NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Le Moyne Leaves Orange Seeing Red

David Whitley — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST

There could have been bigger upsets Tuesday night. Mike Bloomberg could have lost the New York mayor's job to Stephon Marbury. Or "The Jay Leno Show" could have won its time slot.

If you were caught up watching those returns, you may have missed the biggest upset in the history of mankind, or at least New York.

Move over, Joe Willie. Step aside, Miracle on Ice.

Give it up for Le Moyne!

Le Who?

More Coverage: Syracuse's Lousiest Day Ever

The Le Moyne Dolphins beat the Syracuse Orange 82-79 in a college basketball game. The result has to make you feel like you just won $2,000, which also happens to be the annual salary of a Le Moyne assistant coach.

Nothing against the Orange, but when David beats Goliath it gives us faith that we can go out and kill large men with slingshots. Of course, if David had been named Le Moyne, Goliath probably would have died laughing.

It sounds like something you'd call the nerd who aced Trigonometry. But it's actually what people called a Jesuit priest who pioneered his way around New York 400 years ago.

Four hundred years from now, they'll still remember Tuesday night.

"When you're 65 and sitting around a table at an alumni golf outing, you'll be the table everybody's talking about," coach Steve Evans told his players after the game.

If there were an Upset Banquet, honored tables would go to the Super Bowl III Jets, the 1980 U.S. Hockey team, Buster Douglas and Chaminade. But Ralph Sampson and Virginia lived 5,000 miles away from Hawaii.

Le Moyne is three miles from Syracuse.

"Embarrassing," is how Syracuse's Andy Rautins summed things up.

To be fair, this team isn't great by Syracuse standards. It's ranked No. 25 and is picked to finish in the middle of the Big East pack.

Then again, Le Moyne is picked to finish fourth in the Northeast-10 Conference.

"And rightfully so," Evans said.

He has four of his top scorers back from last year's 20-win team, but look at the other numbers.

Syracuse has 19,000 students and alumni like Joe Biden, Dick Clark and Bob Costas. Le Moyne has 2,800 students and alumni like Cheeburger Cheeburger founder Bruce Zicari.

Jim Boeheim has 31 20-win seasons; Evans has one 20-win season.

Syracuse has about 38 assistants, graduate assistants, trainers and managers on its bench. Evans turns for advice to his 71-year-old father/assistant coach, Buddy. He's the guy who's pulling down two grand a year. "He spends $3,000 every year just getting to practice," Evans said.

The Carrier Dome seats 33,000 for basketball; Le Moyne's gym seats 2,000. "Though we might start pulling out the other side of bleachers," Evans said. "That would put us up to about 3,500."

You can see why the Orange might have been a little cocky. They were 6-0 against Le Moyne and beat the Dolphins by 34 last year.

To top it all off, it was just an exhibition game.
"There were referees. They kept score. People paid money. They wanted to see Syracuse win. It didn't happen."
-- Le Moyne coach
Steve Evans
"There were referees. They kept score. People paid money," Evans said. "They wanted to see Syracuse win. It didn't happen."

He doesn't have anything against the Orange. Heck, his dad graduated from Syracuse. Evans was a ball boy there 30 years ago. A lot of Le Moyne students wear orange around campus instead of green.

Syracuse worries about Le Moyne like Sylvester Stallone worries about brother Frank stealing his girls. When Le Moyne guard Chris Johnson went to play some pickup games with Syracuse players in the off-season, nobody picked him for their team.

"They wouldn't let me play," he told Evans.

"Why would they," the coach said. "You're 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds soaking wet."

All of which made Tuesday night extra delicious. The Dolphins rallied from 10 points down and won on a 3-pointer with nine seconds left. By Johnson, of course.

Being a good Jesuit school, there were no reports of rioting at the Le Moyne campus. Evans stayed up all night watching the tape of the game and answering some of the 200 congratulatory messages that flooded in.

"It's been a blur," he said. "Normally you can't wait for the Syracuse game to be over."

Now he doesn't want it to end, which means he now faces a real coaching challenge. Technically, the Dolphins still haven't won a game. But it sure feels as if they just won it all.

"Think they'll pick me now?" Johnson asked after the game.

He's from Le Moyne.

After Tuesday night, everybody should remember the name.

Le Moyne Leaves Orange Seeing Red originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Battle for Big East Gets Even Bigger

Brett McMurphy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Big East

NEW YORK -- Last season, Pittsburgh made the NCAA tournament's Elite Eight. This year, the Panthers aren't even picked to finish in the top eight of the Big East Conference.

Such are the occupational hazards of playing in the biggest and baddest basketball league in the land.

"You can go from first to 10th in this league in one season," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin told FanHouse. "Pittsburgh went to the Elite Eight last year and they're picked to finish ninth in the league this year.

"Not only is it hard to climb in this league, it's just as easy to fall."

The Big East is stocked with corporation-type programs: Connecticut, Louisville, Syracuse and Georgetown. But those clubs could suffer a slight dip this season.

"Last year we were the best conference in the country, maybe the best conference in the history of the Big East and you knew what to expect," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. "There were a lot of first-round [NBA] draft choices.

"Now I think the top teams like us, Syracuse and Pittsburgh come to the middle [of the league] and the bottom teams like St. John's, Cincinnati and South Florida will come to the middle and we'll all come to the middle and compete. Who will be the best in February and March remains to be seen."

Even with a lot of unknowns, the Big East still placed five teams in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll and six teams in the preseason ESPN/USA Today coaches' Top 25 poll. No league could boast as many.

"Yeah, it's a step back this season," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said sarcastically. "We're probably just the best conference in the country this season, rather than the best conference in the history of college basketball."

Predicted to finish at the top is Villanova and West Virginia.

Led by guard Scottie Reynolds, the Wildcats are poised to repeat last year's Final Four run. Other key returners include Reggie Redding, Corey Stokes, Antonio Pena and Corey Fisher, last year's Big East Sixth Man of the Year.

The Wildcats are seeking their first NCAA title since their Cinderella NCAA championship in 1985.

"Now we know people are going to come at us from Day One and if we slip early, it's going to be a big thing," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "We were kind of under the radar last year, no one paid much attention to us. It's just part of what we have to deal with now."

West Virginia has four starters back -- Devin Ebanks, Da'Sean Butler, Darryl Bryant and Wellington Smith -- from last year's 23-win team. The Mountaineers also have added Casey Mitchell, last year's national junior college player of the year.

"This is the most versatile team I've had," Huggins said. "It's not close to the most talented, not even close. But it's the most versatile."

So what's better: being more versatile or having more talent? "Ask me in March," Huggins joked.

And if this March is like last March, there will be a huge Big East contingent in the NCAA tournament. In the past four seasons, the Big East has sent 29 teams to the Big Dance, including a record eight teams in 2008 and 2006.

UConn coach Jim Calhoun isn't convinced bigger is better. He recalls in the late 1980s-early 1990s when the league only had nine league members, but still sent seven teams to the NCAA tournament.

"I don't know if expansion is going to help us get more teams in," Calhoun said. "It's not going to help us get more in. That's not going to happen. What's going to happen is some very good teams will get left out.

"I never felt [the league] is too hard. But to survive in this league, you have to be tough."

The toughest challenge is for the lower-level teams such as South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers and St. John's, all of which that have never finished in the league's upper half since the league expanded in 2005-06, to climb up the standings.

As former Big East commissioner Dave Gavitt once said about the difficulty of playing in the 16-team league. "There's a lot more bodies you have to climb over," he said.

How deep is the Big East? Every team in the league, with the exception of South Florida, has been to the Final Four.

Cincinnati has never finished higher than eighth in the league, but the Bearcats, with the addition of Lance Stephenson, the preseason rookie of the year, are picked to finish seventh this season.

"Our goal is to get back up there," Cronin said. "But I don't think it's quite as easy to climb the ladder as people think. It hasn't been easy for us to get to the point where we're knocking at the door.

"It's been a grind and it won't be easy breaking into the top five or top six."

Huggins is all too aware of the grind.

"It's work, man," Huggins said. "My wife, I tell her every year, once we get it going I'll have a little bit more time. She tells me I've been saying that for 30 years."

Big East

FanHouse Predicted Order of Finish

1. Villanova
2. West Virginia
3. UConn
4. Louisville
5. Georgetown
6. Notre Dame
7. Cincinnati
8. Syracuse
9. Seton Hall
10. Pittsburgh
11. St. John's
12. Marquette
13. Rutgers
14. South Florida
15. Providence
16. DePaul

FanHouse All Big East: Luke Harangody, Notre Dame; Devin Ebanks, West Virginia; Scottie Reynolds, Villanova; Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia; Jerome Dyson, UConn

Top five TV games: West Virginia at Purdue, Jan. 1; Louisville at Kentucky, Jan. 2; UConn at Michigan, Jan. 17; Texas at UConn, Jan. 23; West Virginia at Louisville, March 6

Biggest surprise: Notre Dame

Biggest disappointment: Providence

Most important player to their team: Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati

Best shooter: Andy Rautins, Syracuse

Top rebounder: Harangody

Most underrated: Eugene Harvey, Seton Hall

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Maryland's Greivis Vasquez (21) goes to the basket against Indiana of Pennsylvania's Darryl Webb (15) and Thomas Young, center, during the first half of an NCAA exhibition college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Kansas fans, some holding pictures of Kansas players, watch Kansas' exhibition NCAA college basketball game against Fort Hays State on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, in Lawrence, Kan. Kansas won 107-68. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas' Xavier Henry (1) passes the ball under pressure from Fort Hays State's Corbin Kuntzsch, left, and Tim Peintner (35) during the second half of an exhibition NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas' Xavier Henry (1) looks to pass the ball under pressure by Fort Hays State's Corbin Kuntzsch during the second half of an exhibition NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas' Cole Aldrich (45) puts up a shot over Fort Hays State's Ken Bowman (30) during the second half of an exhibition NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas' Markieff Morris (21) is pressured by Fort Hays State's Corbin Kuntzsch as he puts up a shot during the second half of an exhibition NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Maryland's Landon Milbourne, right, goes to the basket against Indiana of Pennsylvania's Darryl Webb (15) during the second half of an NCAA exhibition college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, in College Park, Md. Maryland won 75-54. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Maryland's Greivis Vasquez (21) tries to shoot over Indiana of Pennsylvania's Akida McLain (24) during the second half of an NCAA exhibition college basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009 in College Park, Md. Maryland won 75-54. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Indiana of Pennsylvania's Julian Sanders (13) goes to the basket against Maryland's Greivis Vasquez, right, during the second half of an NCAA exhibition college basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009 in College Park, Md. Maryland won 75-54. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Maryland coach Gary Williams yells from the bench area during the first half against Indiana of Pennsylvania in an NCAA exhibition college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009 in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Maryland's Adrian Bowie (22) leaps up to pass the ball against Indiana of Pennsylvania's Willi Estrella (44) during the first half of an NCAA exhibition college basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009 in College Park, Md. Maryland won 75-54. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Battle for Big East Gets Even Bigger originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Syracuse Loses Exhibition Game to Complete Lousiest Day

Chas Rich — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Syracuse, Big East, Fans

There are days that make you question why you put up with the things you do as a fan. For Syracuse fans, Tuesday was that day. The continuing fallout from the football team's best player abruptly quitting (ahead of an apparent second suspension) has been tough enough.

