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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (7/15/2009)

It has been a hectic and (sometimes) crazy past week and a half with the NCAA live evaluation period having the college coaches hit the recruiting trail in droves. NBE put every effort into being in as many places and bringing our readers every resource at our disposal to keep up with the action. Hope you enjoyed the live coverage…there is plenty more ahead wrapping up the 10-day period that was, so stay tuned.

We have neglected a little bit of our regular Big East coverage, so here is a News and Notes update from around the league. Some is old news, some might be new to you as the country has been fixated on the recruiting coverage of the last 10 days.

Of course, there is also some additional recruiting notes and stories on players that we have gathered from the last week or so as well linked below. A little something for just about everyone that follows the Big East…

BIG EAST NOTES:

The accomplishment of Team USA’s U-19 gold medal victory in the FIBA World championships does not seem to be getting it’s just due this summer. Right now the college basketball workd is crazy about the July open evaluation period, and we have certainly been guilty of that ourselves. The team coached by Jamie Dixon went 9-0 in the tournament and won games by an average score of more than 22 points. The played to their strengths (a Dixon specialty) and did not try to be what they were not. NBE caught up with the gold-medal winning head coach at the Peach Jam as he wasted little time coming home from New Zealand and hitting the recruiting trail, it was evident Pitt’s Dixon is Basking in the Gold, but he is also right back to work.

One player playing a key role in the win was Ashton Gibbs, a rising sophomore that plays for Dixon at Pittsburgh. Gibbs has been receiving univeral praise from those around USA Basketball and the media covering the team for his play at point guard and the experience has Gibbs Ready for New Role (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) at Pitt as he is expected to take the reigns from Levance Fields as the team’s point guard next season. After his last month on the International stage, Gibbs will be more-ready than before to face the big East meat grinder.
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Here is an article from the Hartford Courant today on incoming Providence Friar Kyle Wright, who has taken the long road to reach the Big East.

Wright is a 6-foot-6 guard that will likely find himself playing quite a bit in the PC rotation as they look for replacements for Jeff Xavier and Wyinmi Efejuku in the backcourt. Wright will be a junior this season.

In other PC-related news, the administration likes the job that athletic director Bob Driscoll and Keno Davis have done with the Friar teams they are in charge of and PC Awards Extensions to Dirscoll and Davis (Pawtucket Times).

Davis, in his first season at PC, won 19 games with the Friars and earned a bid to the NIT. Providence also defeated #1 Pitt at home last year and the deal, announced Tuesday, will take Davis through the 2015-16 season.
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He did not end the 2008-2009 season healthy, but Connecticut shooting guard Jerome Dyson is 100% Healthy and Playing in Pro-Am (Hartford Courant) league in Hartford this summer. His recent 38-point performance in the league included 32 second-half points and Dyson should be one of the elite players in the conference next season.

Elsehwere in the UConn program. The curious case of Ater Majok has continued. After withdrawing from the NBA Draft in time to restore college basketball eligibility, the 6-foot-10 forward who will be eligible to compete this December for the Huskies is still uncertain what his future will bring. Majok Says He’ll Decide ‘Pretty Soon’ on Whether to Attend UConn (American Chronicle) or pursue professional opportunities overseas.
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West Virginia had 15 players committed to 13 roster spots for next season. While guards Joe Mazzulla and ‘Truck’ Bryant have been suspended indefinitely for scrapes with the law, both look like they will still be on scholarship once the fall semester begins. With the recent transfer of Dee Proby to an NAIA school, the Mountaineers are now down to the necessary 13 players as Will Thomas has also opted to leave the program after finishing summer courses.

Thomas played in 23 games last season for WVU (3.1 minute average) with a .1 per game scoring average. The 215-pound point guard, from East Cleveland (OH), will transfer to West Virginia State.

As for Bryant, he had already been suspended indefinitely by coach Huggins before Bryant Found Himself in Trouble With the Law Again (Times West Virginian) for the second time in a week for a traffic incident.

According to the Times West Virginian, the second incident actually predated by two weeks the July 4 incident that led to him being charged with four misdemeanors and being suspended indefinitely from the Mountaineer basketball team.

