A weekly round-up of Atlantic 10 men’s basketball.
Adegboye undaunted by 2011 challenge
Two decades have passed since the doors of international basketball were opened to professional players from across the Atlantic, the USA’s Dream Team showcasing the consequences of allowing the best of the best to take part, regardless of their bank balance.
Other sports have legitimized payments. Competition has become a legitimate career, not a past-time. The amateur era, at the highest level, has long since passed.
Almost. Last summer, Ogo Adegboye was a boy among men, attempting to hold his own on national service.
Then just 22, not only was the point guard asked to play his part in Great Britain’s Eurobasket qualifying campaign but to the surprise of many – himself included – he was handed a starting role.
Gathers, Johnson Ink NLIs to join St. Bonaventure
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Head coach Mark Schmidt announced the addition of combo guards Jordan Gathers and Chris Johnson to the men’s basketball team for the 2011-12 season on Friday.
“Both Jordan and Chris are terrific additions to our basketball family,” said Schmidt, who will enter his fifth season at St. Bonaventure in 2011-12. “They fit our style of play and we’re excited about having them join our program.”
The 6-foot-3 Gathers was rated at an 85 overall by ESPNU College Basketball Recruiting and ranked among the top 120 combo guards in his class. He will have four years of eligibility with the Bonnies.
D.J. Peterson signs NLI to play at La Salle
PHILADELPHIA – D.J. Peterson (Minnetonka, MN / Hopkins / Lee Academy (ME)) has signed a National Letter of Intent to play men’s basketball at La Salle, head coach Dr. John Giannini announced today.
“We recruited D.J. out of high school and prep school because he is the type of person and player we want in our program,” head coach Dr. John Giannini said. “He is a complete guard with good size who can dribble, pass, shoot and defend. As a person, he is bright, personable, and passionate about basketball. I am very excited about D.J. joining us. I expect him to make a positive contribution to our team next year and to have an excellent playing career.”
Peterson excited to join Explorers
D.J. Peterson wants to help restore the winning tradition of La Salle basketball.
The 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard signed with the Explorers on Monday and is excited to help turn around a program that hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1992.
He said he picked La Salle over Rhode Island and Fresno State. A native of Minnetonka, Minn., Peterson spent last season prepping at Lee Academy in Maine.
Click here to read the rest of the article and hear the interview.
Allen Griffin Named to Dayton’s Staff
DAYTON, Ohio — University of Dayton men’s basketball coach Archie Miller has named Allen Griffin the newest member of his coaching staff. Griffin, 32, has 11 years experience in Division I basketball, including four seasons as a standout point guard at Syracuse University.
“Allen is extremely talented, not only as a coach, but as a role model,” Miller said. “He really fits into our basketball program’s mission of the total development of our players, as well as the mentoring of young people as it relates to the University of Dayton as a whole. We are extremely excited to add him to our staff and look forward to his making an impact immediately.”
Griffin captained the Orangemen as a senior in 2000-01, when he averaged 10.8 points and 6.5 assists, ranking seventh all-time in school history for assists in a season. He had 409 assists in his career. Griffin played 133 games for the Orangemen and was a part of four NCAA Tournament teams. His Orange teams combined for a 98-36 record in that span (a .731 winning percentage).
New Yorker added to UD coaching staff
Allen Griffin has hardly been able to contain his enthusiasm over becoming an assistant basketball coach at the University of Dayton. He’s been babbling about it so much that even his wife, Tiffany, has reached her limit.
“I’ve been so excited, my wife said, ‘Can you talk about our family a little bit? For the last week, all you’ve talked about is Dayton, Dayton, Dayton,’ ” Griffin said.
UD coach Archie Miller is just as pumped up about having Griffin on board. The 32-year-old former Syracuse captain spent last season as an assistant at Hofstra. Before that, he was on staff at Providence and St. Francis.
Flyers hope to bring in 6-9 French recruit
The University of Dayton basketball team has four available scholarships to give to incoming recruits, and coach Archie Miller would like to see at least one of them claimed this week.
Alexandre Gavrilovic, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward from Strasbourg, France, began a two-day visit at UD on Wednesday.
Gavrilovic, who played at IMG Academy in Florida, won a gold medal in the European Championships while playing as a 19-year-old on the French under-20 team last summer. He signed a letter-of-intent with Providence in 2010 but was never admitted because of issues with his French academic transcript.
UD 27th Nationally in Attendance
The University of Dayton finished in the Top 30 in men’s basketball attendance for the 14th straight season in 2010-11, according to a report by the NCAA released Wednesday.
The Flyers finished 27th in the NCAA in attendance with an average of 12,567 fans a game, after averaging 12,259 a year ago. Since UD Arena opened in 1969, Dayton has been in the NCAA`s top 35 in attendance every season.
The Flyers led the Atlantic 10 in attendance for the 14th straight season. UD averaged more than 2,400 fans a game better than any other team in the conference. In conference games only, Dayton averaged 12,719 fans a game.
