A weekly round-up of Atlantic 10 men’s basketball.
Former Bonnie Ogo Adegboye signs professional contract
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Former Bonnies point guard Ogo Adegboye ’11 has signed a professional contract with APOEL B.C. of the Cypriot 1st Division and Cypriot Cup in Nicosia, Cyprus.
Adegboye, who led the nation in minutes (39.0/game) and averaged 11.5 points in his final season at SBU, graduated from St. Bonaventure in May with a degree in Psychology. The London native closed out his two-year career by helping the Bonnies earn their first winning season (16-15) and postseason appearance (CBI) since 2001-02.
Adegboye was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court following the 2010-11 campaign which recognizes student-athletes who excel in the classroom. He earned the same honor following the 2009-10 campaign.
Summer Hoopin’: How two Owls spent their summer vacation
For most Temple students, the months of June and July signify the beginning of summer vacation — widely regarded as a time to decompress, relax, travel or simply enjoy the perks of returning home. For two members of the men’s basketball team, however, the summer months were an opportunity to continually hone their skills in the off-season by representing their countries in international play.
While some of his classmates may have been content to bask on the pristine beaches of the Virgin Islands, Sophomore guard Aaron Brown was hard at work in St. Croix training with the U.S. Virgin Islands senior men’s national team.
In his third year with the team, Brown saw action in eight games when the team competed in Nassau, Bahamas.
UD picks up series with USC
The Dayton basketball team will play a home-and-away series with Southern Cal beginning in the 2012-13 season in Los Angeles, UD athletic director Tim Wabler said. The Trojans will return the game at UD Arena in 2013-14.
Majerus says health concerns behind him
Rick Majerus admits this past year was the most difficult of his life.
“Nothing can be as bad,” he said.
Majerus lost his mother, Alyce, this past August. He took the brunt of a collision from two players on the sideline this past season — which ultimately resulted in an infection in his leg. Majerus also recently had a stent inserted — which meant he was unable to coach on the team’s recent trip to Canada.
The 63-year-old has had his share of health issues in the past.
But he is more concerned with his team’s well-being than his own.
“I feel good now,” Majerus said. “It’s all behind me now.”
Schedule offers UMass plenty of chances to prove themselves
For UMass alumni and students eager to erase the memories of last year’s disappointing season, there’s new reason to be excited. The recently released 2011-12 basketball schedule will pit the Minutemen against a variety of non-conference opponents from the very start. Many fellow fans will undoubtedly see the first seven games of the season, all against teams outside of the A-10, as a chance at redemption for UMass basketball.
The team ended the 2010-11 season with a lopsided 78-50 loss to Dayton in the first round of the A-10 Tourney. Worse still, the loss happened at home in the Mullins Center. Alumni like me, whose confidence had already been shaken after a roller coaster season, headed back to Amherst for that last game to vindicate our faith in our team. Plenty of us in that impressively-sized crowd walked out disillusioned.
It’s clear that the folks running the UMass basketball program are well aware of the current state of affairs as far as enthusiasm levels. Opening the season with a four-game stretch in the state, the first three on campus at UMass, all against non-conference teams, might go some way in re-energizing the fans.
Rhody Madness presented by Dunkin Donuts is slated for Oct. 14
KINGSTON, R.I. — Fans of Rhody basketball can meet the men’s and women’s basketball teams and watch them scrimmage during the return of Rhody Madness at the Ryan Center on Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.
Rhody Madness, presented by Dunkin’ Donuts, is the tip-off event for the 2011-2012 Rhody basketball season for both teams.
The event is free to the public and will feature a post game autograph session. Season ticket holders will have the chance to pick up their season tickets booklets at the event, while URI students will can pick up their student section t-shirt.
Xavier unveils new billboard campaign
CINCINNATI — Xavier Athletics recently unveiled a series of billboards in highly visible areas on roadways throughout Southwest Ohio. The campaign will continue through November and is a partnership between Xavier Athletic Marketing, Xavier Sports Properties, and Norton Outdoor Advertising.
The displays feature Xavier men’s basketball senior student-athletes Kenny Frease and Tu Holloway. Holloway, an All-American, and Frease will anchor a veteran team that has high expectations and has generated widespread excitement in advance of the season.
Shannon Russell’s A10 primer
It’s hard to bet against a team that has won at least a share of the last five A-10 regular season championships, including the 2011 title outright. The Muskies are even more loaded than last year, bolstered by A-10 player of the year Tu Holloway, third team selection Mark Lyons and honorable mention Kenny Frease. Factor in transfers Andre Walker and Travis Taylor, and the Muskies are deeper and more skilled than a year ago. Freshman Justin Martin, who practiced with the team last season, adds additional athleticism to a seasoned roster. Freshmen Dee Davis and Dezmine Wells join a team that has made the NCAA Tournament 10 times in the last 11 years, including the last six straight.
