February 2010

SYRACUSE IS REGULAR SEASON BEAST; NOTRE DAME MAKING STATEMENT

By RAY MERNAGH

The Orange can be beasts in the NCAA tournament, too

Their rotation has everything a potential champion needs.

Size and the ability to score in the post — check.

Speed — check.

Ability to share the ball — check.

Ability to shoot the ball and score on the perimeter — check.

Ability to shut down opponent defensively — 2/3 of a check (I’m clever).

Ability to drive the ball — check.

All of these are big things for a team that wants to cut down the nets the first Monday in April, but none of them are the reason, at this moment after watching them dismantle Villanova last night, that I feel so positively about Syracuse. The thing, make that player, that’s making me heart the Orange so strongly right now is Kris Joseph.

No team in the country has a guy like him coming off the bench.

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ST. PATRICK’S ROUTS PLAINFIELD, 82-45

Kyrie Irving leads St. Pat’s to Union County Tournament title Saturday

By Matt Whitfield

It only happens a couple times each season, but when public high school powerhouses battle their parochial counterparts it’s usually a game to see.

Last season Planfield High School made waves by defeating Paterson Catholic, St. Peter’s Prep and St. Anthony’s. This year Plainfield’s opponents haven’t been as stiff and despite losing to St. Patrick’s last month, many thought Saturday’s game between the two for the Union County Tournament championship might be close. However, Duke-bound Kyrie Irving put any thoughts of that quickly out of the minds of spectators watching on Saturday at Kean University.

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TREVOR COONEY COMMITS TO SYRACUSE

Orange add 2011 guard out of Delaware to kick start ’11 recruiting

BY JEFF BORZELLO

Syracuse’s roster is filled with players from all over North America: New York City, Texas, Philadelphia, Florida, Michigan, Canada, Maryland and New Jersey.

Soon, the Orange will add Delaware to that list, as 2011 prospect Trevor Cooney committed to the program on Friday.

“I felt the most comfortable with Syracuse as a school and also had the best relationship with the coaches,” Cooney told the NBE Basketball Report.

He chose the Orange over Notre Dame, West Virginia and Maryland, but also held offers from Villanova, Wake Forest, Virginia, Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Delaware.

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UNSIGNED 2010 UPDATE: MOSES ABRAHAM

Progressive Christian Academy is home to Nigerian import that has schools in hot pursuit

Sometimes plans change. And that is exactly what happened with 6-foot-9 big man Moses Abraham this winter.

After arriving in the US from Nigeria around the Thanksgiving holiday, the plan was for Abraham to enroll at Progressive Christian Academy and get acclimated to basketball and life in America. He would then spend a summer honing his skills and getting exposure on the AAU circuit, presumably with the powerful DC Assault program.

Instead, as word circulated among college coaching circles of a highly talented big man, more colleges came to get a look and suddenly Abraham was in huge demand with many of the top programs in America.

“His body is college ready [and] he is the most athletic big man in the country,” Progressive Christian head coach Taj Hawkins told NBE’s Jeff Borzello at the National Christian Academy Classic last weekend.

Jeff Borzello has more on Abraham’s game and recruitment from the NCA Classic below…

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NATIONAL RECRUITING SCUTTLEBUTT: RAY MCCALLUM, TREY ZEIGLER, BRANDON KNIGHT, CJ LESLIE EDITION

The latest buzz and murmurs concerning four of the top uncommitted 2010 recruits available

by RAY MERNAGH

Both are 2010 Michigan kids that should-be-5-star recruits.

They’ll both arrive on campus as college-game-ready as anyone in the 2010 mix except for Brandon Knight –oh, we’ll get to him too — and that shouldn’t be a surprise because they’re both Coach-Kids.

By now you’ve probably figured I’m writing about point guard Ray McCallum and wing Trey Zeigler.

McCallum, a 6-foot-1 point guard playing for powerful Detroit Country Day School, is excellent. He’s a better athlete than folks perceive (maybe the reason for the 4-star rank?) and he’s the kind of guard that I could see playing for three of four years and helping his team contend for multiple Final Four berths. McCallum, like Zeigler, has taken his time making a college decision, at least in part, in deference to his father Ray Sr, who coaches at Detroit-Mercy. Lil Ray, as he’s known, is expected to make a decision in the next few months.

