ Drew said.
ESPN


Former Valpariso University coach Scott Drew was found guilty of a major infraction by the NCAA for failure to properly monitor his assistants. Those ambitious, unsupervised assistants went on a rule breaking phone call and text messaging binge that exceeded the limit by hundreds. Most of this stuff took place in 2007 and 2008, though the most blatant violation of the NCAA rules occurred in 2010 when former assistant Mark Morefield basically asked two AAU coaches to lie to the NCAA about the investigation being conducted.

Morefield lost his job  last summer and Drew was suspended for two games. The Bears also lost a scholarship for a year and Drew and another assistant, Jerome Tang, were banned from making phone calls for two months this season.

The school blamed the problem on compliance, saying texts were sent from a Teleflip, which the coaches believed weren’t texts because that is what a compliance officer told them. The staff also failed to properly log calls, an issue that’s been addressed.

Does the string of excuses sound familiar?

…There were two schools of thought on how to digest the methods of Drew, now one of the most disliked coaches by his peers in the profession.

His recruiting style was unorthodox and creative because he had no choice. After the program was nearly shut down in 2003 because of the murder of Patrick Dennehy by teammate Carlton Dotson and the massive fraud and unparalleled disgrace that former coach Dave Bliss brought  by trying to portray Dennehy as a drug dealer (just one of many instances of deceit by Bliss), Drew had to push the envelope to revive the program. When he did and when Baylor became successful, the old guard guys, like Knight and Barnes got cranky. They couldn’t stomp Baylor out like a couple of stray ants wandering into the kitchen anymore. They had players.

Still, the Answer Man chose to believe that version of the truth then. He knew Drew had been doing the same stuff at Valparaiso University, bringing in a player named Antonio Falu and his coach from Puerto Rico, William Colon, for part of a season. Falu was billed as the most talented player ever to wear a VU uniform then and Colon was there to baby sit and help snag some players down the road. The whole deal blew up one night in December when Homer Drew kicked him off the team after  Falu defied his orders in a game at Chicago State. Falu was too much of a diva for Homer. Colon was gone by the end of the year. Nobody cared because it was VU.

Last fall, the Answer Man had to re-evaluate his position on Drew when foxsports.com broke the news of the multiple illegal texts that Morefield sent to Hanna Perea’s AAU and high school coaches.

The Answer Man has three categories for college basketball coaches — those beyond reproach when recruiting players who have never sniffed a major violation, those that are blatant outright cheaters, and those that willfully ignore their rule breaking assistants.

It’s just not good enough for a coach to say he didn’t know his top couple of assistants were going crazy with the phone calls and text messages.  Regretfully, Drew falls into the third category for the Answer Man. It got even worse for Drew during the NCAA Tournament when DJ Cooper, a star guard for Ohio, accused him of trying to recruit him when he was in school. Drew denied the allegation. No doubt the NCAA will be asking for Cooper’s cell phone records to try to verify his story.

The Answer Man had high hopes for Drew, thinking maybe he could end up at one of the top programs in the country someday. That won’t happen. He’ll have to make the Final Four at Baylor. The word is out on Drew and it’s hard for even his most adamant supporters to suppress the shadiness that is wafting over the program. Plus, in a small way, Drew should feel complicit in bringing down Morefield’s career. Despite all the negativity, the kids don’t seem to care much. Drew snagged the No. 5 recruiting class this year, according to ESPN. The Answer Man would like to believe Drew could’ve still done well without breaking rules.

He’ll never know now for sure.
Link


A number of current and former college basketball coaches—Billy Donovan, Roy Williams, Bob Knight, Jamie Dixon, among others—gave presentations at a Nike clinic over the weekend at Robert Morris University in suburban Pittsburgh. But according to an eyewitness, West Virginia's Bob Huggins is the only one reported to have been "slirring [sic] his speech, swaying, talking in circles and dropping f bombs" when it was his turn.

Huggins's talk was called "Our Man to Man Offensive Concepts," and it was scheduled to take place at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. A source in Pittsburgh just told me eight different people who were there have confirmed to him Huggins was wasted. And here's a sampling of Twitter responses from some of those who were present for it:
Deadspin

Duke is now expressing interest in 2013 Boo Williams (VA) guard Allerik Freeman. UCLA, Villanova, Ohio State & Kansas are also involved.
https://twitter.com/#!/TheRecruitScoop/status/192600160990281728


Ranked in the top six or seven by nearly every recruiting outlet, Chris Walker is clearly one of the most talented players in the class of 2013. He's not content with his current standing, though.

