Hoops Haven

While in Los Angeles on Thursday to accept the Wooden Award after being selected as the best player in college basketball this season, former Ohio State swingman Evan Turner made an appearance as an audience member on The Jimmy Kimmel Show.  Alongside Turner was Syracuse forward, Wes Johnson who was also in town as a finalist for the award and is also expected to declare for the NBA Draft this June.

Mr Kimmel is obviously a fan of Mark Titus, who runs the wildly popular Club Trillion website as a walk on player at Ohio State, since Jimmy introduced Turner as “The Villian” which is a term that Titus often uses to refer to Turner on his site.  Kimmel also pressed Johnson to declare for the draft, live on air, with Wes declining at this point.  Another finalist, freshman John Wall from Kentucky was supposed to accompany the two college stars, but was back on campus taking some final exams, presumably readying himself to leave Kentucky after only one season.

Check out the video:

Dickie V has been the voice of college basketball on ESPN for more than 30 years.  He has helped to revolutionize and make the college game more popular than even the mighty NBA with his numerous catch-phrases like “baby” and “diaper dandies.”  He is regarded as a well known expert on the college game.  That’s why when he gives us his Top 4 Fantastic Players at this year’s Final Four, we just had to share them with you:

It’s been some time since we used to see NBA and NCAA backboards shattered on a regular basis by now Cleveland Cavalier’s big man Shaquille O’Neal during his days at LSU and then with the Magic, Lakers, and Suns.  A player affectionately known as “Tiny” Gallon brought back those memories by shattering the glass during a game between his Oklahoma Sooners and the Gonzaga Zags.  After excecuting a pick for his point guard, Gallon rolled to the baskets for an apparent alley-oop dunk when a Gonzaga player tipped away the ball at the last possible moment while momentum continued to carry Gallon to the rim.  The force of Gallon’s 300lb frame came down on the rim and the glass backboard shattered into a thousand pieces like snowflakes, falling on a few of both team’s players. 

Gallon is an elite level freshman recruit this season for coach Jeff Capel’s Oklahoma Sooners, who is attempting to replace last season’s Naismith Player of the Year, Blake Griffin, who left the Sooners as the #1 overall NBA Draft pick last season.  He was given the ironic nickname “Tiny” by friends growing up in spite of his rather large frame.  He is listed at 6-8 and 300+ pounds.

One member of the University of North Carolina’s potent 2011 recruiting class, James McAdoo, has already earned some prestigious hardware before he has even set foot on the college hardwood.  McAdoo has been selected by USA Basketball as their 2009 Male Athlete of the Year.  He was selected primarily for his contributions to the U-16 USA National Team, which went undefreated(5-0) in the inaguaral FIBA Americas U-16 Championship in Argentina.  He became the youngest player to ever win the award by averaging 16.8 ppg, 8.6 rebs, and a team leading 2 blocks.  With their unblemished record, the team qualified for the 2010 U-17 Championship next Summer.

McAdoo at PF and the talented SF PJ Hairston are the highlights of Coach Roy Williams 2011 recruiting class.  UNC’s impressive group of incoming freshmen for next season  includes Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock, and Kendall Marshall.  Carolina is set up for the next 3 seasons with the all of the talent assembled in Chapel Hill.  McAdoo averaged 25 ppg and 11 rebs for Norfolk Christian HS in Virginia.  He led his squad to a 23-7 record en route to a #4 ranking in the state.

At 6-8 and 205 pounds, he posseses excellent size as a HS Junior to play the PF position in the NCAA and possibly proffessional levels.  McAdoo is ranked as the #2 rated PF and the #6 overall rated recruit in the 2011 class.  James is the nephew of NBA legend Bob McAdoo of LA Lakers fame.

MacAdoo is in elite company in winning USA Basketball’s most prestigious award, since virtually every other winner has gone on to have tremendous collegiate and NBA careers.  Former winners include, Michael Jordan(’84, ‘92), Ray Allen(’95), Tim Duncan(’03), Chris Paul(’04), and Jason Kidd(’07).

Check out some HS highlights of James McAdoo from Hoopmixtape:

NCAA Basketball in November is a time for coaches to experiment with rotations and to showcase new talent. Often, I find that coaches who take risks during this period (i.e. trying new defenses and players) are rewarded in March. Mid-major teams also have an opportunity to put up some quality wins to bolster their resume. Early season games provide a glimpse into contenders and pretenders.

Philly Local Teams

Villanova has a loaded roster. One of the keys to their success is their trapping defenses which lead to easy transition baskets and limit the opponent’s ability to knock down 3’s. Probably the toughest job Jay Wright will have is to find playing time for all his blue chip players, especially 5 guards. Newcomer Maurice Sutton looks to be solid in the paint and Antonio Pena has emerged as force down low.