Now the basketball team drops an exhibition game to a Division II school, 82-79. This was not just losing to a D-II program, like Michigan State and Ohio State both did two years ago. That's embarrassing enough. This was losing to the Le Moyne Dolphins, a D-II school located right in Syracuse. It really doesn't get any more humiliating than that. Bragging rights in town for the year.

Syracuse let Le Moyne shoot nearly 48 percent in the game. You can't really break this game down in a blog post. It is a major conference Division I program with top national talent losing to a D-II program. Words fail.

Best tweet of the night goes to RJ Mosley for wondering "[S]cale of 1 to 10 how scared is a student reporter to ask a question" of Jim Boeheim. I'll agree with Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician and say 101.

Syracuse Loses Exhibition Game to Complete Lousiest Day originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Poll Tabs Best of Big East

Brett McMurphy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Big East

NEW YORK -- Whether it was Villanova's Final Four trip last season or his bench demeanor, Wildcats coach Jay Wright has made a big impression on a majority of the Big East players.

Wright was the top vote-getter in FanHouse's poll of the league's players asking which coach, other than their own, they would like to play for. Wright, who received 29.7 percent of the votes, edged Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, with 24.3 percent.

Two weeks ago at the Big East's media day, FanHouse polled 37 players representing all 16 schools that attended Madison Square Garden on a variety of subjects. The players were guaranteed anonymity for their responses with only one stipulation: they could not vote for their coach, a teammate or their school in any of the categories.

While the players voted for Wright as the coach they would like to play for, Seton Hall's Bobby Gonzalez (24.3 percent) edged UConn's Jim Calhoun (21.6 percent) as the "opposing coach that screams the most."

Also, the players voted Notre Dame's Luke Harangody as the league's top player and UConn's Jerome Dyson as the league's top defender. Pittsburgh was the overwhelming choice as having the league's best fans, while South Florida was voted as having the worst fans.

Syracuse's Carrier Dome was voted the best arena by the players, while Rutgers' Louis Brown Athletic Center edged St. John's Carnesecca Arena as the league's worst arena.

Here are the complete results from FanHouse's polling of the league's players.

Which opposing coach would you like to play for?

1. Jay Wright, Villanova 29.7 percent (11 votes)
2. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 24.3 percent (9 votes)
3. Bob Huggins, West Virginia 10.8 percent (4 votes)
Others receiving votes: Jim Calhoun, UConn (3 votes); Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh (3 votes); Rick Pitino, Louisville (3 votes); John Thompson III, Georgetown (2 votes); Stan Heath, USF (1 vote); Norm Roberts, St. John's (1 vote).

Which school has the best fans?

1. Pittsburgh 37.8 percent (14 votes)
2. Syracuse 27 percent (10 votes)
3. West Virginia 10.8 percent (4 votes)
Others receiving votes: Louisville (3 votes); Notre Dame (2 votes); Villanova (2 votes); UConn (1 vote); Georgetown (1 vote).

Which school has the worst fans?

1. USF 24.3 percent (9 votes)
2. St. John's 18.9 percent (7 votes)
3. West Virginia 13.5 percent (5 votes)
Others receiving votes: DePaul (4 votes); Georgetown (3 votes); Seton Hall (3 votes); Syracuse (2 votes); Cincinnati (1 vote); Pittsburgh (1 vote); Providence (1 vote); Rutgers (1 vote).

Who is the league's best player?

1. Luke Harangody, Notre Dame 48.6 percent (18 votes)
2. Scottie Reynolds, Villanova 16.2 percent (6 votes)
3. Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia 13.5 percent (5 votes)
Others receiving votes: Devin Ebanks, West Virginia (3 votes); Greg Monroe, Georgetown (3 votes); Dominique Jones, USF (1 vote); Samardo Samuels, Louisville (1 vote).

Who is the league's best defender? (Seven players didn't name one)

1. Jerome Dyson, UConn 23.3 percent (7 votes)
2. Hamady Ndiaye, Rutgers 10 percent (3 votes)
(tie) Kemba Walker, UConn 10 percent (3 votes)
Others receiving votes: Malik Boothe, St. John's (2 votes); Eugene Harvey, Seton Hall (2 votes); Terrence Jennings, Louisville (2 votes); Stanley Robinson, UConn (2 votes); Jerry Smith, Louisville (2 votes); David Cubillan, Marquette (1 vote); Jermaine Dixon, Pittsburgh (1 vote), Lazar Hayward, Marquette (1 vote); Greg Monroe, Georgetown (1 vote); Arinze Onuaku, Syracuse (1 vote); Reggie Redding, Villanova (1 vote); Samardo Samuels, Louisville (1 vote).

What is the league's best arena?

1. Syracuse 27 percent (10 votes)
2. Pittsburgh 13.5 percent (5 votes)
(tie) St. John's Madison Square Garden 13.5 percent (5 votes)
Others receiving votes: West Virginia (4 votes); Georgetown (3 votes); Louisville (3 votes); Rutgers (2 votes); UConn (1 vote); Notre Dame (1 vote); Providence (1 vote); St. John's Carnesecca Arena (1 vote); Seton Hall (1 vote).

What is the league's worst arena?

1. Rutgers 18.9 percent (7 votes)
2. St. John's Carnesecca Arena 16.2 percent (6 votes)
3. Villanova The Pavilion 10.8 percent (4 votes)
Others receiving votes: DePaul (3 votes); Providence (3 votes); Seton Hall (3 votes); USF (3 votes); Notre Dame (2 votes); Syracuse (2 votes); Cincinnati (1 vote); Louisville (1 vote); Pittsburgh (1 vote); West Virginia (1 vote).

Which opposing coach screams the most during a game?

1. Bobby Gonzalez, Seton Hall 24.3 percent (9 votes)
2. Jim Calhoun, UConn 21.6 percent (8 votes)
3. Bob Huggins, West Virginia 16.2 percent (6 votes)
(tie) Rick Pitino, Louisville 16.2 percent (6 votes)
Others receiving votes: Mick Cronin, Cincinnati (5 votes); Fred Hill, Rutgers (2 votes); Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh (1 vote).

FanHouse Poll Tabs Best of Big East originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Look At the Top 5 Schedules in Women's College Basketball

Michelle Smith — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:53:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee, Big 12, Big East, Pac-10, SEC, Women's Basketball

Part of the beauty of college basketball is that it isn't like college football. The top teams don't have to be afraid of playing a tough opponent; worried that risking a single loss would derail a season's worth of effort.

Instead, the best teams in college basketball want to cut their teeth on one another, learn from their shortcomings, shore up before spring, or build a resume for the NCAA committee by collecting wins against stiff competition.

The following is a list of the top five schedules in women's college basketball this season. These teams are going to do it the hard way. And you gotta admire that.

1) Tennessee. The Lady Vols never duck anyone (well, except maybe for that one team up north). The fact that they are coming off an unprecedented first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament doesn't change the degree of difficultly for Pat Summitt's program.

Tennessee routinely plays the most challenging schedule in the country and this year is no exception. The Lady Vols' non-conference schedule includes games against eight teams ranked in the first poll of the season, which was released Friday.

The Lady Vols' slate includes home games against Baylor, UCLA, George Washington, Texas, Louisville, Old Dominion and Oklahoma. The road schedule includes Virginia, Middle Tennessee and Stanford and a pair of big neutral-court games against Texas Tech and Rutgers.

At No. 8, Tennessee starts with its lowest ranking since 1985.

2.) Stanford. The second-ranked Cardinal have put together the best schedule in program history, one that includes games against five ranked teams and three conference champions. With many of the top teams in the Pac-10 rebuilding or reloading this year, Stanford will have to find out where it stands by going outside of the conference and, specifically, across the country.

Stanford will make two trips to the East Coast -- a season-opening journey to Old Dominion and Rutgers, followed by a Dec. 23 date against top-ranked Connecticut that will rank as one of the marquee regular-season matchups of the year.

Stanford's six-game home non-conference schedule includes Utah, Gonzaga, DePaul, Duke and Tennessee.

"We're playing such good competition that I don't know what will happen," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "There's a sense of urgency now, that if you don't have that schedule, I don't know that we could feel."

3.) Oklahoma. The 13th-ranked Sooners, who have been ranked in the AP Poll since the opening poll of the 2005-06 season, could play as many as nine of the teams ranked in the current preseason poll, and will face 10 others who received votes in the first poll.

Oklahoma's schedule includes tough road games against Georgia (Nov. 15), Tennessee (Jan. 3), and a matchup with Notre Dame in the Virgin Islands Tournament. The Sooners also face up-and-comer San Diego State, South Carolina, mid-major star Marist, and have home games against Baylor, Texas, Kansas and Connecticut.

4.) Rutgers. With the departures of Epiphanny Price and Kia Vaughn, the 25th-ranked Scarlet Knights are rebuilding, and just like last year, they will find out where they stand pretty quickly.

Rutgers' schedule includes eight ranked teams, four of them in the non-conference and four in the brutal Big East. The non-conference schedule includes home games against No. 2 Stanford, Boston College and Florida with a New York City date against Tennessee on Dec. 13.

Rutgers will go on the road to play Georgia and George Washington and will meet both Mississippi State and Texas in the Virgin Islands tournament on Thanksgiving weekend.