Bryant was cited for leaving the scene of an accident with injury and duty to give information and render aid after an accident that occurred at 2:50 a.m. outside Bent Willey’s night club in downtown Morgantown on June 21.

Not a good time to be a WVU guard…
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The recruitment of Lance Stephenson is over and now the court case looks to be resolved as well as UC-Bound Star Stephenson Cops a Plea in Groping Case (NY Daily News). Now it is assumed the NCAA will look into the case of his amateur status and if that hurdle is cleared as well, ‘Born Ready’ should be playing in the Big East for Cincinnati in the 2009-2010 season.
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CollegeHoopsNet.com is previewing 144 teams in 144 days in preparation of the 2009-2010 season. Coming in at #139 is South Florida, the first Big East team profiled (guessing DePaul did not make the cut) and their pick for 15th in the conference.
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RECRUITING NOTES:

There is no doubt Philadelphia native Jesse Morgan made quite an impression at the Reebok AA camp. As Morgan has worked to get his academic standing in order, his recruitment has been off-the-radar for fans, but any player who expects to decide within a month between Connecticut and Florida, his game has definitely been on the radar of college coaches. Morgan Wows At Elite Camp (Philadelphia Inquirer), which comes after a season where he averaged 28 pointsd a game at Olney High School. Next season Morgan, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, will attend South Kent (CT) Prep School.
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The Spiece AAU program has many teams and many top players that come through their ranks annually. One team drawing a crowd on the AAU circuit this July has been their 15-U Spiece Indy Stars as a Young Trio Puts Spice in Spiece (Louisville Courier-Journal) and is drawing plenty of recruiting interest.

Indianapolis (IN) Broad Ripple’s Ron Patterson has been offered scholarships by Indiana, Purdue, DePaul, Illinois, Cincinnati, Xavier and Tennessee and the 6-foot-3 guard also is being recruited by Wake Forest.

Lawrence Central’s Jeremy Hollowell, who already stands 6-foot-6, has offers from Cincinnati and Iowa and told the Courier-Journal during the Kentucky HoopFest that he “kind of” has one from Indiana. He recently visited Bloomington and was told he would have a scholarship when his mother visits the campus. He will visit Purdue after the second leg of the July evaluation period.

Avon’s Austin Burgett, who at 6-foot-8 has a scholarship offer from Cincinnati and is hearing from IU, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State and Purdue, is the third highly regarded member of the squad.
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The recruitment of Javon McCrea went from under-the-radar to a breaking news story to a state of confusion, all in one day. The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reported that the Newark Basketball Star Committed to Georgetown while visiting the campus a few weeks back. McCrea has been playing with the NE Playaz this spring and some believe he will end up at a New England prep school this coming season.

However, the news of a Georgetown commitment looks to be a bit premature as former Syracuse Orange star John Wallace, who serves as the 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward’s advisor and AAU coach, says that McCrea is Not Committed to College Yet (Democrat and Chronicle).

Pittsburgh and UNLV are also mentioned as McCrea suitors by the local newspaper.
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Dion Waiters has not always taken the easiest route in his young basketball career. However, ,Despite Bad Bounces, Waiters a Philly Court Star (Philadelphia Inquirer) and after one more season at Life Center Academy in Burlington (NJ), the physical guard will take his game to Syracuse as one of the nation’s elite recruits in the class of 2010.
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6-foot-10 DeKalb (IL) center Jordan Threloff is working at getting stronger this summer and the Offers are Piling up for Threloff (Daily Chronicle) while playing for the Rising Stars Gold AAU program. Currently, with 10 offers, including Northern Illinois, Indiana State, Southern Illinois, Detroit, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Loyola (Chicago), Illinois State, DePaul, Bradley and Drake, that number could continue to rise through July.
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Here are some Five Boro Sports articles on local players at the Reebok AA camp in Philly from last week (Big East interest mentioned in article in parenthesis):

- Gaining Consistency, Asthon Pankey Emerges (St. John’s – offer, Louisville, Syracuse).
- Jefferson Trio Rep Program in Philly (Davontay Grace – St. John’s, Rutgers, Marquette, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Dave Coley – West Virginia, Providence)
- Rhoomes Performing Well at All-American Camp (St. John’s)
- No Accident that Collier Has Become a Blue-Chipper (Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Villanova, St. John’s, West Virginia)

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