NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Season Quietly Tips Tonight

Chas Rich — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:54:00 EST

Filed under: Syracuse, UNC, ACC, Big East, Campus, Media Watch

Tonight is the opening night for college basketball. Defending champion North Carolina tips off at 7PMtonight on ESPN, followed by Syracuse. Plus teams like California and Ohio State start their season as part of one of the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament. All with little hype despite being on one of the ESPN family of networks.

So, the quiet start kicks off what has become the annual lament among college basketball writers. There are no festivities. There is no "celebration." There is no coordination. There is only a quiet and disjointed start to college basketball.

The reasons are familiar. Both external and internal. Pro and college football are dominating most of the market. The NBA and NHL have been underway for a few weeks, as well. Plus the NCAA and basketball programs do themselves no favors with teams no organized start to the season. Teams kicking off their season with no rhyme or reason (other than planning around on-campus football games). College basketball just gets lost in the shuffle.
As usual there are the suggestions that the NCAA, the major conferences and ESPN do more to promote the opening night and week of college basketball. Make it some sort of "tip-off" event that celebrates the start of the season. Get some early high profile games going to drum up interest and kick the season off with a bang. Get the general public paying attention earlier and have fans take notice of more than just their own team's games.

Count me among those who have no interest in changing the system. I love college basketball. I will be in the small group watching games tonight instead of Monday Night Football. The last thing I want to see, though, is a big intersectional game played in the first week of the season.

There's a reason most major programs start out with a bunch of low-level patsies and less than stellar competition. Most teams are still getting their game together. They have only been practicing as a team for a month while classes are well underway -- unlike college football which gets to start practicing before the semester gets underway. They have played maybe two exhibition games against Division II or III opponents.

Unless it is a veteran team comprised of juniors and seniors, the players are still trying to get a better sense of how to play with each other. The play is sloppy and filled with mistakes. Coaches are still experimenting with rotations and maybe implementing wrinkles to their systems.

Even the best teams are not playing particularly crisp basketball for the first couple weeks of the season. I do not want to see Texas play Michigan State this week. I want to see it in December when the teams have worked out a lot of the kinks and will be at a higher level.

ESPN seems to have the better idea with waiting to actively kick off the season. Their college hoops marathon starting at midnight Eastern on November 17 is a fun idea engaging plenty of programs in one 24-hour period. Games include Gonzaga-Michigan State, Memphis-Kansas, Temple-Georgetown and Arkansas-Louisville. It is under-promoted at this point (which admittedly seems an impossibility when it comes to ESPN, but there it is).

College basketball has grown because it builds in attention and excitement all season long. It culminates with the NCAA Tournament, but every year the interest only increases as the season continues. The understated and underpublicized start to the season fits.

Season Quietly Tips Tonight originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Knight Remains Away from Indiana

Chas Rich — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:08:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana, Big Ten, Coaches, Media Watch

It really shouldn't come as a surprise that Bob Knight would opt not to attend his own induction into the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame. His departure from Indiana was ugly, well-documented and Knight has never been one to easily forgive and forget.

Or maybe he is mellowing just a bit. Rather than not even respond to the invitation, Knight actually let Indiana know that he would not attend.Not just passing word along through an intermediary or via press release. He called Indiana's athletic director Fred Glass directly. A former sportswriter that is a longtime friend of Knight, will represent Knight at the ceremony.

The reason claimed is that Knight would not attend because he didn't want a media crunch that would ensue were he to attend, to overshadow the induction of many of his former players. That almost seems reasonable except for one thing. Considering Bob Knight is being inducted, regardless of his physical presence, he will overshadow the event.

Knight Remains Away from Indiana originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Washington Makes Unserious Opening Offer to Play Gonzaga

Chas Rich — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:37:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga, Washington, WCC, Pac-10, Media Watch

Having lost eight of 10 games to Gonzaga between 1997 and 2006, the Washington Huskies felt they needed a break because "the schedule began to get away from us." Apparently, that was code for "tired of being beaten by an in-state team from a non-power conference."

Well, after a few years of finding themselves, Washington would like to renew the series with Gonzaga. Just as long as the games are played for Washington's benefit.

