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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/24/2008)

A quick run through the Big East today and we find Rick Pitino excited for the upcoming season as he stays busy during the basketball down time. Isaiah Epps, a coveted 2010 recruit heads to ACC country for a visit. Several Big East schools will hope they still have a shot after his visit.

There is a little more on the South Florida recent 2009 verbal commitment with the famous basketball father. Andre Gillette has a couple Big East schools showing interest. A few of the ex-Indiana players have the Big East conference in their sights. Rutgers has an almnus return for a position within their basketball program and the wait is nearly over for Joe Alexander and it will be known on Thursday night where Joe will go in the NBA draft.

Louisville is going to be very good next season and Rick Pitino knows it! In their first season in the Big East, coach Pitino kept wondering what all the hype was about in regards to his club, and he was right and all the prognosticators were wrong.

This summer, the preseason hype on the Cardinals is starting to build once again and this time Rick Pitino is welcoming the attention and embracing the challenge by scheduling a difficult series of games, especially in late December in preparation for the loaded Big East conference.

According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the men’s basketball team will play UAB in Freedom Hall on Dec. 27. The contest with Mike Davis’ squad is tentatively booked in the middle of a five-game stretch in which the Cardinals will play Mississippi in Cincinnati (Dec. 18), Minnesota (Dec. 20) in Phoenix and consecutive home games against UAB, UNLV (Dec. 31) and Kentucky (probably Jan. 4).

In the meantime, Pitino Stays Busy, Excited This Summer (Courier-Journal) writing a book and looking forward to coaching Terrence Williams again and as much to not having to coach Derrick Caracter.

Isaiah Epps is a class of 2010 prospect in high demand as Big East schools such as Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Seton Hall have made scholarship offers and schools as Georgetown and Marquette have also placed calls to express their interest. This week, he is taking a visit to ACC country as Epps is Visiting Maryland on Tuesday (zagsblog.net) with a large contingent, including family members and his high school coach, Pete Vasil.

Epps has expressed an interest in getting away from New Jersey for college.
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Northstar Basketball has an interview with Neumann-Goretti’s 60foot8 big man Andre ‘Scooter’ Gillette, who is getting some Big East interest. While Gillete Could Be Headed to the Atlantic 10 with offers from St. Joe’s, Temple and Xavier, schools such as Marquette (aren’t they recruiting everyone?) and Syracuse are also maintaining contact.
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As reported yesterday, Jordan Dumars, Ex-NBA Star Joe Dumars’ Son, Orally Commits To USF (Tampa Tribune), giving Stan Heath his second commitment in the class of 2009, joining Shaun Noriega in the South Florida class of 2009.
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A few Big East related items from the ALWAYS information College Hoops Blog: Good ‘N Plenty by Jeff Goodman at Fox Sports from the last couple days:

Indiana transfer Jordan Crawford has heard from Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Xavier, South Florida, Baylor and Virginia Tech – among others.

Look for former Indiana guard Armon Bassett to wind up at West Virginia

Andy Rautins is one of 22 players trying to make the Canadian Olympic squad. The Syracuse guard tore his ACL last summer in the FIBA Americas qualifying tournament and missed the entire season. Rautins’ fate will be determined by his father, Leo, the head coach of Canada’s Olympic squad.

Goodman also has his Updated (and Ridiculous) Transfer List of the comings and goings in the Big East conference and nationally.
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Rutgers has a new addition to their basketball staff as Oliver Winterbone, or ’Googs’, is Headed to Alma Mater (Daily Progress) after spending three years working with Dave Leitao and had the position of Virginia’s assistant director of basketball operations. Winterbone, a 2005 RU graduate, managed the video library of opponents, assisting the coaching staff with video preparation and scouting reports.
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The NBA Draft is Thursday night and West Virginia fans and friends of Joe Alexander anxiously await to find out Where Will Joe Go (Frederick News Post) in the draft. He could go as high as 8th, but nonetheless, Alexander is seen as a lottery lock and has been invited to the ‘Green Room’ for the draft festivities.

WVU head coach Bob Huggins Heads to New York (WTRF-TV) to support Alexander and celebrate the special evening with his former player.

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