Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self announced Friday that Jerrance Howard will join his staff as an assistant coach for the Jayhawks.
Howard comes to KU after one season in the same position on Larry Brown's staff at SMU. He replaces Joe Dooley who left KU after 10 seasons to become the head coach at Florida Gulf Coast in April.
"Jerrance has great energy, is unbelievably positive and in a short amount of time has established himself as one of the better recruiters in college basketball," Self said. "Having worked for one of my former assistants, Billy Gillispie, and my former mentor Larry Brown, I'm totally comfortable with him coming in here, having a smooth transition and having an immediate, positive impact on our program."
Prior to SMU, where the Mustangs were 15-17 in Brown's first year, Howard spent the previous five seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Illinois. While at UI he earned a reputation as one of the top young assistant coaches in the country and one of the nation's best recruiters. Before Illinois, Howard spent three-plus seasons on Billy Gillispie's staffs at Texas A&M and Kentucky.
"Being around Coach Brown and hearing all the great stories about when he was at Kansas, I've been overwhelmed," Howard said of becoming a KU assistant. "Coach Brown talks about the great players like Danny Manning, the tradition and the history. Kansas is the mecca. I've been excited and haven't slept in two days. It's a great feeling to be at Kansas and with my former coach.
"I am really grateful to learn and coach under Coach Brown this past year at SMU," Howard said. "He's a Hall of Fame coach and I will take a lot from my time on his staff."
A Peoria, Ill., native, Howard was a four-year letterwinner for the Fighting Illini from 2001-04, including three seasons for Self. During his career, Illinois compiled a record of 104-31 overall and 48-16 in the Big Ten Conference. The Illini won three Big Ten championships (2001, 2002, 2004), a Big Ten Tournament title (2003) and appeared in the NCAA Tournament all four years, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2001 and the Sweet 16 in both 2002 and 2004.
"I'll bring energy and enthusiasm every day," Howard said. "I've been in the trenches like the other coaches, fighting with that energy every day in practice, preparation and all aspects of the program. I have a great relationship with Norm Roberts and I love Kurtis Townsend. I'm really looking forward to and am excited about being on staff and learning from those guys. They are two of the best guys in the business."
Howard brings with him a strong playing career, over half of which was spent under Self. He played point guard for the Illini, backing up All-Americans Frank Williams, Dee Brown and Deron Williams.
"Jerrance is one of my all-time favorite players," Self said. "Even though he didn't play a lot, he found a way to impact our program and probably had as much to do with us winning games as anybody on our team in the years I was at Illinois."
Howard developed a reputation as the program's inspirational leader was a team captain his junior and senior seasons. He also was a two-time winner of the Kenny Battle Award, an accolade voted upon by the players and coaches and given to an Illini who earns the respect of his teammates through hard work and effort in games and practice each day.
"This came about from me playing for Coach Self at Illinois," Howard said. "We did some special things - winning Big Ten titles and going to the Elite Eight - but it was Coach Self who inspired me to coach basketball. I remember him after practice one day asking 'have you ever thought about coaching?' and I said 'not really' and he said 'well you need to think about it.' I credit Coach Self getting me started in my coaching career."
Howard earned a bachelor's degree in speech communication from the University of Illinois in 2004. He is married to the former Jessica Wordlaw, who also is an Illinois graduate. The Howards have a son, Jerrance Jr., and a daughter, Jaya Brooklyn-Rose.
"One of the important fits for me in selecting an assistant coach is that I wanted someone who is loyal, a tireless worker, has great contacts and will bring something to the table recruiting-wise," Self said. "From a basketball standpoint, I wanted someone that through their experiences could also add to what we are doing and Jerrance can certainly do that. We have an unbelievable staff and I wanted someone who fit well with Norm (Roberts) and Kurtis (Townsend) and both those guys are very excited about adding Jerrance to the mix."
KUAD
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self on Doc Sadler joining Iowa State’s staff as an assistant coach. Sadler joined KU’s staff July 2012 and served as the director of men’s basketball operations for the 2012-13 season.
Bill Self: “I’m excited for Doc. He did a great job here. All the players loved him, respected him and certainly he added a great additional set of eyes and mindset to our staff. He will definitely be missed.
Doc is a terrific coach and wants to be on the floor. Fred’s (Hoiberg) position at Iowa State opened up and he wasted no time in coming after Doc. Doc will be a huge asset for their team not only from a recruiting standpoint, but also as an on-the-floor coach. He’s a terrific coach that loved what he did last year but missed getting a chance to work with the guys in practice. I think this is a win-win for everybody.
I have several scenarios (about a replacement) playing out. In a perfect world I would like to have it done next week, but I’m not sure that is possible. I do anticipate announcing what we will do with that position in the next week or two.”