Rather than play a home-and-home type of series with Gonzaga as had been done (and how Gonzaga plays it with Washington State, Wake Forest, Illinois, and Michigan State), Washington wants a three game series to be played at Key Arena in Seattle as a neutral site contest. Apparently playing a scant five miles from Washington's campus still constitutes a "neutral" site to Washington's athletic department as long as the ticket sales are split 50-50.

Unsurprisingly, Gonzaga is not interested in that kind of arrangement. Gonzaga already plays an annual game at Key Arena in the Battle in Seattle that annually pits them against a national opponent. There is little incentive to make a second trip of nearly 300 miles for a "neutral" court game. To say nothing of the additional costs the Bulldogs would incur to make the trip.

Gonzaga wants a home-and-home, but would likely settle for a "neutral court" system as long as the games were split between Key Arena and the Spokane Arena -- about two miles from the Gonzaga campus. Washington, having made the whole offer public very quickly, sees this working only one way.

"This is the proposal that we're interested in and I don't see it changing in terms of any other sites," said Richard Kilwien, UW's associate athletic director of athletic communications. "Having it at the Key really benefits both schools in terms of fans and financially as well."

[Gonzaga athletic director Mike] Roth isn't so sure.

"The renewal of this series is something that will be decided by the two athletic directors and the two head basketball coaches in private discussions," he said.

Washington has been taking shots the last couple years for not renewing the in-state series. Some of this is clearly an attempt to shift the pressure over to the Zags.

Eventually the series will be renewed. Most likely as a home-and-home or alternating "neutral sites." In the meantime, it can be a bit of entertaining sniping and gamesmanship to play out via the media.

Washington Makes Unserious Opening Offer to Play Gonzaga originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Names Isch Interim President

Matt Snyder — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: Media Watch

In the wake of Myles Brand's death last Wednesday, the NCAA was left without a president and no clear rules in place for succession. Considering Brand's prognosis wasn't very good for quite a while -- he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January and not given great odds of survival -- it's a bit surprising the organization didn't address the issue before he perished.

It appears the NCAA will continue its search for a replacement, as they have named only a temporary president. James Isch, the NCAA's vice president for administration and chief financial officer, has been named the interim president.

According to the Associated Press, the governing body of the NCAA was being run by Brand's cabinet and they will continue their search for a new full-time president. The candidates mentioned as under consideration for the position were Walter Harrison (University of Hartford's president) and Bernard Franklin (an NCAA executive). They have no timetable in making a hire.

NCAA Names Isch Interim President originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do Not Expect to See Renardo Sidney Suit Up for Mississippi State

Chas Rich — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State, SEC, Media Watch

Sure, Renardo Sidney was academically certified to attend Mississippi State. That's meaningless if the NCAA will not certify his amateur status to play basketball for the single season before he goes pro. At the moment he is not cleared and the NCAA does not even have to make an actual decision as to his eligibility since Sidney and his family will not turn over requested financial records.

The NCAA wants tax and bank records from the Sidney family to help explain how the family could move from Mississippi to Los Angeles and afford to rent multi-million dollar homes to reside. Especially considering that Sonny Vaccaro has stated that he gave the Sidney's $25,000 to make the move and Renardo Sidney's father became a consultant to a sneaker company for no real reason other than because he is Renardo Sidney's father.

The Sidney family's lawyer is screaming that he will fight and take this to court.

[Donald] Jackson's reaction: "The bottom line is, they are not going to get income tax returns or bank statements, and if this ultimately means that this case has to wind up in court, it will just have to wind up in court. Because their position is that they have the right, in effect, they don't have to establish the existence of violation, that the Sidney family has to establish the existence of non-violations, and that is not how every other case in their initial eligibility process originates."

Now if this had been even a year earlier, the NCAA probably would have backed down or never gotten to this point. The NCAA probably would not want to deal with the lawsuit.

The difference is that the NCAA whiffed horribly and publicly in the cases of O.J. Mayo and Derrick Rose. Both players were cleared by the NCAA to play at USC and Memphis respectively. Despite the warning signs, there was no smoking gun and the NCAA chose not look closely. After the players did their single season, much came out to show that they were not eligible. While it reflected worse on the schools for which they played and their lack of investigation, the NCAA also rubber-stamped their certification to play.

