NBA Draft Early Entry

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (4/29/2009)

First, our apologies for the technical difficulties forcing the site down for about 12 hours from last night until early this morning. With the quick growth and exploding traffic of the last couple months, we exceeded our server bandwidth limitations. We are back up and running and the news around the Big East continues to fly in from all angles…let’s see if we can catch everyone up!

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NHL Playoff Ticket Deals

Best NBA Playoff Ticket Deals

Best New York Yankees Ticket Deals

Best Philadelphia Phillies Ticket Deals

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (4/24/2009)

Its been quite a week around the Big East and Louisville has been the center of quite a storm of stories in the past several days. Also, stories on Dan Jennings, Brandon Triche and Jim Boeheim’s opinion on how the Syracuse fate with three players leaving early for the professional ranks. Also declaring for the draft his week, but not retaining agents, are Ater Majok of UConn and ‘Nova’s NCAA Tourney hero Scottie Reynolds.

Also, with college coaches evaluating high school prospects in open gyms, several recruiting updates are available as well as the 2009 SEC-Big East Invitational match-ups are announced, too.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (4/17/2009)

Nice day to catch up around the Big East on the latest news and stories. Again, it is a busy time with underclassmen making their NBA Draft decisions known, such as Greg Monroe, Jonny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet, Dar Tucker and Luke Harangody. It was also the beginning of the spring signing period this week and a few stories on the impacts of the comings and goings at UConn as well as the official additions at Providence, WVU, Marquette, Rutgers, South Florida as well as the recruitment of Jarrid Famous and other USF frontcourt prospects. Also, an update on Carson Desrosiers, who had quite a busy morning today…

It will be a busy weekend for the NBE Basketball Report with coverage of the Pittsburgh JamFest put on by The HoopGroup, the HoopHall Classic staged by BasketBull of CT and the Jordan Brand Classic Regional and National game. Check back often this weekend for the latest news…

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (4/14/2009)

Here is another quick run through of the news and notes of the day in the Big East conference. We will have quite a bit of new information later this afternoon and into tomorrow from the busy weekend that was last weekend on the AAU trail…

For today, a strange story out of Syracuse involving Paul Harris and ‘his’ decision to enter his name in the NBA Draft, you kind of have to read it to believe it. Also, Earl Clark officially puts his name into the draft, a player is leaving Georgetown, Devin Ebanks is staying put at WVU and recruiting updates on Jarrid Famous, Markus Kennedy and Lamont Jones are linked below for readers to check out…

Also, as a preview to some additional Big East football coverage that will be coming in the future, especially on our team blog sites, Matt Whitfield caught up with Notre Dame football commit Theo Riddick recently on the basketball trail and you can find his story at our Notre Dame Team Blog site. Matt continued with the football theme with a story on Rutgers’ WR Kenny Britt who has high hopes in this month’s NFL Draft. You can see that story at our Rutgers Team Blog page.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (4/13/2009)

Following the holiday weekend, Monday has been a quiet day for news around the Big East conference. Jonny Flynn’s situation of whether or not he signed with an agent seems to be the biggest story, at this point, all signs point to that being very imminent and he will pass on his final two years of eligibility at Syracuse.

A few reviews on the Derby Festival Basketball Classic and the Capital Classic where Louisville and Villanova recruits impressed onlookers. Also an article on UC recruit Sean Kilpatrick and his high hopes for his college career with the Bearcats, Jeff Goodman has updated the transfer list and six Big East student-athletes from the 2008-2009 season are currently looking for new homes to continue their college careers. On the recruiting front, articles on Matt Brown, who could be a Big East football or basketball recruit, and JJ Moore can be found as the pair could gain more Big East interest as the spring and summer AAU season continues.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (4/10/2009)

Even though it is the offseason, news seems to be coming out of the conference left and right leaving your head spinning. We will try to get you caught up on as much as possible in this morning’s News & Notes from around the Big East…

We take a look at NBA draft decisions of the Syracuse trio and DeJuan Blair and the impacts on their current teams. Also, Jim Calhoun has come to a quick decision about his future. On the recruiting front, lots of news and notes to go over as the recruiting news will begin to pick up pace quickly as the spring signing period nears and the AAU travel season really begins to pick up. We will have eyes and ears on the road this weekend at the Boo Williams Invitational and the DC Assault event down in Virginia and will report on the news and notes Big East fans will find interesting next week…

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (4/8/2009)

There is a lot going on these days around the Big East basketball conference. Of course, the immediate aftermath of the final four brought a quick surge of recruiting news and stories here are some of the recruiting and event stories from the last several days:

