NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Griner's Influence Extends Beyond Dunk

Michelle Smith — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:59:00 EST

Filed under: California, Big 12, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

Change doesn't always come quickly.

For example, when everyone says that Baylor freshman Brittney Griner will change women's basketball. Well, sure, she will.

But did we all expect it to happen in the first couple of weeks?

In the first three games of her college career, she has tried to dunk twice and missed both. Sunday at No. 17 Cal in Berkeley, Calif., Griner had an opportunity in the closing moments of a 69-49 victory. Baylor had the ball in transition and guard Melissa Jones passed the ball to Griner behind her back at the baseline. Griner went up with her right hand to dunk and the ball bounced off the rim. She pulled down the rebound and was fouled.

The Sunday afternoon crowd at Haas Pavilion buzzed, even with the miss.

"I should have went up with two hands and I only went up with one," Griner said. "I was hoping to go up for a second try, but I got a little tied up."

Griner finished the game with 15 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and five turnovers.

She was tentative in the first half in response to Cal's triple-teams, zone and trapping pressure and the efforts to push her out of the paint. It's not like she didn't know it was coming.

"I think it was butterflies," said Griner, who missed her first four shots before scoring with 6:08 to go in the first half. "It took a little time, but once things started going, the flow of the game started in the second half and things opened up."

Being 6-foot-8 and immensely talented doesn't protect you from nerves. Only experience can do that and Griner doesn't have it yet.

The dunk, the thing that defines her game, is far down on the list of things that she needs to do to move her game to the college level.

She needs to learn how to pass more efficiently out of those triple-teams, to find open teammates, ala Stanford's Jayne Appel, who has made it an art form.

She needs to learn how to establish her position under the basket more assertively, without looking like she's afraid to foul.

She needs to use the face-up game that showed up in the second half.

But changing the game and altering a game are not the same thing. The influence she exerts over 40 minutes on the floor is undeniable.

She is the center of the defensive gameplan. She changes the opponents' offensive choices. And she is giving her teammates opportunities. Guards Shanay Robinson and Melissa Jones scored 18 and 15 points respectively.

"Brittney has such a big presence on the floor," Jones said. "It allows openings on the outside on the perimeter and in the post. It opens things up all over."

Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said there is no statistical category for Griner's pervasive influence on the floor.

"We don't have a stat for altered shots, we don't have a stat for the mindset of a player who says, 'I'm not turning that corner on that on-ball screen with her standing there.' It's very obvious if you watch the game, the presence of Brittney Griner in the paint. She just has been blessed with height and athleticism and I'm just glad she's on my team."

Griner would probably like to get her first official dunk out of the way -- her dunk in Baylor's exhibition win over Incarnate Word doesn't count. She knows everyone is waiting for it. They are certainly asking about it.

"I would love to do it some more, but they will come," Griner said.

Added Mulkey, "Look, we've played three games and I don't think I've coached a kid that's had as much attention thrown at her defensively as Brittney. You work your way through it and she does."

Griner is finding herself, and so is Baylor. The Bears have already played on the road at Tennessee and at Cal, splitting those two games, but showing promise.

"You have to remember that we are so young, so it's hard for me to gauge if we really did well," Mulkey said. "The good part is we won. Taking this team on the road to Knoxville and here is really throwing a lot at them. I saw a lot of improvement. But I don't know yet. We are still working hard."

Griner's Influence Extends Beyond Dunk originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another Inevitable Conclusion for UConn?

Michelle Smith — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, Duke, Stanford, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

When Connecticut ran through the 2008-09 season with a 39-0 record and cruised through the Final Four to a national title, they turned an entire season, thousands of games involving hundreds of teams, into an exercise in inevitability.

At the cusp of a new college season, the biggest question is: Can the Huskies do that again? Or will the search for a new point guard to replace Renee Montgomery will bring UConn back to the pack?

Connecticut is the undisputed No. 1 team in the nation at its start, the unanimous choice in both national polls. But, of course. The Huskies have Maya Moore and Tina Charles, two of the top three or four players in the country, they have outstanding role players such as Kalnna Greene and Kaili McLaren. They have Geno Auriemma, who embraces the role of front-runner in a big, enthusiastic bear hug.The Huskies are an interesting combination of swagger and hunger. The championship run of last March marked the first time in four years that Connecticut had won a title, a virtual eternity in Geno-years. They wanted their trophy back. They are going to want it again.

Auriemma was asked whether he thinks this will be a better team that the last one, that one that won every game by double-digits, by an average margin of 30.5 points a game.

"I don't know. Things change, people change. Certainly circumstances change," Auriemma said. "I think each individual on our team will be better than they were last year. ... Does that translate into having a better team? I don't know. Again, you can't discount what Renee did and how she did it."

Stanford looks to be Connecticut's biggest challenger, returning six players with starting experience, bringing the nation's deepest post game, led by senior center Jayne Appel, and one of the country's top freshman -- forward Joslyn TInkle -- into the mix.

If the Cardinal get consistent, high quality guard play from the experienced trio of JJ Hones, Rosalyn Gold-Onwude and Jeanette Pohlen, they might be in a very good spot to claim the program's first title since 1992.

Most everybody else in the elite ranks looks pretty young. Baylor, North Carolina, Oklahoma -- all are in various states of rebuilding after large exoduses of experience and talent.

Tennessee, meanwhile, is in a form of recovery. Last year, a freshman-laden team drove Pat Summitt crazy and exited the NCAA Tournament in the first round for the first time in the history of the program. That's a lot to atone for. Now a sophomore group led by last year's national freshman of the year Shekinna Stricklen, along with Glory Johnson and Kelley Cain, are taking another shot at living up to the program's high standards.

The Big 12 has a new power in Kansas, led by senior Danielle McCray, but the big story will be at Baylor, where the Bears are highly ranked and those votes of confidence come largely based of the presence of freshman Brittney Griner, the dunk machine making her collegiate debut in the hot glare of the national spotlight.

Ohio State has been a regional powerhouse, the recent ruler of the upper Midwest, but OSU is still waiting to break through on a national level. This could be that year for the Buckeyes with a strong inside-out combination in point guard Samantha Prahalis and junior center Jantel Lavender. The start of the season has been marred, however, by three-game suspensions to two players, including senior defensive standout Shavelle Little.

North Carolina will lead the way in an ACC race in which all of the top teams have undergone significant turnover. Five ACC teams are in the preseason rankings, but most of them are dependent on newcomers after losing stalwarts such as Kristi Tolliver and Marisa Coleman (Maryland), Chante Black and Abby Waner (Duke), Rashanda McCants (UNC) and Tanae Davis-Cain and Mara Freshour (Florida State).

"I think it just so happens to be that a lot of the teams that are ranked high have a lot of underclassmen," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. "Hopefully it will make for some interesting games."

But it may not prevent the foregone conclusion at the end of the season.

Another Inevitable Conclusion for UConn? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stanford Now Has 1-2 Ogwumike Punch

Michelle Smith — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, Notre Dame, Stanford, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

Tara VanDerveer, right, has been coaching for nearly 30 years. She doesn't think she's recruited siblings before. So as new experiences go, it's worked out pretty well.