WIBW
Today is the deadline for submitting 2014 #FinalFour tix app. for games at @CowboysStadium - hosted by #Big12
@Big12Conference
Space available for Bill's Basektball Boogie
RockChalk Roundball Classic on June 13
“Kansas is so basketball centric that it creates problems. I’m not saying it creates problems, it’s problematic.” Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
“The things that become troublesome at Kansas I think is that their fan base is so big and so many people are Kansas fans that the basketball (overtakes everything) and there’s kind of fake energy put into football. Come on, most people don’t care (about Kansas football)!” Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
“I’ll tell you where K-State has an advantage over Kansas – it’s in its Kansas-ness. Kansas State is Kansas through and through. They are salt-of-the-earth people through and through.” Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
“If you’re a Kansas State fan – you went to Kansas State. … (The University of) Kansas is more cosmopolitan and has people that are from places that are nowhere near here. It’s difficult to create that same kind of feeling that you have in a place like Manhattan.” Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
Link
A BIG WIN for the Kansas Jayhawks turned into a big win for the Battle 4 Atlantis and for the Bahamas as the island-nation will be one of the first to see one of the most sought after recruits in college basketball history in the 2013-14 season.
When the “Andrew Wiggins Sweepstakes” ended on May 15 and the top player in the Class of 2013 signed a letter of intent with Kansas, he also joined the programme expected to headline the third edition of the B4A when it tips off this November.
The 2013 field finally rounded out earlier this month with the edition of the Big 10s Iowa Hawkeyes who will join the Jayhawks (Big12) Villanova (Big East), Wake Forest (ACC), Tennessee (SEC), Southern California (PAC-12), Texas El-Paso (Conference USA) and Xavier (A-10).
The Jayhawks, who ended the 2012 season ranked fourth in the Associated Press poll, were already pegged as favourites with their incoming class, including five star recruit Wayne Selden, Joel Embiid (four stars), Brannen Greene, Conner Frankamp (four stars) and Frank Mason (three stars).
The addition of Wiggins now makes the Jayhawks one of the most highly anticipated teams to watch this season.
…The B4A has built a reputation as one of the toughest early season NCAA tournaments with its tough field and lengthy list of star power.
In year one, the B4A featured what organisers called a “dress rehearsal” to evaluate Atlantis’ ability to host an NCAA tournament where Georgia Tech featured current New York Knick Iman Shumpert, while Virgina Tech was led by current first round draft prospect Erick Green.
In 2011, it transitioned to a full eight-team tournament, featuring then defending National Champions, the UConn Huskies and NBA lottery pick Jeremy Lamb, now of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 2012 B4A featured arguably the most stacked early season NCAA field ever with four ranked teams Louisville (2), Duke (5), Missouri (13) and Memphis (19), plus unbeaten Minnesota, which was ranked 26th.
Louisville went on the win the NCAA National Championship and the field included seven players projected to be selected in next month’s NBA draft
The Tribune
The conversations leaned late into the night as Dee Brown and Deron Williams contemplated a new home. In their estimation, the situation at Illinois after their first season was not what they had signed up for.
"When coach (Bill) Self left (for Kansas), those guys felt betrayed and cheated," Jerrance Howard said Wednesday when he was hired as an assistant coach at Illinois. "They were real emotional. You could have brought Michael Jordan in there and it wouldn't have changed their mind."
Their minds were reeling. The prospect of transferring to a different school was very much in the picture. Brown, a Chicagoan, was clashing with a new and unfamiliar coaching staff. Williams, a Texan, didn't like the cold weather or the middle-of-nowhere locale, and he was miffed at Self's exit, Howard said.
"I sat down with those guys for three nights in a row," he said. "It was deep, heart-to-heart stuff."
The meetings took place in Howard's apartment in Savoy. He told Brown and Williams, the flash and smash of a promising backcourt, they would experience three stages in their time of uncertainty after Bruce Weber replaced Self.
First, he said, they would be angry. Second, they would be hurt. Third, they would get to work.
"I told them we had something special going on with Coach Weber," Howard said. "The rest is history."
Sure, you say, but can Jerrance Howard recruit?Can he recruit the elite players?
Shoot, he handled the most important recruiting pitch in Illinois basketball history. As an upperclassman before the 2003-04 season, Howard gathered a pair of future NBA guards and convinced them to stay at Illinois.
You've heard of a commitment, or a decommitment. He got the re-commitment that led to a school-record 37 wins in 2004-05.
"Deron was in my wedding (Aug. 11)," Howard said. "He stood up and said, 'Jerrance is the reason I stayed at Illinois.' "
9/20/2007 News Gazette
Every year, I put together a "Best Available List" for ESPN's coverage of the NBA draft. For the past 11 years, this list has been based not upon a player's expected draft position, but on which players are the best prospects and project to be the best NBA pros.