Sidney has already had plenty of red flags that have the attention of the NCAA and made it impossible to ignore. The NCAA has to see this through.

The lawsuit, if it actually happens, would start by seeking an injunction to let Sidney play. It would be likely that Mississippi State still would not play Sidney in the games. It would put those games at risk if the court eventually ruled in the NCAA's favor and made Sidney ineligible.

The Bulldogs will be a good team even without Sidney. They should make the NCAA Tournament and contend in the SEC. There is no way they would risk the season being voided by playing Sidney.

Do Not Expect to See Renardo Sidney Suit Up for Mississippi State originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Billy Gillispie Reportedly Enters Rehab

Chas Rich — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, SEC, Coaches, Media Watch

The rumors have long swirled among message boards and others that former Kentucky and Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie enjoyed the alcoholic beverages a little too much. Following his third arrest in his head coaching career for drunk driving (still no convictions, though) Gillispie seems to have reached a point that he has to admit that he has a problem.

Gillispie has checked himself in to the John Lucas After Care Program in Houston, according to WKYL TV. Lucas was a former NBA coach and player that famously battled addictions for years and eventually began running one of the most popular rehab programs for athletes and coaches.

Gillispie probably had little choice at this point. Even if Gillispie does not truly believe he has a problem, he probably needs to do this from a legal and professional perspective. Gillispie is more likely to be able to work something out over his latest arrest if he can show that he is dealing with his problem.

Yet this is even more important for his coaching career. Between the way things ended in Kentucky, the lawsuit regarding his contract (or lack thereof), and the multiple arrests for drunk driving, his coaching career was abruptly circling the drain. He needs to show prospective employers -- whether it is the athletic director of a school or a head coach that will hire him as an assistant -- that he is serious about addressing his issues with alcohol. A school would be hard-pressed to take a chance on Gillispie if he was unrepentant and unwilling to admit a problem. It's much easier to publicly support a figure that appears to be dealing with his problem.

Billy Gillispie Reportedly Enters Rehab originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:02:00 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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FIU Upset Over Having to Play UNC

Chas Rich — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:40:00 EST

Filed under: Ohio State, UNC, ACC, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, Campus, Coaches, Media Watch

Florida International has not played a game yet under new coach Isiah Thomas, but the program is acting like it is already a player in college basketball. They are threatening to pull out of the 2K Sports Classic Tournament, which benefits the Coaches vs. Cancer charity, because they are no longer slated to be the road patsy for Ohio State. Instead they are getting sent to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina.

The Golden Panthers had agreed to play in the preseason tournament even before Isiah Thomas was hired as the head coach. It had been presumed that they would go to Columbus to play the Buckeyes. Ohio State had indicated on its Web site that FIU would be the opponent. FIU and Thomas referenced starting the season there.

Last week, though, the Gazelle Group which operates the tournament contacted FIU about being switched. FIU's athletic director Pete Garcia refused, but he really did not have a choice. The contract FIU signed stated that FIU would play either North Carolina or Ohio state at the sole discretion of the Gazelle Group. Somehow that does not seem fair to FIU.

"Would they do what they're doing to us to Duke, or to North Carolina? No," Garcia said. "But they'll do it to FIU and any other school out there like FIU."

Hello? You are the patsy school that has to go on the road in this tournament, and expected to lose to the bigger program. You get some nice national exposure on ESPN and a check for the beating -- something nearly "any other school out there like FIU" would love to get. You are FIU. You are one of the worst programs in the country. Most people cannot keep you straight with Florida Atlantic. Of course they would treat you this way and not like a prestigious, brand-name program.

There is no principle to this. They signed a contract that is clear. Maybe they were hoping for a lighter beating from Ohio State rather than North Carolina, but that is not principle. That is whining. Clearly FIU's athletic director (and probably the coach) does not understand that a glamor hire does not elevate FIU beyond novelty act until they actually win something.

FIU Upset Over Having to Play UNC originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Tells Memphis 2008 Was Just Like 1985: It Never Happened

Chas Rich — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:51:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, Memphis, Conference USA, SEC, Coaches, Media Watch

For the second time in his career, John Calipari may again be the best coach never to have been to a Final Four, at least according to the NCAA.