Chiney Ogwumike, a 6-foot-3 forward from Texas and the No. 1-rated recruit in the country, signed her national letter of intent to play at Stanford on Thursday. Chiney will join her older sister Nneka, who is a sophomore forward for the No. 2-ranked Cardinal. Ogwumike chose Stanford over Connecticut and Notre Dame.

"I know it sounds surprising, but I really had to consider Nneka a teammate in order to be fair about it," Chiney Ogwumike said Thursday. "She'll always be my sister. But Stanford has the best combination of what I've worked for in academics and athletics. I believed Stanford would be the best for me."

Chiney called VanDerveer early Thursday morning with the good news. The coach said she was "knocked out." And she suspects Chiney's sister knew first.

"When I asked her if Nneka already knew, she just laughed," VanDerveer said.

Nneka Ogwumike said she was "very excited" about her sister's decision, one that should give Stanford the most athletic post game in the country.

"It was her own decision," Nneka said. "She felt like this was the best place for her and I think she picked the best place. I never wanted to poke my head in too much. She was always asking me questions. I was not going to lie and tell her this place isn't amazing."

Chiney said the two would talk about "sisterly" things instead of recruiting.

"When it came to recruiting, she would say she hoped things were going well, that there was no pressure that she wanted me to do what's best for me," Chiney said. "Coincidentally, it ends up being at Stanford with her."

Chiney Ogwumike has led Cy-Fair to the Texas state tournament the past three seasons. She played her season opener Tuesday night, scoring 28 points with eight rebounds.

VanDerveer, who has made it a yearly habit to bring in some of the nation's elite post players, said the two sisters are very different players and they will complement each other well on the court. Nneka is a true post, most comfortable under the basket. Chiney could end up moving out to the wing as a fit for her driving, aggressive game.

"The thing I really like about Chiney is she is really aggressive and versatile," VanDerveer said. "I think it will be an easier adjustment, to have a sister on the team.

Some thought this would be a slam-dunk process for Stanford considering the family ties. But Chiney Ogwumike made it clear she would make her own decision. Ultimately, she chose to follow her sister's path.

"I think it worked for us," VanDerveer said.

The good news for VanDerveer, there are still two more younger Ogwumike sisters in the pipeline.

"I don't know if I'll still be coaching then," VanDerveer laughed.

Stanford Now Has 1-2 Ogwumike Punch originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Harper Filling Yow's Big Shoes

Michelle Smith — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:10:00 EST

Filed under: NC State, Oregon, Tennessee, ACC, Pac-10, SEC, Women's Basketball

Kay Yow is still very much a presence in the North Carolina State women's basketball program.

Her name is on the athletic department's Wall of Fame, and on the basketball court at Reynolds Coliseum. Her photo still hangs in the women's basketball locker room.

"She was North Carolina State basketball, and you don't and you can't wipe that away with a new staff," said new N.C. State head coach Kellie Jolly Harper.

Harper is making one of the toughest transitions in college basketball this season. She is taking over the Wolfpack program, moving it in a new direction after the passing of Yow last January following a lengthy battle with breast cancer.

Yow fought bravely and publicly, her players and coaching staff rode the ups and downs of her treatment with her until her death. Stephanie Glance, Yow's assistant of 15 years took over the program until the end of the season and was the favorite of many who supported the program to take the job permanently.

But the administration was looking for a fresh start and Harper, who was a star guard at Tennessee under Pat Summitt and coached Western Carolina to two NCAA appearances in five seasons, was offered the job.

Harper said saying yes was not automatic.

"I made sure I did my homework," Harper said. "I had to talk to different people, to make sure I understood the landscape. Being a young coach, I did not want to jeopardize my future by putting myself in a bad situation. But after visiting the campus and talking to people and the players, I knew it was going to be a good situation."

Among those she talked to was her former coach, Summitt.

"It was important to me for her to have that confidence in me," Harper said. "Having her tell me that she thought it was a great fit for me and a great fit for N.C. State, that pushed it over the top for me."

Harper accepted the job and said she knew she had done the right thing when the North Carolina State coaches did their annual caravan around the state.

"I was 100 percent sure," Harper said.

Now comes the hard part, moving the program to a new place. Harper said her focus has been on the players.

"I can't imagine what those kids went through the last couple of years," Harper said. "Not only dealing with the loss of their head coach, but still trying to be student-athletes, with the uncertainty of the future of the program. There were so many things weighing on them."

The Wolfpack returns four starters and three seniors to the team that struggled to a 13-17 mark last season. Her starting lineup in Monday's exhibition game included junior Amber White, who missed last season with an Achilles tendon injury and sophomore Bonae Holston, who led the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Harper, for her part, has worked hard to be visible and accessible, let the community in Raleigh get to know her better.

"I want to meet the fans, I want to get myself out in front of them," Harper said. "I want our program to be supported. I want them to step out and play in front of big crowds. I feel like they deserve that."

EXHIBITION FUN: The games that mean nothing have begun. Division I teams around the land playing an exhibition game or two before the real action begins next week.

That doesn't mean some of the scores aren't interesting.

For example, Tennessee defeated Cardinal Newman 124-34 a couple of days after Pat Summitt said her team has been overrated in the national polls. A 90-point win might not be a portend for the Final Four, but it certainly suggests that the Lady Vols have plenty of offensive game. Six players scored in double figures.

At one point in the first half, junior Angie Bjorklund had more points individually than Cardinal Newman had collectively as a team.

On the opposite coast, Oregon tried out its new fast-break offense under coach Paul Westhead and defeated Southern Oregon 109-47. Oregon got to triple digits without senior guard Taylor Lilley, who missed the game with an ankle injury.

Oregon hadn't hit double-digits on the scoreboard in any game -- exhibition or otherwise -- since 2005 and not at home since 1998.

Harper Filling Yow's Big Shoes originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In Down Pac-10, Washington, Cal Rise

Shane Bacon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Pac-10

For most of this decade, the Pac-10 was UCLA and the rest. The Bruins have been the Pac-10's representation in the Final Four three of the four times the league has placed a team on the final weekend since 2000, failing to claim the championship each time, but pulling themselves ahead of the West Coast pack as the elite program.

That all changed last season, when Washington won the Pac-10 regular season and head coach Lorenzo Romar was named conference coach of the year. Now, his team returns as a favorite to win in the conference, and Romar knows it.

"Our team this year has the benefit of having some players that were on our team last year that won a Pac-10 Championship and that certainly helps us," Romar said. "I think we have the fastest team since 2005 when we had Nate Robinson," Romar said.

More Previews: ACC | SEC | Big 10 | Big East | Big 12

It will be a down year for the normally mighty Pac-10, so with Washington returning as the defending regular season champ and adding freshman guard Abdul Gaddy to the roster, it appears on paper that they could run away with the league.