5.) Connecticut. The top-ranked Huskies don't always load up with non-conference opponents, but tough competition in the Big East always ups the RPI.

UConn's non-conference slate includes a neutral-court game against Texas in San Antonio, home games against Stanford and North Carolina -- the latter in the middle of the Big East schedule -- and road games against Florida State (Dec. 28) and Duke (Jan. 18).

If Connecticut blows through this schedule, a second straight national title could seem like a foregone conclusion come March.

A Look At the Top 5 Schedules in Women's College Basketball originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pitino Preaches 'Blinders' at Big East Media Day

Brett McMurphy — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:16:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East

NEW YORK -- Despite recent revelations that Rick Pitino had an extramarital affair and then an alleged $10 million extortion attempt against him, the Louisville coach said those concerns have not been an issue with recruits.

"What you failed to realize in recruiting, it hasn't come up one time in one phone call," Pitino said. "Because you're [media] interested in it, because it's your job ... [but] the players and the recruits are not interested.

"All they're interested in are their futures, making their lives better for their families some day, becoming the best player they possibly can be and winning games. And that's really what they're tuned into."

Pitino was at Madison Square Garden Wednesday as part of the Big East's men's basketball media days. It was the first time Pitino had been in the World's Most Famous Arena since March 14, when he cut down the nets after his Cardinals won the Big East Tournament title.

The atmosphere was certainly different Wednesday. Surrounded by dozens of reporters, the 57-year old Pitino was decked out in a dark pin-striped suit with a handkerchief tucked into the left breast pocket. He sat at a table taking questions about the past incidents, but did not address any specifics of the events that thrust him into the headlines, saying he wanted to "focus on basketball."

In August, Pitino, who is married, admitted to what he called an "indiscretion" with Karen Sypher at a Louisville restaurant in 2003. Sypher later told Pitino she was pregnant and he gave her $3,000 so Sypher could pay for medical insurance and not an abortion as Sypher claimed.

Sypher also has been accused of trying to extort up to $10 million dollars from Pitino, but countered that he sexually assaulted her. Sypher has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of extortion and lying to the FBI.

When asked about the difficulties of dealing with the recent events the past few months, Pitino said: "I really just want to focus on basketball."

"The best thing for me is to put it behind me," he said. "You all have had difficult times in your life that you had to get through. I've gotten through it. I'm no different than any of you. We'll get through it, no problems.

"I don't want to tell you about my difficulties because -- you guys look in the mirror and ladies look in the mirror, you have difficult times in your life -- so I'm no different than you."

Pitino said he wasn't nervous about facing the media on Wednesday.

"You have a job to do," Pitino said. "You all misread my press conference, that's the only mistake you made. I wasn't chastising you all in the slightest way. I had had enough. My family had enough.

"I needed to step up for my family and for myself, get something off my chest and get you to understand certain facets."

Pitino promised there would not be any more distractions concerning these events.

"There will be no more distractions," he said. "I owe it to my team. There may be for a few hours one day a personal distraction on my part [may occur], but there won't be any team distractions."

Louisville senior guard Edgar Sosa said when news of Pitino's affair and then the extortion attempt went public, he was bombarded with questions from friends and fans.

"Questions that you basically couldn't answer," Sosa said. "A lot [of the time] being stopped in the mall and also people calling you, trying to get information out of you. It was kind of difficult telling people I don't know what's going on, you need to ask someone else."

Sosa said Pitino has never held a team meeting to address the team about the incidents, but made it clear he would remain their coach.

"He made it known to all of us he's gonna be here, he's going to be our coach, our mentor and lead us, like he does every year," Sosa said.

Pitino also had to deal with another off-the-court distraction when Terrence Jennings and Jerry Smith were arrested Oct. 11 and then pleaded guilty to resisting arrest outside a party at a southern Indiana restaurant.

Pitino said the players would not be suspended any games and added his punishment is much worse than missing games.

"If you knew exactly what happened, I had 50 worse things happen [while coaching] at Providence, 100 things worse happen [while coaching] at Kentucky. I know what happened was an unfortunate situation. The young men learned from it. Thankfully no one got hurt. The young men knew where they made their mistake.

"They were disciplined, like I discipline all my players. I can assure some people, the first question is: are they going be suspended? These players - compared to what I put them through - much rather would be suspended. Much rather [than] the hell that they pay."

Pitino would not disclose details of the punishment.

"There will be no more distractions. I owe it to my team. There may be for a few hours one day a personal distraction on my part [may occur], but there won't be any team distractions."
- Rick Pitino "It's between me and them," Pitino said. "It's always been that way."

Unfortunately for Pitino, the details of his relationship with Sypher went very public. Pitino used a horse racing analogy in dealing with the distractions.

Pitino, who owns thoroughbreds, said he had previously spoken with Hall of Fame jockey Nick Zito a long time ago about why horses wore blinders and asked how it makes them run faster.

He was told "it helps them to just concentrate on the lane they're running in, the path they're following because horses always get distracted and want to look around," Pitino said. "They look around during the race? I couldn't fathom that.

"In this sport [basketball], many times when people have great success, they get distracted. Many times when they face adversity, they get distracted. It affects you both ways. That's what I was alluding to [in an earlier interview] with putting blinders on -- you have to follow your path and stay focused on where you're trying to get with your team."

The Cardinals, who have reached the Elite Eight the past two seasons, were picked to finish fourth in the Big East by the league's coaches.

"All of us have to focus on what's going to make them what they were last year and the year before," said Pitino, who has made five Final Four appearances, including winning the 1996 national title at Kentucky. "We have a lot to replace.

"I can tell you this is the best attitude I've coached at Louisville. I don't know if it's best team yet. That makes it fun for all of us."

Sosa said his coach hasn't changed in the past few months.

"New York people are tough," Sosa said. "Coach P's going to be fine. He's normal as ever. It has not [affected] what we're tying to accomplish.

"Coach P is still the same person and he will lead us like he does every year."

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An unidentified student is lifted up by Washington's Darnell Gant, right, and Justin Holiday as Isaiah Thomas looks on at a midnight madness NCAA college basketball event, Friday evening, Oct. 16, 2009, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Latest College Basketball Images

In this photo made Sept. 28, 2009, University of Memphis men's basketball coach Josh Pastner is shown in the team's offices in Memphis. Pastner has wanted to be a basketball coach since he was 9. Now he's 32 and trying to salvage the Memphis team after John Calipari bolted for Kentucky. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Tim Frazier looks to pass during practice at the Penn State preseason men's NCAA college basketball media day in State College, Pa. on Monday Oct. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Ralph Wilson)

Michigan State women's basketball coach Suzy Merchant addresses the crowd during NCAA college basketball midnight madness festivities, Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

A sold-out Breslin Center is illuminated by pyrotechnics as players are introduced during Michigan State's NCAA college basketball midnight madness festivities, Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Michigan State's Raymar Morgan makes his way through the crowd as he is introduced during NCAA college basketball midnight madness festivities, Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Michigan State freshmen Garrick Sherman (41) and Derrick Nix (50) reach for a rebound during NCAA college basketball midnight madness scrimmage, Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Michigan State's Chris Allen (3) goes up for a fast-break shot against Draymond Green (23) during an NCAA college basketball midnight madness scrimmage, Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Michigan State's Raymar Morgan (2) dunks over Derrick Nix (50) during an NCAA college basketball midnight madness scrimmage, Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Pitino Preaches 'Blinders' at Big East Media Day originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rick Pitino Calls a News Conference to Tell People to Stop Watching News

Chas Rich — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:07:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches, Media Watch

I do not think anyone is quite sure what Louisville coach Rick Pitino hoped to accomplish with his ~~rant~~ press conference decrying the media coverage of his looming extortion trial and all the tawdry, salacious and crazy details.

If, as he claims in the press conference, it is an appeal to people to ignore any media reports and just wait until the trial so that all will be adjudicated, he failed. He all but guaranteed a new wave of talk, blogging, tweeting and ruminating about the matter on a national scale.

Couch: Pitino Makes a Fool of Himself

Pitino, on the Louisville campus, with the Louisville logo all in the background explained how the university, his lawyers and others all told him to say nothing. He, however, just couldn't take it any longer. The final straw was that the Louisville police released audio and video recordings of the phone calls and an interview they conducted with the woman charged with attempting to extort Pitino, Karen Sypher.

A local Louisville station aired them and that did it. Of course, Pitino being Pitino had to link it to the poor economy, struggling times for the media, and Senator Ted Kennedy's passing as if they were somehow connected just added to the surrealism (on the bright side he skipped any 9/11 references).

Part of the oddity is that transcripts had already been made available, so there was nothing new in what aired. Yet, it pushed Pitino to complain about all media coverage including the New York Post interview with Sypher. Pitino made sure to note that he was the victim in all of this. But then, none of these interviews have exactly helped Sypher. She has continually come off as delusional, lacking credibility and unsympathetic, and all reports have mentioned that she is the one facing jail time.

Pitino's objection seems to be that his affair with her is part of the story. That he and his family are not getting the love and support he expects.

In a way it reminds me a bit of his unraveling in Boston. As things continued to go south. He was being questioned, belittled and mocked at every turn. Clearly it bothered him and he started lashing out in the media at the fans and the media coverage. His famous "Larry Bird is not walking through that door" rant was the seminal moment.

Wednesday's press conference seems like a similar point. He just reached a point where he needed to vent and have his chance to manipulate the media and the story. Unlike in Boston, he's winning at Louisville so he will get fan support. Like Boston, though, it won't change the media coverage.

Rick Pitino Calls a News Conference to Tell People to Stop Watching News originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Getting Sick of Pitino Stories

Chas Rich — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:15:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches, Media Watch

Yes, I know, nothing but Rick Pitino news. If it isn't his attorney trying to split hairs about whether Pitino directly paid for an abortion, a Louisville campus right-to-life group unsurprisingly calling for his firing, or the lady with whom he had the affair giving a credibility-free interview to the New York Post, this has stayed at the top of the sports news cycle all week.

Primarily, the story has generated speculation. Lots and lots of speculation.

How is his reputation? How damaged is it? Can he really recruit effectively? (Brief pause. Of course he can. The kids Pitino recruits are blue-chippers looking to the NBA. Pitino's ties to the NBA and track record of sending kids to the pros was not damaged. That's why present recruits are sticking with their verbals.)