Walker, a 6-foot-10 power forward from Holmes County (Fla.), wants to move up a few spots – to the top of the rankings.

“I think I will be number one by the end of this summer,” Walker said. “I'm going to play harder than everybody on the court. I'm going to go out with a blast. After this last AAU season, Chris Walker is going to be a household name."

…On the recruiting front, six schools are standing out for Walker: Kentucky, Ohio State, Florida, Kansas, Syracuse and Baylor. The only school in that group not to extend an offer has been Kentucky, although he said that he “loved” that the Wildcats won a national championship. Walker has taken one unofficial visit so far, to Kansas.

Walker isn't looking to make a decision anytime soon, hoping to take trips to all the schools before he makes a choice. However, he has thought about each of the six schools and knows what he likes about each one.

Kentucky: “How [John] Calipari puts people into the pros.”

Kansas: “The pick and roll scenario.”

Baylor: “How coach [Scott} Drew lets his players play one-on-one.”

Ohio State: “How the post gets ball first.”

Syracuse: “The zone.”

Florida: “How me and coach [Billy] Donovan's relationship is.”

Overall, Walker is looking for a nice balance in his future destination.

“Great relationship, great fanbase, great academics,” Walker said. “And a school that's used to winning.”
CBS


the Under Armour Hoop Group JamFest is for AAU/traveling teams that will be played at various sites in the Pittsburgh area Friday through Sunday. More than 250 teams will participate from grades 8-11 and will come from 21 states and three Canadian provinces. Also, some teams with senior players will participate in the open division (18 and under).

The JamFest will feature twin brothers from Travis High School in Fort Bend, Texas, and one of the twins is ranked the No. 1 junior in the country. Andrew Harrison is a 6-foot-5 point guard who is Rivals.com's No. 1 player, while his brother, Aaron, is ranked No. 7 in the class of 2013 by Rivals. They play for the Houston Defenders AAU team, which is coached by their father. The Harrisons have a number of scholarship offers, including from Kentucky.

Overall, seven of the top 54 players in the country, according to ESPN rankings, will be in the JamFest. Some top sophomores and juniors in the WPIAL and City League also will play on teams in the JamFest.

The JamFest had been played at the University of Pittsburgh in recent years, but a new NCAA rule prevents the event from being played on a college campus. So, the event will be played at a dozen sites in the Pittsburgh area, including North Hills, Perry, Sewickley Academy, South Fayette, Brashear, Sto-Rox and Langley. Most of the playoff games and championships for the juniors and sophomores will be played Sunday at North Hills. Schedules are available at www.hoopgroup.com.

Also, this year's JamFest is during a live recruiting period, which means a number of Division I college coaches will be in attendance. Zak Boisvert, director of events for the Hoop Group company in New Jersey, said Kentucky coach John Calipari and Kansas coach Bill Self will attend, as well as many other coaches.
Link


4/20 adidas VIP Exclusive Run teams announced


4/21 Capital Classic (Andrew White)


4/23 @TonyParker32 will announce his college decision, per his HS @coachswhite at @MillerGroveHoop.
https://twitter.com/#!/JustinDYoung/status/191991043678412801


4/27-29 Jayhawk Invitational


4/27-29 Real Deal in the Rock


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar (updated to reflect April Eval period changes)


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

Andrew White becomes a Jayhawk!


“I’m glad we can finally talk about Andrew,” Self said. “He’s been committed for a long time and we are so excited to have him. He’s a tall guard. He can shoot it. He’s a good athlete. He’s tough, loves to play and certainly will be a great representative of our university.”

“He’s has been very well drilled and well coached at Miller under Scott Willard. The transition to the collegiate level should be very smooth for him,” Self said of White. “We see him being an impact player for us beginning from day one upon his arrival on campus.”

“Andrew’s entire family has been great and so supportive to us throughout this process and what a great job Joe Dooley did in recruiting him,” Self added. “One of the reasons we like him so much is the quality of person that he is. I believe having the Whites as part of our KU family will do nothing but enhance our program.”
KU AD


In the moments after Kansas’ Sweet 16 victory over North Carolina State, Andrew White examined the NCAA Tournament bracket and delivered a message to his father.

“They’re on a good track,” White said. “If they win, I want to go to the Final Four.”

Just more than three months earlier, White, a 6-foot-6 guard from Chester, Va., had made an oral commitment to the Jayhawks.

But now he wanted to see KU up close.

So White and his father piled into the car and made the 16-hour drive to New Orleans.