NBE Prep Corner w/ Pat Stevens (news on an upcoming visit to St. John’s for a prep school guard)
National High School Invitational Review (Part I) (A look at players from Findlay, St. Benedict’s and Mountain State Academy).
Playaz Spring Fling Review (Phase II) (article loaded with player reports and recruiting info)
Class of 2010 Intro: Kadeem Jack (Rice HS PF/C has Big East schools looking)
Class of 2010 Intro: Derrick Williams (St. Anthony’s big forward seeing some Big East schools looking)
More Talent at God’s Academy (Texas prep school has several on Big East radar, including KC Ross-Miller)
Class of 2011 Intro: Jermaine Sander (Rice HS guard getting early Big East interest)
Class of 2011 Intro: Marquis Teague (Louisville a possible destination for elite ’11 guard)
Class of 2011 Intro: Jordan Allen (Bay Shore HS in Long Island forward receiving Big East interest)
Class of 2011 Intro: Mike Taylor (NYC guard has Big East schools lining up already)

In today’s update, there are also recruiting updates and notes on Terrell Vinson, Jonathan Graham, Jarrid Famous, Tom Droney and Kyrie Irving, as well as a look at the impact the NCAA’s decision to eliminate the April live evaluation period for Division 1-A coaches.

This time of year also brings with it player and coaching movement. Assistants are candidates for head coaching jobs, players are declaring for the NBA draft every day and early looks at next season are beginning to circulate and articles looking at high expectations, and questions, ahead for UConn, ‘Nova, Syracuse and West Virginia.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (4/1/2009)

With the coaching carousel in college basketball in full swing, beware of the April Fool’s jokes. Last year it was no joking manner, but Tom Crean shocked the Marquette faithful when he left for Indiana on April 1st. Will a big coaching domino fall today. One thing is certain, John Calipari’s move from Memphis to Kentucky will cause some recruiting waves.

Elsewhere in college basketball, two Big East teams are gearing up for the Final Four as UConn and Villanova continue preparations to do battle. The Wildcats hope their previous Ford Field basketball experience is of help while the Huskies should get an emotional lift on their bench and in pre-game warmups.

Louisville is preparing for next season and Pittsburgh will be adding a big man to the line-up already possessing the Pitt will to improve. The NBA early entry decisions have begun to trickle in, and one Big East player is off to the NBA and not looking back.

Lance Stephenson is back in a holding pattern. Jeremy Tyler could be the next Stephenson as a documentary film star. Tyler, in the class of 2010, is already committed to a Big East school.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/30/2009)

The 2009 NCAA Tournament Final Four is set and the Big East is well represented with half the field remaining. Villanova, on the strength of their thrilling last second win over Pittsburgh in the Elite 8, and Connecticut, who brushed distractions aside in their run through the West, will represent the conference.

To this point, the Big East is 17-5 in the NCAA Tournament, 16-4 against non-Big East schools.

We run through the news and notes around the Big East as the spring recruiting period will heat up very quickly. Also, the coaching carousel will begin to spin, for head coaches and assistants, players will decide to stay or go, either in regards to the NBA Draft or the transfer route and some are looking towards to next year following the end of this season.

Also, the spring AAU travel season kicked off last weekend and Matt Whitfield has the report on Saturday at the Playaz Spring Fling (Phase I) event as many top Big East targets of the future were in action.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/25/2009)

Once again today we take the tour of the five Big East teams preparing for Sweet 16 action in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Also, we have laid out links for fans to purchase the tickets to see their team in each step of the way this week as UConn, SU, Pitt, Louisville and ‘Nova vie for spots in Detroit.

The big news dominating college basketball today is the Y! Sports exclusive on recruiting irregularities by UConn in the recruitment of Nate Miles. Also, Notre Dame meets Kentucky with a spot in the NIT Final Four in New York City on the line. The coaching carousel rumors are starting to spin. A few Big East assistants are candidates at Boston U and a couple Big East coaches are being tossed into the discussion at Virginia.

Also, Marquette and Buzz Williams say good-bye to a great group of seniors, but are ready to get to work on the future. In recruiting, a former Big East target (and onetime early commit) is back on the market.

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BELLY OF THE BE-AST: SAM GOES OUT WITH A BANG

A classic match-up of conference titans highlighted Senior Day in Pittsburgh last weekend

by Ray Mernagh

How do you know when a game’s a classic?

