Kansas
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
“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
Big 12/College News
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
Recruiting
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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)
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