Spiders’ basketball schedule has familiar names
The University of Richmond’s 2011-12 basketball schedule includes a few familiar names.
The Spiders open against visiting American, coached by Jeff Jones, a former University of Virginia guard and coach.
Then UR plays at Davidson, which hasn’t faced Richmond since the Spiders’ final season of Southern Conference competition (1975-76).
Just before Christmas, UR plays college-basketball blueblood UCLA, at the Los Angeles Sports Arena while famed Pauley Pavilion undergoes a renovation.
Richmond’s 16-game Atlantic 10 Conference schedule starts in early January with two road tests (Charlotte and Rhode Island).
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Owls hoops recruit said to be a treat
Asked to describe Quenton DeCosey, Ed Bright went for the letter T.
“A treat,” Bright said of the St. Joseph-Metuchen senior basketball player, who gave Temple an oral commitment Wednesday night.
“People at Temple are in for a treat,” he added. “He is a tremendous young man.”
The 6-foot-5 swingman is an even better player, according to Bright, who is DeCosey’s mentor and the general manager of the Team Izod AAU program he plays for.
Fordham’s Tom Pecora to Host Coaches vs. Cancer Dinner Benefit
Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham University head men’s basketball coach Tom Pecora will serve as host of the 2011 Coaches vs. Cancer Dinner Benefit to be held on Monday, September 26th at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan.
Pecora, along with five other area basketball coaches including Fordham graduate Mike Rice of Rutgers University, will join Greg D’Alba, EVP & COO of CNN, to have an exciting evening to benefit the life-saving work of the American Cancer Society and its Coaches vs. Cancer initiative.
Aftershocks from the Big East shake-up
Years ago, I was on the phone with former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian when he put me on hold to take another call. Tarkanian came back and said UNLV’s athletic director had just resigned, the same AD who had helped escort Tarkanian out of UNLV.
“All the rats are gone,” Tarkanian said. “Isn’t that beautiful? All the rats are gone.”
PERSISTENCE sometimes does pay off in recruiting.
Saint Joseph’s got on Baltimore area forward Isaiah Miles 3 years ago and never got off.
Miles, who averaged 18.8 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2.75 blocks for Glenelg Country School last season, is the Hawks’ first commitment for the Class of 2012.
The FIBA Oceania playoff between Australia and New Zealand began Wednesday with New Zealand losing 91-78 in Melbourne. The best-of-three series resumes on Friday (early Friday for us). SLU’s Rob Loe played 7 minutes (and two seconds) and had five points (2 of 3 on FGs, 1 of 2 on 3’s) with one rebound and a blocked shot. (According to the shot chart, his FG was from about 5 feet.)
Here’s an excerpt from an interview New Zealand coach Nenad Vucinic did with FIBA.com dealing with Loe, who has been called in for the games:
Last month, John Pudner gave a guest lecture to a sports business class at his alma mater, Marquette, entitled “Winning with Sabermetrics and Micro-Forecasting.” It was about the concurrent rise in popularity of advanced statistics in the realms of sports and politics. A 46-year-old political professional, Pudner ran state-level campaigns for George W. Bush in the 2000 Presidential election, as well as Mitt Romney’s Wyoming effort in 2008, and is the founder of a company called Concentric Direct, most of whose current work focuses on lobbying issues for corporations.
WOLFEBORO, N.H. — It was a chance to get a look at some of the elite prospects in the nation. There were a trio of top 100 players at Brewster Academy, led by Mitch McGary, who checks in at No. 2 in the entire country. Down the road at Tilton Academy resides Nerlens Noel, arguably the most dominant shot-blocker high school basketball has seen in a couple of decades, and also consensus top 10 sophomore Wayne Selden. Then my final stop was at New Hampton, also in New Hampshire, which another Class of 2014 stud — Noah Vonleh — now calls home.
However, after my day-long road trip to the Granite State, the guy who was the most impressive was one I couldn’t find anywhere in the rankings.
Jalen Reynolds.
I had uncovered a hidden gem.
Read more…
Slam’s A-10 Preview
This much is clear: Xavier and Temple are head and shoulders above everyone else in the conference. In terms of talent-level, coaching, experience and expectations those two programs are effectively high-majors playing in a lower-level league.
Toppling Conference, Crouching Muskie
The unexpected departures of Syracuse and Pittsburgh for the ACC may be only the first set of body blows the Big East must endure this week.
National Champions Connecticut are “aggressively” pursuing a move to the ACC, according to Andy Katz:
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