Then there is the questioning of Louisville. Are they doing the right thing by sticking with him? Should they invoke the morality clause in his contract? Why won't they? (Another brief aside, this column in particular is amazingly self-righteous and vindictive. Bringing up his daughter, and specifying her high school. Then adding, " We know how cruel kids can be at that age." Nice.)

Even that Louisville coach Rick Pitino has issued his statement and apology of sorts comes the analysis of whether it was sufficient. Whether it was merely damage control. How calculating it was. Was it merely an apology for getting caught? Did it involve attempts to manipulate emotions by referencing previous personal loss and national events?

Is it any wonder that things blow quickly through a news cycle? This event is getting analyzed and broken down non-stop until people are absolutely sick of hearing, watching or reading any more about it. At least until some new salacious tidbit is offered, to restart the whole thing.

Let's simplify things. Rick Pitino is not getting fired from Louisville. He is still the only coach out there that has taken three different teams to the Final Four. He wins basketball games and recruits ferociously. While this is a scandal and stains Pitino forever, there is nothing illegal done by Pitino (other then some probable health code violations at the restaurant where he had the tryst). It is all about Pitino's personal life. Most importantly from the standpoint of the University of Louisville, nothing in this mess brings an NCAA investigation down on Louisville athletics.

Even imagining if Louisville did fire him, ESPN would snatch him up in a heartbeat to be an analyst. By next spring, programs would be paying search consultants hand-over-fist to get Pitino to agree to take their millions.

Very little actually will change. Other than opposing fans having some new material to yell at Pitino and Louisville.

Getting Sick of Pitino Stories originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rick Pitino's PR Team and the $3,000 Lie

Clay Travis — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, Louisville, Big East, Coaches, Police Blotter

Every time news breaks, like the Rick Pitino imbroglio did Tuesday night, I always feel a little twinge of sympathy for the lawyer who ends up hurling a semantic argument into the whirlwind of 24-hour news coverage. These days news coverage has room for two opinions: you're right or you're wrong. The shades-of-gray approach doesn't sell.

But that doesn't mean lawyers don't try to split hairs. Think Bill Clinton asking what the meaning of is, is. Inevitably, these hair-splitting defenses blow up. Which brings me to this, according to his lawyer, Rick Pitino didn't pay for Karen Sypher's abortion. Heavens no. What he did was pay for an uninsured woman to get health coverage .... which she then, oh by the way, used to have an abortion. That's a great story except for one flaw, pregnancy is a preexisting condition. So adding health insurance doesn't cover an already existing pregnancy.

Oops.

Bad excuse. But not as bad as the 10 excuses for the $3,000 the legal team considered and rejected. Read on for those.

At moments of crisis like these, I always picture the frenzied public relations team -- which represents a variety of conflicting interests, the university, the coach, the lawyer -- all huddling together to come up with a response that minimizes the damage for everyone. You've got to make sure you repent while protecting yourself from further legal liability, apologize while being humble, and whatever you do, don't take a question.

Don't take questions is the first advice any lawyer gives in these circumstances. I attended a legal seminar about how to deal with media interest for famous clients and the only quote I remember from the entire day was one white-haired lawyer slamming his hand down on the table. "Whatever you do, don't let the damn client take questions. Read the statement and get out."

Not surprisingly, Pitino read his statement and got out without taking questions. Which means we still have an awful lot of things left to be unpacked here. Among them, how can you be certain you're pregnant in two weeks? How can you be so careful in your personal life that you have a designated driver, yet so reckless that you have sex in a restaurant while your designated driver is still there? How many other college coaches are reading these stories right now and thinking, crap, this happened six years ago, I thought I was in the clear. Speaking of which, why not keep paying the extortion fee? The amount of money that Karen Sypher was demanding is miniscule given what Pitino made. Yeah, the truth can set you free, but it can also get you fired. So I guess the truth, more accurately, can get you free time.

Can you imagine the e-mails Kentucky politicians are getting? One public school, Kentucky, gets to demand that another public school, Louisville, fire its coach for an off-court act. So you get to be morally judgmental and it helps your college program? That's a daily double in the South, the only thing better is when the rival church's preacher gets sent up the river for tax evasion.

After all the internal public relations debate, Pitino's lawyer attempted to argue that the $3,000 he gave Sypher was for health insurance and not an abortion. It was a bad argument that made Pitino look worse. Fortunately for Pitino it wasn't as bad as the 10 rejected suggestions for how to explain away the $3,000.

Here goes:

1. It was a down payment for a hit on Christian Laettner.
Even though they starred in that ridiculous commercial this spring, I don't believe that Pitino wouldn't like to give Laettner a nice elbow to the kidney at some point. The charge of the Aminu Timberlake brigade.

This has the added benefit of straining Kentucky political alliances. On the one hand Kentucky fans want Pitino gone, on the other hand, at least the money was going to take out the top nemesis in the state of Kentucky.

2. Abort? I thought she said a port. Portuguese wine, you know, I love it.
Remember when there was a controversy over whether Hillary Clinton called a Jewish campaign worker, "a Jew bastard" or merely yelled, "you bastard." This could be the equivalent. Pitino claims Sypher merely asked for a bottle of wine that she otherwise couldn't afford, and he helped her out.

"She's a oenophile, I'm a oenophile," he'd say, shrugging his shoulders.

3. Strength coach payments for personal training sessions.
Quick question, how many people out there would marry someone that they knew had a sexual relationship with their boss? What's more, how many people would marry a divorcee with four kids, who slept with their boss at a restaurant on the night she met him?

Would anyone do this? Isn't this when you pull your friend aside and say, "I know, I know, she's pretty hot and you're not getting any younger, but, man, she slept with Ricky P. at the restaurant while she was married. And he wasn't the first one. Won't be the last either."

Every male friend of this strength coach should get punched between the legs by the Louisville president.

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Pitino Extortion Case

Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino makes a public apology concerning his involvement in a scandal in Louisville, Ky., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. Pitino's comments were the first since news broke Tuesday that he told police that he and Karen Sypher had sex on a table at a Louisville restaurant six years ago. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)

FR50389 AP

Pitino Extortion Case

FILE- In this April 24, 2009, file photo, Karen Cunagin Sypher, listens as her attorney speaks to the media outside Gene Snyder Courthouse following a court appearance in Louisville, Ky., A newspaper is reporting that Louisville coach Rick Pitino told police he had sex and paid for an abortion for the woman accused of trying to extort him for $10 million. The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported on its Web site Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, that Pitino told police he had been been drinking in a Louisville restaurant and had consensual sex with Karen Sypher in August 2003. (AP Photo/Brian Bohannon, File)

** FILE ** This Dec. 18, 2008 file photo shows Louisville head coach Rick Pitino on the sidelines against Mississippi in an NCAA college basketball game in Cincinnati. A newspaper is reporting that Louisville coach Rick Pitino told police he had sex and paid for an abortion for the woman accused of trying to extort him for $10 million. The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported on its Web site Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, that Pitino told police he had been been drinking in a Louisville restaurant and had consensual sex with Karen Sypher in August 2003. (AP Photo/Al Behrman, File)

Karen Sypher walks into Federal Court in Louisville, Kentucky, on Thursday, April 24, 2009. Sypher is charged with extortion by U.S. District Court in connection with threatening correspondence toward University of Louisville head basketball coach Rick Pitino. (Jonathan Palmer/Lexington Herald-Leader/MCT)

MCT

4. The money went for a prop bet placed on the first of March to this query: Kentucky will be in better shape as a basketball program than Louisville within six months. 100-to-1 odds.
The only people happy about this story are Kentucky fans. Seriously, they're ecstatic, almost as happy as they were about Patrick Sparks' three-pointer against Michigan State putting the game into overtime in the Elite 8. You should see the gloating e-mails from Kentucky fans.

Think about it from their perspective. In the middle of March, Louisville, their most hated basketball rival on the planet, entered the NCAA Tournament as the overall No. 1 seed. Meanwhile, Kentucky slinked into the NIT where it bowed out on the road at Notre Dame. Five months ago, the Wildcats were in the midst of the Billy Gillispie implosion and now Louisville has to fight a battle to keep Pitino as its coach, they've got Coach Cal and the top recruiting class in the country, and as if that weren't enough, Pitino's top basketball recruit just left high school early and signed to play pro basketball in Israel.

I mean, in all honesty, what are the odds on any of this actually happening? Much less all of it?

C-A-T-S.

5. The money was supposed to go to Derrick Rose. Coach Cal offered him half that to sign. We doubled it.
Admittedly, this would lead to NCAA probation. But it would be bittersweet because it might lead to Coach Cal getting fired too. Speaking of which, is there any other state in the country with a dirtier collegiate aura than Kentucky? It's a penumbra of filth. The only state that could even come close would be Connecticut, and that's based on Jim Calhoun by himself.

6. The money was for carpet-cleaning in the old Rick Pitino's restaurant in Lexington.
Does anyone else wonder what went down after hours when Pitino was in Lexington and had his own restaurant?

No wonder you couldn't get in that place on basketball weekends.

7. We were thinking about adopting children from Africa and that was the adoption fee. Karen offered to be our go-between.
In general, if you're white, being willing to adopt a child from Africa gives you a pass for anything else you've done wrong in life. No matter what.

8. The money was a consulting fee for Charles Barkley since Sir Charles can curse people on air, go drunk-driving for oral sex with prostitutes, and gamble millions of dollars. All of which makes him more beloved.
Barkley's advice to Pitino was controversial. "If I got caught having sex in a restaurant, I'd just have Kenny and Ernie turn it into a funny skit."

Like this.

Ernie: "You talked to a married woman's kids before you had sex with her?"

Barkley: "I talk to everyone's kids before I have sex with their mom in the restaurant. Ask Kenny."

Everyone laughs.

Kenny: "At least I got a ring."

9. Replica championship rings from 1996
Pitino has given up on actually winning another championship at Louisville. So to make the team feel better, he had the 1996 Kentucky basketball rings recast and gave them out to the Cardinals team.

"I want you to know what a championship ring feels like," Pitino said, "because I'm never going to win another one."

