March 28, 2007
We are recharging the ‘Blogger Batteries’ a bit, so I apologize for the sporadic posting of the last week. We are also working hard at redesigning the website to a more stable internet presence that will hopefully include a few new contributors from around the geographical Big East region keeping everyone up to date on High School and AAU action in the areas of interest to Big East fans. We are striving to make this site, in the future, be your best source of Big East Basketball information in a one-stop shopping sort of way…
So, don’t worry if you see some sporadic posting in the next few weeks. We are keeping up to date on all the happenings around the league and are already preparing for next season!
But wait, there is still basketball THIS season! Georgetown will participate in the Final Four this weekend and West Virginia will play for the NIT championshipo this week after last night’s exciting NIT Semifinal victory over Mississippi State which WVU Won at the Buzzer (Charleston Gazette) on a Darris Nichols’ 3-pt shot to lift WVU to a 63-62 win. The Mountaineers trailed by as much as 14 points (44-30) in the 2nd half and Nichols capped the comeback with his shot off an inbounces play with 2.1 econds left after Mississippi State missed a FT and failed to come up with a defensive rebound after Nichols missed a first attempt to win the game. Nichols led the Mountianeers with 17 points and senior Frank Young chipped in 16.
The tricky part of March and early April in college basketball is the coaching carousel that has become a new phenomenon in the college basketball landscape. It coincides with the late signing period and can turn some programs upside down. We have already seen high-major programs such as Kentucky, Iowa, Michigan, Arkansas and South Florida have job openings that will certainly be coveted. Seth Davis of CNNSI gives his basketball thoughts in his Quick Shots Column on the coaching carousel which will amp up this weekend at the Final Four. He feels that Marquette’s Tom Crean will be headed to Kentucky after they fail to land Florida’s Billy Donovan. Villanova’s Jay Wright has also been mentioned by media sources as a potential candidate, but UK Hasn’t Southt Permission to Talk with Villanova Coach (Philadelphia Inquirer).
Most of the information regarding Michigan seems to center around Lon Kruger, but West Virginia head coach John Beilein’s name continues to be mentioned as well. Beilein does have a monstrous buy-out clause attached to his WVU contract that makes it very difficult for him to move. However, Bob Wojnowski does not believe Beilein would be ‘exciting’ enough for Michigan and wonders Would U-M Be Settling for Beilein? (DetNews.com). Hopefully Beilein will stay in the Big East, but after years of Tommy Amaker, wouldn’t someone who can actually coach be enticing to those around Michigan?
South Florida seemed to put all their eggs in the Gregg Marshall basket, but the Coach Remains at Winthrop, For Now (Charleston Post & Courier) at least. I agree with Greg Auman of the St. Pete Times that if Stan Heath, formerly of Arkansas and Kent State, is interested, the Bulls should at least consider him. In Auman’s blog, he indicates that the Hog’s Heath is Interested in USF. USF has interviewed Marshall, Fran Fraschilla, Pete Gillen and South Alabama coach Doug Pelphrey and Fraschilla is the Latest to Reject Bulls Overtures (Tampa Trib), joining Marshall and Pelphrey as saying no thanks to AD Doug Woolard.
It is also the time that assistants move on. UConn Associate Head coach Tom Moore, 41, has been a candidate several times in the Northeast for job openings the last few years and it looks like this time he will be moving on as Moore Closes in on Quinnipiac Job (Hartford Courant). Moore just completed his 13th season on coach Jim Calhoun’s staff at UConn. He interviewed for a second time with Quinnipiac on Tuesday and also interviewed at St. Bonaventure and was contacted by South Florida. Quinnipiac, which fired Joe DeSantis after a 14-15 season, is offering about $300,000 a year - great pay for a Northeast Conference coach.
In other UConn news, with the announcements that Ben Eaves and Robert Garrison would be leaving the team, the Huskies have two scholarships open for next season and are interested in Donnell Beverly, a point guard from Leuzinger High in Lawndale, Calif. While he is also considering LSU and Cal, Beverly To Make Official Visit to UConn (Hartford Cournat) over Easter weekend.
Earlier this week Georgetown lost an assistant coach as Kevin Broadus has decided to leave the program once their season is done to take over at Binghamption. With the Georgetown Assistant Moving to Binghamption (Post Chronicle), another important assistant opening is available in the Big East as Broadus was a key recruiter in the DC-area for the Hoyas.
The future continues to look bring in the Big East as Two SU Recruits Suit up for McDonald’s Game Tonight (Syracuse Post-Standard) as Dante Green and Jonny Flynnn will put their talents on display. Another Syracuse recruit, Rick Jackson of Neumann-Goretti, was selected to the Philadelphia Daily News 2006-2007 all-city 1st team basketball squad. However, it was a Pitt recruit, Bradley Wanamaker that earned Philadelphia’s Player of the Year according to the Daily News as Wanamaker Displays the Best (Philly Daily News) leading Roman Catholic to a 28-3 record including a City Champsionship where they beat N-G to earn the title and the prestigious Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament title where theu beat N-G for a third time as well as Washington DC power DeMatha to become victorious.
We will keep you posted on what is happening in this busy time of change in college basketball!