According to sources that leaked it to most major sports media and the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the Memphis Tigers will be forced to vacate their 2008 Final Four appearance and the 38 wins they had in the 2007-08 season. That, at least will be the decision of the NCAA Rules and Infractions Committee.

This, of course, will be the second Final Four appearance by a Calipari coached team to be vacated due to player eligibility issues -- something that is singularly unique to Calipari, and not accomplished by any other coach. Not in a way, though, that will enhance his resume. The odds are that the basketball Hall of Fame will not be calling on him soon.

The 1996 UMass squad had their appearance also vacated because of the eligibility of Marcus Camby. His eligibility had been compromised for accepting cash and gifts from a street agent. Like the UMass affair, John Calipari was not found to be at fault, and had already left for a bigger contract.

This is also the second time Memphis has had a Final Four appearance vacated. Its 1985 appearance in the Final Four under Dana Kirk was also vacated due to numerous NCAA violations.

The only good news for Memphis is that there do not appear to be any penalties going forward on the program. Memphis and new coach Josh Pastner can attempt to rebuild from the rubble of a Calipari departure and NCAA investigation without a postseason ban or loss of scholarships.

John Calipari, of course, is ensconced safely in Kentucky with a top-10 preseason team and a huge new contract. Derrick Rose is happily playing in the NBA with his hometown Chicago Bulls.

NCAA Tells Memphis 2008 Was Just Like 1985: It Never Happened originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Renardo Sidney Is the NCAA's Last Chance

Chas Rich — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:25:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State, SEC, Campus, Media Watch, Recruiting

If the NCAA was hoping that Renardo Sidney would simplify the investigation by somehow failing to get academically qualified, they are out of luck. Sidney was cleared for meeting minimum academic standards by the NCAA Eligibility Center. That has allowed him to enroll at Mississippi State for classes in the fall semester and begin participating in conditioning and individual workouts.

That does not clear Sidney to practice with the team and play for Mississippi State. The NCAA is still investigating his eligibility as an amateur in light of reports of how his family managed to live in multi-million dollar homes and afforded a move from Mississippi to Los Angeles in the first place. All without any clear idea how they earned the money for it.
The question looms out there: what will the NCAA find? The Sidney family has hired a lawyer familiar with the NCAA investigators. They have vocally professed that Sidney and his family is clean. No one seems to believe it, but proving it may be a different matter. Especially when the family is not rolling over on the matter.

The Sidney case, ultimately, may be one of the last chances the NCAA has to show it is at all relevant with regards to dealing with incoming student-athletes. The NCAA is supposed to be a gate-keeper for incoming student-athletes. To determine if they are meeting the academic and amateur eligibility. If it can not even do that, then they are not doing their job.

Whatever comes of the NCAA's investigations into O.J. Mayo/USC and Derrick Rose/Memphis, the NCAA has to share some of the blame. They cleared the kids to play for the schools. Maybe the schools did not dig too hard. Maybe the kids were (shockingly) less than forthright with the NCAA. Yes, the NCAA has limited resources. The fact is the NCAA cleared the kids to play for a year at the respective schools, despite red flags that varied from subtle (William Wesley and Derrick Rose's brother's AAU team) to white-hot, neon (O.J. Mayo's entourage included Rodney Guillory who had paid two other players in the past).

The NCAA missed on those two matters. Miss with Sidney and they make it clear to programs that the best approach with questionable recruits is not to look too closely.

Renardo Sidney Is the NCAA's Last Chance originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:25:00 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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Atlantic 10 Leaves Philly for the Money

Chas Rich — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:51:00 EST

Filed under: George Washington, UMass, Xavier, A-10, Media Watch

It isn't easy being only a basketball conference trying to compete with the major programs. No football money from the 1-A level, even to be a patsy team like the Sun Belt, MAC or the ilk. The Atlantic 10 has managed to make it work, but apparently the money is no longer there.

Reports are out that the Atlantic 10 is moving its offices to Newport News, Virginia. There are no member schools in Newport News. The closest school is Richmond. Nearly 80 miles away. The move is apparently driven by economics, as the city's development office actively courted the A-10 to move into new digs no where near any of their members.