 Temple missed a chance for a quality win against Georgetown in its opener; an old nemesis, foul shooting, plagued the Owls. Without a true point guard they struggled against the press. A very short bench and lack of scoring other Lavoy Allen, will limit their fortunes this season.

St. Joes has many of the same problems Temple has but minus Lavoy Allen. Their defense is competitive, but the ball must find the basket. Newcomer Carl Jones looks to be a talented scorer but the Hawks are in for a difficult year.

LaSalle showed lots of athleticism but must eliminate turnovers. Rodney Green and company had 27 in a double-digit loss to Nova. Hopefully they can settle down before A-10 Conference play.

Penn is just brutal under Coach Glenn Miller. Miller uses flash cards to set his offense and defense from the sidelines. Maybe a game a game show host is in his future. The bottom half of the Ivy League is not what the Quaker’s fans are accustomed to.

National Teams

Syracuse was probably the biggest surprise early on after losing Johnny Flynn to the NBA. Their acrobatic and deep team is perfect for Jim Boeheim’s 3-2 zone, and 6’7 transfer Wesley Johnson appears to have star power.

Gonzaga won the Maui Invitational Tourney with a young team that will be reckoned with in March. Mark Few’s group is strong in all aspects of the game. 6’11 frosh Kelly Olynyk, a member of the Canadian National team, can shoot, dribble, and run the floor.

North Carolina misses Ty Lawson desperately. Larry Drew, the heir apparent at the point, needs to step up for Carolina to contend.

Cincinnati has showed real promise with their veterans and freshmen Lance Stephenson is proving he can be a prime time player.

West Virginia’s problem will be peaking too early. The Mountaineers are among the class of the Big East right now.

It will be an interesting and fun season to watch, as parity reigns in 2010 NCAA Basketball.

Even though most experts predict a down year in ‘09-’10, I argue that the Atlantic Coast Conference will have one of it’s strongest ever with as many as 8-9 teams up for NCAA bids. For the past decade, or 2 decades for that matter, the ACC Champion usually comes from Tobacco Road. This season will be no different since Duke and UNC share the conference’s preseason #1 ranking.

Fresh off of a National Championship and losing 4 players to the NBA, UNC will be in rebuilding mode,……….scratch that, the Tarheels don’t rebuild, they reload. Led by lottery bound Ed Davis and Deon Thompson in the frontcourt, the Heels could still be a Top 10 team come March. Reinforcements arrive in the form of a Top 5 recruiting class highlighted by 6-10 John Henson, the 6-10 Wear twins, along with two impressive backcourt players in Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald, who will learn behind Marcus Ginyard and Larry Drew in the backcourt. Most Duke teams have historically been guard heavy, but this year’s version has one of the best frontcourts in the conference. Tyler Zeller, Zoubek, and Miles Plumlee will be joined by Miles’ little brother Mason Plumlee(update: injured) and Ryan Kelly in the freshman class frontcourt. They get backcourt help from freshman early entry Andre Dawkins for help in the backcourt to play alongside Nolan Smith and John Scheyer. Wooden Award Candidate Kyle Singler returns and should lead the team in scoring as the Blue Devils should once again be among the Madness of March.

Maryland returns one of the most exciting players in the country in Greivis Vasquez, who may be the conferences best player. Adrian Bowie is a second scorer and Sean Mosely, huge afro and all, is an excellent defender. Georgia Tech, behind a mixture of experience and youth, could be a force once their Top 5 recruiting class, led by PF Derick Favors, gets accustomed to NCAA style of play. Clemson has one of the conference’s best players in Trevor Booker, as well as one of the nation’s better recruiting classes, but always seem to fade late in the year. Wake Forest, who are led by double double machine Al-Farouq Aminu and Ishmael Smith at the point should be good enough to be a postseason participant.

Boston College and Virginia Tech should be once again on the bubble. Florida State and Miami have both lost players to the NBA and may pull off a couple of upsets that we are now used to but probably won’t have enough to go to the Dance. NC State can’t wait for next season’s talented freshmen recruits while Virginia is doomed to settle into last place. With the conference so deep, expect many of the middle of the pack teams to help boost their resumes with improbable upsets.

