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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (10/23/2008)

October 23, 2008 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment

Tough news on the injury front for Cincinnati as their probable starting point guard is lost for the season with an ACL injury. There is also a recruiting update on Taran Buie as well as Chris Colvin. Marquette will have several Windy City visitors this weekend. A recent Louisville visitor has committed to the SEC.

Also, tons more from the Big East media days event. The overwhelming theme is how tough this conference is with long-time coaches such as Jim Calhoun and Rick Pitino saying it is the toughest league they have been associated with. Just a little bit for everyone in the round of links…

NBE Basketball Report will have their coverage of media day in the coming days, we will let you digest all the information from the beat writers and others first.

Bad news for the Cincinnati Bearcats as for the second year in a row a key newcomer expected to play a major role is lost to injury before the season begins. UC Losses Cashmere Wright for the Season (WCPO) to a torn ACL suffered in preseason practice.

Last year, transfer Mike Williams suffered a torn Achilles tendon and missed the season.

Wright was expected to play an important role for UC this season in replacing point guard Jamual Warren, who graduated after last season. Wright’s ability to handle the playmaking responsibilities would help keep Deonta Vaughn in the scoring role, taking some responsibility off of him. Wright and Vaughn were teamed together in the backcourt on their summer league team to help build their chemistry.

Sophomore Larry Davis and freshman Dion Dixon will both be in the mix to handle some point guard duties, however, neither is a true point guard, so Vaughn could find a dual role this season, score and distribute with the expected UC Point Guard Out for the Season (Cincinnati Enquirer).

More Media Day Articles:

Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com hit up the event at MSG yesterday and produces a Big East Media day Rundown on his blog. While the news is bad at UC because of Wright’s injury, Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin might have gotten some good news with big man John Riek passing his SAT, according to sources, and could be on target to enroll in December. Of course, Riek still has a knee to rehabilitate from ACL surgery back in June, while the physical rehab can be done in six months, having him healthy enough to play in January, the mental part could be slower to come around (see AJ Price info below).

Also, Goodman touches on Justin Burrell (St. John’s) and DaJuan Summers (Georgetown) and their roles for their respective teams this year. Also, under Keno Davis, Providence will run and Shane Clark looks to give Villanova a stronger senior season.

Former UConn player (albeit briefly) Nate Miles has enrolled at the College of Southern Idaho. Well, that is that apparently…
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Kemba Walker was a hot topic at media day as John Thompson III praised his play from the summer for the USA U-18 team in which Thompson was an assistant for. Walker’s Start Impresses Jim Calhoun (Hartford Courant) at Connecticut. Calhoun confessed in this UConn Notebook (Connecticut Post) that if the season begun today, Walker may be starting at the point as AJ Price has been slowed with the mental recovery of his surgically repaired knee. Also, guards Jerome Dyson and Craig Austrie are off to slow starts in practice (Calhoun motivational methods).

Here are some additional Media Day Musings from the New Haven Register which touch base on the development of Hasheem Thabeet (see related article, Thabeet Challenging Himself to be Nation’s Best Big Man (Theday.com) and Charles Onuaku, as well as the chances Big East foes will see Stanley Robinson and Ater Majok by the time conference play rolls around, among other tidbits
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While Pittsburgh pins their hopes on their ‘Big Three’ (Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Levance Fields), only Young made the 14-player all-league honors list through coaches voting at Media Day. Young joined Luke Harangody as the only unanimous selection to the 1st team voting, but it could be a sense of motivation for his teammates as the Pitt Men Snubbed at Media Day (Tribune-review) as the defending conference tournament champion sees the Coaches Give Nod to UConn (Post-Gazette) as preseason favorite.
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You know your conference is loaded when a team featuring Johnny Flynn, Paul Harris, Eric Devendorf and others can land no higher than 8th in the preseason coaches poll. Are the league coaches Giving SU Their Props (Syracuse.com)? Again, it can be a strong source of motivation for the Orange as they prepare for the season.
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While the lights of Broadway always shine bright, it was a small-town country boy that was under the biggest light at Media Day yesterday. The Big East coaches named Luke Harangody of Notre Dame as the preseason player of the year in the conference. Harangody owns the Spotlight (South Bend Tribune) and now owns a target on his back as the league’s brightest star.

He does not have to do it alone for ND as Notre Dame’s Mike Brey Has a Veteran Squad (Chicago Tribune) that also features senior Kyle McAlarney and Junior Tory Jackson to lead the way.
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With most of the attention towards the Big East fixed on the top nine teams that all have some preseason top 25 consideration as well as very realistic hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament field of 65, many also point to Providence as a dark horse in the conference to keep an eye on. Especially now with the injury to UC’s Cashmere Wright, PC is Main Challenger to Get Into Heart of Big East Race (Providence Journal) with a veteran squad and a healthy Sharaud Curry.
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With a conference deep with star guards on nearly every roster, Eugene Harvey knows he will have his work cut out for him each and every night in the Big East as he tries to lead Seton Hall to a successful season. The Pirates are looking at a short roster, so expect the junior floor general to play a lot of minutes and to prepare, Harvey Bulks Up for the Long Haul (Star Ledger).