The A-10 offices have been located in Philadelphia. It has made sense since three (LaSalle, Temple, St. Joe's) of the fourteen full members are located in Philly. Add in Duquesne in Pittsburgh and associate member West Chester, and the A-10 has its basketball tournament in Atlantic City, NJ. To say nothing of a major airport located in the area that all members could get direct flights to and from. it would appear to have little reason to move the offices from Philadelphia.

Apparently the office space in Philly, though, is just too expensive for the A-10. Wonder how many direct flights there are to the Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport (a third runway coming in 2012) from the various cities .

Atlantic 10 Leaves Philly for the Money originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do Cash Payments Outnumber Good Guys in College Basketball?

Chas Rich — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:13:00 EST

Filed under: Campus, Coaches, Media Watch, Recruiting

There are days when the whole of college basketball -- or simply all of major college athletics -- is just too depressing and miserable. Where even Dick Vitale can not create a saccharine enough visual of the coaches who populate the major basketball programs.

This seems to be one of those times. The New York Times' Pete Thamel ran a story on the hardship placed on D-I coaches "forced" to pay the ridiculous prices demanded by AAU coaches and sponsors for photocopied information at some of the various AAU sanctioned tournaments that take place during recruiting periods. The story got some play in the major sports blogosphere, but as noted by Eamonn Brennan at the Dagger, it is as much a follow-up/companion piece to an earlier story by Ken Tysiac at the Charlotte Observer (sadly stuck behind Charlotte.com's paid archive) that also discussed AAU coaches selling scouting services.

The gist of both stories is that coaches are mostly paying ridiculous money for information they already have -- the names, addresses, e-mail and cell phone numbers of recruits. Why? Because the AAU coaches want them to, and if the coaches don''t they fear the AAU coach may poison the well when the coaches go to recruit the players.

Thamel's story in the New York Times has some nice anecdotes of Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings taking something of a stand against paying for another "roster packet." It is vibrantly contrasted with the way other coaches at bigger programs, making far more money than Stallings clammed up on the subject.

While many coaches agreed that the cost of tournament packets was egregious, few spoke on the record. Those who declined included the Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the U.C.L.A. Coach Ben Howland and the Ohio State Coach Thad Matta. "It's one of the important things on our agenda," said Michigan Coach John Beilein, the head of the N.C.A.A.'s new Ethics Coalition. "That's all I'm going to say."
...
While [Michigan State Coach Tom] Izzo confirmed the story about the Milwaukee tournament, he declined further comment. His silence and the hesitancy of other prominent coaches to speak underscores the importance of their relationships with summer basketball programs.

"That's exactly what's wrong with our business," Stallings said. "There's a mentality where coaches want to cover themselves and not get out there and say what's right and call out the people that are wrong.

"That's precisely why things are the way they are. That's why we have culture issues in our game. It's a darn shame. The people who could have influence and do have a voice, they choose not to use it because it doesn't help them. They don't want anything unsettling their smooth little boat ride."

Well, that's not entirely true. The coaches are doing something. They are working quietly to have the NCAA pass new and likely more convoluted rules that will force a change. In time the coaches will push the NCAA to pass new rules that make it a rules violation for coaches to purchase these programs or subscription services.

Latest College Basketball Images

In this photo provided by University of Kentucky, Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, left, stands with University of Kentucky's head coach John Calipari on Friday, July 17, 2009 at Kentucky's campus in Lexington, Ky. James, a friend of coach Calipari, paid a surprise visit to the Wildcats on Friday. (AP Photo/University of Kentucky, David Coyle) ** NO SALES **

In this 1987 photo, University of Nevada basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian is shown. Former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian is having spinal surgery in California. Tarkanian's son, Danny Tarkanian, says his father is having a bone spur that's compressing his spinal cord removed Tuesday morning July 14, 2009, at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Calif. (AP Photo)

In this photo taken Thursday Feb. 19, 2009, Charlotte head coach Bobby Lutz directs his team during an NCAA college basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009. Charlotte's success in Conference USA has given way trouble in the Atlantic 10. Following a 20-loss season, athletic director Judy Rose says she's disappointed and indicated coach Bobby Lutz's program faces a "critical year" to "step up and be one of the better programs in this league." (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski responds to a question during a news conference in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, June 30, 2009. Krzyzewski said he is "not going to the Lakers" and that he won't leave Duke "until I leave coaching." (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