If you don't know Gaddy's name, get to know it. The 6-foot-3 guard comes from the state of Washington and is arguably the best freshman guard in the nation. He is being praised for his ability to see the court and make plays. Gaddy will join Isaiah Thomas in the backcourt, and will be a difficult duo to stop.

Romar sure seems to be glad Gaddy stayed in Washington.

"We have a host of guards on our roster, but I think Abdul is more of a point guard who can score points as well, but he is a pass-first guard and we haven't had very many of those in our program. He understands how to run a team. Although he wont be 18 until January, he is beyond his years in terms of maturity," he said.

The biggest test for Washington? Aside from dealing with the loss of Jon Brockman, that'll come from Mike Montgomery and the California Golden Bears, who return electrifying guard Jerome Randle, who averaged 18.3 points per game last season. Cal returns four of their five starters, including Randle, Jamal Boykin, Patrick Christopher and Theo Robertson, with Boykin being the other player that failed to average double-digits in points last season (but close, with 9.6 per game).Cal was the media's preseason pick to win the league.

The biggest concern for Cal comes with size. Losing 7-footer Jordan Wilkes last season would have been huge no matter what, but the tallest guy incoming for Montgomery is 6-foot-9 forward Bak Bak, and with 7-foot-3 center Max Zhang barely playing last season, the Golden Bears are pretty thin in the paint.

"There is a little optimism around with a lot of players returning," Montgomery said. "Practices aren't what I wish they were, but we are trying to get better from last year. We have four perimeter players who can shoot the ball. We need to be physical and a better defensive team."

And what about UCLA? It will be a different looking Bruins team to say the least. Their four best players from a year ago are all wearing NBA jerseys, leaving Nikola Dragovic as the lone returning starter. But UCLA has never had a problem drawing elite talent, so the cupboard isn't bare for Ben Howland. Mike Moser, Oregon's Mr. Basketball, will bring the 26 points and 14 rebounds he averaged per game to Westwood this season. Along with him will be third team Parade All-American Tyler Honeycutt, who should see plenty of time for the Bruins. Add sophomore Drew Gordon to the bunch, who had 17 points off the bench in a preseason win over Concordia, and you have a UCLA team that might surprise a lot of people.

What is left in the Pac-10? Well, a whole bunch of question marks. In a down year, the league may only get three berth into the Big Dance come mid-March, so unless one of the following teams does something special, they'll likely only be filling out brackets rather than playing in them.

A year ago, Arizona looked like a bottom dweller for the upcoming season, but new head coach Sean Miller brought in some impressive freshman. Still, the team will be run by Nic Wise and Jamelle Horne. Wise is Will Bynum 2.0 in the Old Pueblo, and after losing both Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill to the draft, it will be Wise's team to run. While the Wildcats look better than most thought at this point last season, there will still be a learning curve for Miller's team.

The rest of the league is basically a battle for fifth. Oregon State has a star freshman in Roberto Nelson, but he is still not cleared to play this season. Oregon is a shade of its former self, with head coach Ernie Kent another disappointing season away from being let go. Arizona State will be lucky to win as many conference games this year as its football team did all season. Washington State, Stanford and USC will struggle in rebuilding years.

It might be the Pac-10, but this season, it should be the Pac-3. Not a lot of shifting from the bottom and a lot of teams working towards making their teams respectable enough to compete, but realistically looking ahead to next season.

The Team That Will Surprise: Arizona

A good mix of veteran talent with some freshman studs heading in, the Wildcats could build on a surprise Sweet 16 run last year and will continue their streak of NCAA appearances.

The Team on the Decline: Oregon

Tajuan Porter is the only one worth mentioning on this roster, and I'd expect a lot of hands on hips as Kent coaches his last season with the Ducks.

Player of the Year: Jerome Randle

He's too quick, too good of a shooter and on a team that could easily win the conference. If not Randle then who?

Best Chance to Win it All: Washington

I don't think it's crazy to say that this might be the first time this decade you could say, matter of factly, that the Pac-10 will not have a good chance at a Final Four berth, but if it happens, it's coming out of Washington.

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Latest College Basketball Photos

Chico State's Nick Lonnegren, right, passes away from California's Patrick Christopher during the first half of an NCAA college exhibition basketball game Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Latest College Basketball Images

In this photo taken on Friday, Oct. 30, 2009, Saint Louis basketball coach Rick Majerus instructs his team during the first half of a preseason NCAA college basketball game against Arkansas Fort-Smith in St. Louis. In 22 seasons, the 61-year-old Majerus has never had a losing record. But it appears he'll need a lot of overachieving to keep that streak alive given the kiddie corps roster he's guiding. (AP Photo/Whitney Curtis)

In this photo taken on Friday, Oct. 30, 2009, Saint Louis basketball coach Rick Majerus watches his team during the first half of a preseason NCAA college basketball game against Arkansas Fort-Smith in St. Louis. In 22 seasons, the 61-year-old Majerus has never had a losing record. But it appears he'll need a lot of overachieving to keep that streak alive given the kiddie corps roster he's guiding. (AP Photo/Whitney Curtis)

In this photo taken on Friday, Oct. 30, 2009, Saint Louis basketball coach Rick Majerus, right, speaks with Kyle Cassity during the first half of a preseason NCAA college basketball game against Arkansas Fort-Smith in St. Louis. In 22 seasons, the 61-year-old Majerus has never had a losing record. But it appears he'll need a lot of overachieving to keep that streak alive given the kiddie corps roster he's guiding. (AP Photo/Whitney Curtis)

In this photo taken Friday, Oct. 30, 2009, Saint Louis basketball coach Rick Majerus instructs his team during the second half of a preseason NCAA college basketball game against Arkansas Fort-Smith in St. Louis. In 22 seasons, the 61-year-old Majerus has never had a losing record. But it appears he'll need a lot of overachieving to keep that streak alive given the kiddie corps roster he's guiding. (AP Photo/Whitney Curtis)

California's Theo Robertson looks to pass away from Chico State's Dario Sims, foreground, and Jason Conrad, back, during the first half of an NCAA college exhibition basketball game Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Chico State's Roderick Hawkins, left, guards California's Omondi Amoke during the first half of an NCAA college exhibition basketball game Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

California's Jerome Randle, right, looks for a layup against Chico State's Darren Nye (32) during the first half of an NCAA college exhibition basketball game Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Chico State's Jason Conrad (44) struggles for possession with California's Brandon Smith (12) and Max Zhang, center, during the first half of an NCAA college exhibition basketball game Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

In Down Pac-10, Washington, Cal Rise originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:00:00 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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Cal's Youth Movement Taking Hold

Michelle Smith — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:32:00 EST

Filed under: California, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

Joanne Boyle came to Cal four years ago as the head coach, inheriting a team built on freshmen talent.

And here she is again, in a gym full of young, inexperienced players, not entirely sure what she has or how they will perform when games begin in two weeks.

"It's going to be an interesting season," Boyle said. "I think we're going to be good. I'm just not sure when."

Boyle has taken the Bears from a struggling program to one that has cemented itself among the national elite -- a regular member of the rankings, an NCAA participant, a player in the Pac-10.