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BIG EAST TEAMS JOCKEYING FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT SEEDING & BIDS DOWN THE STRETCH

Many key games will highlight the last eight days of the Big East regular season with NCAA implications

Earlier today we took a look at how the 2010 Big East Tournament Seeding is shaping out and how the last three games for each team in the regular season can still determine quite a bit of the match-ups for Madison Square Garden beginning March 9th.

Now, we take a look at the bigger picture and how the last week will impact the Big East and the NCAA Tournament. At this point, everyone is pretty much agreed that five teams are locks from the Big East to earn NCAA bids: Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia, Georgetown and Pittsburgh.

Over the course of the next eight days, beginning tomorrow, six other Big East teams will have the opportunity to play themselves into (or out of) the NCAA Tournament or onto (or off of) the infamous tournanent bubble. An argument could be made that a seventh team could make a case for themselves if they run the table this last week as well. Below we will go over some of the key scenarios yet to play out in the final days of the Big East regular season before all 16 teams hit NYC for one last shot and the 2010 Big East Tournament.

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT SEEDING AT A GLANCE

Plenty left to play for in the Big East over the final eight days of the regular season beginning tomorrow

A rare two-day break from conference action allows us to go in-depth and analyze where everyone stands with three regular season games left before the postseason gets underway. We go through the scenarios and break down the seed possibilities for the 2010 Big East Tournament, which promises to be as exciting and as wide-open as a game of online roulette. This year’s ‘Garden Party’ tips off at high noon, March 9th, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Between tomorrow (2/27) and next Saturday (3/6), everyone in the Big East will close their regular season with three conference games. Everyone is jockeying for position with conference tournament seeding up for grabs, NCAA Tournament bids and NCAA Tournament seeding riding on the outcomes of the games.

Below, we break down the scenarios and lay out the postseason landscape in the Big East. Also, we provide links for fans to secure tickets to all the action, closing the regular season and opportunities to buy 2010 Big East Tournament Tickets. Later today we will do the same with the NCAA Tournament and how the Big East teams are shaping up for their shot at making, or earning a top seed, in the Big Dance.

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NBE’S RAY MERNAGH LIVE ON THE AIR THIS AFTERNOON

Tune in this afternoon (2/25/2010) at 4:25 PM to listen live to NBE’s Ray Mernagh discuss college hoops on the Joe Bendel Show on Fox Sports Radio 970 AM in Pittsburgh.

To listen online, you can click HERE! for the Fox970.com stream on the internet.

Ray is a weekly guest of Joe Bendel’s afternoon drive time show and gives listeners a unique view of the happenings in college basketball.

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports*****

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It might a few more weeks away, but our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page has the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions. The Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden is an event Big east fans must experience when they have the opportunity and here is your chance to get your tickets early before they become harder, and more expensive, to find. Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and you can get tickets to ANY Big East conference or non-league game by following this link: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online
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UNSIGNED 2010 UPDATE: MAURICE WALKER

Brewster Academy big man keeping options open in Big East with Pitt’s lack of scholarship available

Every spring college basketball coaches seem to scour the nation trying to find size to add to their recruiting classes in the late signing period. This year is no exception as several big man recruits uncommitted in the class of 2010 are hot commodities among top programs across America.

Standing 6-foot-10 inches tall and weighing in around 300 pounds, Brewster (NH) Academy senior center Maurice Walker certainly has plenty of the size college coaches crave. What Walker also has that makes him more intriguing is a nice set of hands and touch around the rim and the knowledge of how to use his size to make an impact on the boards and in the paint at the highest prep level in the country with Jason Smith’s Brewster program.

It has long been assumed that the massive Canadian native would end up in the Big East playing at Pittsburgh. However, Jamie Dixon’s program does not currently have a scholarship available in their 2010 class, so Walker is keeping his options open and looking to visit a couple Big East schools in the near future.

“I’m keeping my options open and I’m staying open to recruitment,” Walker told NBE yesterday.

Right now, per Walker, those options seem to be in the Big East…read on to see what else Walker said about his recruitment as the native of Toronto (Ont.) was very gracious with his time in giving NBE a full update on his recruitment and how he is looking at things as the spring signing period is less than two months away…

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UNFINISHED BUSINESS FOR UCONN’S DYSON

Connecticut senior guard has plenty left to play for in final season in Storrs

Since Jim Calhoun took over the Husky basketball program in May of 1986, the Hall of Fame coach has put Connecticut basketball on the national map. With a pair of national championships under his belt and a third trip to the Final Four last season, players that pass through his program are not judged by how many points they score or rebounds they grab, but by their legacy of success in the postseason.