Is it when you’re looking at stats and are surprised that neither team shot the ball all that well? How about when the total number of turnovers on both sides is 19 for the game, despite each squad playing a ferocious, physically exhausting brand of defense. Or maybe when two players put up monster first halves in different ways, and one equals his output in the second half while the other does everything in his power to continue his dominance except the one thing he can’t do (throw himself the ball).

Those are three good indicators, but that’s not how, or when, I knew I was watching a classic.

I knew the rematch between Pittsburgh and Connecticut had the makings of a classic about three minutes into the first half when two thoughts hit me right around the same time. First, my buddy “Knuckles,” a Pitt fan since birth, sent a picture to my phone of the bedlam going on in the arena to let me know he’d managed to get in, something he’d been trying to make happen for the last two weeks. I smiled looking at the picture, thinking ‘cool, Knuckles deserves to see this.’ It was right after this that I realized I’d forgotten all about the obstructed view seat I was in that had me a bit upset just minutes earlier. The seat was obstructed because I was placed up top in a section for media I’d never knew existed, right behind a radio guy’s sound equipment. So I had two choices if I wanted to see the nearest sideline: stand up and block the guy’s view behind me or lean waaay forward in my seat and hope the sound guy didn’t take it the wrong way.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/6/2009) & GAME PREVIEW

The regular season finales began last night and Villanova got what they wanted while they will send Providence on to New York for the 2009 Big East Tournament next week in New York City at Madison Square Garden still in search of what they are looking for.

While Dominic James is done for the season, Marquette’s NCAA seed could be adjusted down even more than their late season losing streak would have on its own with James. Pittsburgh is hoping their floor general is good to gon on Saturday for the highly anticipated match-up with Connecticut.

DePaul sophomore Dar Tucker looks into leaving college for the NBA while Rutgers sophomore Corey Chandler has not made a final decision to leave the Scarlet Knight’s program as of yet.

There is a story on top 2010 target Carson Desrosiers for readers as well as our game preview on tonight’s Big East action between Notre Dame and St. John’s.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (11/5/2008)

Early November seems to be a little bit of a lull before the storm that will be the regular season kicking off in another week or so. Tonight, Connecticut gets their season underway with an exhibition against Jim Calhoun’s alma mater. The Huskies still have a little uncertainty in their starting line-up and also are working out an eligibility issue with one of their players expected to add depth upfront this season.

At Louisville, the point guard position could be the defining factor of how much of a contender they are nationally. Notre Dame has a key forward battling a painful injury that could linger for quite some time. Rollie Massimino is returning to his Big East stomping (literally!) grounds as he will lead his NAIA program Longwood into an exhibition game with Villanova at the historic Spectrum tomorrow night.

You can also find, according to DraftExpress.com, the top 20 NBA draft prospects in the Big East.

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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.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/23/2008)

We anticipate another busy week of articles as we wrap up the NBA Top 100 camp and take a look at the Hoop Group Showcase from this past weekend. Also, more recruiting articles on players that have impressed us to this point on the AAU scene, but they might have been getting as much attention nationally as maybe they deserve.

For this Monday morning, we take a look at some recruiting articles from LA, South Carolina and Chicago that might be of interest to Marquette and Providence fans. The recruiting list for Lincoln’s (NYC) James Padgett is heavy on Big East schools. Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson looks to be working on a visit to at least one of the Big East schools on his list in the near future. Samardo Samuels and Greg Monroe are preparing for their highly anticipated college careers. Pittsburgh’s ‘big three’ are getting some additional counseling this summer on their games and helping work with some of the top players in the high school ranks as well.

Mick Cronin has been through much of the same that Tom Crean is facing at Indiana. Keno Davis’ situation is different in some ways, but could become similar once his large core of veterans move on from the program in the next few seasons.

There is a look at two different draft night scenarios with Roy Hibbert and Kentrell Gransberry. DePaul gains a transfer from the Big 10 and Paul Harris’ standing with the University of Syracuse has been cause for some internet rumor mongering this spring.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/16/2008)

The action tends to come in waves and things are certainly busy now as the summer draws closer and closer. This past weekend was the Rumble in the Bronx, headquartered at Fordham University. The NY Gauchos defended the home turf by winning the local battle over the NY Panthers. This followed a tense situation in a hard-fought semifinal game between the Gauchos and Juice, another local NYC team. The game was called following an altercation which led to a Juice forfeit. Unfortunate, but emotions can certainly become charged. Dan Jennings was the event’s MVP and, in case you missed it, Adam Zagoria provided the NBE Basketball Report with an exclusive Dan Jennings Recruiting Update from the event.

