The comings and goings of Atlantic 10 men’s basketball.
UD alum Chris Wright dazzles for Golden State in regular season finale
OAKLAND, Calif. – University of Dayton alum Chris Wright made his first NBA start in the regular season finale to help lead the Golden State Warriors with 25 points on 11-of-14 from the field.
The high-flying Wright may have had only 12 field goals on the season before Thursday, but he went 11-for-14 from the field against the Spurs.
Golden State lost 107-101 to the San Antonio Spurs and closed the lockout shortened campaign 23-43 overall.
No sleep till Brooklyn
BROOKLYN – Tickets to the 2013 Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship at Barclays Center in Brooklyn will go on sale Saturday, April 21 at 10 a.m. Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster by visiting www.barclayscenter.com or www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.
In September 2011, the Atlantic 10 Conference formed a five-year partnership with Barclays Center to bring the A-10 men’s basketball tournament to Brooklyn and the new 18,200-seat sports and entertainment venue. The tournament is scheduled for March 14 – 17, 2013. It will mark the first time the A-10 Championship, which sends its champion to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, will be held in metropolitan New York City and the first time it will be played in a new state-of-the-art facility.
Rhodes named to Duquesne staff
PITTSBURGH – First-year Duquesne University head men’s basketball coach Jim Ferry announced today that John Rhodes, head coach at Ohio Northern for the past three seasons, has been named assistant coach.
Rhodes brings 16 years of college coaching experience – and eight seasons of professional playing experience – to the Duquesne bench.
Ohio Northern, which finished in the upper division of the Division III Ohio Athletic Conference in 2010 and 2011, reached the semifinal of the 2012 postseason tournament under Rhodes who went 39-41 in his three seasons at the Ada, Ohio school.
Fordham’s Chris Gaston named second team All-Met
Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham University junior forward Chris Gaston (Union City, N.J./St. Anthony) was named Second Team All-Met at the 79th Haggerty Awards Dinner, presented by the National Invitation Tournament and the Met Basketball Writers Association, on Wednesday night at the Westchester Marriott.
It is the second postseason accolade for Gaston who was also named Second Team All-Atlantic 10 in voting conducted by the league’s 14 head men’s basketball coaches in March. It is also the third straight year that he has been honored by the Met Basketball Writers Association as he was also named Second Team All-Met last year and Rookie of the Year in 2010.
Larsen, McDonald sign NLI’s to join GW
WASHINGTON – George Washington men’s basketball coach Mike Lonergan has announced that Kevin Larsen and Joe McDonald have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Colonials in 2012-13.
The duo join early NLI signees Patricio Garino, Paris Maragkos and Kethan Savage to comprise Coach Lonergan’s first recruiting class at GW.
“We are very excited about our recruiting class,” said Coach Lonergan. “We have a new player at every position and this class, along with Isaiah Armwood, increases our talent level. These young men are true student-athletes who all come from winning programs with great coaches so they all know what it takes to win.”
Jarelle Reischel commits to Rhody
KINGSTON, R.I. — Head coach Dan Hurley announced the addition of Jarelle Reischel to the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team for the 2012-13 academic year. Reischel will continue his academic and athletic endeavors at URI, transferring from Rice University in Houston, Texas.
“Jarelle’s size, athleticism, skill, character, and work ethic make him a great addition to our program and the University community,” Hurley said. “We are excited because we feel Jarelle can have a great impact on the competition level in practice right away and with his three years of eligibility in a Rhody uniform.”
Hurley honored as Co-Met Coach of the Year
KINGSTON, R.I. — Head coach Dan Hurley will be honored as the co-Metropolitan Area Coach of the Year tonight at the 79th Annual Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association in White Plains, N.Y.
This past season at Wagner College, Hurley guided the Seahawks to a 25-6 overall record and a 15-3 mark in Northeast Conference play. Bobby Hurley, brother of head coach Dan and current Rhody associate head coach, was also a member of the Wagner coaching staff this past season.
Building Rhode Island with transfers
One of my first lessons of program building came at the hands of Mike Brey, who took over at the University of Delaware at the tail end of my collegiate career. When I say career, I’m referring to my melodious play-by-play calls of Blue Hen basketball. Anyway, Brey imparted on me the wisdom of the transfer.
Over the course of his time in Newark, I would chide the coach that he took so many transfers it seemed like he didn’t start recruiting until campus directories were printed and he knew how to get in touch with players on other teams. Steadily, Brey constructed a winning program at Delaware behind guys who were on their second and final chances.
SBU players teach clinic for Special Olympians
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Members of St. Bonaventure University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams gave back on Saturday, April 21, to the communities that cheered them through their 2012 NCAA runs. They joined with SIFE and the SBU School of Education in welcoming 10 New York Special Olympics basketball teams to St. Bonaventure for a day of play and learning.
Former-Hawk West puts family first
Dallas Mavericks guard Delonte West is seated in front of his locker in full uniform, his jersey untucked, his size-13 feet bare. With infinite care and meticulous precision, he begins to wrap his left ankle with black medical tape, starting at the forefoot and working his way up. Finished, he lifts his right foot onto the edge of his chair and repeats the pregame ritual he’s maintained for years.