By any standard of judgment, Jerome Dyson is a college basketball star. He has had a career at UConn that ranks among some of the very best to play under coach Calhoun. However, he understands he has some unfinished business to take care of as he tries to solidify his own UConn basketball legacy. That is why a strong finish to the 2009-2010 season and playing in the NCAA Tournament weighs heavily on Dyson’s mind.

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LUKELESS IN SOUTHE BEND/THE BUTLER DOES IT IN QUEENS

by RAY MERNAGH

Two huge wins for Big East rivals Notre Dame and Marquette.

The Irish, without Luke Harangody, looked as good as I’ve seen an ND team look in the last two years in their dominating 68-53 win over Pittsburgh. Notre Dame’s ball movement on offense was a thing to behold and they shot the shinola out of it from deep (10-18) while controlling the boards too. Even though Pitt never stopped playing they could never get close after ND jumped out in the second half to a big lead. Tim Abromaitis (17), Ben Hansbrough (15), Tory Jackson (14 and 7 assists) and Tyrone Nash (13) led a balanced Irish attack offensively. Notre Dame is now 18-10 overall and 7-8 in the Big East. Freshman big Jack Cooley helped contribute with 4 rebounds and some really good defense inside during his 13 minutes.

No ND player took over ten shots.
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Over in Jamaica Queens, I tuned in for the last 4 minutes of OT featuring Marquette and St. John’s. Marquette gained possession of the ball with 25 seconds left and Buzz Williams called a timeout to talk about who he wanted to take the last shot.

Jimmy Butler went to the rim and was stripped of the ball. Butler had the wherewithal to chase down he ball in the corner, get possession, turn and drill a jumper at the buzzer for a 63-61 Marquette win. Butler finished with 18 and 8 and his shot pushed Marquette‘s overall mark to 18-9 with a 9-6 record in the league. Huge win for the ex-Warriors.

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports*****

==================================================================
It might a few more weeks away, but our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page has the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions. The Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden is an event Big east fans must experience when they have the opportunity and here is your chance to get your tickets early before they become harder, and more expensive, to find. Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and you can get tickets to ANY Big East conference or non-league game by following this link: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online
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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (2/24/2010)

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports*****

Its a busy week as the stretch run in college basketball is fully underway. The Big East had a trio of games last night and four more tonight and we recap/preview all the action below.

Also, Providence has a player leave their team with just three weeks left in the season, Lance Stephenson announces his intentions, as of now, for next season and a former city rival coach takes a shot at Mick Cronin from afar…interesting…

Also, it might still be another few weeks away, but our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page has the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions. The Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden is an event Big East fans must experience when they have the opportunity and here is your chance to get your tickets early before they become harder, and more expensive, to find. Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and you can get tickets to ANY Big East conference or non-league game by following this link: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online

Now, onto today’s News & Notes around the Big East…

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WHERE I COME FROM: TORY JACKSON EDITION

by RAY MERNAGH

Tory Jackson is Notre Dame’s leader. The point guard out of Michigan has played harder than any other Irish player from the first day he stepped on campus. He often finds his teammates at the perfect time, when they’re in the perfect position for them to score. His game against Syracuse earlier this season is still the best passing game by any player I’ve seen this season. Jackson picked the Orange zone apart and dealt so many exquisite dimes it had me thinking he should have just retired after the loss — because I’m not sure he, or anyone else, can ever top that display for pure passing wizardry. He was that good on the afternoon of January 18th, finishing with 15 assists (he could have had 5 or 6 more if teammates converted) and only 3 turnovers.

Similar to some previous seasons, things have taken a turn south for the Irish as they head into the final stretch. February has not been kind and consequently, it’s desperation-time again. The Irish stand at 17-10 overall and 6-8 in the Big East, having lost three straight tight games and “star” Luke Harangody to a knee injury. Included in the stretch is a three-point loss at Seton Hall (90-87), a one-point loss to St. John’s (69-68) and a double overtime heart breaker at Louisville 91-89. Tonight they host a red-hot Pitt team that has set sights on a Big East championship. If Notre Dame somehow defends it’s home court and gets a win tonight, chances are that Jackson will have a big part in it. The 5-11 guard is the heart and soul of Notre Dame basketball. The pride Jackson takes in being a student-athlete at Notre Dame is refreshing, as if he’s found Nirvana in, of all places, South Bend, Indiana.