Last year ended with the program's deepest foray into the NCAA Tournament -- to the Sweet 16, where Cal fell to Connecticut. This upcoming season isn't quite like starting over, even though Boyle's freshmen outnumber her returnees.

She has a trio of veteran guards with seniors Alexis Gray-Lawson, Lauren Greif and Natasha Vital. They will provide the leadership, experience and, in a change from Cal's post-dominated game with Ashley Walker and Devanei Hampton, most of the offensive punch.

The offense is likely to switch from the post-oriented triangle to something more free form to allow the guards room to create scoring opportunities. Defensively, the Bears will be more pressure-oriented as well.

"We're letting them go a little bit to see because I think that's more conducive to what we have," Boyle said. "Allowing people to play and get to the basket ... we could look different."

Gray-Lawson, the fifth-year senior who arrived with Boyle back in 2004, is being asked to go from a hot-cold shooter who could bust out for 37 against Stanford in one game and then tally just a handful of points in another, to a consistent source of point-production.

"When you have post players like Dev and Ash, you say, 'Ok, you guys go ahead'," Gray-Lawson said. "But this year, because you don't know what you are going to get, I have to be selfish."

"On the first day of practice I was thinking, 'Oh boy, we've got a long way to go', but by Wednesday I was thinking that we are going to be all right."
-- Cal coach Joanne Boyle The seven freshmen that came to Berkeley this year, comprising one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, is down to six active players. Tierra Rogers, the San Francisco product whose father was murdered at halftime of one of her high school games in 2007, is no longer able to play after being diagnosed with a heart defect after collapsing following a training session last month. Rogers had surgery following her diagnosis to implant a defibrillator and her playing career is over.

Rogers remains on scholarship and with the program. She was named as one of the three team captains along with Vital and Greif, a chance to serve as a leader for the freshmen and stay closely connected to the team. She is going through counseling and learning to cope with a new life that doesn't include basketball. The team is coping as well.

"There was the initial shock of telling them that she wasn't going to be able to play anymore," Boyle said. "Not every day for her is a good day and we all make sure on bad days that she's with us. None of us have been through this, so we are all trying to figure out what it should look like and we aren't going to have the answers tomorrow."

Cal's freshman class includes prep All-American DeNesha Stallworth of nearby Richmond, a 6-3 forward/center who was the state's leading scorer last season at 27.7 points a game; McDonald's All-Americans Gennifer Brandon (forward) and Eliza Pierre (guard); guard Layshia Clarendon, a WBCA All-American and center Talia Caldwell from Los Angeles.

"They are a coachable group and they want to do well," Boyle said. "It's a quicker turnaround with the upperclassmen, who are able to tell them, 'This is how we do it'. More of our systems are in place than four years ago. It all happens more quickly now."

Greif said her new teammates are gaining an understanding of how hard to play every day, how mistakes are an opportunity to learn.

"It means doing a lot of drills two or three times and not being excited about it, but we have to do it," Greif said. "There's a lot of 'You can do its' out there, a lot of 'Don't worry, turnovers happen...' But it's also fun to see them perform because you don't know everything that they have."

The Bears will learn about themselves quickly, particularly with a Nov. 22 home date against Baylor.

"On the first day of practice I was thinking, 'Oh boy, we've got a long way to go', but by Wednesday I was thinking that we are going to be all right," Boyle said. "Every day you see a little bit more from each of them."

Cal's Youth Movement Taking Hold originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:32:00 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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Oregon Women's Coach Paul Westhead Working to Get His Ducks in a Row

Michelle Smith — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:43:00 EST

Filed under: Oregon, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

Paul Westhead spent 18 years coaching college basketball, making stops at La Salle, Loyola Marymount and George Mason. But for the first time in his long basketball life, he said he feels like he's coaching in a true college town.

Westhead is embracing life in Eugene, Oregon, the single-mindedness of its residents when it comes to green and yellow, football Saturdays at Autzen Stadium, and the fact that he's got a ready-made base of rabid fans just waiting for him to turn the Oregon women's basketball program into a winner again.

"I'm doing morning coffee talks with fans, radio shows, they are itching," Westhead said. "This is a whole new world for me. Especially with football. In all of my jobs, I've never been in a program with a football program. It really changes the feeling around campus. Everybody in this town is all about the U of O."

That feeling of change is something Westhead is trying to instill on the team. The Ducks are running, hard and fast every day at practice, implementing Westhead's trademark fast-break system, trying to catch up to success.

Oregon had long been one of the Pac-10's top-tier programs with a regular runs at the NCAA field and strong fan support. But it's been a rough few years for the Ducks, who have finished in the upper half of the conference standings (a tie for second in 2004-05) just once in the last eight years.

Oregon went to the NCAA Tournament every year from 1994-2001 and only once since. Last year's 9-21 mark set a school record for losses. Home crowds at Mac Court have declined precipitously in conjunction with the team's competitive decline.

And so the 70-year-old Westhead took the first women's college coaching job of his career as a replacement for Bev Smith, who was let go after eight seasons.

Westhead is the only coach to have titles in the NBA and WNBA, the latter with the Phoenix Mercury two years ago. He's being paid commensurate -- a reported $3 million over five years with an agreement that he's only required to spend nine months a year in Eugene -- with his long track record of success.

In late-March, when Westhead was hired, Oregon athletic director Pat Kilkenny said he hoped that Westhead's up-tempo system would sell tickets as well as win games. But first he has to teach it to a group of players he didn't recruit.

The returning Oregon players are adapting to fit the system.

"Of the dozen or so players we have, my sense is, whether they are a good fit or not, they are really working to be a fit," Westhead said. "More power to them. Maybe we don't have 12 players who are ideal fast-break players, but we have a dozen players who want to do it."

Senior forward Michaela Cocks said the players are "on the bandwagon", enjoying a system that is opening up their offensive skills and getting them in the best shape of their careers.

"I'm loving it and I know the other players are loving it," Cocks said. "It's just a really good feeling out there. Coach Westhead has made the system very simple ... it's not complicated. The girls are responding really well, conditioning, putting up extra shots.

"There are quite a few of us juniors and seniors who have come from losing seasons and it's not fun," Cocks said. "We understand that we have to change this, and just listening is not enough, we have to believe in it."

Cocks said that no one has said "this isn't the system for me."

"We can change. We are going to go out and do what he needs," Cocks said. "It's not like it's easy, but you don't get results doing things that are easy, and people are starting to see that."

Oregon was the lowest-scoring team in the Pac-10 last season, averaging less than 57 points a game. Westhead's offense almost assuredly will change that.

"I'd be shocked if we didn't score bunches, but notice I didn't say win bunches," Westhead said. "But we are definitely going to increase the energy level."

Oregon Women's Coach Paul Westhead Working to Get His Ducks in a Row originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stanford at Full Strength for First Practice

Michelle Smith — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Stanford, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

In recent weeks, Tara VanDerveer's go-to line about Jayne Appel and JJ Hones has been: "If we had a game today, they'd be playing." But instead, Stanford had its first official practice of the season on Friday night at Maples Pavilion and Appel and Hones ... well, they were playing. Appel, the senior All-American and national player of the year candidate, and Hones, a key factor in the Cardinal's Final Four run in 2008, are both coming off knee injuries.