In this photo taken on Feb. 19, 2008, Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson looks from from the bench during a college basketball game against Purdue in Bloomington, Ind. Indiana won 77-68. The NCAA said Tuesday June 30, 2009, that the NCAA Division I infractions Committee has upheld the violations stemming from more than 100 impermissible phone calls made while Sampson was coaching at Indiana. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Missouri guard Jimmy McKinney, left, watches game action with forward Kevin Young during second half action against Montana at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri, December 11, 2004. McKinney is a pro basketball player in Germany who wants to play baseball in the United States, his home country. (Chris Lee/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

MCT

The vote will be in secret and the coaches can blame the NCAA for the rules while telling the AAU coaches that they sympathize and it was not their idea. Everyone has deniability, and the NCAA adds another rule to the ever growing volumes -- and has one more thing they have to monitor with the behavior of coaches and their interaction during recruiting.

Money, though, is like water and no doubt the AAU coaches and other invested parties will find other things that they will be able to demand large payments in a quasi-legal way.

The whole thing is a moral, slimy mess where it is really difficult to find any side to support. The AAU coaches come away as exploitative, greedy slimy asses looking to make the most money off of their high school charges.

Of course the college coaches do much the same at the next level, making far more money along the way. Plus they preach the college experience and try to sell the ethics and moral components of kids becoming men and learning lessons to the kids,their family and the media. All the while, they are just looking to make sure they maintain that recruiting edge so they can win and get paid.

Then the NCAA is mixed in there. With more rules, restrictions and convoluted logic that encourages the appearance of innocence as long as nothing is too overtly corrupt. Speaking high-mindedly of the virtuous student-athlete while increasing rights fees for televising championship games and doing it all while stressing that money to pay the players would corrupt the spirit.

Do Cash Payments Outnumber Good Guys in College Basketball? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas, Kansas Claim Big Presence on ESPN's Big Monday Schedule

Terrance Harris — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:23:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas, Big 12, Media Watch, Missouri

Kansas and Texas should be the class of the Big 12 next basketball season and ESPN is certainly banking on as much.

The Big 12 and ESPN released its Big Monday package for the 2010 campaign and both the Jayhawks and Longhorns will appear four times each in the eight-game package, which includes an anticipated February 8th showdown between the two power teams. Kansas will likely enter the season as the nation's No.1 ranked team while Texas is bringing in an influx of young talent that should make the Longhorns a Top 10 team.

The Big 12 kicks off its longstanding relationship with ESPN's Big Monday platform when rivals Oklahoma and Oklahoma State meet on January 11. Here is the full slate of Big 12 Big Monday games:

Date Game Time (CT)
January 11 Oklahoma State at Oklahoma 8 p.m.
January 18 Texas at Kansas State 8 p.m.
January 25 Missouri at Kansas 8 p.m.
February 1 Texas at Oklahoma State 8 p.m.
February 8 Kansas at Texas 8 p.m.
February 15 Kansas at Texas A&M 8 p.m.
February 22 Oklahoma at Kansas 8 p.m.
March 1 Oklahoma at Texas 8 p.m.

Texas, Kansas Claim Big Presence on ESPN's Big Monday Schedule originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Eliminates Useless Component From Tournament Selection

Chas Rich — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:35:00 EST

Filed under: March Madness, Media Watch, NCAA Tournament

Among the many criteria the NCAA tournament selection committee uses to select and seed the 65 teams for the NCAA tournament, the most statistically irrelevant is the "last 12 games" criteria. The NCAA has finally seen the light and eliminated the last 12 games from the toolbox.

There are many reasons for the stat's uselessness. There is little statistical correlation to how a team finished their season, and that team's performance in the NCAA tournament. It is generally misleading, especially in the power conferences where TV scheduling emphasizes that the projected top teams play each other later in the season while the teams expected in the lower half face each other.

It unfairly discounts what happened in the early part of the schedule. Something that can be very unfair to the mid-major teams that play and win games against good teams. It also sends a mixed message on the importance of the non-conference schedule when the final twelve games emphasized are almost always conference games. Something the Committee seemed to recognize when it decided to eliminate it.