The truth is Notre Dame is heaven to Jackson, especially when compared to the community he was raised in — Saginaw, Michigan.

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UNSIGNED 2010 UPDATE: MIKE POOLE

St. Benedict’s G/F has earned Big East offers with an impressive senior season for coach Dan Hurley

Mike Poole has been a name that has been on and off the high-major recruiting radar several times the last couple of years. Coming up through the NYC AAU ranks, Poole was a highly regarded youngster but as other players grabbed the spotlight, not much was heard from Poole. Now as a senior with St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark (NJ), Poole is back on the map as a high-major prospect, picking up impressive offers from schools out of the Big East, ACC, SEC and PAC 10 while turning in a solid season for coach Dan Hurley and the Gray Bees.

NBE watched Poole in action this season in high-profile showcase vents like the HoopHall Classic against Bishop O’Connell, against De La Salle (IL) High School in the Newark Invitational and again against Lakewood in the Primetime Shootout and in each outing Poole displayed his versatility and improved perimeter jumper that makes him an intriguing option for high-major programs looking for a late recruiting period addition to their 2010 class of recruits.

NBE caught up with Poole earlier today to get an update on his recruitment and also talked recently to Dan Hurley about Poole’s solid senior season…

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SETON HALL HOLDS OFF RUTGERS RALLY FOR WIN

Bobby Gonzalez and the Pirates keep NCAA hopes on life support with 76-70 home win Tuesday

by RAY FLORIANI

NEWARK, NJ – Six in a row. Seton Hall defeated Rutgers 76-70 on Tuesday at the Prudential Center giving the Pirates their sixth straight Big East win at home. For Seton Hall, the start was big.

The Keys :

1. As noted the Pirates got off to a blazing start. Bobby Gonzalez’s troops jumped out to a 28-10 lead just over eight minutes into the contest. The Hall forced turnovers, got out in transition and simply played with a great deal of energy. “We jumped out to a great start which is something we wanted to do,” Gonzalez said. “We came out with some great energy.”

2. The lead was never lost. Rutgers gradually settled down and got back in the contest. Down the stretch it was a two possession game (as close as 68-64 with just under three minutes left). Seton Hall not losing the lead was crucial from a momentum standpoint. The Scarlet Knights were able to get back into the game by getting stops and, more importantly, cutting down on turnovers. The First half Rutgers has 12 turnovers. After intermission they had only four. Simply, not losing the ball due to the dreaded turnover gives you an opportunity to end a possession with a shot, at least.

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2011 BIG EAST TARGET: JARROD DAVIS

2011 G/F getting a lot of interest from SHU staff and likes up and down style of PC, MU, SJU, etc in Big East

At the recent Primetime Shootout, Lakewood High School faced the difficult task at Kean University of taking on national power St. Benedict’s of Newark (NJ). It was a long night for Lakewood, especially in the second half, when St. Ben’s shook off the rust of nine days of inactivity because of cancelations due to the weather. The Gray Bees took complete control of the game in the third quarter when they outscored their overmatched Ocean County opponents 30-7 to stretch a 38-22 halftime lead to 68-29 after three quarters on their way to an 82-38 victory.

lakewood was able to keep somewhat within striking distance over the first 16 minutes with a patient offense and a strong half by junior Jarrod Davis, who scored nine of his team-high 15 in the first half. After the game, Alex Schwartz caught up with Davis to get an update on his recruitment. Davis, a 6-foot-5 G/F, is getting plenty of attention attention from college coaches and counts four current offers from Big East programs. Davis talked about his recruitment and what he likes about the Big East schools currently recruiting him…

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MERNAGH’S TALES FROM THE TAPE: UCONN’S ROBINSON RESPONDS

by RAY MERNAGH

It started, like so many things do with this Connecticut team as of late, with a tongue-lashing from Jim Calhoun.