Appel had offseason surgery for a torn meniscus for the second straight year. Hones, a point guard, sustained the second ACL tear of her career last fall in a non-conference game against Rutgers. Both are cleared, both took part in drills and scrimmaging on Friday and both were riding on the stationary bikes by the time the Cardinal closed practice with sprints.

"Why the extra pounding then they don't have to?" VanDerveer said after practice.

Stanford, widely regarded as the No. 2 team in the country behind defending national champion Connecticut, had a head start on Friday's smooth, efficient practice session. The Cardinal traveled to Italy last month, played a handful of exhibition games and got in a few days of practice as a team before they left. And with just two new players on the roster, it really wasn't that difficult to pick up where they left off.

Except that Stanford left off with a loss in the national semifinals last April, falling hard to the Huskies after an impressive 33-5 season and NCAA run.

After a 12-year absence, Stanford has been back to the Final Four two years running and has its legitimate sights set on making it three in a row. "I know it sounds cliche, but I think the building blocks are already in place," Appel said. "We don't have to spend a lot of time reviewing the little stuff."

Appel, who sat out the team's trip to Italy last month, said she "absolutely" is ready to play. "I feel good, it's exciting," Appel said. "It's the first day and everyone is going 2,000 miles an hour."

Hones, meanwhile, knows that the road back from an ACL injury is not always direct and smooth. She had swelling on the knee a few days ago and had to take a break, but said she felt strong Friday night. Two years ago, her last practice coming off a knee injury, she was out of shape and tentative, unsure how much she could push her conditioning on a healing knee joint. Now she knows better. "It's still just as frustrating, but I know how it's going to go, that there are going to be setbacks," Hones said. "I've been through it before and I'll do it again."

VanDerveer said, however, that Hones, one of the team's top 3-point shooters, is not all the way back yet. "She's not where she was last year," VanDerveer said. "But she's really working and in a month, she's going to be a lot better. Obviously, if she's healthy, she's going to help us."

It is expected that Hones will be in the mix for the starting point guard spot with fifth-year senior Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, senior Melanie Murphy and last year's emergency fill-in Jeanette Pohlen, the junior who appears on the verge of a breakout season. Pohlen could end up back at the point, but will likely settle in the 2-guard spot.

Appel anchors a deep post game that includes explosive sophomore forward Nneka Ogwumike, junior Kayla Pedersen and freshman Joslyn Tinkle, one of the country's top recruits. Pedersen turned an ankle Friday night, the only wrinkle in another otherwise smooth evening for VanDerveer, who is starting her 24th season as the Stanford head coach.

"After all these years, I should have this figured out," VanDerveer said. "It was good. Usually, I feel lot more rushed, but we tried some new drills and thought we broke things down, did a lot of teaching."

Pohlen, who along with Pedersen, hasn't yet known a season that didn't end with a Final Four appearance, realizes that is something not to be taken for granted. "I can't even imagine losing before the Final Four, because I don't know that," Pohlen said. "We have so much potential and not to live up to it would probably be pretty hard, so we are improving each day so that doesn't happen."

Stanford at Full Strength for First Practice originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Cooper Settling in at USC

Michelle Smith — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:05:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

Michael Cooper was introducing his new staff at USC on Tuesday, the coaches who have been holding down the fort for the past five months as he finished out his term as the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks. Except that he forgot one of their names. Oops.

That's what happens when you are the new guy. Who, in this awkward moment, just happens to be the head guy.

Cooper was hired by USC on May 1 to take over a women's basketball program that has shown promise, the ability to recruit top players, but not results. The Women of Troy are far from their salad days in the mid-1980's when they won NCAA titles with players like Lisa Leslie and Cynthia Cooper.

In the previous five seasons, Mark Trakh got them to the NCAA Tournament twice in 2005 and 2006. Prior to that, the program hadn't made it to the NCAA brackets since 1997. Trakh led the team to its first Pac-10 tournament title game last year before he was let go after athletic director Mike Garrett made it clear that he wanted the team to reach the NCAAs.

USC has incurred more than its share of devastating injuries. Four ACL injuries to Jacki Gemelos, two for Stephanie Gilbreath, who were two of the top rated recruits in the nation when they were signed. Neither has played a game for USC. And there have been others, including last year's senior center Nadia Parker being hit by a car on campus while she was riding her bike. It seems at times the Women of Troy have been snakebitten.

"Our biggest hindrance is our injuries," Cooper said. "Slowly, but surely, we are making our way back through that."

Cooper, who led the Sparks to WNBA titles in 2001 and 2002, called the USC job "an offer he couldn't refuse." The pay grade is certainly better for a major college coaching job than it is in the WNBA.

"It's the old mafia rule," Cooper said. "That's a joke, now."

Cooper was an interesting choice for USC, not only because he has no experience in the college women's ranks, but because the arrangement meant the head coach wouldn't be in the office until two weeks before the first practice to open the season. Associate head coach Ervin Monier and assistants Mary Wooley and Kelley Gibson have handled the recruiting, conditioning and preparation of the players. Cooper has been an absentee leader until the Sparks were eliminated from the WNBA playoffs two weeks ago. He wasn't involved in scouting, recruiting, didn't watch any film on his own players or Pac-10 opponents until he arrived.

"I bet we play better than the Clippers ... Oh yeah, you can write that down."
- Michael Cooper Two of the four players who committed to USC last fall -- including highly-rated Monique Oliver of Long Beach -- de-committed after the coaching change. Oliver ended up at Rutgers.

Now that Cooper is on campus, he's playing catch-up. And that means getting up early. He said he's getting to workouts at 5:15 AM with his players in order to spend time with them and get personally acquainted.

"That's when they are here, so in order for me to get to know them better, I have to be here too," Cooper said. "I think that's shocked them."

Cooper said he can envision himself at USC for the long haul.

"I see myself being here quite a while," Cooper said. "I want to get back to the tradition of 1983 and 1984. It's not going to happen overnight. I know the process is going to be tedious, it's going to be a journey. But I think the coaches and the players are ready for a journey."

Cooper then challenged the media who showed up for the press conference.

"Let me ask you a question. How many of you are going to come out and cover more than one game?" Cooper asked. "Maybe 5 games?"

The response was non-committal.

"I bet we play better than the Clippers and you go to a few of those games," Cooper said. "Oh yeah, you can write that down."

Michael Cooper Settling in at USC originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tim Floyd Says Southern Cal Ignored Sidney's Recruiting Red Flags

Chas Rich — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:53:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State, USC, Pac-10, SEC, Coaches, Recruiting

Former USC Coach Tim Floyd will not do interviews with the national media or the Los Angeles press, but he likes to talk to his hometown paper in Mississippi quite a bit. It was the Clarion-Ledger that broke the news of his resignation before USC even knew.

