Adegboye named to NABC honors court
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ogo Adegboye ’11 has been named to the 2011 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court, which recognizes those collegiate basketball student-athletes who excelled in academics during the 2010-11 season.
The NABC Honors Court recognizes the talents and gifts that these men possess off the court, and the hard work they exhibit in the classroom. In order to be named to the Honors Court, an athlete must meet a high standard of academic criteria. The qualifications are as follows:
1. Academically a junior or senior and a varsity player.
2. Cumulative G.P.A. of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2010-11 academic year.
3. Students must have matriculated at least one year at their current institution.
Duquesne’s McConnell is shooting to make himself better
Sometimes all it takes is a spark.
In a non-conference matchup at Consol Energy Center in December, Duquesne’s basketball team faced Big East behemoth West Virginia. The underdog Dukes barely lost, 64-61, after a gritty performance. Six months later, one play stands out as a missed opportunity that could have tipped the momentum in Duquesne’s favor.
In the midst of a run late in the first half, point guard T.J. McConnell stole the ball and raced down the court. The closest player to him might as well have been miles away and he could have capped the play with a spectacular dunk, an opportunity that does not show itself often for the 6-foot-1 rising sophomore from Chartiers Valley.
Archie Miller brings life experience to Dayton
Basketball coaches love having a coach’s kid on their rosters – the kind of player who understands the game because he has been immersed in it since birth.
At Dayton, the powers that be love having a coach’s kid run their program, too.
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In Archie Miller, Dayton has a coach who has been immersed in the sport since he was a toddler. His father won 657 games as coach at Beaver Falls (Pa.) Blackhawk. In addition, Archie’s brother, 10 years his senior, was an assistant in the Big East before Archie even graduated from high school.
This is how Miller, at 32 the fourth-youngest coach in Division I, landed his first head-coaching job at one of the top programs in the Atlantic 10.
Xavier AD Mike Bobinski Named Chair Of Division I Men’s Basketball Committee For 2012-13
INDIANAPOLIS — Xavier Associate Vice President and Athletic Director Mike Bobinski has been named chair of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee for the 2012-13 season.
Following formal approval by the NCAA Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet, Bobinski’s term as chair will begin in September 2012. He will succeed the Connecticut athletics director Jeff Hathaway, who will chair the committee in 2011-12.
“It is an exciting time to serve on the men’s basketball committee, given the championship’s recent expansion to 68 teams, the advent of the First Four, our new partnership with Turner and CBS and the overall excitement associated with NCAA basketball,” said Bobinski, who will enter the fourth of a five-year term on the committee this fall.
“I’ve been fortunate to observe the great work of the chairs before me and I look forward to the opportunity to further contribute to the committee under Jeff Hathaway’s leadership. It’s a tremendous honor to serve the membership in this capacity.”
Major’s own team of recruits – 4 freshmen and a transfer
As Charlotte 49ers basketball coach Alan Major travels a seemingly endless loop of recruiting trips this month, his first full class of signed prospects awaits back on campus.
“They’re doing the daily things they need to do,” Major said of Charlotte’s five new players – four freshmen, one transfer – who are enrolled in summer school. “They’re finding their way around campus, getting in the weight room. The whole nine yards.”
Major begins his second season at Charlotte in November and he’s probably going to need significant contributions from at least a few of the rookies – guards Pierria Henry, E. Victor Nickerson and Terrence Williams, and centers Mike Thorne and Ilija Ivankovic.
Those who have signed National Letters of Intent include forward Danny Herrera (Miami, Fla./Doral Academy Prep) and guard/forward P.J. Torres (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle).
A pair of international players – Mamadou Datt (Dakar, Senegal/Stoneridge (Calif.) Prep) and Kadeem Pantophlet (Tiel, Netherlands/Canarias Basketball Academy) – have agreed to financial aid agreements. Datt enrolled in July and Pantophlet will enroll in August.
Minuteman Gaffney to play overseas
After working out for several NBA teams prior to the lockout, former University of Massachusetts standout Tony Gaffney has signed a contract to play overseas next season, and former Minuteman teammate Gary Forbes could follow him.
With the lockout not expected to end quickly, many NBA hopefuls are signing contracts to play elsewhere in order to ensure themselves a paycheck. Gaffney signed with Telekom Baskets in Bonn, Germany.
Forbes, who established himself as a regular contributor with the Denver Nuggets last year, was offered a contract to stay with the Nuggets for 2011-12 before the lockout. But he told the Boston Globe that he’d consider playing overseas as well if the lockout stretched into the regular season.
Speaking of Gary Forbes
Former Minuteman Brand makes names in 10 countries
Micah Brand’s daughter, Janiyah, thinks her daddy should be spending more time working out.
Brand, a Middletown native, tells Janiyah, 8, that nothing beats running up and down the court to stay in shape; his toughest workouts this summer are in the Nike Pro City League at New York’s Hunter College.
The court is Brand’s home away from home. He’s spent the last eight seasons playing in 10 different countries.
Brand’s 2010-11 season had a rocky start. He was released by South Korea’s Mobis in November and had his first Christmas at home since 2005. Brand was picked up by Iraq’s Duhok Sports Club for one tournament in January and was signed immediately by Lebanon’s Al-Moutahed Tripoli.
SI’s Luke Winn pegs SBU’s Nicholson as one of his players to watch
The Atlantic 10’s leader in field-goal percentage — and the league’s most athletic, long post prospect — has drawn scouts’ attention for a few years after emerging as an unheralded recruit from the Toronto area. His less-than-stellar rebounding numbers and lack of aggression defending the paint have depressed his stock to a degree, but he could still climb into the first round by putting together a complete senior season.