“It’s just like a warrior getting ready for battle,” West said. “You take time to reflect on what you have to do that night for victory. It’s like a Spartacus-type putting on your armor.”
Since his return to action March 29 from a gruesome dislocated and fractured ring finger that required the insertion of stabilizing pins to properly heal, West has added to a routine most professional players relinquish to the head athletic trainer. West holds out his right hand, palm down, and begins the patient process of wrapping his still-swollen-stiff finger, looping the gauzy black material with his left hand around the ring and middle finger until they’re flush, protected for battle.
Fernandez named to PNC student-athlete honor
Fernandez, a native of Rio Tercero, Argentina (Dr. Alexis Carrel HS), is a three-year starter who ended his stellar career ranked seventh in TU history in assists and three-pointers made, and second in three-point field goal percentage. The 6-4 guard scored 1,246 career points, most notable being his buzzer-beater in a 2011 NCAA Tournament win over Penn State. A broadcast journalism major and member of the Director’s Honor Roll, he recently signed a multi-year contract to play professional basketball in Italy.
Mark Lyons will not return to Xavier for his senior season
CINCINNATI — Xavier University head basketball coach Chris Mack announced today that redshirt junior guard Mark Lyons will not be returning for the 2012-13 season.
“After our end of the season meeting with Mark it became apparent that a change for both parties was the right thing moving forward,” said Mack. “During our meeting expectations were outlined for his fifth and final season, areas in which I believe needed improvement. Mark did not recognize these expectations as being important and ultimately it was decided that a change of scenery would be in his best interest. I wish Mark well.”
Hill leaving UD, says choice was his
Ralph Hill is one of the most active University of Dayton basketball players on Twitter, and he posted a series of tweets to vent his frustration Friday after a meeting about his future at UD with coach Archie Miller.
The sophomore reserve gave the impression he was being pushed out of the program to free up a scholarship, writing: “Who coulda thought after everything I been thru this choice wasn’t even mine.”
But he cooled down a day later, posting, “It’s MY decision!”
Sibert enjoys visit with UD
During his trip to check out the University of Dayton basketball program on Friday, Ohio State sophomore transfer Jordan Sibert saw more familiar faces than he might on a normal college visit.
UD coach Archie Miller was once an assistant at OSU and recruited Sibert out of Cincinnati Princeton High School. And Flyers assistant Kevin Kuwik was on the Buckeyes’ staff during Sibert’s freshman year.
Houseknecht, Bonnies mutually agree to part ways
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Head coach Mark Schmidt announced on Tuesday that redshirt junior Jake Houseknecht will not return to the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team next season.
“After meeting with Jake, we mutually agreed that this would be in the best interest of both sides,” Schmidt said. “We thank Jake for his four years of dedication and service to our program. We congratulate him on his graduation next week and wish him well in all his future academic and career endeavors.”
Lyons: Leaving was a business decision
The last time I talked to Mark Lyons was after the Sweet 16 loss to Baylor, when he insisted he would return for his final season and make good on a promise to Chris Mack to propel Xavier to the Final Four.
Things obviously have changed since then.
The school announced April 23 that Lyons would not be back for his last year. Instead of preparing for his last go-round as Musketeer, he has reopened his search and narrowed his focus to Kentucky, Kansas and Arizona.
Xavier loses another assistant
Chris Mack’s offseason to-do list just grew a little longer.
A day after former Xavier men’s basketball assistant coach Rasheen Davis confirmed his new role with Manhattan College’s hoops program, fellow assistant Kareem Richardson was introduced as a member of Rick Pitino’s staff at Louisville.
Former graduate assistant Doug Davenport, who recently completed a two-year program at Xavier, was also announced in a Monday press conference in Louisville. Davenport is the Cardinals’ new director of video operations.
Miller leaves Bona to join Bills
ports Information Director Dallas Miller has resigned his position at St. Bonaventure University to accept a position with the Buffalo Bills, Director of Athletics Steve Watson announced Wednesday.
Source: Butler to join A-10
Butler will officially join the Atlantic 10 for the 2013-14 season Wednesday, a source with direct knowledge of the negotiation process told ESPN.com Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs will leave the Horizon League in all sports and join the A-10 after it formally seeks admission to the league. The A-10 will then accept the Bulldogs’ application to make it official.
Butler will replace Temple and become the A-10’s 14th member for the 2013-14 season. Temple is leaving the A-10 in 2013-14 for the Big East in all sports. Temple’s football program is joining the Big East in the fall of 2012.
Galloway a two-time MVP
Sophomore guard Langston Galloway received the John P. Hilferty Memorial Award as the Most Valuable Player of the 2011-12 Saint Joseph’s University basketball team at the Hawks awards banquet.
It is the second year in a row that Galloway has earned this honor.
Galloway, who shared the award last season with guard Carl Jones, led the Atlantic-10 in three-point field goal percentage (46.6) while ranking fifth in the nation.
Got something for the Bounce? Please post it in a comment.
Leave a Reply