With the former Southern Cal verbal now a Mississippi State commit, Renardo Sidney, there's more than a little bit of interest in what he has to say on what happened to Sidney and his USC commitment. Especially with the NCAA still trying to get more information from the Sidney family regarding their finances, before clearing him to play. Floyd offered some thoughts on Sidney and USC.
To summarize, Floyd says Sidney is a good kid and he knows nothing about any problems, that USC broke off the commitment from Sidney in response to a coming LA Times story not from anything they learned about Sidney, and that USC never did any actual investigations into Renardo Sidney despite the fact that crosstown rival UCLA had stopped recruiting him weeks prior to his verbal to USC.

"Our school was reacting to an article that was going to be written in the L.A. Times," Floyd said. "Given the fact that the institution was involved in an institutional control investigation, they viewed it as preventive management. They could not put their finger on anything."

And neither could Floyd, he swears.

"I was probably as close to the situation as anybody in the country," Floyd said, "and if I thought the kid was receiving money from somebody or had asked for money, I would have not been a participant. But that wasn't the case."

Floyd, of course, was accused of giving money on demand to a member of O.J. Mayo's entourage.

The big part of this story is not that Southern Cal panicked in response to a forthcoming story about Sidney's family and the questions surrounding their finances and the closeness of a shoe rep from Reebok to the family, and Sonny Vaccaro paying for their move from Mississippi to Los Angeles. It's that USC according to Floyd, never actually concerned itself to look into these things when they were recruiting him and received a verbal commitment from him.

USC has ongoing investigations into the O.J. Mayo matter on the basketball side and Reggie Bush on the football side. In both cases, the big issue for USC was how much did they know or want to know about the money flowing to the player and his family. Whether the school was purposefully and willfully ignoring any signs of something strange. Creating a situation with the potentially dreaded "lack of institutional control" over athletic programs and the student-athletes.

USC has maintained a defense of cluelessness. That they were just unaware of what was happening, and that if the NCAA and Pac-10 cleared the players it isn't fair to punish USC.

Floyd seems to suggest that USC was willful in not looking into any potential hazards with a recruit so they can maintain deniability if it does become a problem. Floyd, himself, hardly looks particularly good since he continues to show he happily went along with this and was just as eager to know nothing about the potential barriers to getting the talent on the court.

Tim Floyd Says Southern Cal Ignored Sidney's Recruiting Red Flags originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Life After Brockman Begins for Huskies

Gary Washburn — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Washington, Pac-10

Lorenzo Romar is downplaying the talent and potential of his Washington Huskies basketball team. Yes, they lost all-time leading rebounder Jon Brockman along with productive guard Justin Dentmon, but the Huskies are deep and have three able incoming freshman that make Washington a Top 25 team this year.

The Huskies have the type of depth that can compete with the perennial power programs. What's more, Washington is three deep at nearly every position, and that type of competition sparks potential transfers. But the Huskies lost only one player, little-used center Joe Wolfinger, in the offseason. So this loaded roster -- featuring Pac-10 freshman of the year Isaiah Thomas and vastly improved swingman Quincy Pondexter -- is ready.

At least that's what Romar hopes.

"Well I wouldn't say I feel totally comfortable because I'm not sure yet.," he told FanHouse. "We have to see how mature we are. We have to grow up quickly. We can't take Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon's absence for granted. To me that is the major question, is what kind of leadership are we going to have? How mature we are going to be as a group? Quincy will be our team captain. He will be one for sure. But again, you can't just do it alone."

The Huskies are coming off a heartbreaking second-round NCAA loss to Purdue, a game they sleep-walked through the first half before furiously rallying and falling short. The end was bitter, especially considering Washington was playing in Portland, Ore., just 170 miles from home.

Brockman will be a major loss. The Huskies, however, feature an imposing and athletic front line in Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Darnell Gant, along with redshirt freshman Tyreese Breshers. Romar said he believes the club can compensate for the rebounding loss of Brockman by committee.

"I guess what I'm saying is we're not going to have anybody who may average 11.5 rebounds a game. That hasn't happened in a long time. Jon is the leading rebounder in the history of the program," he said. "It's hard to bounce right back and say we've got another one that's going to out-rebound him. But I think we'll do it another way. What did it mean that Jon got rebounds for us? Well it meant he got us baskets when maybe we couldn't score because he got the rebound putback. Defensively, we get a stop and he'd come up with the basketball for us. He was a low-post option for us to get baskets. Now, I think the difference is we have some guys coming in that have a chance to be able to score on the block."

The Huskies will have more weapons but Romar can't play 12 guys. In addition to incoming guard Abdul Gaddy, Venoy Overton returns as well as Scott Suggs, Elston Turner and Justin Holiday, brother of Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue. This could be the most competitive fall practice in Romar's seven-year tenure in Seattle and that is a testament to advancement of the program.

Programs such as UConn, North Carolina and Kansas recruit the best players and allow them to fight it out for rotation spots. The rest can sit or transfer, and that has become the situation at Washington.

"I don't think there are many programs that win at a high level that have two or three players," he said. "You've got to have some talent. You've got to have some depth. But I think it shows that we're gaining a little consistency in our program and I think it does help that we have pretty good character guys. Like last year there were guys who didn't play as much as they would have liked. They were upset. But I think their character won over and they were still part of the team concept."

Chemistry has to be developed with the new players and returning ones. The Huskies have to overcome an early schedule that includes Texas Tech, Georgetown, Texas A&M and Portland State and then comes the difficulty of the Pac-10. Washington could be the early favorites, but Cal returns four starters from its tournament team while UCLA and Arizona are young but talented.

Romar was not necessarily convinced that his team is the prohibitive favorites. He is sly enough to pass that responsibility to Cal.

"We can't just show up and win games. People are probably going to come after us. I don't know if we are necessarily the favorite," he said. "Obviously Cal is going to be very good. UCLA is going to be good but I think there are going to be some teams better that people think. You talk about Arizona is not left for dead as people thought they might be. USC is the cupboard still is not bare over there. There are going to be some surprises."

Fall practice will tell Romar a lot about his team. Pondexter will be the leader and he has yet to play a consistent full season. Bryan-Amaning, Gant and Overton also experienced growing pains. So excuse Romar is his enthusiasm is tempered. He wants results.

"Again potential means you haven't done anything yet," he said. "But I would agree. We do have potential to be a good team. But until we go out and work our tails off, that doesn't mean anything."

Life After Brockman Begins for Huskies originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kevin O'Neill New USC Basketball Coach

Matt Snyder — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:35:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, Coaches

According to a report on ESPN, Kevin O'Neill has been hired as the new head basketball coach at the University of Southern California. USC had been without a head coach since Tim Floyd resigned under fire a few weeks ago. Allegedly, Floyd paid someone $1,000 to convince highly-touted recruit O.J. Mayo to attend USC.

In the wake of Floyd's departure, there is a bit of a mess to be cleaned up for Trojan basketball, and that's the task at hand for new coach O'Neill. Much of the roster who inexplicably made a Sweet 16 run last season is gone, as are three solid recruits Floyd had previously signed. O'Neill will try to pick up the pieces with Dwight Lewis and Leonard Washington as the leaders of his team -- assuming he can convince them to stay aboard.

