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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (12/4/2009)

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Two more wins last night for the Big East as Seton Hall and Rutgers picked up non-conference home victories. The conference is now 91-12 in out of conference contests. On the schedule tonight is Pittsburgh hosting New Hampshire before a busy weekend of hoops gets underway.

In other news, more trouble is brewing at USF as a player, not even eligible yet, is suspended. Notre Dame could tinker with their line-up and Providence has their in-state rivalry game on tap this weekend. The fallout at Fordham could send a couple players looking at the Big East. Jabarie Hinds is the next star at Mount Vernon. Former UC player Alvin Mitchell has been shot outside his new school following an argument. Find these stories and more in our links below…

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Seton Hall 89, Hartford 56
–Seton Hall continued their unbeaten start, moving to 6-0 on the season, as the Pirates Overcome Slow Start to Take 89-56 Win Over Hartford (Star-Ledger). Senior guard Eugene Harvey scored 11 points and added 14 assists and four steals, leading the balanced SHU attack. Jordan Theodore provided 17 points off the bench, and Jeremy Hazell and Robert Mitchell each added 15.

Up next for Seton Hall is a contest with UMass at the Prudential Center in Newark on Monday. The Pirates close out the first semester 12/12 by hosting VMI and a week later, December 19th, SHU will host Temple. The Temple game is interesting because mid-year transfer Jeff Robinson, who was previously at Memphis, and Keon Lawrence are eligible to play. Lawrence found out yesterday that his team suspension will be lifted prior to the game with Temple and he can rejoin the team on the court.

As coach Bobby Gonzalez awaits his reinforcements, he has been trying different combinations on the court as the Seton Hall Men Audition in Victory (NorthJersey.com) by playing in different roles and combinations.

“In games like this you can do that,” said Gonzalez in The Record. “You can shuffle guys in and out. You can send messages to guys. You have leeway.”
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Rutgers 58, Princeton 44
–Rutgers improved to 4-2, but to most observers it was not a very fashionable victory as Rutgers Slogs Way Through 58-44 Win Over Princeton (Star-Ledger) last night at the RAC. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Fred Hill had to like what he saw from one of his bigs as RU Center Greg Echenique Offers Glimpses of his Ability (Star-Ledger) with 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blockes in just 24 minutes of action in the win.

Jonathan Mitchell added 11 points, nine coming early in the first half to help RU overcome a slow and sloppy start to the game. The Knights’ defense limited the Tigers to 28.8% shooting from the field, forced 15 turnovers and won the battle of the boards 41-28. What is also important, Rutgers won with sophomore Mike Rosario having an off night. The shooting guard was just 2-12 from the floor, finishing with nine point.

Last night’s game was the first of a six-game home stand against lesser conference teams that will take RU through December 28th when they meet North Carolina. They follow that up with a home date against Cincinnati and a road trip to West Virginia to start conference play.
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New Hampshire (2-2) @ Pittsburgh, 7:00 PM
–Pitt Shows its Warts, Promise (Washington Observer-Reporter)
–Herrion Brothers Take Sibling Match-up in Stride (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
–Pitt, Duquesne Men Find Little Time to Reflect (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

The Panthers are coming off Wednesday night’s double overtime victory against city rival Duquesne in the final college basketball game played at Mellon Arena. They could get a lift as senior Jermaine Dixon, who was a starter last year and has missed the first seven games this season with a broken foot, could be cleared to play. Either way, the Panthers might be getting very close to getting their best player back in the line-up.
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Former Tampa Tribune writer Brett McMurphy reports on more trouble at South Florida as USF Guard Anthony Crater is Suspended and an NCAA Investigation is Underway (Fanhouse) into alleged NCAA violations.

Crater has been suspended until January after failing a second drug test, school sources told FanHouse on Wednesday. Crater is a transfer from Ohio State and has been sitting out a transfer year. He was scheduled to become eligible December 12th and make his USF debut against Central Michigan the next day. However, according to USF’s substance abuse policy, a student-athlete that fails a second drug test is suspended for “20 percent of the maximum allowable regular season intercollegiate competitions allowed by the NCAA.”

Crater — along with teammates Dominique Jones and Justin Leemow — were the primary suspects in the April 2009 theft of nearly $8,000 worth of items stolen from former players Gaby Belardo and Jesus Verdejo, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office report.

A month after he transferred to USF, Crater was arrested with USF teammate Mike Mercer for possession of marijuana on January 23rd of 2009. Being it was Mercer’s second arrest in four months, Heath dismissed Mercer from the program, but said Crater deserved a second chance. After Mercer graduated this summer, Heath allowed him back on the team.

Certainly more to come from USF…
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Since preseason, the Notre Dame starting five have remained the same: Ben Hansbrough, Tory Jackson and Jonathan Peoples in the backcourt, Luke Harangody and Ty Nash on the front line. A new look may be needed not because of what Nash and Peoples haven’t done, though they’ve struggled for stretches, but because of what juniors Tim Abromaitis and Carleton Scott have done. Will coach Mike Brey Tinker With the Line-up (South Bend Tribune) heading into a match-up with 6-1 Central Florida?
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The young and inexperienced Providence club will meet in-state rival Rhode Island this weekend. For most of the Friars, this is their first experience with the heated rivalry which may mean the PC/URI Rivalry May Mean More to the Rams (Providence Journal) who are the hosts this weekend.
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The fallout ot Fordham continues. Yesterday head coach Dereck Whittenburg was relieved of his duties and replaced, on an interim basis, by assistant Jared Grasso. Jio Fontan had already announced he would transfer and several Big East schools are expected to at least inquire about his availability. Now, recruit Joel Wright is opening up his recruitment. Wright De-Commits from Fordham (NY Post) and the 6-foot-5 forward currently attending Central Carolina Sports Academy in Greensboro, N.C., told the NY Post he has heard from Southern Illinois, Drexel and Baylor, but would like to play in the Big East, if possible. Wright never signed a letter of intent with Fordham and while at Thomas Jefferson in NYC previously he had several Big East programs monitor his progress.
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When Mount Vernon HS coach Bob Cimmino refers to Jabarie Hinds as maybe the best player he has ever coached, that statement holds some serious water. Afterall, Cimmino has had Ben Gordon, Jonathan Mitchell, Keith Benjamin, Mike Coburn, Kevin Jones and others come through his powerhouse program in recent seasons.

”He may be the best player that I’ve ever coached,“ Cimmino told LoHud.com. ”He’s a little ahead of Ben (Gordon) at this age.“

Now, a junior, there are Great Expectations for Hunds (LoHud.com) and college coaches are taking notice quickly. The class of 2011 guard is a hot commodity on the recruiting trail and Hinds has received scholarship offers to play at Louisville, Wake Forest, Virginia, St. John’s, South Carolina, Oklahoma State and several others according to the article.

Hinds averaged 12.9 points and 5.5 assists per game as the Knights won their fifth straight Section 1 Class AA title last season.
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Sad news about a former Big East player as former Cincinnati Bearcat Alvin Mitchell was Shot Three Times Following an Argument (Examiner) outside of the athletics dorm at his new school, Mountain State University.

Mitchell, 22, is reportedly in serious condition following surgery, Thursday night. Police said he was shot in the arm, leg and chest.

Thoughts and prayers with Mitchell and his family.
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