A weekly round-up of Atlantic 10 men’s basketball.
Stith brothers mural unveiled in Reilly Center
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure University Athletics Department unveiled the Stith Brothers mural in the Reilly Center on Saturday, honoring what has been called the greatest brother act in college basketball history.
Created by ZE Design of Centerville, Ohio, the 7-foot by 10-foot mural of Tom ’61 and Sam ’60 features photos of each player, along with a narrative detailing the brothers’ journey from Brooklyn to Bonaventure and beyond. A list of contributors to the commemorative project flanks both Tom and Sam’s respective accolades.
“On behalf of my family – this is very moving as you can understand – but I want to thank Steve (Watson), Sr. Margaret (Carney) – for keeping the memory alive of the big fellow (Tom) and me – and my classmates,” Sam said in his opening statement. “This (mural) represents the guys that we played with. Tom would always appreciate that our teammates were part of our success – we just stood out a little bit more because we were well trained in the game of basketball.”
Several members of the Stith family were on hand to watch the unveiling, including Tom’s widow, Gladys. Sam was the first African-American player ever at Bona’s, and Tom followed him to the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains a year after. Tom, who was the program’s first-ever consensus All-American, passed away on June 13, 2010.
Van Paasen among four inducted to SBU Hall
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure University added four members to its Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon, as Chris Blocher ’99, Jen Bovee ’99, Patricia Boyle-Rassel ’93 and Peter Van Paassen ’01 were honored for their achievements in the Brown and White.
Blocher, an Olean native, capped a stellar golf career with a runner-up finish at the Atlantic 10 Championship his senior season, earning All-Conference honors. A four-year mainstay in the lineup, Blocher led the Bonnies in scoring average both his junior (76.1) and senior (75.6) seasons and was a two-year team captain.
UR’s Harper gets feedback from NBA workouts
Justin Harper has completed eight workouts for NBA teams and he has just two left as he prepares for the NBA draft on June 23.
Harper is a Meadowbrook High and University of Richmond graduate.
“I’ve gotten good feedback from all of the teams I’ve worked out with,” Harper said Friday. “Some are more interested than others, but generally, it’s been great feedback. It’s been really motivating me to keep working and finish off strong.”
Harper, who averaged 17.3 points as a senior at UR, is projected to be picked late in the first round or early in the second round of the draft.
UR notes
Two Novembers ago, the University of Richmond played in the South Padre Island Invitational, got neutral-court opportunities against Mississippi State and Missouri, and beat both. Last November, UR played in the Chicago Invitational, got a neutral-court shot at nationally ranked Purdue, and won.
On Nov. 22 in Cancun, the Spiders will face Illinois in a 1,500-seat convention center. UR will deal with Rutgers or Illinois State the following day. The games are part of the Cancun Challenge, which brings Hampton to the Robins Center on Nov. 17, and Sacred Heart to the Robins Center on Nov. 19.
2011 Richmond signees
Year in review: Dayton Flyers
SLU to play five games north of the border
ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis University men’s basketball will head to Canada in August for five exhibition games in preparation for the 2011-12 season. The trip, which takes advantage of an NCAA guideline allowing a program to take a foreign trip once every four years, grants the Billikens additional practice and playing time before the fall semester and gives fans an early glimpse of this year’s team.
In addition to the five exhibition games, the Billikens receive 10 full-squad practice days in St. Louis prior to departing for Canada. Check SLUBillikens.com at a later date for information on open practices and other fan-friendly events.
Whitesell to join SLU staff
Also, the school will announce soon that former Loyola (Chicago) coach Jim Whitesell will take Porter Moser’s place on the basketball coaching staff. It turns out that will be pretty much a trade: Whitesell was fired by Loyola in March and replaced by Moser. Now Whitesell takes Moser’s place.
Year in review: Duquesne Dukes
Kareem Richardson joins Xavier staff
CINCINNATI — Xavier University head coach Chris Mack announced today that Kareem Richardson has been hired to fill the assistant coach vacancy on his Musketeer staff. Richardson, 36, comes to Xavier from Drake University, where he has been the head assistant coach for the past three seasons. He has also served on staffs at UMKC, Evansville Indiana State, Wright State and Indianapolis.
“I am excited to announce the hiring of our newest assistant coach, Kareem Richardson,” said Mack. “As I poured through emails, phone calls and text messages it became clear Kareem was the right fit for our staff at Xavier. He knows the game, he can teach the game and he is a leader. Kareem is as well rounded and as hungry of a coach as I could find.”
Cincinnati Enquirer article on Richardson hire
CINCINNATI — Xavier basketball coach Chris Mack announced Thursday that Kareem Richardson has been hired as an assistant on his staff.
Richardson, who spent the past three seasons as the top assistant for Drake, fills the vacancy created when associate head coach Pat Kelsey left XU May 16.
Lavoy Allen misses workout due to injury
As someone known for disappearing during games, Lavoy Allen needs impressive pre-draft workouts to make an NBA team.
But it’s extremely hard to impress front-office personnel if you’re unable to compete.
Due to a sprained left ankle, the Temple power forward couldn’t partake in Monday’s workout with the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford, N.J.
Watch sports videos you won’t find anywhere else
One of the reasons the University of Dayton was so keen on hiring Archie Miller as basketball coach was because of his experience at big-time programs.
As Miller worked to fill his staff, he wanted to surround himself with others who have that same background.
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Delroy James busy on NBA draft road
While much of the local NBA Draft attention has gone towards potential first round pick Marshon Brooks, URI’s Delroy James is on the league’s radar as well.
While one NBA executive just told me that James is likely a “Triple A player” who could make good money overseas, the league is certainly intrigued by the lefty Ram forward who can score in bundles. James worked out for the Sacramento Kings on Saturday in California and was in Washington this morning working out for the Wizards along with center Brian Williams (Tennessee), forwards Denzell Bowles (James Madison), D’Mario Curry (Lincoln Memorial) and guard Cory Joseph (Texas).
Derek Kellogg lends helping hand to hometown
The tornadoes that touched down in Western Massachusetts on June 1 not only tore through the heart of Springfield, they also tore through the heart of University of Massachusetts men’s basketball coach Derek Kellogg.
“This is where I grew up,” Kellogg told CBS Sports . “And I still can’t believe how it looks.”
There was never a doubt in Kellogg’s mind that he had a responsibility to help his community. So the Springfield native immediately went to American Red Cross executive director Rick Lee looking to help in any way he could.
CBS Sports article on this story
A-10 announces men’s basketball conference match-ups for 2011-12
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Atlantic 10 Conference will once again play a 16-game men’s basketball conference schedule in 2011-12, which allows teams to face each opponent once and three teams twice. The complete 2011-12 Conference schedule with dates and times will be announced at a later date.
Here is a look at each school’s home and away pairings for 2011-12:
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.
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