O'Neill has a good amount of experience in coaching, it's just that he hasn't always been incredibly successful. He went 86-62 in four seasons at Marquette, 36-47 in three seasons at Tennessee and 30-56 in three seasons at Northwestern. The black mark on O'Neill's record for those stops is that the schools have put together much better teams after he left. He also filled in for Lute Olsen at Arizona for 2008 -- going 19-15 with a losing conference record. That just doesn't cut it in Tucson.

This might sound like a bad hiring, but the reality of the situation was USC probably didn't have many better options. The team is currently in shambles and the university could be facing sanctions from the NCAA. This isn't an Indiana-level program -- who hired Tom Crean when staring down a much worse situation -- and it's predominantly known as a football school. Plus, they have to compete in-city with one of the elite programs in the nation: UCLA.

O'Neill could have been the best the Trojans could salvage. Time will tell if this marriage will be a successful one, but it appears USC feels comfortable giving the keys to their program to a guy who has tons of experience in coaching basketball, regardless of his past record.

Kevin O'Neill New USC Basketball Coach originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UCLA's Gordon Injures Knee

Gary Washburn — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:28:00 EST

Filed under: UCLA, Pac-10, Injuries

Drew Gordon, expected to play a major role for the UCLA basketball team this season, suffered a partially torn patellar tendon at the 2009 USA Basketball U19 World Championship Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Gordon, a sophomore from San Jose, Calif., is expected to return to Los Angeles for further examination to determine the extent of the tear. Gordon could miss up to six months, meaning he likely wouldn't return to the Bruins until Pac-10 play begins. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 3.6 points and 3.4 rebounds as a freshman.

Given the graduation of Josh Shipp, Darren Collison and Alfred Aboya and the early departure of Jrue Holiday, the Bruins were depending on Gordon to play a significant role next season.

"It is an unfortunate event, but Drew is a resilient kid and he'll get through it," UCLA coach Ben Howland said on the school's website. "We have a good Athletic Training staff and we will be here to support him."

UCLA's Gordon Injures Knee originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It Could Be Worse, USC, Ask a Hoosier

Matt Snyder — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana, USC, Big Ten, Pac-10

In case you haven't been paying attention to the goings on of college basketball in the last few weeks, USC's 2009-10 basketball season has been already been summarily decimated. Tim Floyd resigned in the face of allegations against the program. In the wake, three incoming recruits have been granted their release from letters of intent to play for the Trojans. Plus, three players from last year's Sweet 16 squad have entered the NBA Draft early and now cannot change their minds. Factor in two graduations, and the team is left with only two players who logged regular, meaningful minutes in 2009, with no recruits of consequence.

It could be worse, though. Turn back the clock to last year at this time and direct your attention to the mess left behind by Kelvin Sampson at Indiana.

USC has already lost three recruits, two seniors, and DeMar DeRozan, Taj Gibson and Daniel Hackett to the early entrant list of the NBA draft. Fortunately, though, they haven't had anyone transfer yet.

At Indiana, there were early entries into the draft, seniors, transfers and dismissals -- there was even a plant-throwing incident. When the dust settled, only Kyle Taber's 1.3 points per game returned in 2008-09 from a solid 2007-08 team.

Now, much for the Trojans hinges on what kind of coach they hire. It's awfully late in the game to be looking for a coach who could salvage any kind of a recruiting class for this coming season, so they'd better hire someone who can convince people like Dwight Lewis and Leonard Washington to stick around. Then, the task will be to build a recruiting class for the 2010-2011 campaign. Still, it's pretty doubtful things will get as bad for USC as they did at Indiana.

Though they aren't likely to land a coach as established as Tom Crean -- just check out Gary Washburn's top five candidates for the job (they aren't getting Jamie Dixon, by the way) -- USC still isn't looking at a 6-24 record with a 1-17 mark in conference like Indiana just endured, unless Lewis and Washington transfer and former North Carolina big man Alex Stepheson amounts to nothing.

If they do and the team is just as brutal as the Hoosiers were this past season, here are five ways to get through the season for Trojan basketball fans:

1. Get used to hearing things about "how hard" your team plays from the media. Soak it up and enjoy it, because it's much nicer than just saying they suck -- which is ultimately the truth.

2. Start talking about the future all the time. Something like, "Well, this is a good sign for next season, because tonight we saw [something complimentary, no matter how much of a stretch]and [another compliment, still heedless of the stretch]." When losing every game, even to schools like Lipscomb and Northeastern, there really isn't much else to discuss. Thus, clinging to things like a lower-than-usual turnover total, a freshman having his best game of the season, or a staunch defensive effort replaces any discussion about the outcome of the actual game.

3. Cling to next season's recruiting class. Indiana has a top-10 recruiting class for 2009-10 according to many outlets. That doesn't always translate to on-court success, but discussing it ad nauseum sure does anger Purdue fans. Give UCLA fans the same treatment.

4. Shower the new head coach with so much support it seems undue to those who cheer for other teams (again, Purdue fans hate hearing it). Inheriting a situation this bad isn't easy on the coach, so he needs to feel welcome and become invested in the job quickly. Sure, the money is nice, but it makes any human being want to succeed even more in an uphill battle when he feels like he has the full support of the students and alumni. Crean has immeasurable support from nearly everyone at Indiana, and he's maintained a child-like zeal for the job. It's not a coincidence.

5. Support the Pac-10 as a whole. I became the biggest apologist for every Big Ten team this past season -- to the point I actually pulled for the conference as a whole in the NCAA tournament. It gives you something positive to watch in the present.

Still, assuming there are no transfers, USC isn't falling into the meteorite-sized crater Indiana basketball fell into before last season. When watching Lil' Romeo bring the ball up court next season, please keep us in mind and be happy things didn't become completely unhinged.

Plus, the Trojan fans can take solace in one thing that us Hoosiers couldn't.

There's always football season.

It Could Be Worse, USC, Ask a Hoosier originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:30:00 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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After Floyd, USC's Top 5 Candidates

Gary Washburn — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, Rumors

It's June, a.k.a., a terrible time to find a quality basketball coach. But that will be USC's task after Tim Floyd's sudden resignation Tuesday amid a slew of allegations regarding the recruiting of star guard O.J. Mayo. Athletic director Mike Garrett (right) is used to hiring coaches on the fly. He fired Henry Bibby just four games into the 2004-2005 season, tabbed Jim Saia as interim coach for the season and then nabbed Floyd.

Garrett has time before having to go the interim route and there are some qualified coaches who either are unemployed or at mid-majors and would likely leave their schools and incoming recruiting classes for a job at a major school in a major conference. The USC athletic director has a history for going after tough gets and succeeding, but the question is whether the Trojans basketball program will be severely punished for the Mayo situation? Floyd was accused by former Mayo associate Louis Johnson of giving $1,000 to Rodney Guillory, an alleged street agent representing Mayo.

Those allegations came after Johnson said that Mayo also received money from a sports agent years before enrolling at USC. The NCAA decided to combine the investigation of Mayo and former USC Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.