Pirates’ head coach Bobby Gonzalez has had his ups and downs since coming to Seton Hall and caught the ire of commissioner Mike Tranghese last season as the commish spent a good portion of the end of season award ceremony speaking out against the behavior of ‘Gonzo’ following a loss to Rutgers to end the regular season. Through it all, however, the Big East Commish Supports Gonzalez (NJ.com) and spent some time working through some things this summer with him.

Gonzo will serve a one-game suspension, handed down by SHU, when the Pirates open up league play at Syracuse for his remarks made towards the officiating at the end of the game versus Rutgers last season.
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Rutgers will look to begin their climb upwards in the Big East standings this season and getting Hamady N’Diaye to be a more complete player will go a long way in accomplishing that. To help with that process, N’Diaye is Making Offense a Priority This Season (NJ.com) to go along with his outstanding defensive abilities.
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Rutgers, Seton Hall and St. John’s represent the local flavor of the Big East if you consider NYC to be the conference’s central location. It is still a tough climb for the trio in this New Big East (NBE) as the Locals are Still South in the Big East (NY Daily News) in the preseason poll, finishing 12th (RU), 13th (SHU) and 14th (SJU) in coaches predictions.
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Louisville entered the fall as one of the team’s to beat in the Big East and their place in the coaches poll (2nd) confirmed that notion. The Cards got a major scare when Terrence Williams went down in early season action with a knee injury, luckily it was not a feared ACL injury and Williams should be back in action well before the brutal conference play begins. Yesterday, T-Will Revealed How He Injured His Knee (Louisville Courier-Journal).
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With West Virginia chosen to place 9th in the Big East this season by the coaches poll, the Stage is Set for WVU to Exceed Expectations (Charleston Gazette) and finish higher when it is all said and done.
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Georgetown has won back-to-back Big East regular season championships and have appeared in the last two Big East Tournament finales (winning one), but Georgetown is Picked 7th in Big East (Washington Post) according to the league’s coaches.

There will be a lot of new faces for the Hoyas with just four players returning who saw significant and meaningful action last season. Georgetown’s JT III is Shaping His New-Look Hoyas (Star-Ledger) into a contender, but the inexperience and depth will be factors to keep an eye on.
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Speaking of teams with a long road ahead of them, DePaul was pegged as team #15 in the preseason poll, not exactly where they were hoping to be in Jerry Wainwright’s fourth season. DePaul Expects to Improve (Chicago Tribune) on their 11-19 finish from a year ago, but will it be enough to finish higher in this conference?
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Everyone knows of the top notch guard play at Marquette, but in the Big East, Rebounding is a Tall Order for MU (Chicago Tribune) and could be the reason Buzz Williams’ squad is outside the top four of projected teams this preseason.
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As we continue to countdown the Big East All-Time Top 50 Players, we are reminded about how tough the conference has been over the years. The recurring theme of this year’s Media Day at Madison Square Garden is that this year’s Big East Might Be Better than Ever (Evening Bulletin). The Big East Hopes for a Tournament Record (NY Times) by possibly sending nine or even 10 teams to the NCAA Tournament come March. Quite simply, Big East Basketball is a Beast (Chicago Tribune) with the Big East Shaping Up for a Competitive Season (Newsday) from top to bottom as the Big East is Set to Terrorize (Post-Standard) the college basketball landscape. Just think, it scared Tom Crean right out of the league…

Here are some interesting and random Insights from Big East Media Day (Star-Ledger), touching on several topics among recruiting by coaches and players on tough defenses around the league.
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Some Recruiting Notes:

At this point in time, it is looking like Maryland, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech are the three frontrunners in the chase for 2010 guard prospect Taran Buie. Visits have also been made to Syracuse, Rutgers and Penn State and Georgetown remains in the discussion, along with a few others. However, at this point, it is looking like a three-team race as Bishop Maginn Star Buie Mulls College Options (WRGB).
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The recruitment of Chicago Whitney Young point guard Chris Colvin has been pretty tight to the vest for some time. With most of the top 2009 prospects off the board, he is a recruit that many are still trying to get involved, with, but it looks like there is Finally a List for Colvin that Has Significance (Illinois Prep Bulls-eye) and Big East schools Providence and Marquette are joined by Iowa State and USC as his final four.

Colvin will visit Marquette this Saturday for their Midnight Madness Celebration and Three More Underclass Prospects from Illinois Will Visit Marquette (Illinois Prep Bulls-eye) as well. That trio includes 6-foot-1 class of 2010 guard Lavonte Dority from Foreman High School in Chicago, 5-foot-10 class of 2012 guard Antonio “Bobo” Drummond from Central High School in Peoria (IL) and 6-foot class of 2012 guard Cameron Harvey from St. Joseph High School in Westchester (IL).
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Not long after making an official visit to Louisville, Rainier Beach guard Aaron Dotson has made a commitment. Dotson Commits to LSU (Seattlepi.com) over offers from UL, Washington and SMU.