“It really did make me want to put that program before myself,” White said, “and it inspired me to want to get to that point.”

Monday, he signed his national letter of intent at a ceremony in the gymnasium at the Miller School in Charlottesville, Va. For White and his family, it was the culmination of a two-year period of growth, a period that included him repeating his junior year when he arrived at the Miller School in 2010.

“This past summer, he absolutely blew up,” said Scott Willard, White’s coach at the Miller School. “And (he) went from a kid that had low- to mid(-major) offers to straight high-major offers. He did that all in one summer.”

White is ranked as the 51st best player in the class of 2012, according to Rivals.com. For now, that makes him the second-highest ranked player in the Jayhawks’ class behind Wichita Heights senior forward Perry Ellis, who is ranked 24th by Rivals.

Willard described White as an elite-level shooter who developed other facets of his game this season. Some of that, Willard said, was due to an extra 15 pounds of muscle White added between his junior and senior seasons

“He’s a tall guard,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “He can shoot it. He’s a good athlete. He’s tough.”

KU assistant Joe Dooley was the point man in White’s recruitment.

“If I come in and I’m shooting the ball well, picking up on the concepts, and doing my job on the defensive end,” White said, “there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to earn some minutes early. So that’s what they expect of me.”
KC Star


“I’ve seen all of the games Kansas played this year except for one. After watching those, I started to look up a lot of tape on Brandon Rush,” said White, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound guard/forward from Miller School in Charlottesville, Va., who has been compared to Rush, a 6-6 wing with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

“I found some of Bill Self’s sets at Kansas when he was there early (in his nine-year tenure) — a lot of YouTube,” White added in a phone conversation. “I sat down with either my dad or coach to watch a good majority of the games.”

White, Rivals.com’s No. 51-rated player, is determined to arrive at KU ready for action.

In announcing White’s signing Monday, the sixth day of the monthlong spring signing period, Self said he expected White to be “an impact player for us beginning from day one upon his arrival on campus.”

…“Recently I’ve been jumping rope and working on leg strength and my vertical and ballhandling,” said White, who attended both of KU’s games at the Final Four in New Orleans. “In general, my footwork and my pull-up jumper. It’s something I need to work on every day. I will be playing a lot of 2-guard. It will help me help the team and the point guard. That’s a main focus.”

White said he planned to attend first session of summer school and report to campus in early June. He’s been thinking about requesting either jersey No. 4 or 25.
LJW


Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self announced Monday that freshman forward Merv Lindsay had been granted a release to transfer to another school.

“Merv and I met last week about his situation and the opportunities he has here,” Self said. “He has decided it is in his best interest to look elsewhere to have an opportunity for more playing time.”

…“Merv is not a good young man, he is a terrific young man,” Self said. “He has done well in school and he has impacted our program on the practice court and in the locker room in a very positive way. We’re going to do everything we can to support and assist him. He’s leaving here with a great taste in his mouth as we are with him. At this time he is at square one and we’re just looking into it, but he has been granted his release.”

…“With the support of coach Self, me and my family have decided to transfer at the end of the semester to seek more playing time,” Lindsay said. “Now I plan to sit down and look at options.”
“I will never forget my freshman year at Kansas, going to the Final Four and winning a conference championship,” Lindsay added. “I was fortunate to learn under a great coach in coach Self and his staff. Being a part of such a great tradition and contributing to that tradition will always mean a lot to me. I love all my teammates, coaches and all the Kansas fans for their support this past year.”
KU AD


LJW: Hoops FAQ with Tom Keegan


Mahogany Green has joined the Kansas University women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach to replace Aqua Franklin, who accepted an assistant coaching position at Mississippi State.

Head coach Bonnie Henrickson announced the hire Monday.

Green spent the past four seasons as an assistant at Central Michigan, where she helped guide the Chippewas to their second-straight postseason appearance and fourth in school history. At CMU, Green served as the recruiting coordinator, academic liaison and scout and worked on player development, primarily with the guards.

Prior to her time at CMU, Green served similar roles as an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky (2008), IPFW (2007) and Eastern Michigan (2004-06).

Eastern Michigan advanced to the postseason all three seasons with Green on staff, including the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
LJW


It was the summer of 1987. Bonnie Henrickson just wrapped up her first year as a graduate assistant at Western Illinois University.

With nothing more than a determination to work, Henrickson took advantage of WIU head coach Kelly Hill’s connection to Tennessee assistant Holly Warlick from their time together at Nebraska.