10. White Suit Dry-Cleaning
I hear they can get soiled fairly easily.

Rick Pitino's PR Team and the $3,000 Lie originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Rick Pitino Concedes Affair, Paid for Abortion as Melodrama Plays Out

Chas Rich — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:52:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches, Police Blotter

There's something like 10 kinds of crazy in the ever-expanding story on Louisville coach Rick Pitino and his relationship with the alleged extortionist Karen Cunagin Sypher. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the information she was holding over the married Pitino's head involved an extramarital affair. Still, this is now approaching pure soap-opera levels of melodrama.

The latest, as reported by the Courier-Journal, is that Pitino admitted to police investigators that he did have sex with Sypher and subsequently gave her $3,000 for an abortion after she claimed she was pregnant.

The sexual interlude took place after-hours at a restaurant where he had been drinking at the bar. According to the interview, Pitino strongly suggested that he may have been drunk. He told the police this after Sypher had recently made allegations that he raped her back in August 2003.

"Luckily" for Pitino, his executive assistant had been there as Pitino's designated driver. He corroborated Pitino's version. From the Courier-Journal's report:

That witness, Vinny Tatum, an executive assistant to Pitino, told the FBI that he didn't see what happened but heard "only the sounds of two people that seemed to be enjoying themselves during a sexual encounter," according to Abbott's report.

Oh, it gets sleazier. Sypher got in touch with Pitino a couple weeks later to let him know she was now pregnant and he was the father. They agreed to meet at the condo of the strength coach for the Louisville basketball team, Tim Sypher, a longtime friend of Pitino's. There, the still single Karen Cunagin decided to get an abortion but claimed not to have the medical insurance to pay for it. Pitino gave her $3,000 to cover the costs.

Tim Sypher, who was there that day, and Karen Cunagin, apparently started dating, er, shortly afterward and were married six months later. (How does that even begin to work?)

For a while, what information and news that had been leaking really made this look like a completely crazy woman going after Pitino. Her attorney had quit, and the court had to appoint one for her. She lacked much credibility as she claimed that Pitino raped her that night, and then said he sexually assaulted her at Tim Sypher's condo at their second meeting -- while Sypher was upstairs. And then married Sypher six months later.

Rick Pitino will most likely still be coach at Louisville. His reputation and image, though, are toast. The creepiness. The weirdness. Everything about this is just ugly, tawdry and sleazy.

Report: Rick Pitino Concedes Affair, Paid for Abortion as Melodrama Plays Out originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cincy Risks (Academic) Progress With Lance Stephenson

Chas Rich — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:24:00 EST

Filed under: Cincinnati, Big East, Recruiting

The rumors started swirling over the weekend that Lance Stephenson, the ultra-talented guard out of New York, was visiting and would commit to Cincinnati. Tuesday, the news broke and was confirmed elsewhere that Stephenson is indeed committing to the Bearcats. Whether official word will come before or after his July 15 court date regarding his misdemeanor sexual assault charge is undetermined.

While teams have been scared off from recruiting Stephenson for plenty of reasons (the sexual assault, meddling father, attitude questions, academics, NCAA eligibility relating to an online documentary on Stephenson), Cincy coach Mick Cronin seems willing to take a chance on Stephenson -- assuming the NCAA clears him to play.

There's actually a decent argument to be made for Cincy to take a chance on Stephenson. At this point he would be a bonus to the team, so if the NCAA does not clear him to play they really do not risk anything. You would have to think that Stephenson would be somewhat chastened by the way teams have chosen to run screaming from him in the last two months, that he will be more inclined to behave and be part of the team. Maybe even a little coach-able. Add in the fact that Cincy has a good amount of talent in place and even without Stephenson was considered a dark-horse contender in the Big East for the upcoming season, and his addition becomes very attractive.

Even if he keeps his nose clean, is a good teammate and actually listens to the coach there is one other problem. The one thing that makes this extremely risky -- perhaps even dumb -- for Cincy is the academics. Specifically, Stephenson's impact on the basketball team's Academic Progress Rate (APR).

Following years of poor graduation rates under Bob Huggins and then mass transfers and players being kicked off the team after Huggins was fired, plus a year with an interim coach that led to more problems, well, the basketball program found itself staring at a dismal 838 APR score and lots of scholarship penalties in 2005. The program has been able to avoid the penalties by arguing extenuating circumstances with the coaching turmoil. The NCAA has granted them waivers over the last few years.

They have managed to raise the multi-year significantly and so they have still avoided penalties. That said, the Bearcats still have an APR of 902 for men's basketball in the latest report (PDF). That is well below the minimum required score of 925 -- which roughly correlates to a 60 percent graduation rate.

Lance Stephenson puts all of that at risk. Stephenson is a lock to be a one-and-done player. He would have been in the NBA Draft out of high school, but for the NBA age requirement. He is going to college for a year because he has to, not because he wants to. The odds of him actually finishing his classes in his second semester at Cincy seem only slightly higher than the odds of Megan Fox showing up on my doorstep covered in nothing but whipped cream.

That would be a big step back for the basketball program, and likely the end of any waivers from the NCAA for their below average APR. Not only would scholarships be at risk, but starting in 2009 the penalties for a poor APR can also include postseason bans.

Cincy has not been to the NCAA Tournament since firing Huggins. They have taken a huge tumble in national recognition. They have had little success since joining the Big East. Understandably, there is a significant desire to get things turned around. The team is poised to be making a move this year, without Stephenson

Is one year of Lance Stephenson worth all that?

Cincy Risks (Academic) Progress With Lance Stephenson originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Draft Deadline Decisions: Team Winners and Losers

Chas Rich — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:54:00 EST

Filed under: WCC, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Pac-10, SEC, NBA Prospects

The deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the NBA draft came and went Monday at 5PM. Plenty of underclassmen had already made decisions to not even test the waters (Willie Warren, Oklahoma) or previously decided to return (Patrick Patterson, Kentucky). Still, plenty of others never looked back by hiring an agent right away (Earl Clark, Louisville).

The focus is strictly on the players that took it up until this weekend or even right under the wire Monday afternoon. Before getting to the programs that "won" and "lost" with the decisions to stay or go there are two teams that have counter-intuitive situations.

LOSER THAT ACTUALLY WINS

Kentucky. Losing a Jodie Meeks-caliber player is not a good thing for most teams. It does, however free up shots, which is something the Wildcats will need. While Meeks took a huge leap in productivity last season and was reportedly a great teammate, he also averaged over 15 shots per game. Patrick Patterson returning to join a class that includes DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and Jon Hood gives the Wildcats' offense huge potential. The additional bonus is that it takes a smidgen of pressure off of preseason hype for Kentucky and coach John Calipari.

WINNER THAT ACTUALLY LOSES

UConn. The Huskies are facing an NCAA investigation into the recruitment of Nate Miles and Ator Majok along with the UConn coaches' relationship with a former student manager, former personal assistant to Rip Hamilton and wannabe agent in Josh Nochisom. Miles never played a minute for UConn and has hired an agent to pursue his career far away from NCAA investigators. Majok, though, is remaining a student-athlete and will be required to answer questions from the NCAA (assuming they get around to asking before he declares once more). The potential is there for Majok never to get a minute with the Huskies plus the harm to UConn's program is very real.

WINNERS

Notre Dame -- Luke Harangody returns for his senior year with a great chance to finish as the program's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. This is good news for a team that will be in need of giving fans a reason to watch in a rebuilding season following a season of disappointment.

Maryland -- The decision by Greivis Vasquez to come back was mildly surprising. Not that he was likely to be drafted, but the rumors were swirling that Vasquez just wanted to go pro, whether it was in the NBA, Europe or in South America.

South Carolina -- Second-year coach Darrin Horn gets a nice present as Devan Downey decides to return for his final year. He had to sit out a year after transferring from Cincinnati, so this is a bonus. Dominique Archie returning was less of a surprise, but important to the Gamecocks hopes in 2009.

LSU -- The return of Tasmin Mitchell should not have been a surprise, but he took his time coming to his senses.

Tennessee -- The SEC seems to be jumping from joke back to power in just one season. It's not just Calipari to Kentucky, the conference has now has some depth. Tyler Smith's return will help keep Tennessee from slipping further.

Villanova -- The return of Scottie Reynolds does not make the team more of a threat in terms of talent. There is plenty of that in the Wildcats backcourt. Reynolds, though, provides serious leadership and a guy you want to take the last shot in a game.

Arizona -- This was quite the turnaround from the end of the season, when the coaching search seemed to be a mess. No recruits coming in, and plenty of early departures. Nic Wise deciding he would return, though, provides a senior leader for coach Sean Miller.

Texas -- Damion James' return was a real surprise. He seemed determined to go pro after seeing D.J. Augustin leave early and A.J. Abrams graduate. James provides stability on the wing and should benefit from Florida transfer Jai Lucas running the point with McDonald's All-American shooting guard, Avery Bradley helping to spread the floor.

Georgia Tech -- Paul Hewitt is well respected. He has a Final Four appearance. He is a tremendous recruiter. But he also has had little success the last few years. That could change. Gani Lawal could not get a first-round guarantee, so the sophomore returns.

LOSERS

St. Mary's -- Patty Mills' decision to stay in the draft should not have been a surprise. If he had not missed a good chunk of the season injured, there would have been no doubt. The longer he took to decide, though, created hope that he might come back and lead the Gaels to dethroning Gonzaga.

Gonzaga -- Every scout and GM, armchair and real, has been aware at how soft and thin Austin Daye is. They practically marvel over it. He is the personification of the terms "project" and "potential upside." He will get drafted somewhere at the end of the first round or the beginning of the second and disappear for a few years maybe to re-emerge down the road. Gonzaga, meanwhile loses a big plug in the middle, and may actually be vulnerable in the WCC.

USC -- No one expected DeMar DeRozan, Daniel Hackett or Taj Gibson to return, it only became more obvious after Tim Floyd's sudden loss of energy to coach.

Wake Forest -- Not really a surprise Jeff Teague decided to make it official. He and James Johnson had started looking to the NBA Draft sometime in February.

Texas A&M -- As nice, and unsurprising, as it was to get Donald Sloan and Bryan Davis back for their senior year, it was a big blow to lose the blossoming big man Chinemelu Elonu. Especially after sportswriters in Texas had finally learned to spell his name without double checking the Aggie media guide.