Year in Review: SJU
PHILADELPHIA – With the youngest squad in the 16 years under coach Phil Martelli, the 2010-11 Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team suffered growing pains, but also showed an abundance of talent and athleticism that should return the Hawks to the Atlantic 10’s elite in future years.
The young Hawks made an exciting late-season run that further solidified the promise for success in the near future, as they won four of the last six games and fell just three points short of a berth in the Atlantic 10 championship game. Although SJU ended the year with an 11-22 record, the Hawks went 6-5 down the stretch.
Saint Joseph’s opened the year with three freshmen in the starting lineup – Langston Galloway, C.J. Aiken and Daryus Quarles – which was Martelli’s youngest starting five ever. After losses to Western Kentucky and Penn State, the Hawks ran off three straight wins in the Philly Hoop Group Classic, earning the title with a 76-70 victory over Rutgers at The Palestra. Carl Jones scored 21 points and and Galloway had 20 to give a glimpse of what was to come from the backcourt duo.
Billikens kick off year-of-the-fan campaign
ST. LOUIS – The Saint Louis University department of athletics today announced the first promotion in the season-long “Year of the Fan” campaign. Fans who renew or purchase season tickets will be entered into a “30 for 30” drawing, which will award 30 unique prizes over a span of 30 days.
The process is simple. Fans who renew or purchase Billiken men’s basketball season tickets prior to Aug. 12 will be entered into a drawing. Beginning July 14, a prize will be given away each day to a season-ticket holder. So, the sooner you renew or purchase season tickets, the more chances you have to win a prize. Those who already have renewed or purchased season tickets have automatically been entered into the drawing. The grand prize, to be awarded at a season-ticket holder event in August, is a trip for two to a Billikens away game. The complete list of prizes is below. Winners will be contacted and listed on SLUBillikens.com each day.
UD’s Johnson finds Durant a handful
Chris Johnson always has been able to hold his own against University of Dayton basketball opponents, but the senior wing admits he felt a little overmatched while facing Kevin Durant at the Nike Skills Academy run by the NBA star.
Johnson was one of 10 college players invited to attend the camp in Chicago last month to work with 20 top high school prospects. North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes and Kentucky’s Doron Lamb also were picked to participate.
Some of the highlights of the three-day session were pick-up games with the Oklahoma City Thunder forward, and Johnson found himself trying to devise ways to slow down the two-time NBA scoring champion.
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Transfers more common in A-10, but not UR
University of Richmond basketball coach Chris Mooney last month discussed recruiting needs as the Spiders’ staff headed into the annual summer search for prospects. Big men are a priority. Darrius Garrett (6-foot-9), Josh Duinker (6-11), Francis-Cedric Martel (6-6) and Conor Smith (6-9) are rising seniors.
Asked about the possibility of transfers joining the program, he said, “We haven’t done that yet, but it’s definitely something that we’re open to.”
Since Mooney became Richmond’s coach for the 2005-06 season, the Spiders have had one transfer, wing Oumar Sylla (Valparaiso), who played through the 2007-08 season. Mooney didn’t bring in Sylla. Former UR coach Jerry Wainwright did.
Q & A with Chris Paul
CINCINNATI — Four-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul came to town last week to visit Chris Mack, one of his former coaches at Wake Forest, and check out Xavier’s facilities for the first time. The New Orleans Hornets’ point guard reconnected with Mack’s family, golfed, checked out Cintas Center and played some hoops.
Tom Muldoon named business director for Philadelphia Big 5
PHILADELPHIA – Tom Muldoon, former president of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, has been named Director of Business Development for the Philadelphia Big 5, announced the association’s chairman, Temple University Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw. A renowned Philadelphia civic and business leader for the past four decades, Muldoon started his own consulting firm this past April, Muldoon & Associates, LLC, specializing in business development.
Test your Rhody skills
Mid-summer 49ers update
The 49ers are still several weeks away from releasing their 2011-12 men’s basketball schedule, but here’s what we know about it so far:
— Coach Alan Major has said Miami is coming to Halton Arena on Dec. 22, and that Charlotte will also play at Memphis on New Year’s Eve. Those are two excellent nonconference additions.
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has rescinded legislation that would have allowed Division I schools to contact high school junior prospects by phone in sports other than football and men’s basketball.
The legislation was approved in April, but schools later raised concerns about extending the recruiting process. The Division I Legislative Council suspended the legislation after receiving more than 100 override requests by the June 27 deadline. It is just the second proposal since 1997 to eclipse 100 override requests.
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.
Good stuff on McConnell! Nice to see he is not resting on a solid freshman season. If he continues to improve, do I dare say that we are looking at one of the top point guards in the country at the college level??
Looking at the Dukes’ incoming class and returning players – if all stay healthy, the Dukes will win an NCAA tournament game before McConnell and Michael Talley graduate.
We are going to have to create a new stat for McConnell. You have heard shots affected? McConnell affects passes. The pressure he puts on the ball forces opponents away from their primary target.
Check out the offensive movement at the 30 second mark in Herrera’s highlight video against the 2-3 zone. I saw a girls’ HS team do that little cut directly to the corner after the entry pass and get an open 3 all year long. But – I like what they do with the 4 and 5 exchange during it as well.
I wish we could get a close-up of the ball-side forward, so we could see his expression as three opponents converge in his area.