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) UNC

2) Duke

3) Maryland

4) Georgia Tech

5) Clemson

6) Boston College

7) Wake Forest

Virginia Tech

9) Florida State

10) Miami

11) NC State

12) Virginia

Teams On the Rise:

Maryland, Duke, Boston College

Teams On the Decline:

NC State, Florida State, Virginia

Coach of the Year Candidates:

G. Williams, Maryland       R. Williams, UNC         Coach K, Duke

Player of the Year Candidates:

Singler, Duke       Davis, UNC        Vasquez, Maryland

Other ACC Players To Watch For:

Deon Thompson, UNC

Nolan Smith, Duke

Trevor Booker, Clemson

Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest

Giani Lawal, GT

Freshman of the Year Candidates:

Derick Favors, GT

John Henson, UNC

Mfon Udofia, GT

Andre Dawkins, Duke

Milton Jennings, Clemson

As part of ESPN’s recent 24 hour hoops marathon, Tennessee played UNC-Asheville, in what would turn out to be a record setting event for both the Volunteers and Coach Bruce Pearl. We all figured that this should be an easy matchup for Tennessee, which many feel will have a rebound year and be ranked among the Top 20 teams in the nation. After all, the Vols are the #11 ranked preseason team in the polls. But would they become another one of the upset victims like UCLA and Syracuse that we have seen in the NCAA’s first week?

They definately answered some questions by beating UNC-Asheville by 75 points………yes 75 points, by a final score of 124-49. The 124 points scored set a school record for most points scored in the program’s history. It appeared as if the Vols were playing against a bad HS team as they started the game on a 20-0 run and never let up by allowing UNC-Asheville only 2 field goals in the first half, which equals 7.7% shooting. It got so bad that the Vols held thir opponent without a field goal for almost 17 minutes as they finished the game on a 66-14 run. At one point they had an amazing lead of 80 points(119-39).

Tennessee helped to give Bruce Pearl his 100th victory as the program’s head coach in only his 4th season. They were led by super soph Scotty Hopson, who had possibly his best game in the orange uniform by putting up 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. Hopefully Hopson has begun to figure out the college game, since he disappointed last year after being one of the country’s most hyped HS players in the nation last season. They will need him to play at an elite level for the Vols to contend in the SEC and NCAA Tournament.

Last season, the Big 12 Conference was arguably the 2nd best conference behind the Big East with 7 teams making the NCAA Tournament field and with Baylor, making a deep run in the NIT. The Big 12 will again undoubtedly be among the top 2 conferences in the nation with Kansas and Texas being legitimate title contenders.

The NCAA ‘07 Champion Kansas Jayhawks enter the season as everyone’s pre season #1, behind possibly the nation’s deepest roster headlined by 2 Wooden Award Candidates in Sr. Sherron Collins and Jr. Cole Aldrich. Both are NBA lottery bound following the season. Adding one of the top recruiting class in the nation, led by Top 5 recruit Xavier Henry to a great group of talented role players won’t hurt.  Texas is equally primed for a National Title run. Possessing one of the nation’s most imposing frontcourts, led by Sr. Damion James, Gary Johnson, and Dexter Pittman, along with the nation’s #3 recruiting class, should make the Longhorns a Top 5 team all season. Freshmen Avery Bradley and Jordan Hamilton could start by midseason. Oklahoma is probably the third best squad in the conference because of Coach Capel’s impressive job of bringing in some talented recruits to try and replace last season’s NCAA POY Blake Griffin. “Tiny” Gallon, at 6-9 and 300 lbs, will be a force in the paint as Tommy Mason Griffin should start at the point, freeing up super soph, Willie Warren to do what he does best, score the rock. Kansas State will make their 3rd straight Tourney appearance behind their superb backcourt led by Sr. point guard Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen. They will get help from UConn transfer Curtis Kelly and one of the top freshmen in the country, Wally Judge, who is a Beasley clone.

Missouri won’t be as good as last season, but will still cause fits because of superior talent and coach Anderson’s helter skelter system. DeMarre Carroll is in the NBA, so the Tigers will look to Seniors JT Tiller and Zaire Taylor along with soph Kim English and freshman Mike Dixon to lead. With their two leaders departed(Carter and Elonu), Texas A&M wil be led by Sr. Donald Sloan and Bryan Davis. Freshman Naji Hibbert is the real deal. Oklahoma State brings in 4 Top 100 recruits to help big time scorer James Anderson offset the loss of Byron Eaton, who was one of the program’s best All time players. Just like last season, the Baylor Bears will surprise a lot of teams led by LaceDarius Dunn and Tweety Carter. The Bears also have recruited well by picking up big man Cory Jefferson, Mark McLaughlin from Nevada, and Nolan Dennis, who was formerly commited to Memphis.