Calhoun wasn’t happy with senior Stanley Robinson’s play defensively that resulted in a put back off his own miss by Devin Ebanks of West Virginia during the second half of last night’s Big East conference contest. The decision to call the timeout was made the second Ebanks floated the ball in to cut the UConn lead to 53-52 with 8:48 left in the game. My first thought was Robinson was being chastised for not boxing out or grabbing the board, but looking at the tape this morning I saw his real sin. He half-stepped it defensively against Kevin Jones and that allowed Jones to catch the ball on the right wing freely — resulting in an easy pass to Ebanks on the block. He then added on to his initial miscue by not attacking the first miss in the air but kind of flying by it off balance and out of the play, giving Ebanks a clear path to catch and score the initial miss.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (2/23/2010)

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Here come’s UConn! Jim Calhoun has directed the Huskies to three straight wins just as it looked like they were headed towards missing ghe NCAA Tournament. Now last year’s Final Four participant and #1 seed is right in the mix of the bubble talk. Work is still needed, but suddenly a season left for dead just 9 days ago after an ‘embarassment’ is very much alive with a team that could be very dangerous in March.

Three games on the Big East schedule tonight with the battle of Jersey bewteen SHU and RU taking palce at the ROC. A very big game on the conference schedule features Louisville and Georgetown as the two teams have been heading in opposite directions in recent weeks, but the Hoyas are still possessing a lofty national rank and the Cards are hoping to get off the bubble, even though it is Georgetown looking up at UL in the league standings. Syracuse looks to avoid looking ahead to ‘Nova this weekend when they travel to Providence, who has been run through the wringer of the Big East schedule.

In other news, Notre Dame has to go deeper on the bench that Mike Brey might be comfortable with whil Luke Harangody has been out. Now, it looks like Harangody will be out longer than anticpated. The heat is rising against Mick Cronin as UC stumbles again down the stetch. With four years left on his contract, it has the Cincinnati athletic department in a tough spot. Of course, making a few free throws and this situation could be looking MUCH better. Buzz Williams is back to his aerodynamic hair style after growing out a little fuzz during a five-game winning streak. Mouphtau Yarous is adjusting to life on the Philly Main Line and hopes to make the impact he had hoped before this season is done.

In recruiting, Maurice Walker and Gorgui Dieng are 2010 uncomitted big men that Big East schools are actively recruiting into the spring signing period.

Also, it might still be another few weeks away, but our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page has the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions. The Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden is an event Big East fans must experience when they have the opportunity and here is your chance to get your tickets early before they become harder, and more expensive, to find. Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and you can get tickets to ANY Big East conference or non-league game by following this link: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online

Now, onto today’s News & Notes around the Big East…

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BIG MONDAY WIN FOR UCONN

Huskies put a stamp on their NCAA Tournament candidacy with upset of WVU

by MATT WHITFIELD

Nearly two weeks before the Big East tournament, the XL Center in downtown Hartford was the site of a Big East heavyweight clash between West Virginia and Connecticut Monday night. With major NCAA Tournament implications for both teams, both coaches were fired up throughout and the game came down to wire. In the end, the team that shot the ball more proficiently down the stretch and patrolled the boards better, all night long came away with a very important win.

The Huskies entered the game 16-11 overall, a bubble team with three wins over teams within the top 50 of the RPI ratings. On the other hand, West Virginia, 21-5 overall, was a team battling for possibly a number one seed as they went in with a RPI rating of five.

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NATIONAL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY CLASSIC RECRUITING NOTES

BY JEFF BORZELLO

FORT WASHINGTON (MD) – With state playoffs starting around the country, there are not many inter-state tournaments left in the season. However, one under-the-radar event left to play was the NCA Classic at National Christian Academy in Maryland. The set-up was three high schools from North Carolina coming up to play three high schools in Maryland – Progressive Christian (Md.) vs. Mt. Zion Academy (N.C.), Princeton Day School (Md.) vs. Christian Faith Center Academy (N.C.) and National Christian (Md.) vs. Kestrel Heights (N.C.). Although it did not receive much attention, there were plenty of talented and highly-touted players at the event.

Players at the event gave NBE school lists that included Georgetown, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Providence, Connecticut, Pittsburgh as well as schools from the ACC, Big 12, SEC, PAC 10, Big 10 and more. Read on for scouting reports and recruiting updates from many of the top players that performed this weekend…

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