But even with all of that, still USC plays in the No. 2 market, in a spanking new arena and has a massive recruiting base that begins in the Southern California and expands nationally. It remains a premium job, regardless of the early adversity a new coach may endure.

So here is a list of early coaching candidates and the pros and cons for each of taking the gig.

1) Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh -- West Coast schools have long admired Dixon from a distance and Dixon's Southern California roots (he is from North Hollywood) may be the nudge he needs to leave Pitt. Dixon is 43, a terrific recruiter and nearly took the Panthers to the Final Four and is losing a core of his club, including All-America DeJuan Blair. It may be the right time to head west for Dixon and he would be the perfect candidate to rebuild the USC program and compete against former mentor Ben Howland at UCLA.

2) Reggie Theus, former NBA coach, New Mexico State coach -- Theus has been looking to get back into the college game since being fired in Sacramento, and Rush Street Reggie would relish the chance to take his act to Figueroa. Like Dixon, Theus is relatively young and would make a major impact in recruiting. And he also took a downtrodden New Mexico State program to the NCAA tournament in 2007. Theus lives in Los Angeles and would be the perfect Hollywood type to recruit and win.

3) Randy Bennett, St. Mary's coach -- Bennett has long sought a major job and he probably deserves one. This may be the time to leave. The best player during his tenure -- Patty Mills -- is committed to the NBA draft and all-conference player Diamon Simpson is graduating. Bennett was rumored to be a candidate for the Cal job before it hired Mike Montgomery and probably has taken St. Mary's as far as it can go -- an NCAA tournament team every couple of years.

4) Larry Eustachy, Southern Miss -- The former Iowa State coach has done little at Southern Miss to earn a promotion but Garrett apparently covets the embattled Eustachy. The Eagles have yet to come close to an NCAA tournament or even challenge Memphis in Conference USA, but he did make Iowa State respectable during his time there before alcohol issues ended his reign.

5) Mike Davis, UAB coach -- Davis succeeded Bobby Knight at Indiana, so he isn't afraid to take on any challenge. And if he was interested in the Washington State job, as he was, he will be interested in this gig. Davis probably figures he has a better chance to compete consistently in the Pac-10 at USC than in Conference USA at UAB, and remember, he did take a team to the national title game in 2002.

After Floyd, USC's Top 5 Candidates originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sendek Begins Life After Harden

Gary Washburn — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona State, Pac-10, NBA Prospects

Arizona State coach Herb Sendek knew the James Harden era in Tempe would last a maximum of two years. Harden returned to school after a sparkling freshman season and exceeded that first year, leading the Sun Devils to their first NCAA tournament appearance in six years and earning first-team All America honors. Now Harden is gone along with gifted senior forward Jeff Pendergraph, leaving Sendek with a major challenge heading into next season.

A five-man recruiting class along with the return of improving point guard Derek Glasser should keep ASU competitive but remaining in the Pac-10's first division won't be easy.

"We're working on that right now, it will continue to evolve for us," Sendek told FanHouse. "Some of those questions will best be answered once we're practicing, to see how guys play together. We will have a better understanding of their strengths, areas of improvement and I think that will evolve for us next year as we move forward. At this time it's hard to pinpoint precisely how all those things are going to come together. I do think we're going to have to rely on that (class for immediate contribution and I think it's a step toward improving our depth, something that was an issue for us at times last year."

Sendek admitted the Sun Devils will rely heavily on their recruiting class, headed by shooting guard Demetrius Walker, perhaps the heir apparent to Harden, and combo forward Victor Rudd. Sendek promised not to put any additional pressure on his freshmen or expect a Harden-type first season. Arizona State will be a team that lacks star power initially but may prove to be a formidable opponent by season's end.

The loss of Harden, a projected top-five pick, and Pendergraph, likely a second rounder, robs Sendek of 34 points and nearly 14 rebounds per game. Glasser emerged as one of the conference's top point guards as his junior season progressed while sophomore sharpshooter Rihards Kuksiks will have an expanded role. Sendek is excited about the task of continuing the growth of Arizona State basketball.

"I don't think we are going to ask any one player to be James or Jeff for that matter," he said. "Once again I think our team is going to have a very different look. We have different personnel, guys that we are going to try to integrate into our system. We're not looking at it as one-for-one proposition. I think we're looking at a much more holistically. We're looking at it from a team standpoint and I think we'll be different. It is a big [recruiting] class and there will be a learning curve. Every year we welcome new guys, exciting freshman into the league into college basketball and that's one of the things that stirs interest and it help keeps it exciting."

Latest College Basketball Images

Crew members for NASCAR driver Joey Logano (20) right, wait to be fueled as rain falls at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., before the day begins for qualifying for the NASCAR Pocono 500 auto race, Friday, June 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Russ Hamilton, Sr.)

Crews push cars for NASCAR driver David Ruetimann (00), left, and Kasey Kahne (9), right, to be fueled as rain falls at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., Friday, June 5, 2009. The Pocono 500 is scheduled for Saturday. (AP Photo/Russ Hamilton, Sr.)

Baltimore Orioles' Aubrey Huff slides back to third base late as he is caught leading off by the Seattle Mariners' Rob Johnson in the sixth inning of a baseball game in Seattle, Wednesday, June 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Kevin P. Casey)

Baltimore Orioles manager Dave Trembley (47) argues with home plate umpire Tony Randazzo after a ball hit by Orioles' Aubrey Huff was originally called a home run, then reviewed and called a foul in the first inning of a baseball game in Seattle, Wednesday, June 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Kevin P. Casey)

Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki, of Japan, singles in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles, extending his hitting streak to 27 games, during a baseball game in Seattle on Wednesday, June 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Kevin P. Casey)

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

Sendek Begins Life After Harden originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nic Wise Picks Arizona Over NBA Draft

Gary Washburn — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:36:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona, Pac-10

Nic Wise may have made the wisest decision of his yet-to-be started professional basketball career, informing Arizona coach Sean Miller that he plans to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return to Tuscon for his senior season. Wise was projected as a late second-round pick or perhaps even undrafted. His return gives Miller a veteran, tested player who can help the Wildcats' resurgence.

"We are all very excited with Nic's return," Miller said on the school's Web site. "His talent, leadership and ability will make him one of the premier players in the Pac-10 this coming season. As important, this puts him in position to leave the University of Arizona with his degree. We are looking forward to a great senior year for Nic."

Wise, listed at 5-foot-10, 177 pounds, averaged 15.7 points and 4.6 assists while leading UA to the Sweet 16. He declared for the draft in April but did not hire an agent, retaining his college eligibility.

Miller needs bodies as Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger declared for the draft and hired agents shortly after the Wildcats were eliminated from the NCAA tournament by Louisville. Wise will be joined by returnees Kyle Fogg and Jamelle Horne for a solid core. Miller also brought in three highly touted recruits, including 6-foot-6 small forward Solomon Hill from Los Angeles.

Nic Wise Picks Arizona Over NBA Draft originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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