Hill put in a call to the Lady Vols to see if Henrickson could help out with the annual Pat Summitt Basketball Camp.

Knowing no one, Henrickson picked up her things from Macomb, Ill., and drove to Knoxville to work as a camp counselor.

Henrickson remained quiet and composed all week, but then lunch time came around one day and people were looking for someone to do Dana Carvey’s Saturday Night Live “Church Lady” sketch for the skit part of the camp.

“Bonnie comes across as a little stoic until you get to know her,” former long-time Tennessee assistant and current assistant coach for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever Mickie DeMoss said. “When she did the ‘Church Lady,’ we just all fell out. We all said, ‘Bonnie’s doing that.’”

Henrickson completed the skit decked out in a wig and dress picked out by some other camp workers. It became one of the funniest sketches of the week.

“I just remember that she was hysterical,” former team manager and current Tennessee Assistant AD for Compliance and Operations for Todd Dooley said. “Her personality and her sense of humor always had something funny to say or do.”

…Being a women’s college basketball coach is a demanding job.

During the season, a head coach might notch a dozen hours of sleep in between watching film, while the athletes grasp a few hours for homework and freedom away from basketball.

Henrickson is one of these coaches, but something she picked up from Summitt long ago was to take the time to write letters.

Throughout her career, Summitt has hand written a note back to every piece of fan mail she’s received until this year. In fact, Henrickson would occasionally write Summitt a note and every time, she would get a handwritten note back.
The personal touch of a hand-written letter is special in an ever-growing technological environment.

That’s why Henrickson has her own set of stationary to do the same thing with many of players and coaches that she writes to throughout the year.

Henrickson wants to show people that coaching is more than about being a great basketball player; it’s about building a family around your team.

“If Pat Summitt has the time to do it, Henrickson said. “Then I have time to do it.”
UDK WBB: Two coaches' storied pasts

Angel Rodriguez has decided to stay at K-State, the Mercury learned on Monday afternoon.
The Mercury


Sophomores J.D. Weatherspoon and Jordan Sibert have notified Ohio State that they will seek transfers and leave the Buckeyes.
Link


Guard John Hart has elected to transfer from the Purdue men's basketball program to seek increased playing time at another school, according to a news release from the school.
Indy Star


CBS: Player transferring has become an epidemic


Baylor Basketball fans might be in for a big change next season.

At their meeting last Thursday the Baylor Student Senate approved a group of bills recommending significant changes to several Baylor institutions.

The Bear Pit bill, written by Sophomore Senators Grant Senter from San Antonio and Kirby Garrett from Bend, Ore., recommends the administration make the Bear Pit a free organization with no dress code and make their courtside seats open to all students on a first come first serve basis. This would effectively disband the organization, which currently requires an entry fee, a dress code and gets courtside seating.

“For too long we have been bullied and intimidated by [the Bear Pit],” Senter said during the Senate debate.

The Bear Pit began in 2005 to support the men’s basketball team. At the time, interest in basketball was low due to NCAA sanctions from the Patrick Dennehy murder scandal which prohibited Baylor from playing in non-conference games that year.

Since then the Bear Pit has grown to nearly 800 members, who wear their black and yellow striped jerseys to every men’s basketball game. Members are required to purchase the jersey, pay an initial $20 fee and wear the jersey at every game. In return the members receive free pizza and drinks at every game and get the courtside seating behind each goal.

Katy senior and Bear Pit’s president Benjamin Friedman said the member’s seats are well earned.

“The most consistent supporters are the ones in the Bear Pit,” Friedman said.

Friedman and the Bear Pit’s public relations officer, Gilmer junior Josh DeMoss say the Bear Pit’s activities go past fanatical cheering at games. Friedman and DeMoss said the Bear Pit and its leadership play an important role in organizing cheers and keeping the fans in line by discouraging things like throwing trash and booing Baylor players.

“We’re trying to represent the university as best as possible,” Friedman said.

Senter sees it differently.

He says the organization doesn’t live up to its purpose by not filling all of the allotted seats, and by acting in ways that don’t portray Baylor fans in a positive light.

“When the Bear Pit is in such a position of power that it’s been in the national spotlight and the national perception it’s damaging to the university,” Senter said

The Bear Pit does, however, enjoy the support of the Baylor basketball community. Friedman said he and the Bear Pit work with men’s basketball head coach Scott Drew to help support the Baylor players, and they’ve gotten positive feedback at games from other fans. DeMoss added that the Bear Pit’s spirit isn’t seen in other areas of the student section.