Jeff Borzello attended the event and filed a report from Friday night: Rumble in the Bronx: Opening Night where he got to see the Gauchos pull out their opening win and got a good luck at guard Russell Smith. Smith, a rising senior from Archbishop Molloy, was impressive all weekend. Last week in our story on the Gauchos (NY Gauchos: Battered, But Ready to Rumble), we reported that Smith will take a post-graduate year after the 2008-2009 season and move into the recruiting class of 2010.

Also from the event, Zagoria caught up with Dominic Cheek to see how his recruitment is going and his plans for the rest of the summer. Cheek Picks Up Louisville and Memphis Offers (NBE Basketball Report) and will be seen often this summer as one of the elite players in the class of 2009. We will have TONS more from the Rumble in the Bronx through today and tomorrow and will start looking ahead to this weekend’s Hoop Group High School Showcase at Rutgers University.

The reports did not stop there as Alex Schwartz provided the NBE Basketball Report with some interview information from Dante Taylor and SU commit Dion Waiters of the class of 2010. Big East Teams Like Dante Taylor and it looks as a couple have made him a priority. Dion Waiters Talks SU and his Game as he looks forward to playing for a Hall of Game coach in college.

The other big news to check out is out Big East Roster Update on South Florida as Gus Gilchrist decides to transfer to USF and see if he can become eligible immediately.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/13/2008)

Here is a quick run through of the Big East on this Friday afternoon leading up to a busy weekend. Look for coverage of the Rumble in the Bronx over the next few days as Jeff Borzello and Brian Crownover will be on the Fordham campus this weekend. Also, Doug Ferguson will get a look at some of the top players in the Midwest when he checks out the action at the University of Illinois satellite team camp in the Chicago area.

The big news over the last 24 hours has been Nate Miles being cleared by the NCAA after an exhausting 5-month inquiry into his academic records. With Miles looking to be on board, the Huskies now have 14 scheduled to be on scholarship next season, however, Stanley Robinson’s place on the roster is in serious doubt.

Elsewhere, Taylor King is adjusting to his new surroundings, Derrick Caracter IS still in school at Louisville, however, his scholarship has been given to someone else for next season. Luke Harangody is working at improving, a couple transfers from Indiana could land in the Big East and Joe Alexander is looking for the right NBA fit during his workout tour.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/9/2008)

The Connecticut roster could still have some alterations to it before next fall as a talented junior-to-be will try not to succumb to the same fate of Doug Wiggins and Curtis Kelly, a pair of classmates that transferred early this spring. On the recruiting trail, a pair of UConn recruits in the class of 2009 led their BABC squad to another Boston Shootout title.

Elsewhere around the Big East, Pitt promotes one of their own to replace one of their own who moves on as an assistant coach. West Virginia is looking for offense and a big man with next year’s team. Jim Boeheim is a busy man, but his smile tells how excited he is for a summer of hoops, across the USA and to China. Another retrospect on Mike Tranghese’s career is also available.

We will continue our 2008-2009 Snapshots later today with a look at DePaul and Georgetown for next season.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/5/2008)

West Virginia is on the trail of their next big addition to their program, but first they need to await the decision of Joe Alexander, who has given some mixed signals on whether or not he will return for his senior season. It could be just o build more drama as his workouts have only helped secure his spot in the NBA lottery to this point.

St. John’s and Marquette are looking at a possible late 2008 class addition. The three NYC-area Big East teams have budding interest in a pair of 2010 big men that are new to the St. Anthony’s program in Jersey City. Tony Bergeron and his crew form recently defunct American Christian look to have a succession plan in place in the Philadelphia area. A couple high profile job openings in and around the Big East will certainly get a lot of attention. Dayton is not looking to fill an open position, but open dates on their schedule. After their success against a couple Big East powers last season, one Big East school will take a chance against them on a neutral floor around Thanksgiving.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/4/2008)

Pretty quiet week around the Big East and college basketball, but American Christian gives people something to talk about as the school is pulling the plug on their athletic programs and closing the upper-grade level portion of the school. As Tyreke Evans and 16 other classmates graduate, the class of 2008 looks to be the last at the school. Elsewhere, Paterson Catholic looks to take their excellent group of young players national the next two seasons, Chester High School is on the verge of announcing a new coach and Gus Gilchrist will have many people talking about his story for the next few weeks as he is on the prowl for a new college, again. Tennessee transfer Duke Crews is looking at a pair of schools, including a Big East institution.

Also, Joe Alexander is rising up the draft charts and smashing myths as well. The early commitment craze has its drawbacks as DePaul losses one. Also, a look back at the recent NY2LA Invitational that had a couple Big East targets show well in.

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