For this year's Top 30 best available players, I have broken down each player with his "Success Piece" (the attributes the player exhibits that will most likely lead him to success in the NBA), his "Fail Piece" (the things that could hold the player back from having success in the NBA), his projected fit in the league, and a brief overview.
1. Ben McLemore, SG, Kansas
Success Piece: Elite shooter and transition athlete.
Fail Piece: Assertiveness, overall toughness and maturity, ability to defend in isolation.
Projected Fit: Starter to All-Star
Overview: McLemore is the player in this draft who is most likely to mature into an All-Star. His talents are considerable. The only question is whether he has the temperament and assertiveness to be a star performer on the NBA level. If selected by a team with an established star, McLemore can have the room to mature into one himself.
ESPN Jay Bilas ($)
If the Cleveland Cavaliers use the first pick to select University of Kentucky center Nerlens Noel, then the Magic would be able to pick McLemore, whom many experts regard as the best shooter in the draft and one of the top overall prospects.
"The Orlando Magic, I think that's a great program," McLemore said. "I think I could fit perfectly in that system and that organization and help that team in different kinds of ways."
On May 16, McLemore met with Magic GM Rob Hennigan, assistant GMs Scott Perry and Matt Lloyd and coach Jacque Vaughn during the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
That 30-minute session served as a get-to-know-you meeting.
McLemore said he "can't wait" to visit Orlando, work out individually for the Magic and have additional conversations with Magic officials.
He said a specific date hasn't been set up yet, but it will occur.
McLemore already feels a kinship with Vaughn, who attended Kansas and played four seasons for the Jayhawks during the mid-1990s.
"It was great just walking in [during that May 16 meeting] and just seeing that face and seeing that connection as soon as we saw each other," McLemore recalled. "Big smiles came on our faces. He was great."
Orlando Sentinel
Former Kansas University basketball guard Terry Nooner has been hired as assistant women’s basketball coach at the University of Alabama, Crimson Tide coach Kristy Curry has announced.
Curry worked the past seven seasons as head coach at Texas Tech. Nooner worked last season as an assistant on Bonnie Henrickson’s KU staff.
Nooner, a former guard and team captain for the KU men’s team from 1997-2000, helped KU to a 20-14 overall record in 2012-13 while advancing to the fourth NCAA Sweet 16 in program history and its first in back-to-back seasons. He came to KU after working as an assistant for one year at Southern Illinois.
LJW
James Naismith home for sale
Big 12/College News
Ronald Holmes, father of former UCLA basketball star Shabazz Muhammad, was indicted Thursday on federal bank fraud and conspiracy charges.
Holmes’ address listed in the federal indictment matches one given by the family in a Dream Vision traveling basketball team program.
Muhammad and his younger brother, Rashad, both played for Dream Vision, an Amateur Athletic Union team.
The indictment states that Holmes and his partners obtained “mortgage loans by fraudulent means to buy houses,” from 2006 to 2009.
The U.S. attorney’s office is seeking to recover $2.5 million from Holmes. Shabazz, 20, played one year at UCLA before declaring for the NBA draft. UCLA recruited him while he played for Bishop
Gorman High School. Rashad, 18, who also played for Bishop Gorman, will attend San Jose State on a basketball scholarship in the fall.
According to the court documents, Holmes is being detained pending a detention hearing.
This is an all too familiar path for Holmes.
In 1999, he pleaded guilty to using fraudulent bank statements in order to obtain mortgages. The plea agreement noted that Holmes paid a restitution fee of approximately $78,000 to banks and credit unions that he committed the crimes against.
Las Vegas Review Journal
In the weeks leading up to the June 27 NBA draft, we’ll be taking a look at the 20 schools that have produced the best pros in the modern draft era (since 1989, when the draft went from seven to two rounds). Click here to read Eamonn Brennan’s explanation of the series, which will be featured in the Nation blog each morning as we count down the programs from 20 to 1.
ESPN Path to the Draft: No. 20 Syracuse
No. 19 Ohio State
The president of Ohio State University said Notre Dame was never invited to join the Big Ten conference because the university's priests are not good partners, joking that "those damn Catholics" can't be trusted, according to a recording of a meeting he attended late last year.
Gordon Gee also took shots at schools in the Southeastern Conference and the University of Louisville, according to the recording of the December meeting of the school's Athletic Council that The Associated Press obtained under a public records request.
The university called the statements inappropriate and said Gee is undergoing a "remediation plan" because of the remarks.
Gee was on a long-planned family vacation and unavailable for comment, Ohio State spokeswoman Gayle Saunders said. He apologized in a statement released to the AP.