“We’re not going to sit at the top of the stands and not be engaged,” DeMoss said.

Both Friedman and DeMoss expressed concern that without the Bear Pit, the student section will lack direction and passion.

Senter said the legislation won’t disband the Bear Pit or suddenly decrease school spirit, but change the way being a hardcore Baylor fan works.

Senter and Bennett believe once the Bear Pit is disbanded the student fans as a whole will fill the gap. “My goal in all of this was to unify the Bear Pit, to make the student body the Bear Pit,” Senter said.
Baylor Lariat


The U.S. Basketball Writers Association is moving its college basketball awards presentation ceremonies away from the Final Four.

Starting next year, the Oscar Robertson player of the year award, Wayman Tisdale freshman of the year award and Henry Iba coach of the year award will be given out one week after the national championship game at a gala in Oklahoma City.
AP


The University of West Virginia is set to join the Big 12 this summer, and it will bring a decision unheard of in this part of the country with it — allowing alcohol sales at its home football games.

On June 3, the West Virginia Board of Governors voted 10-5 in favor of allowing alcohol sales at home football games.  Board Member Tom Flaherty said a part of the decision was based on the prevalence of alcohol already seen at games.

“Anybody who thinks there isn’t alcohol in Mountaineer Field is either naive or blind,” Flaherty said. “It’s been going on at every game. It is there. This is a step forward to try to control that.”

West Virginia will take precautionary measures with the sales, such as not allowing points of sale anywhere near the student section, increasing security and cutting off alcohol sales at halftime each game. WVU Athletic Director Oliver Luck said this decision was part of a plan to facilitate a friendly environment at the games.

“By changing the re-entry procedure (no re-admittance after halftime) and smoking areas at the stadium along with today’s change in policy, I believe we have taken a step forward toward our goal of a safer, friendlier and more civil game-day experience,” Luck said.
Link

New NCAA Initial Eligibility Requirements

Quick Reference Guide

NCAA Eligibility Academic Requirements



Tony Parker’s high school coach says he’s still making up his mind but will announce his college choice on Monday.

“At 4 p.m. at the school,” Sharman White of Lithonia (Ga.) Miller Grove told SNY.tv.

“I think he’s still trying to get that decision nailed,” he added. “I think if he knows where he’s going it would be already be done.”

White confirmed that the 6-foot-9 Parker was still considering UCLA, Duke, Kansas, Ohio State and Georgia.

“As far as I know, all those schools are still there,” he said.

UCLA-bound Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson have been in Parker’s ear for some time, including at this past weekend’s Jordan Brand Classic.

But White says Parker has ties to all of the schools he’s considering.

“He’s got teammates at Georgia, he’s pretty close with Coach K, pretty close with the guys at Ohio State as well as the guys on Kansas,” White said.  ”I don’t know where that weighs in with each one.”
Zags Blog


Making the move from a strong class to a truly elite one depended on Arizona winning a recruiting battle against Kansas for Tarczewski, the No. 9-rated player. Tarczewski was important because while Ashley and Jerrett brought a level of versatility to the frontcourt, the team still needed that bruising anchor in the middle.

When it came to convincing Tarczewski about his choice, York played the role of lead recruiter at another camp, adidas Nations.

"The whole time, when my list was down to Kansas and Arizona, (York) was like, 'We've got to get you there. I'm going to throw you the ball every time,' " said Tarczewski, who committed in late October 2011. "With the team they have now and then us coming in, I think we have a great (team)."

The departure of sophomore-to-be point guard Josiah Turner, however, has left something of a hole in what could have been a spotless starting five. Opinions are mixed on who will run the offense when the three big men were asked their opinion, with answers ranging from York to returnees like Nick Johnson and Jordin Mayes.

But even that blemish on the Arizona roster isn't dulling the ambition of this group, which is to follow in the footsteps of the freshmen that led Kentucky to the NCAA title last season and cut down the nets in Atlanta in 2013.

"We all want to step in and really contribute from Day 1," Tarczewski said. "I don't think we really have the same type of players as (Kentucky) did, so I think it will definitely be different than that, but that's what we want to be able to do, to step in and hopefully win a national championship this year."
Sporting News


Shaquille Harrison, Lee's Summit West guard, became Danny Manning's first commitment at the University of Tulsa on Monday night, just hours after making an afternoon visit
Tulsa World


4/21 Capital Classic (Andrew White)


4/27-29 Jayhawk Invitational


4/27-29 Real Deal in the Rock


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar (updated to reflect April Eval period changes)


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube