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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (8/15/2008)

In today’s news and notes write-up around the Big East we take a look at the early impressions from the Notre Dame team trip to Ireland. The Irish will spend 12 days in Ireland and play six games against very good competition, for the most part. Also, several notes from the Marquette program, inlcuding an interview on Buzz Williams’ future lead guard.

Elsewhere, more high school transfer moves and at least one has a former coach a little miffed. St. John’s hopes their latest staff addition pays big, and quick, dividends on the NYC recruiting trail. The 2008 Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden featues two Big East teams among the four in the event.

Also, recruiting updates on Givon Crump, Tevin Baskin, Jordan Williams and Tristan Spurlock.

Notre Dame has never been a team that liked a slower pace while under Mike Brey in the Big East. However, even for ND the Pace is Quick on Ireland Trip (South Bend Tribune) as the Irish have to adjust to the 24 second shot clock used in International play. Notre Dame begins their 6-game schedule on their 12-day trip today when they take on the Ireland National Team.

The trip to Ireland is the experience of a lifetime for many of the ND players, but for senior guard Kyle McAlarney, it means even more. McAlarney is keeping a diary for the South Bend Tribune on the trip and in his first entry, it is pretty clear that McAlarney is Glad to be on Irish Soil.

For the Journal Gazette, Ryan Ayers is doing his own diary, here is the latest entry on his first day in Ireland: Ayers: ‘Everything is so Green Here’.

While the chance to spend 10 extra days together on campus with full practices and playing competitive games in August are definite advantages for the Irish as the prepare for the highly anticipated 2008-2009 season, Notre Dame’s Ireland Trip About More than Just Basketball (Chicago Tribune).

Many times when a coaching change takes place, the most important first step of the new coach is to identify, recruit and land his point guard of the future. New Marquette coach Buzz Williams looks to have landed a good one as the Golden Eagles received a verbal commitment from summer AAU star Junior Cadougan earlier this summer.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak has an Interview with Junior Cadougan on his J-S MU blog.

In other Marquette news, they will take on Nebraska, likely November 1st, in a preseason scrimmage. The Huskers are to Scrimmage Marquette (Lincoln Journal Star) in Lincoln and it will be closed to media and no statistics are to be released. Marquette had a similar meeting last season with Kansas State prior to the season.

One More Thing (Journal-Sentinel) on Marquette, the Golden Eagles will host in-state rival Wisconsin December 6th at the Bradley Center. ESPNU will televise the game.
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Does the addition of Kimani Young to St. John’s (ZagsBlog.Net) give Norm Roberts a hope for New Heights for St. John’s (The East Coast Bias)? Time will tell, but the addition definitely brings a new excitement for local high school prospects when they take a look at the Redstorm program.
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Adam Zagoria also has a Givon Crump Update (ZagsBlog.net) as the 6-foot-6 small forward has several Big East schools on his list after an impressive summer. Givon Crump lists Rutgers and Seton Hall, as well as Oregon State, Michigan, DePaul, Wake Forest, South Florida and SMU.

Crump has already taken unofficial visits to Rutgers and Wake Forest and the Scarlet Knights made a nice impression on him. For now, only the official visits the have been decided are to Oregon State and Michigan.
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Transfers in the high school landscape are becoming more and more common with big names changing schools often. In some cases, it does not sit well with others and in the case of Noah Cottrill, his previous coach at Poca (WV) High School definitely seems to have a case of Sour Grapes (Register-Herald).

Poca’s Cottrill is Transferring (Daily Mail) to Mountain State Academy to face stiffer competition. The 2010 guard prospect is an early verbal commitment to Bob Huggins’ and his West Virginia Mountaineers. Rumors have swirled that WVU preferred the transfer so the 5-foot-11 guard could face tougher competition in his last two years of high school ball.
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Hey, maybe Cottrill will return back to Poca, afterall, Lamont Jones could be returning to Rice High School in NYC after a year at the now defunt American Christian School. Rice Has the Jones for MoMo (NY Daily News) and the 2009 guard could be returning for his senior season.
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There will be another Big East party in Madison Square Garden on December 9th as Villanova and West Virginia will be two of the four teams participating in the Jimmy V Classic. In the opening game, West Virginia will draw 2008 NCAA Tournament darling Davidson and ’Nova Draws Texas in Jimmy V Classic (DelCo Time) nightcap. ESPN will televise both contests.

Tevin Baskin has been a popular recruit to follow up with of late as the Stamford Advocate takes a look of the college decision process for him as A Big Choice Awaits Baskin. According to the article, the current six schools Baskin is considering include Providence, Rutgers, Xavier, Auburn, St. John’s and the University of Massachusetts.

Recently, the NBE Basketball Report also had the chance to Catch Up Again with Tevin Baskin.
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Another 2009 basketball recruit from the state of Connecticut seeing a high level of recruiting interest is 6-foot-9, 250 lb Jordan Williams of Torrington High School. While the big man Basketball Recruit Will Visit UMass (MassLive.com) to kick off his recruiting tour, Williams also has interest in Big East schools such as Connecticut, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Marquette, St. John’s and Providence among others such as Maryland, Xavier, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, etc. Williams had a very good July with the NE Playaz playing for former Boston Celtic coach John Carroll and his strong play continued this week as one of the top players mentioned in the New England Elite 75 Showcase Event Recap by the New England Recruiting Report.
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Tristan Spurlock recently decided against Georgetown and the Big East and will play his college ball in the ACC as Spurlock Spurs Hoyas for Virginia (Roanoke Times).

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