"As the committee continues to hone its message regarding how it views the season, parsing a particular segment of games and implying it had greater weight than others seemed misleading and inconsistent," said committee chair and Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive. "The removal of this reference avoids confusion in the room and brings our reporting in line with our process."

Examining a team's last 12 games was a resource put in place for committee members to gauge how strongly a team finished its season. It was never intended that the last portion of a team's season should carry more weight than other portions of the schedule.

Now if they would only do something about that play-in game ...

NCAA Eliminates Useless Component From Tournament Selection originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Henry Family Reconfirms Commitment to Kansas for a Year

Chas Rich — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:54:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas, Kentucky, Big 12, SEC, Media Watch, Recruiting, Rumors

For a rather wild day, it looked like things were going to get even weirder than they usually do in the college basketball offseason. Even before the summer recruiting began. In the end, it was a lot of noise but no change. Xavier and C.J. Henry are still going to Kansas for the 2009-10 season, not reversing field to go to Kentucky to be with John Calipari.

Xavier Henry is one of the top-5 high school players in the country. He had already switched his commitment from Memphis to Kansas, but since he could not sign a new National Letter of Intent (NLI) he is not actually bound to Kansas until he shows up on the campus and signs the scholarship papers. His older brother, C.J. Henry, is a walk-on with the New York Yankees paying his way following a failed baseball career.

Then there is dad. Carl Henry played basketball for Kansas, and holds strong views about his sons, their talent, future plans and comparing them both rather favorably versus the other talent on the Kansas basketball team. He let many of them fly during a feature article in the Kansas City Star.

Among the gems: Xavier is not that interested in going to college, this is definitely a one-and-done thing for him (duh), they considered Europe for a year, C.J. is probably better than both Sherron Collins and Tyshawn Taylor, and that coach Bill Self needs to be on-board with the Henry plan,

Shockingly, with opinions that suggested that the Henrys were bigger than Kansas, it was not embraced by the Jayhawk faithful. This led to an angry Carl Henry to go on a local sports radio station to complain that the article made him and his sons look like prima donnas and that all Carl does is talk. Plus, the negative reaction on the internet and elsewhere by Kansas fans has the Henrys so upset that they were leaning very strongly towards going to Kentucky instead. Interestingly, in the radio interview, Carl Henry admitted that there was nothing factually inaccurate in the story.

Recapping that last bit. A reporter hangs out with the Henrys. Gets the facts right. Carl Henry and his sons do not like the way it made them look, because it made them look spoiled. Carl in particular disliked that it portrayed him as someone always talking. So in response, Carl Henry goes on the radio to talk some more and announces that while they are not prima donnas, they had their feelings so hurt by the negative reaction to the story that they might very well go to Kentucky instead.

Well played, sir.

So for several glorious hours yesterday there was chaos on the Kentucky and Kansas message boards over all of this. Especially since a decision could come that night. It did, in a text message to the same Kansas radio show.

But late Tuesday, Xavier Henry sent a text message to Cory Anderson of the Chris and Cowboy Show on 610 Sports Radio confirming he would not change his mind.

"I'm goin to Kansas and that's final," the text read.

The thing is, that while most of this was about Carl Henry's mouth and the tantalizing talent of Xavier Henry, it was probably C.J. Henry's situation that kept things as the status quo.

The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy Tweeted this point.

The Henry's hadn't much leverage. If X took off on KU, what about CJ? Think the NCAA would have given him immediate eligibility everywhere?

C.J. was already a freshman on the Memphis roster this past year (PDF). He sat out while recovering from surgery. He has already had to apply to get immediate eligibility at Kansas. What are the odds the NCAA would let him switch to Kentucky as well? Probably not that good. Which means that Carl Henry was -- once more -- just doing a lot of talking.

Henry Family Reconfirms Commitment to Kansas for a Year originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kelvin Sampson's Appeal Rejected by NCAA

Chas Rich — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:26:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana, Big Ten, Media Watch

I have no proof that the people in the NCAA that evaluate appeals were laughing and giggling their way through Kelvin Sampson's appeal of his sanctions. I like to think they were. Most people had a good laugh when they found out Sampson was appealing. Not surprisingly, Sampson had his appeal officially rejected today.