Draft Deadline Decisions: Team Winners and Losers originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UConn Coach Calhoun Collapses After Charity Bike Race

FanHouse Newswire — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:50:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, Big East, Coaches

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun was hospitalized Saturday after he collapsed following a 50-mile charity bicycle ride during which he fell and broke five ribs.

Calhoun, 67, was taken to the UConn Health Center in Farmington, where he was listed in good condition. He was to be held overnight for observation and released Sunday, said Maureen McGuire, a hospital spokeswoman.

McGuire said Calhoun told her he hit a pothole and fell with about 16 miles to go in the ride, which began and ended in Simsbury, winding its way through northwestern Connecticut and part of southwest Massachusetts.

"He got back on the bike and finished the ride,'' she said. "Obviously, he's in extremely good physical shape. It was after he finished the ride, he was talking to some people and he did faint.''

At the hospital, the Hall-of-Famer was told he had broken ribs during the fall.

Team spokesman Kyle Muncy said heat and dehydration contributed to the collapse, but said there were no other health concerns.

The Hartford Courant reported online that Calhoun was leaning against a car parked near the finish line at the Simsbury Performing Arts Center, when he slumped and fell to the ground as two friends reached for him.

The newspaper reported that Calhoun lay motionless and expressionless as his son Jeff and daughter-in-law Amy took off his shoes and socks and poured water on his forehead. By the time an ambulance arrived a few minutes later, he was conscious and sitting up, the newspaper reported.

He had to be talked out of driving by family and friends, including Boston Celtics star Ray Allen, who played under Calhoun at Connecticut.

"He's so stubborn, so stubborn,'' Allen told the Courant. "He doesn't want people to help him out. He's always been the type who feels he's invincible. I think we've all been there.''

The annual Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride includes rides of 10, 25 and 50 miles. Organizers say it has raised almost $500,000 to benefit the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center and Coaches vs. Cancer, a program established in 1993 by the American Cancer Society.

Calhoun is a three-time cancer survivor. A year ago, he underwent surgery and radiation treatments for squamous cell cancer, a type of skin cancer.

Calhoun, who has led Connecticut to three Final Fours and national titles in 1999 and 2004, missed the Huskies' first NCAA tournament game in March after being hospitalized for dehydration. Connecticut lost to Michigan State in the national semifinals.

Calhoun, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005, has a career record of 805-342, good enough for sixth place on the NCAA Division I career wins list. He is 557-205 at Connecticut.

By PAT EATON-ROBB

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

UConn Coach Calhoun Collapses After Charity Bike Race originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ralph Willard Would Rather Serve

Chas Rich — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:21:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches

"Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven. " John Milton, Paradise Lost.

Ralph Willard turned that quote on its head in every way. The head coach of the Holy Cross Crusaders has apparently decided that he would rather give up his successful reign as head coach of his alma mater to return to being an assistant to Rick Pitino at Louisville.

While there is no word on Willard's Web site yet, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv is reporting that Willard has decided to accept Pitino's offer to be his assistant coach. It is doubtful that Willard will take much of a paycut. It is more likely that he will get more money from Louisville to be Pitino's assistant.
Willard and Pitino are old friends and Willard has been Pitino's assistant at Kentucky and with the New York Knicks. His son Kevin Willard was also a Pitino assistant at Louisville for several years before being hired as the head coach of Iona.

When the news first broke that Pitino had offered the job to Willard broke, Pitino explained that it was no big deal.

"Yes, I have offered the position to Ralph," Pitino said in a statement released by Louisville. "I've also offered the last four openings we've had at Louisville to Ralph because he's always my number one choice. I do it every time and it's nothing new. I fully expect him to turn me down for the fifth straight time."

Apparently five times is a charm.

The speculation from the side of why Pitino would pursue his old friend so diligently, is that he needs his friends as the messy trial for extortion looms.

On the other side, Willard has fought prostate cancer in 2005 and had heart issues in 2008. So, perhaps he wanted to re-evaluate his career. It does seem odd, though. Being an assistant and recruiting for Rick Pitino at Louisville does not seem like a less stressful job than being head coach of the top teams in the Patriot League.

Ralph Willard Would Rather Serve originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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College Basketball's Top 25 Coaches

Matt Snyder — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: WCC, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Mid-Majors, MVC, Pac-10, SEC, WAC, Coaches

In an effort to talk about something college basketball-related other than scandals in the summer, let's talk best current coaches. We'll attempt to order the top 25 current coaches in the nation. This is about the present and the future, not the distant past. What a guy did in the mid-90s doesn't matter near as much as the direction his program is currently headed. Past pedigree also matters, to an extent. For the perfect mix of past accomplishments with present achievement and a paved road for future success, look no further than the man atop the list.

The Untouchables

1. Roy Williams, North Carolina -- There are plenty of guys who could out X-and-O him during a game. Of course, he pretty much always has incredibly superior talent on the court, rendering that part of the coaching skill-set less meaningful. Recruiting is part of the job in college basketball, and he's done it well enough to amass two NCAA championships, three Final Fours and four 30-plus win seasons in the past five years. Until someone starts outdoing him on the recruiting trail and keeping those guys in school for more than a year, he'll stay here for a while.

2. Tom Izzo, Michigan State -- He reached his fifth Final Four last season, finishing as the runner-up to Roy's Tar Heels. In 2010, Izzo's Spartans will be cutting down the nets (yes, an incredibly early prediction). He's mixing youth with experience every single year, and that's why this program won't leave the national spotlight as long as he's around.

3. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke -- If this was any year from 1990 to 2001, he'd be the obvious choice for the best coach in the entire nation. In the past eight seasons, however, he's been slightly mortal -- advancing past the Sweet 16 just once. Of course, when we're talking about a guy going to the Sweet 16 six times and the Final Four once in an eight-year span -- and talking about how it hurts his overall resume -- that shows you what kind of bar he set for himself. He's still a legend, he's just being outperformed on Tobacco Road right now.

4. John Calipari, Kentucky -- There will be plenty of naysayers for the foreseeable future when it comes to "Coach Cal" and his "recruiting practices" -- especially in light of recent events. There's a sort of stigma following him around because he's arguably the best recruiter in the nation, but he's never been personally charged with anything concrete. The bottom line is that he's getting the job done and now his national platform is even bigger at one of the NCAA's marquee basketball programs. He's still looking for that elusive first national championship, but the smart money is on that drought ending rather quickly in Lexington (assuming he keeps his nose clean).

5. Bill Self, Kansas -- He's taken three different schools (including Tulsa) to the Elite Eight. He did so in his first year at Kansas. After a decent 2004-2005 season, Self built the team as his own, steadily improving over the next four seasons. Things culminated in 2008 when he did what Williams couldn't do at Kansas, which is win the National Championship. After significant losses to graduation and the NBA, the Jayhawks were in rebuilding mode last season, but it turned out to be reloading. A three-seed and Sweet 16 berth later, and Kansas is set up for another Final Four run. Expect that to be an annual statement about Self's Kansas squad for the foreseeable future.

6. Jim Calhoun, Connecticut -- He's got plenty of longevity, but he's likely not going anywhere, if his health and a possible NCAA inquiry allow, and neither are his Huskies. Though they're only losing Hasheem Thabeet and A.J. Price from a Final Four team, they have enough to pick up the pieces and make another deep run in March (if they make it, it will be Calhoun's ninth trip to the Elite Eight). Calhoun always does.

7. Rick Pitino, Louisville -- A Final Four and two Elite Eights in the past five years for Pitino, but he doesn't seem to have the national championship magic in Louisville. Plus, the addition of Calipari to UK will greatly cramp Pitino's recruiting within the basketball rich State of Kentucky. Don't get me wrong, though, Pitino is still ranked seventh on this list and in the prestigious "untouchables" category. He belongs.

Quasi-Elite

8. Billy Donovan, Florida -- He's lost tons of ground in the past two years. In fact, had we built this list after the two consecutive championships, he probably would have been ranked as the top overall coach in the nation. That doesn't just go away after two NCAA tournament-less seasons, but he's got something to prove now. Can he actually sustain success, or is everything dependent on landing one special recruiting class?

9. Ben Howland, UCLA -- Three straight Final Four appearances for the Bruins didn't yield a championship, though, and he took a step backward in 2009. If you look at his resume, though, there's no reason to doubt the direction of college basketball's most championship-laden program. Howland made Pitt into a powerhouse by his third season and built UCLA back into one -- making the Final Four in his third season. They'll be back.

10. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse -- The 14 Sweet 16 appearances, three national championship games and the one championship are all part of his incredibly lofty standing among historical collegiate coaching greats. Presently, he did take his 2009 group to the Sweet 16 after back-to-back trips to the NIT. He's enduring massive losses to graduation and the draft, though, so he'll have yet another reloading task in front of him. His name is keeping him here and he's likely to continue falling down the list as some of the younger talent trumps him. See the next guy on the list ...

Solid As a Rock

11. Jay Wright, Villanova -- After taking Hofstra to two consecutive NCAA tournament berths, Wright took his talents to Philly at age 40. He built the program for three years and it's been coming to fruition for the past five seasons. He's taken the Wildcats to four Sweet 16s in the past five years, and made a Final Four trip last season. It was the first for 'Nova since the magical 1985 run. They won't have to wait long for another one, because they'll be there again in 2010.

12. Tubby Smith, Minnesota -- He's gone to the Sweet 16 with three different schools and it's soon to be four [edit: originally said four and five, we regret the error] when he completes his rescue of the Gophers from the abyss. Six Sweet 16 appearances and a national championship in 10 years at Kentucky wasn't good enough for the die-hards in Lexington, but I'm pretty sure they'd deal with it in the Twin Cities. It would be awfully tough to win it all from up there, but the Gophers are on track to becoming a team who can occasionally visit the Sweet 16 and perhaps more.

13. Rick Barnes, Texas -- Texas will always be a football school, but Barnes does a heck of a job keeping the Longhorn faithful interested in hoops as well. The 2003 Final Four was nice, and they've been in the Elite Eight twice in the past four years. Heading into this year, they have some serious horses. Look for them to linger around the top 10.