"The comments I made were just plain wrong, and in no way do they reflect what the university stands for," he said in the statement. "They were a poor attempt at humor and entirely inappropriate. There is no excuse for this and I am deeply sorry."
Gee, who has taken heat before for uncouth remarks, told members of the council that he negotiated with Notre Dame officials during his first term at Ohio State, which began more than two decades ago.
"The fathers are holy on Sunday, and they're holy hell on the rest of the week," Gee said to laughter at the Dec. 5 meeting attended by Athletic Director Gene Smith, several other athletic department members, professors and students.
"You just can't trust those damn Catholics on a Thursday or a Friday, and so, literally, I can say that," said Gee, a Mormon.
The Big Ten had for years courted Notre Dame, but the school resisted as it sought to retain its independent status in college football. In September, the school announced that it would join the Atlantic Coast Conference in all sports except football and hockey but would play five football games each year against ACC teams.
In the recording, Gee referred specifically to dealing with the Rev. Ned Joyce, Notre Dame's longtime executive vice president, who died in 2004.
"Father Joyce was one of those people who ran the university for many, many years," Gee said.
Gee said the Atlantic Coast Conference added Notre Dame at a time when it was feeling vulnerable.
"Notre Dame wanted to have its cake and eat it, too," Gee said, according to the recording and a copy of the meeting's minutes.
…During his comments to the Athletic Council, Gee also questioned the academic integrity of schools in the Southeastern Conference and the University of Louisville.
The top goal of Big Ten presidents is to "make certain that we have institutions of like-minded academic integrity," Gee said. "So you won't see us adding Louisville," which is also joining the ACC.
After a pause followed by laughter from the audience, Gee added that the Big Ten wouldn't add the University of Kentucky, either.
Louisville spokesman Mark Hebert said the university accepted Gee's apology but planned to forward Gee information about the upward trajectory of its academic and athletic programs. Kentucky president Eli Capilouto declined to comment.
During the meeting, Gee also said he thought it was a mistake not to include Missouri and Kansas in earlier Big Ten expansion plans. Missouri has since joined the SEC.
"You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing," Gee said when asked by a questioner how to respond to SEC fans who say the Big Ten can't count because it now has 14 members.
AP
2013-14 Early-season events schedule
Recruiting
5/30/13, 7:54 PM
Duke has a BIG weekend starting tomorrow hosting 2014 wing Justise Winslow (@Chief_Justise) through Sunday. Blue Devils making their move.
@JayJayUSATODAY
Well, by now most of you have seen my final list of eight schools which are: Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Illinois, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State and Ohio State.
First, I want to say that some people on Twitter are crazy.
Everybody was coming at my head because I said it was in no particular order but people looked at it real quick and were calling me dumb because they thought it was in alphabetical order.
Well, for everyone who doesn't know, A comes before E. So, like I said, there's no particular order.
My dad thought that was funny too. It's sad what people on Twitter worry about.
OK, well moving on, I always knew that Baylor, Duke, Michigan State, Ohio State and Kansas would make the list because I had such great in-home visits with all of those schools and I've gotten really close to them. They left a huge impression on me and my family.
With Illinois I just love what Coach (John) Groce is doing there and I really believe in what he's done and what he's capable of. Then Arizona is a school that's always been there with Coach (Sean) Miller. I went out there my freshman year and I just love everything about it.
Kentucky speaks for itself.
I talk to Coach (John) Calipari and Coach Orlando (Antigua) often and we've got a great relationship. It just speaks for itself there.
Obviously, I've left a lot of quality schools off my list.
To be honest, I didn't want to make a list because I knew it would be impossible with all the great schools recruiting me. But I knew it was something I had to do.
Like North Carolina; they were my favorite school growing up but I had to cut them.
I pretty much knew in my mind that I wasn't going there. They were recruiting me pretty hard but they backed off of me a little with them getting a great point guard in Joel (Berry) and everyone knowing that me and Tyus (Jones) are playing together in college.
I guess they felt like that wasn't gonna happen. But I still love North Carolina.
Then Georgetown was another school I liked a lot but I just had to go in another direction. Louisville was the same way. I love Coach (Rick) Pitino and they were coming off the national title but I just wasn't feeling it strongly enough there. They were another school that backed off a little too.
Florida was tough to leave off because I really liked them. Same with schools like N.C. State, DePaul... There were a few more.
It's hard!
People don't understand how hard it is. You definitely have to nit-pick a little because the smallest thing could make the difference. That said, I'm so happy to have my list cut down. It's a load off.
Me and my dad are talking about the next steps now. We've talked about cutting it down to four or five, but we're not sure just yet. I'll keep you guys posted as I think it through.
USA Today Jahlil Okafor blog
Recruiting Calendar
2013 Spring/Summer AAU & Camp Schedule
My KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube
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