Essentially the appeal by Sampson came down to two arguments. The first was that the committee misinterpreted the evidence that was the basis of the penalties. That is, all those excessive phone calls at Indiana, the three-way calls, the "mistakes" that were made. The committee just looked at them the wrong way. The 100 plus phone calls were simply individual mistakes and not reflective of a pattern.

The other claim was that the enforcement staff that investigated and brought the charges before the committee were biased against him. Of course those past violations from Oklahoma that were almost the same as what happened at Indiana should be ignored. To say nothing of how they factored into the harsher penalties on Sampson

The NCAA upheld the penalties handed down by the infractions committee that effectively banned him from coaching in the NCAA for five years. Hopefully Sampson will finally let it go.

He may be done in college basketball, but he still has a coaching future.He is an assistant in the NBA, and has always been a players' coach. His basketball acumen has never been questioned. Just his ethics.

Kelvin Sampson's Appeal Rejected by NCAA originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Memphis Is Not Trying to Be Funny, Really

Chas Rich — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:44:00 EST

Filed under: Memphis, Conference USA, Media Watch

Great timing, Memphis. Pay a visit to the Tigers' Athletic Compliance page and you'll see that it is "temporarily under construction" (hat tip to Gary Parrish at CBS Sports).

I'm sure Memphis' athletic department has a lot on its plate in preparation for tomorrow's hearing before the NCAA Rules and Infractions Committee, but they might want to get on this.

Memphis Is Not Trying to Be Funny, Really originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:44:00 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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New York Media Will Not Let Go of Isiah Thomas Willingly

Chas Rich — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:44:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors, Coaches, Media Watch

Has the statute of limitations run on making a Brokeback Mountain, "I wish I knew how to quit you," reference? That phrase comes to mind with regards to the New York City media and Isiah Thomas. He was such a wonderful villain for them. So hated by everyone in the area. An easy punchline to jokes. Everyone understood the reference.

Stuck for an insult towards a sports franchises front office? Compare them to Zeke. Company going in the tank because of bad management? Reference the Knicks under Isiah.

Then he was gone. Off to the Florida International and the Sun Belt Conference down in Miami. The media just was not prepared for this. They had not said their goodbyes. There was still a bond. That's means, the New York media is essentially covering the activities of the FIU Panthers.

Thomas signed a bunch of junior college players in the present signing period. Then Thomas did what new coaches do everywhere: kick aside recruits from the previous regime. So, the New York Post in its usual restrained manner ran the story:

ISIAH MAKING ENEMIES IN NEW FIU JOB

Thomas failed to directly contact the kids to tell them that he really did not think they would fit with what he wanted to do (yes, I know there's another joke there, but I'll pass on it or this post will never get finished).

The former Knicks president/coach is being accused of tactless behavior in failing to personally phone three FIU recruits to inform them they were no longer wanted despite scholarship offers from the past regime.

Wolfson High coach Greg Rosebrock threatened to close the door for Thomas to recruit at his Jacksonville school because of how his player, Chris Rozier, was treated.

"From Jacksonville, to Orlando to Pensacola, there's a lot of coaches in Florida not happy with him right now," Rosebrock told The Post. "He's not making friends here. I understand not wanting him but place a phone call and do it in a professional way."

Horror of horrors, instead it was an assistant coach that made the call rather than Thomas himself. Now a high school coach in Florida is flipping out, making empty threats and hyperbolic statements of the damage Isiah Thomas is already wreaking in the entire state of Florida.

Thomas, apparently, was under the impression that he was not yet permitted to directly talk to unsigned high school recruits -- signed or unsigned -- because he had not yet received the results of his NCAA compliance test. That was why he did not call, and was buried in the story.

Of course, why let an actually rational excuse get in the way of a chance to take another shot at Thomas and re-confirm all that is known to be true and evil of Isiah Thomas? (I cannot believe I find myself actually defending Isiah Thomas on anything.)

Who cares if this is hardly atypical behavior after a coaching change? It's a chance to blast Isiah Thomas one more time.That must not be allowed to pass without comment.

Given the emotional involvement that the New York media has had with Isiah Thomas, there's a good chance that FIU/Isiah stories will appear more frequently than St. John's.

New York Media Will Not Let Go of Isiah Thomas Willingly originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 11 May 2009 22:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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