Mack addresses Skip Prosser Classic hiatus
“It’s unfortunate that Wake Forest could not find a date to continue a series that honors a man that meant a lot to us. We threw out several dates that never seemed to be an option to Wake.”
Xavier lands 7-4 center
CINCINNATI — Xavier’s men’s basketball program has added 7-foot-4 center Sim Bhullar to its Class of 2012.
Bhullar, a senior at Huntington Prep (W.Va.), said he chose the Musketeers over Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Syracuse, Wake Forest and Michigan.
Holloway decision deadline May 8
Click on the link below for 2011 draft projections.
May 8 is a big day for Tu Holloway. It’s the last day underclassmen who have not signed with agents can withdraw from the NBA draft’s early-entry list and preserve their college eligibility.
In April the point guard said he hadn’t explored options to play abroad and believed he’d return to XU for his senior season. But he also has been consistent about his dream of playing in the NBA.
Richmond attendance average increase ranks 13th in the nation
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond had the 13th-highest increase in average attendance from 2009-10 and finished in the top-100 in the nation in men’s basketball attendance for the 2010-11 season, according to statistics compiled by the NCAA.
The Spiders’ average attendance increased by 1,330 from the 2009-10, which ranked 13th in the nation. Richmond averaged 5,959 fans in the Robins Center in 2010-11, up from 4,629 in 2009-10.
Rhode Island Pink-Out raised over $8,000 for Breast Cancer Charity
KINGSTON, R.I. — URI Athletics and South County Hospital presented the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation with a check in the amount of $8,094, raised during this year’s Pink Out men’s basketball game.
The Fifth Annual Pink Out presented by South County Hospital was held on Wednesday, Feb. 9 as the men’s basketball team defeated Dayton, 67-53. URI student-athletes sold over 3,200 Pink Out t-shirts throughout campus and the local community during the weeks leading up to the event. All proceeds from the event benefited the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation.
Temple one of Rothstein’s Five teams on the rise
Will the Owls build on their first NCAA tournament win under Fran Dunphy? Without question. Gone is power forward Lavoy Allen, but Temple still has an incredibly solid perimeter led by point guard Juan Fernandez. Ramone Moore and Scootie Randall are back to provide plenty of punch on the wings while center Michael Eric should be fully recovered from a patella injury. Look for Dunphy to have the Owls in the Top 25 for the majority of the season.
Draft deadline move doesn’t help kids
I’m not personally disappointed at all because, as I wrote a few weeks ago, moving the deadline to enter the NBA Draft up to mid-April is actually a good thing for me because it shortens the time I have to think about who’s in and who’s out. So for purely selfish reasons, I’m pumped. But as I also wrote a few weeks ago, the rule change is an obviously crummy deal for student-athletes, and the ACC coaches who proposed it should never again be allowed to say they’re in this to help young people because the rule adopted Thursday by the NCAA Board of Directors doesn’t help young people in any way.
Rules committee recommends change
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee on Wednesday recommended a restricted area arc three feet from the center of basket where a secondary defender cannot legally take a charge.
The restricted arc, which must be clearly marked and discernable in the lane, would take effect in the 2011-12 season in all three divisions if it is approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel. That group, which considers all proposals from playing-rules committees, has a conference call on June 9. No rules proposals are final until the oversight panel approves them.
The idea of a restricted area arc has gathered momentum over the last few years and was thoroughly vetted at the rules committee meeting held Sunday through Wednesday in Indianapolis.
Yes, recruiting changes are here again
The uncomfortable bleachers. The tiny outposts of North Augusta and, back in the day, Teaneck. The misguided Garmins that wind up dazed and confused in Las Vegas. Lunch at 4 p.m. and dinner at midnight.
These are the summer survival stories college basketball coaches tote around like badges of honor.
And it is during that July grind — knee-deep in the oppressive heat of Vegas, the humidity of South Carolina and stuck in sweaty gyms everywhere — that most of this country’s college basketball talent has been unearthed.
East tops West in Jordan Brand Classic
The East All-Americans used a balanced attack with seven players in double figured, led by 26 points and 14 rebounds from James McAdoo, to take a 113-109 win over the West in the Jordan Brand Classic. However, it was Kentucky-bound Anthony Davis who stood out immeasurably in Charlotte Saturday evening.
Davis, the 6-10, 220-lb. power forward from Chicago, Ill., went 13-of-15 from the floor with 29 points and 11 rebounds to lead all scorers for the West. He stood out with his length as his wing span allowed him to block four shots in the process. Davis moved around the basket and scored from virtually everywhere in the paint as he looks like he will lead another major recruiting class into Lexington and give John Calipari his best shot at a national championship in the Bluegrass.
Coming soon
Stay tuned for the first annual Pickin’ Splinters rundown of the A10′s incoming class. Fans can get an in-depth look at the new student-athletes to play next season in the Atlantic 10.
Pass it on
Pickin’ Splinters wants to build its readership. Please forward this article on to any basketball and/or A10 fans. Make sure you don’t miss any updates – join the Pickin’ Splinters email list by commenting on this article or by emailing Paul at caseysclipboard@gmail.com.
Leave a Reply