14. Matt Painter, Purdue -- In my view, he's the most likely to jump up a level from this group in the next few years. I also expect this pick to receive the most scrutiny. So, here goes: Purdue has Final Four talent as they head into the 2009-2010 season. Should they make it, his resume will be as impressive as almost anyone at such a young age (he's only 38). In just four years he's transformed Purdue from a Big Ten doormat (3-13 in conference play his first season) to a legitimate national power. Maybe people outside Indiana (the State) don't realize what a joke Purdue basketball had become until he came in and played the role of savior. As beloved as Gene Keady was in Purdue, he never made it past the Elite Eight. Painter will get there before the age of 40. He's the most underrated coach in college basketball. His only other head coaching experience? A single season of domination in the Missouri Valley Conference (17-1 in 2004 conference play for Southern Illinois). [Then again, maybe I'm trying some reverse-jinxing action -- being an Indiana grad.]

15. Gary Williams, Maryland -- It's tough to argue with his past accolades, but I'm seeing three NIT appearances and two second-round exits from the Big Dance in the last five years. This is a list of coaching in the present, not the past. He'll continue to slide from what was once probably a top-5 rank if he doesn't show more potential with the future of the Maryland program.

16. Thad Matta, Ohio State -- He's a much better recruiter than on-court coach, but, again, recruiting is part of coaching in college basketball. He took Ohio State to the national title game in only his third season, yet they've been a tad bit disappointing since. Next year's Buckeyes do look to be very dangerous, especially with the return of David Lighty from injury. His worst season in three different stops still netted 20 wins overall wins.

17. Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh -- The big knock on Dixon has been his lack of tournament success. He did make the Elite Eight this year, but the Panthers never really got on track against inferior competition from their number one seed and eventually lost to a three seed. He's only 43, though, and has built a maintained a solid program after the departure of Howland. There's upward mobility here should he get over the hump in the next few years.

18. Bo Ryan, Wisconsin -- His regular season resume is impressive enough to land him higher on the list, but he hasn't had any serious tournament runs and it doesn't appear that's changing anytime soon. One thing I love hearing about him is how he gets so much out of limited talent. Well, first of all, he's had some talent. Secondly, recruiting talent is part of your job in collegiate sports. This isn't the NBA where he's saddled with an awful general manager. All that being said, he's a great coach and deserves a top-20 spot. He just seems a bit overrated to me at times in the eyes of the national media.

19. Bruce Weber, Illinois -- Built Southern Illinois' program into a regular Big Dance attendee before steering the Illini to a National Championship game appearance. After a drastic step-back (losing overall record in 2007-2008, which single-handedly knocked him down several ranking slots here), Weber coached an unheralded team to an impressive 24-10 campaign last season. The 2005 National Coach of the Year looks to continue building his reputation with a solid nucleus in place -- along with talented newcomers -- moving into the 2009-2010 season.

Rounding It Out

20. Bob Huggins, West Virginia -- We have to include him, because he wins games everywhere he goes -- and he wins immediately. He's not higher on the list, though, because there seems to be a glass ceiling in place at this point. His only trip to the Final Four was the last time Bob Knight made a trip and he doesn't appear to be in position to crack the top 5 in the Big East anytime soon. Still, he's going to win 20 and visit the NCAAs. That's clockwork.

21. Mark Few, Gonzaga -- He absolutely owns the WCC -- nine straight conference titles -- and has had decent-to-good success in the NCAA Tournament. At some point, though, the four Sweet 16s in 10 seasons need to turn into something more. Otherwise Few's just a very good coach dominating a sub-par conference. He actually may need to take his show elsewhere to shed that label, but the question is: Why would he? He's set up nicely there and won't get fired.

22. Bruce Pearl, Tennessee -- After making UW-Milwaukee relevant, Pearl took the Tennessee job and immediately thrust them into national prominence. The Vols took a step backward in 2009 after a 31-win season and two straight Sweet 16 appearances. Should Tyler Smith decide to come back -- he's filed paperwork for the NBA draft but not hired an agent and will also consider playing overseas -- they'll be headed back that way in 2010. If not, they still return everyone else and will still be in the NCAA Tourney mix as usual.

23. John Beilein, Michigan -- Talking about working your way through the ranks. He's been to Erie Community College, Nazareth College, Le Moyne College, Canisius, Richmond, West Virginia and now Michigan. After just one bad season in Ann Arbor, Beilein gave Wolverines hope they could once again cheer for a respectable basketball program. Considering DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris are coming back, the Wolverines have a nice shot at a Sweet 16 this year, which would be the third in the past six seasons for the late-blooming Beilein.

24. Lon Kruger, UNLV -- While Kruger's successors have had more success than he has (Donovan at Florida, Self and Weber at Illinois), he's still pretty adept at building winning programs. He took UNLV to the Sweet 16 in his third season and has been to the NCAA Tournament two of the past three years with the Runnin' Rebels. If he wants one, he'll probably get a crack at another major job soon.

25. Al Skinner, Boston College -- It's gotta be awfully tough to keep Boston College competitive in ACC basketball when measuring up against Duke, North Carolina, Maryland and others. BC is a football school, after all. Skinner's had his Eagles in the NCAA Tourney seven of the last nine seasons. Despite the loss of Tyrese Rice to graduation, they'll look to improve next season with the rest of the young nucleus returning.

Up-and-Comers

Here are some guys who might possibly be better coaches than several currently on the list. Some of them will need to prove it for a few more years, and others have circumstances they'll need to fight through in order to stick (Crean's Indiana mess, Bennett moving to the ACC from Pac-10, Capel needing to show he can win without Griffin, etc.).

[ordered alphabetically]

Mike Anderson, Missouri -- After winning 20-plus games all four seasons at UAB, Anderson undertook the massive task of cleaning up the Quin Snyder fiasco for Mizzou. Last season, just his third at the helm for the Tigers, saw Anderson lead his team to the Elite Eight. If things continue on this path, they'll have themselves quite the program.

Latest College Basketball Images

Pall bearers prepare to unload the casket of Wayman Tisdale during his funeral, Thursday, May 21, 2009, in Tulsa, Okla. The former University of Oklahoma basketball star and popular jazz musician died last week after a long battle with cancer. He was 44. (AP Photo/Tom Gilbert)

The hearse carrying the casket of Wayman Tisdale moves through Tulsa, Thursday, May 21, 2009, in Tulsa, Okla. The former University of Oklahoma basketball star and popular jazz musician died last week after a long battle with cancer. He was 44. (AP Photo/Shane Bevel)

John Wall, flanked by his sister Tonya Pulley and Dr. Frank Summerfield, formally announced during a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, that he would attend the University of Kentucky next fall to play basketball. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

MCT

John Wall formally announced during a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, that he would attend the University of Kentucky next fall to play basketball. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

MCT

John Wall laughs with his sister Tonya Pulley during a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, where he announced he would attend the University of Kentucky next fall to play basketball. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

MCT

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall discusses his decision to commit to playing basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall, center, discusses his decision to commit to playing basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. At left is Word of God Christian Academy's Dr. Frank Summerfield and at right is Wall's sister Tonya Pulley. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall, right, and Dr. Frank Summerfield discuss Wall's decision to commit to playing college basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall discusses his decision to commit to playing college basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Tony Bennett, Virginia -- Moving from the Pac-10 to the ACC is no simple task. Plus, he's now going to be also competing with the Big East for regional recruits.

Jeff Capel, Oklahoma -- As mentioned above, it's entirely possible he's not a great coach and just was fortunate enough to land the beast that was Blake Griffin. It's also possible he keeps landing beasts due to great recruiting, which would qualify him for the above rankings. Time will tell, but it appears Oklahoma has a quality coach.

Tom Crean, Indiana -- Had he stayed at Marquette he'd easily qualify for the rankings above Skinner and Beilein (at least), but what he's able to carve out at Indiana from this point forward will make or break his legacy. Thus, it's not really fair to put him near the same level as Big Ten counterparts like Ryan or Weber just yet. It's possible he gets all the way up to the top of this list, but it's also possible he's never able to overcome the significant hole dug by Kelvin Sampson -- in which case he'd fall off this list completely.

Keno Davis, Providence -- One stellar year at Drake was followed by a pretty solid season at Providence in the uber-competitive Big East. At age 37, he's a true rising star in the coaching business.

Travis Ford, Oklahoma State -- From Campbellsville to Eastern Kentucky to UMass to Oklahoma State, the former Kentucky point guard has risen through the coaching ranks from the bottom up. His first season as head coach of the Cowboys yielded a 23-12 record and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tourney.

Anthony Grant, Alabama -- Two NCAA appearances in three years at Virginia Commonwealth got this rising star the exposure needed to land the head coaching job for the Crimson Tide.

Trent Johnson, LSU -- After making Nevada relevant, he built Stanford as his own team in four years -- making a Sweet 16 in Year 4 -- and won the SEC in his first year in Baton Rouge. If this is his destination job, the Tigers have a program on the rise.

Chris Lowery, Southern Illinois -- His first three seasons were a cakewalk. Three Big Dances, two times advancing past the first round and one Sweet 16. The Salukies regressed to the 18-15 next season and all the way down to 13-17 last season. Did Lowery simply enjoy success due to the foundation built by Bruce Weber and Matt Painter, or is he suffering through a simple down-cycle that will be reversed in the near-future?

Sean Miller, Arizona -- It's time for the 40-year-old coaching phenom to take the next step. In five seasons at Xavier, Miller put together a 120-47 record with two Sweet 16s and one Elite Eight trip. Now, he's moving to a "power" conference across the nation. Fans will expect he maintain a top-10 program, so we'll see if he can meet expectations.

Mike Montgomery, California -- Wait, what? He's like a thousand years old, so how is he here? Because he hadn't coached in the college ranks since 2004 until last season. He had a good re-entry into the coaching ranks, but we need to see it sustained. It's not like he had a John Wooden-like resume before getting back into the swing of things.

Brad Stevens, Butler -- The 32-year-old Stevens learned the Butler ropes under both Thad Matta and Todd Lickliter. Since grabbing the head job, he's gone 56-10 in two seasons -- qualifying for the NCAA tournament both times. The Bulldogs should be even better this season than they were in 2008-2009, too.

***

It's tough to really hammer out a list with specific criteria and stick with it. For example, you could argue Roy Williams isn't as good a coach as Self because he couldn't win in Kansas while Self could. Then you could follow that up with Weber going to the Final Four at the helm for Illinois when Self couldn't get past the Sweet 16 round for the Illini. Weber, though, went 16-19 in 2007-2008 and Huggins hasn't had a losing record since 1985. All in all, there will always be reasons to say one coach is better than another.

