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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (4/21/2008)

With all the event coverage of late (Boo Williams, Pittsburgh Jam Fest, Capital Classic, Jordan Brand Classic), we have neglected some of our regular daily news and notes stories. We jump back into them today as we take a look at how the Louisville roster stands today and give a look at one of their 2009 recruits.

It was a busy weekend in Louisville as the Derby Festival Basketball Classic was in town and a couple Big East recruits shined and one of the biggest spring targets in college basketball was also impressive and his ties to UConn might be too much for anyone else to overcome.

Bobby Gonzalez is digging deep into the South to add some size to a thin roster this spring. Anthony Mason Jr can’t wait for his last go-round of college basketball and hopes for a healthy one. West Virginia is highly ranked heading into next season, but much of that may hinge on Joe Alexander who was just one of the players that accepted the new system in place this past season.

Coaches salaries continue to rise and Keno Davis will have to step up his game now that he is in the Big East to earn those big boy bucks!

Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier-Journal was in Pittsburgh this weekend checking out the action of the Pittsburgh Jam Fest and believes Mike Marra is just what the Louisville Cardinals and coach Rick Pitino needs when the 6’5 shooting guard arrives on campus in the fall of 2009. The Future Cards Shooter Offers a Quick Draw which will serve him well at the college level.
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The current Louisville roster for 2008-2009 seems to change often. First, Derrick Caracter announced during the NCAA Tournament he would not be returning to Louisville next season. Then, Terrence Williams decided to put his name out there for the NBA draft and Earl Clark followed as well with little chance he would return. Williams then announced he would return and not test the waters, however, CBSSportsline.com indicated Edgar Sosa could be transferring out of the program. Then, Clark had a sudden about-face and decided he would return to the Cards as well and Sosa’s transfer rumors seem to be unfounded. To top it off, character has also expressed a desire to return, but it looks as though, at this time, coach Pitino will encourage Caracter to pursue his professional options as far as he can.

This does not even take into consideration the unsigned recruits of Melquan Bolding and Kyle Kuric who remain as verbal commitments after not signing in the Fall.

One thing is for certain, a Pencil and Eraser are the Right Tools for U of L’s Roster (Louisville Courier-Journal), which could be subject to change…
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The Derby Festival Basketball Classic took place in Freedom Hall this past weekend and NBA scouts made their way to Louisville to check out the action. Although the NBA Waits in the Wings at Derby Fest (Louisville Courier-Journal), one NBA scout indicated to Rick Bozich that Louisville-bound Terrence Jennings and Cincinnati Bearcat-recruit Yancy Gates were among the game’s top five players.

Another player catching the eye of the NBA scout was Ater Majok, one of the hottest unsigned prospects of the spring. Majok, a 6-10 Sudanese native who lived in Egypt for seven years before moving to Australia. Majok has visited Maryland, Baylor and Kentucky. Connecticut will be his next stop this coming weekend.

What are UConn’s chances? Well, pretty good considering UConn assistant coach Andre LaFleur played and coached in Australia for 11 years where he also worked as a school sports coordinator for the Sydney City Basketball Association. LaFleur is friends with Majok’s coach, Ed Smith, and has been to Australia to meet Majok’s parents.

Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez has a few holes in his roster to fill, and four open scholarships to do so with this spring. His staff has been hard after 6’11, 340 lb Melvyn Oliver of Mississippi Elite Christian Academy and Adam Zagoria reports that Oliver is Down to Two (zagsblog) schools, Seton Hall and Nebraska. Southern Miss and Baylor have also been involved in his recruitment this spring.

The Really Big O Has College coaches Buzzing (Clarion Ledger) as he made the move from Los Angeles to Jackson (MS) as a 5th year prep player.

Mississippi Elite Christian Academy’s basketball program has spawned from Genesis One Christian School, which closed last year, as head coach Victor Evans moved from Genesis One to MECA. Mississippi Elite headmaster Darel Thigpen also came over from Genesis One and saw Oliver in a tournament after completing his eligibility at Leuzinger (CA) in Lawndale (CA), near LA.

Mississippi Elite is adjacent to the New Dimensions Church in south Jackson. The K-12 school has about 60 students, including about 20 in high school grades (any non-basketball players?) including the 5th year prep players.
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Mickey Furfari of the Register Herald as West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins what he thought about ESPN Having WVU Ranked 6th in Latest Preseason Poll.

Huggins balked at the question because he is not paying attention to what everyone else has coming back, which is understandable, especially when he is not certain as to what he has coming back with Joe Alexander testing the NBA waters. Alexander is Thinking About the NBA Draft (Daily Mail) and coach Huggins is unsure how this will end up in the end.

However, after the success of the first year in a new system which led to a Sweet 16 appearance, it can be certain that the Players are Sold on Huggins’ System (Daily Mail) and will accept their roles if they are needed to change.
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It was a tough season for Anthony Mason Jr with St. John’s last season in terms of wins and losses. However, the continued bad luck of injuries also made it another painful season and led to post-season ankle surgery. Mason is expected to be at full strength for a summer exhibition tour with the Redstorm to Cancun and it can’t come soon enough as the 1st Team Division One all-Met Mason is Anxious to Storm Into Action (NY Post). Honored last week by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association after a season in which he averaged 14 points and 4 rebounds, despite missing eight games because of ankle injuries, the 6’7, 209 lb Mason is looking to showcase his game as a senior to reach his goal of playing in the NBA.
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Keno Davis did not need to be in Reno or on the Vegas strip to parlay his dream season with Drake into a mega-million dollar payday. In his one and only season as a head coach, Davis led Drake to a 28-5 record before being upset in Round One of the NCAA Tournament by 12-seeded Western Kentucky. Davis had been an assistant at Drake under his father previously and also had made stops with Southern Indiana and Southeast Missouri State before joining his father’s staff, now he goes head to head with Jim Calhoun, Rick Pitino, Jim Beoheim, John Thompson III, etc in the Big East. Keno Breaks the Bank, Pushing the Salary Bar Even Higher (Pantagraph.com) in college basketball, which will only add to the increased pressure to win now and win big.

With a veteran line-up of solid three-point shooters, the chances for a strong 2008-2009 season is pretty good for the Friars. The question on Davis, however is a big one, how quickly will he re-stock the Friar program to battle UConn, Georgetown, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and the rest of the Big East beasts year in and year out?

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