Iowa State has hopes of making the Tournament behind Craig Brackins, who returns for his Junior season after withdrawing from the NBA Draft. They will get a boost from Marquette transfer Scott Christopherson and freshman Chris Colvin. Texas Tech under Pat or Bob Knight just hasn’t been able to keep up on the recruiting trail with the other top teams in the conference. They return leading scorer Roberson but they won’t have enough to compete against teams like Texas and Kansas. Nebraska has to be in worse shape than last season considering they lost 4 of their top 5 scorers. Colorado will fight the Cornhuskers for last place in the conference.

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Kansas

2) Texas

3) Oklahoma

4) Kansas State

5) Oklahoma State

6) Missouri

7) Baylor

Texas A&M

9) Iowa State

10) Texas Tech

11) Nebraska

12) Colorado

Teams On the Rise:

Texas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State

Teams On the Decline:

Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas Tech

Coach of the Year Candidates:

Frank Martin, K State, Capel, OU, Barnes, Texas

Player of the Year Candidates:

Sheron Collins, Kansas

Damion James, Texas

Willie Warren, Oklahoma

Cole Aldrich, Kansas

Other Players To Watch:

Dexter Pittman, Texas

Denis Clemente, K State

James Anderson, OK State

Craig Brackins, Iowa St

LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor

Freshman Of the Year Candidates:

Avery Bradley, Texas

Xavier Henry, Kansas

Keith “Tiny” Gallon, Oklahoma

Tommy Mason-Griffin, Oklahoma

Wally Judge, K State

Jordan Hamilton, Texas

Coach Boeheim often gets overlooked by some of the other Hall of Fame coaches who have become legendary because of his somewhat laid-back style of coaching and because his Orangeman, under his watch, have only one NCAA Championship. He now will get mentioned in the same breath as Mike Kryzewski and Dean Smith, as they are all now members of the elite 800 win club.

Boeheim became the eighth Division I coach to reach the milestone with a victory over Albany in the first round of the 2K Sports Classic earlier this week. His first victory as head coach for the Orangemen was over Harvard, back on November 26th, 1976. He has amassed an amazing 799 more victories over the next 33 years and has a career coaching record of 800-288(.730%). He also holds the record for wins in the Big East conference with 356 victories. He is now 102 victories behind the general, Bob Knight’s 902 career victories.

Just like Jim Calhoun at UConn, Coach K at Duke, and Dean Smith at UNC, Boeheim has been the figurehead of a program which has risen to great heights under his direction. Syracuse hoops has become a national powerhouse by annually making the NCAA Tourney, playing in 3 NCAA Title games, and winning 1 National Championship in 2003. Over the last 3 decades, Boeheim has proven to be one of the game’s best teachers since the program has produced a large number of NBA players like Derrick Coleman, Carmelo Anthony, and Sherman Douglas.

Some critics have argued that Syracuse does so well in the Boeheim tenure because he regularly schedules “cream-puffs” during his non-conference schedule. That would explain why Syracuse usually finishes the regular season with 20+ wins yet usually falters in big games because of the team not being tested. This reputation has come primarily from his early career when the Syracuse program was not the national powerhouse of today.

The fact is…….everybody plays cream-puffs. For example, Michigan State’s ‘09-’10 non-conference schedule is littered with teams like Florida Gulf Coast, Toledo, and the Citadel. In recent years, SU’s out of conference schedule has been among the toughest in the nation by playing teams like Memphis, Kansas, and Florida. Let’s be honest, when half of your games are against other Big East Conference teams, you are definitely not playing cream puffs.

After the milestone win, coach was given a framed orange jersey with the number 800 stitched on it and received a video tribute from close friend Kryzewski. The first words he uttered in his thank you speech speak volumes about his unassuming personality, “I appreciate you all staying up so late. It’s way past my bedtime.”

Last season’s consensus #1 overall high school recruit, John Wall, wasted no time showing the collegiate world he is worth all the hype by sinking a game winning 18 foot jump shot to beat Miami(OH). Wall was forced to sit out Kentucky’s first 2 games because of amateur eligibility issues. Coach John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats needed every one of his prized recruit’s 19 points in his debut. Kentucky, ranked #4 in the nation, struggled the whole night to distance themselves from the Redskins before winning a closely contested non-conference matchup 72-70. Other Kentucky standouts included junior Patrick Patterson with 17 points and 10 rebounds and another elite recruit, freshman DeMarcus Cousins hitting for a double double with 10 points and 10 boards.

Watch as Miami’s Kenny Hayes hits a deep game tying 3 point shot, to tie the game at 70, only to see Wall, with only 6 seconds remaining, run the length of the court and drain the J from just below the left elbow for the win.