This was simply meant to be a summer topic for arguing about college hoops while we wait out the offseason. You should also be able to find my early early early Final Four picks for 2010, though that's a different topic for a different day.

College Basketball's Top 25 Coaches originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Useless Talk of Taxing College Sports

Chas Rich — Thu, 21 May 2009 10:44:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10, SEC, March Madness, Campus, Fans, Media Watch

A great advantage for big-time college athletics is that they are tax-exempt. From the NCAA to the athletic departments at Texas and Ohio State, they can reap the revenue and not pay taxes because they are part of educational systems.

With the country in a recession, the national deficits rising and tax revenue declining, the U.S. Government has to find other revenue streams. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), in a report, suggested looking into the commercial activities of collegiate athletic departments.

Senator Chuck Grassely (R-Iowa), who initially called for the CBO to investigate, at the very least would like to get some more transparency from the athletic departments around the country.

"The fact that congressional analysts had to rely on information collected by a major newspaper for source data highlights how little information is available about how these programs work. Given all the tax benefits involved, tight state budgets, and rising tuition despite the recession, it's pretty clear that Congress needs to engage and policymakers need to know more in order to act as responsible stewards of the tax policy that drives this fundraising and commercial activity. This report shows colleges receive tax benefits that aren't available to private businesses that engage in the same commercial activities. Colleges should explain how they use their commercial revenue to get the biggest bang for the buck in fulfillment of their educational mission."

The CBO used a database compiled by the Indianapolis Star in its report.

This will ultimately come to nothing. Congress will not, in any way, change the tax exempt status of colleges and their athletic departments. There will be, at best, a public hearing where Senators and/or Representatives can sanctimoniously berate some college presidents and athletic directors.

The college presidents and athletic directors will feebly counter with claims of how the athletic departments and programs support non-revenue sports, give back to the universities, and how athletic activities further the character and development of students. Nothing will come out of it, though, after a few brief moments in the news cycle.

Why? Because there is no way fans and alumni -- specifically voters in each state -- would be willing to see anything hurt their own school's athletic programs.

Do you think a member of Congress from Alabama, Florida or Texas would support legislation that would remove the tax-exempt status of corporate sponsorships, royalties and other revenue streams for the football programs? What are the odds of support to tax that revenue from an Ohio or Michigan Congressman? Do you think an Indiana or Kentucky Congressman would do anything that could be perceived as hurting the basketball programs in their states?

Royalties from licensing, corporate sponsorship programs and the like are huge income producers for programs like the Crimson Tide, Gators, Seminoles, Longhorns, Buckeyes, Wolverines and many other programs.

Fans of major programs are savvy enough to know that the money advantages translates into being able to have higher budgets for paying coaches, facilities and recruiting. They are not going to support losing that advantage. The BCS conference schools are in 35 states. There is simply no way that there would be political support in Congress for minimal tax revenue gains.

Useless Talk of Taxing College Sports originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 21 May 2009 10:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UConn Would Be Lucky to Have Miles, Majok Stay in NBA Draft

Chas Rich — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:07:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, Big East, Coaches, Recruiting

On its face, one of the sillier declarations of testing the NBA draft waters was UConn freshman forward Ater Majok declaring for the draft. Ater Majok never played for UConn this season, as Majok's academic situation took quite a while to unravel. Not too surprising for a Sudanese native that first went to Australia before getting to the United States. The NCAA decided that Majok would not be eligible until the 2009-10 season.

Nate Miles, briefly of UConn, but this past season with the College of Southern Idaho (a junior college) has also declared for the NBA draft. Having both players go pro -- even if they do not get drafted -- is probably the best case scenario for UConn and Jim Calhoun.

Majok and Miles are persons of interest to the NCAA with their relationship with Josh Nochimson -- the one-time UConn basketball student manager, personal assistant to Richard Hamilton and formerly registered agent. Nochimson was revealed to be actively involved in the lives of Majok and Miles. Two kids that eventually found their way to UConn -- though neither has ever suited up for the Huskies.

Most of the attention from the initial story reported by Yahoo! Sports focused on the part with Nate Miles. Nochimson housed Miles, may have paid for surgery for Miles, and was an ever-present figure in Miles' recruitment.

Majok, though, also was represented by Nochimson at a summer league tournament before signing with UConn. It is not clear what, if any benefits Majok received from Nochimson. It is also unclear how much Nochimson represented Majok's interests.

These are all questions that the NCAA should want to have answered, along with the records of excessive phone communication between UConn assistant coaches and Miles and Majok. And this is to say nothing of the calls that went first to Nochimson before Miles or Majok were contacted by the UConn coaches. Of course, to do that, the NCAA needs to actually interview Miles, Majok and Nochimson. That's the problem for the NCAA.

The NCAA has no power over Nochimson to get him to speak with their investigators. Miles is apparently not returning to college basketball, and thus, outside the reach of the NCAA. Majok, if he does not return to UConn, would also be outside the reach.

As important as the 6-10 forward would be to UConn's on-the-court hopes for the next season, his departure without ever playing a minute for the Huskies coupled with Miles would be better for Jim Calhoun's legacy and the UConn program overall.

Just ask the NCAA how far they have gotten with their investigations into USC and O.J. Mayo when they have been unable to interview Mayo. They have records and evidence that Mayo was receiving money from a runner for an agent, they have interviewed USC coaches and administrators, and they have little to show for it.

All the NCAA investigators have are damning cellphone records of the UConn assistant coaches. The problem is that that only means that UConn was guilty of committing excessive phone calls to recruits. Good luck on getting anyone on the UConn coaching staff -- present or past -- to concede that their calls were anything more than excessive phone calls.

And the calls that went to Josh Nochimson? They could be explained as nothing more than coincidental conversations with an old student manager who was a friend around the same time they were making calls to Miles and Majok. Surely, there was no way they knew that Nochimson was involved with these kids. At least that will be the story.

Of course, no one at UConn would be so cynical as to hope a couple of kids that are not even projected to get signed in the NBDL wind up not coming back to the college ranks. Never.

UConn Would Be Lucky to Have Miles, Majok Stay in NBA Draft originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Choose 'Lou Carnesecca's Sweater'

Chas Rich — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:16:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Campus, Media Watch

That is "Thunder" the presently retired, and generally forgotten mascot of the St. John's Red Storm from the 90s. After mercifully bucking the trend of a cartoonish or anthropomorphic mascots for most of the decade, St. John's plans to bring back a mascot (H/T to Deadspin).

Clearly, that was what has been behind the declining attendance and malaise that covers St. John's basketball. No mascot to wander in the stands, scare children and pose for photos. The St. John's athletic department will even let you vote for the mascot -- including an updated version of Thunder. The choices are after the jump.

Shockingly, none of these are jokes. Here's the description for the disturbing and muscular "Thunderbolt."

A traditional expression for lightning or a symbolic representation, a thunderbolt has been a powerful symbol throughout history, and has appeared numerous times in mythology. Drawing from this powerful association, the thunderbolt is often found in military symbolism and is often depicted as the weapon of any deity associated with the stormy sky.

And reminds me of a bad power company mascot from the 70s.

The "Storm Hero" is supposed to be exuding "strength, courage, confidence and tenacity." It really looks like a copyright lawsuit waiting to happen with Time Warner, the parent company of DC Comics, with The Flash.

The good news is that the voting does allow for write-in candidates. Considering Lou Carnesecca's presence hovers over the program at all times, they really just need to make him the official mascot.

Choose 'Lou Carnesecca's Sweater' originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kansas Now Fully Loaded With Xavier Henry

Chas Rich — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:54:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas, Maryland, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Recruiting

With John Calipari now coaching at Kentucky, top shooting guard Xavier Henry reopened his recruiting. C.J. was already on the Memphis squad following a failed professional baseball career, but that meant little. Ultimately Xavier Henry has opted to go to Kansas, and his older brother will be joining him.

The addition of Henry to a recruiting class that includes power forward Thomas Robinson and point guard Elijah Johnson -- both top-50 recruits -- means that a likely top-10 recruiting class will join a Kansas team that finished in the top-10 and will be returning everyone. Kansas now joins North Carolina and Michigan State as the presumed favorites for 2010.

For the second straight year, Bill Self and Kansas are the beneficiary of a major coaching change. Last year it was Tom Crean leaving Marquette for Indiana that had Tyshawn Taylor getting out of his Marquette letter of intent and heading to Kansas.

The decision by Henry also impacts one other McDonald's All-American and two other programs. Lance Stephenson was expected to commit to Kansas but was waiting to see what Henry did.

With Henry choosing Kansas, the Brooklyn native is expected to decide between St. John's or Maryland. Both programs have coaches that are bordering on desperate to land a big-time player.

Kansas Now Fully Loaded With Xavier Henry originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pitino's Alleged Extortionist Is 'Scared'

Matt Snyder — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:35:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches

We now know the identity of the person who allegedly tried to extort millions of dollars from Louisville's head basketball coach Rick Pitino. Her name is Karen Sypher, and she is the estranged soon-to-be ex-wife of Tim Sypher, the equipment manager for Pitino's Cardinals.

The allegations levied by Sypher against Pitino are still being kept under wraps, and her divorce documents have been sealed by the courts, but it's not too tough to see the underlying concern here. We have a young woman who is going through a divorce and allegedly threatening to go public with something that could potentially harm Pitino's public image. Hmmmm ... I wonder what she is threatening to say?

For her part, Sypher claims she is both scared and misunderstood.

"How can you judge me when you ... have not walked in my shoes ... and you don't know what I'm going through?" Karen Sypher asked.

On a televised reports (on Louisville's WDRB), her mother also got into the action.

Karen Sypher's mother, Judy Cunagin, said, "Everybody is being very unfair to my daughter" and "she isn't able to tell the truth about what happened."

The station did not broadcast Sypher's allegations against Coach Pitino, and stated that she was given an inconclusive polygraph test.

This is certainly a weird situation for the very well respected coach, and it's very possible Sypher's claims are made public quite soon. Stay tuned.

Pitino's Alleged Extortionist Is 'Scared' originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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