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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (2/15/2008)

West Virginia got back in the win column last night as they handed Rutgers another loss. Cincinnati will be without one contributor indefinitely as Mick Cronin suspends one of his freshman.

The Big East coaches were not expecting Luke Harangody and AJ Price to be the frontrunners for the conference’s Player of the Year award. Rick Pitino returns to Providence this weekend and is wary of the hot-shooting (potentially) Friars.

Van Coleman runs through the available big man talent pool for the late signing period of 2008. There are a lot of players that Big East schools are monitoring. A pair of Big East commits lead the Nation’s #1 High School team to another win. Will Kelvin Sampson’s troubles at Indiana lead to a mad scramble to land Devin Ebanks…you make the call! Apparently, coach Sampson has made his call…again…and again…and again….

West Virginia 81 Rutgers 63
West Virginia got back on track last night as the Mountaineers Thump Rutgers (Martinsburg Journal), 81-63.

As Bob Huggins continues to search for ‘his’ guys on the West Virginia roster, we have been disappointed that Wellington Smith has not stepped into the role. Last night, he might have as Smith Comes Around (Daily Mail) with a career-high 14 points and added 8 rebounds. He added three blocks and three steals in his most memorable performance of his career, coming one game after his image was burned into many WVU fans memories with his flummoxed look after Ronald Ramon hit a game winning three-pointer when he left his man to help.

Joe Alexander (15 pts and 10 rebounds) and Alex Ruoff (14 pts, 9-10 from the line) also bounced back from a tough outing at Pitt.

Rutgers Loses at West Virginia; Will Seton Hall be Next (zagsblog)? New Jersey invades West Virginia this week as WVU goes for the Garden State Sweep.

Freshmen Corey Chandler, Mike Coburn and Earl Pettis each scored 10 points for Rutgers.
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Looking over the Big East players and their performances this season. You start to get a sense as to which players have meant the most to their individual teams’ success. With that in mind, Luke Harangody and AJ Price have established themselves as the front-runners for Big East Player of the Year as we head down the stretch. Price, Harangody Have Come a Long Way to Stardom (Newsday) seeing neither was among the 11 athletes selected to the preseason all-conference team or the two accorded honorable mention by league coaches.
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Entering the season Mick Cronin felt freshman Alvin Mitchell was the newcomer most-ready to impact the Bearcats. However, Mitchell has struggled on the court during his freshman season and now it looks as those struggles have spread off the court as UC Suspends Mitchell (Cincinnati Enquirer) indefinitely from the team.
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Rick Pitino has his Cardinals playing well and now Louisville Looks to Continue Surge Against Struggling Friars (Providence Journal) when Rick Pitino returns to the school that he led to the 1987 NCAA Final Four.
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Van Coleman of CSTV.com takes a look at Available Spring Big Men for the Class of 2008. There are still some quality players emerging that could help fill out 2008 recruiting classes.

We recently did a story on Steven Toyloy, who is included in Coleman’s article, as the JUCO Big Man Has Big East Interest. See who else has Big East teams following their prospects (we also have several JUCO coach interviews lined up to follow up on several of these prospects as well):
 

Jason Bennett 7′3 265 C Tallahassee CC (Fla.) – This former Kansas State signee is a mobile big man that can block shots and score around the hoop. He’s added strength and has just started to see interest pick up with South Florida, West Virginia, and Miami (FL) among schools who’ve been in to look, but is wide open.

John Riek-Suas 7′2 240 Winchendon School, (Mass.) – This long and lean shot blocker can run floor like a deer. He has an eight-foot wing span, which is getting bigger each time we see him. He has Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Georgetown and the NBA on his list of possible destinations next fall.

Jamie Vanderbeken 6′10 245 C Tyler CC (Tex.) – This skilled big man can pop jumper from perimeter, but has really improved his work on the blocks and the glass. He recently has 23 points in Tyler’s win over San Jacinto CC. His early schools include Penn State, St. John’s, Marshall, DePaul, Iowa State, and South Florida.

Steven Toyloy 6′10 255 C Miami-Dade CC (Fla.) – Mobile insider has a soft touch around the hoop and runs the floor well. His early schools include Minnesota, Baylor, Clemson, West Virginia, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas State, Washington State and Mississippi.

Danarius Robinson 6′10 210 C Columbia Spring Valley (S.C.) – This mobile shot blocker uses length to dominate paint on glass and on defense. He has quick feet and good hands, but needs to add strength and bulk to his frame. He’s had looks from Cincinnati, Clemson, Kansas and South Carolina but is wide open at this point.

Jimmie Sutton 6′10 250 C Central Florida CC (Fla.) – He is an active rebounder and plays hard on both ends. He can score in close and has had a lot of schools looking. They include South Florida, Florida Atlantic, Marist, Utah, Wichita State, Alabama State, and Arkansas Little Rock.

Teeng Akol 6′10 200 PF Bradenton IMG Academy (Fla.) – This skilled African import continues to get stronger and more efficient on the offensive end of the court. He has good bounce, can score facing hoop or block shots. He is hearing from schools like West Virginia, Houston, Pittsburgh, DePaul, Syracuse, Connecticut, Kentucky, Miami (FL), Rutgers and St. John’s.

Zvonko Buljan 6′9 225 C Vincennes CC (Kan.) – He’s a skilled inside-out scorer whose averaging 18 points and 10 boards so far this season for the Vincennes squad. His early schools include Colorado State, George Mason, South Florida, Iowa State, St. Bonaventure, Iowa, Cleveland State, and St. John’s.

Curtis Brown 6′9 220 PF Garden City CC (Kan.) – This physical rebounder can clean the glass, outlet and score at the other end. He loves to get physical around the hoop on offense. He’s hearing from Auburn, Cincinnati, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue and Tennessee.

Ater Majok 6‘9 215 PF Martinsville Heat Academy (Va.) – This skilled big man from Australia will be playing with the Heat Academy again this weekend in Waco. He has all the tools to be an impact talent. He has Connecticut, Kansas, UCLA, Kentucky, West Virginia, Baylor and Memphis among his finalists.

Robert Eppinger 6′8 240 PF Highland CC (Ill.) – This much traveled, but skilled face-up big man can score from elbow or role to the block and finish in traffic. He’s had a wide range of interest, with Dayton, Illinois State, Purdue, Toledo, Xavier, Indiana, Ball State, Northern Illinois and Seton Hall all showing some interest.

Sampson Carter 6′7 210 PF Memphis Hamilton (Tenn.) – This Mid-South combo has great springs and an explosive first step to the hoop, and a solid mid-range game. He really caught our eye last summer and has interest from Clemson, Virginia, Memphis, UTEP, UAB and Cincinnati.

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With the trouble swirling around Kelvin Sampson at Indiana, many will keep an eye on the potential of Devin Ebanks opening up his recruitment. Rutgers was a finalist, along with Miami, when Ebanks chose Indiana prior to the fall signing period. Will Ebanks Re-open (zagsblog)? Will Rutgers have s hot to bring him to the Big East?
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Long Island Lutheran Gives National Power St. Anthony’s a Game (Newsday), but they still fell short, 65-48 as the Friars moved to 22-0.

The Friars, who led 37-28 at the half, opened the third quarter with a 17-4 run to take a 54-32 lead and were ahead 56-37 after three.

Leading the way for St. Anthony was Rutgers-bound Mike Rosario and Pittsburgh-bound Travon Woodall, who each had 16 points.
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