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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (11/5/2009)

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Busy day on the Big East News & Notes front. While UConn was in action last night in an exhibition contest against Jim calhoun’s alma mater, three Huskies were held out for academic review reasons according to the official release from the school. However, two of them might have been held out as the Josh Nochimson investigation by the NCAA has asked for some documentation from a pair of players, a story coach Calhoun angrily denied following the game.

Louisville tinkered with line-up combinations and cruised to a exhibition victory over a local D-II power. Villanova and Cincinnati are in action tonight in exhibition contests and Notre Dame is back in action on friday as they continue their quest to build their new identity. Stan Heath hopes USF is on their way to forging a more stable identity this year. St. John’s is looking to improve and a healthy Anthony Mason Jr. would be a good start in a key season for Norm Roberts’ future. Lazar Hayward will be relied on heavily for Marquette this season while Jeremy Hazell is likely to be relied on less for Seton Hall, and he is fine with that. There is some defense of Syracuse’s loss to LeMoyne, but their lack of effort in playing defense is indefensible! West Virginia is poised to contend as Bob Huggins has quicky transformed the program at WVU.

On the recruiting front, some news from the camps of Tobias Harris and J.J. Moore as their recruitments look to be in the stretch run and heading for a decision in the next two weeks.

Read about these and more below…

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Connecticut did what is expected of a Big East team angainst a Division II school on Wednesday night as the Huskies dominated American International College. The final score was UConn 106 American International 67 (Hartford Courant) as the Short-handed UConn Men Beat AIC (Register Citizen) in all faces of the contest, with just seven scholarship players available for the contest.

UConn led 57-29 at the half and dominated the boards with a 47-19 advantage.

Kemba Walker scored 28 points and dished out 12 assists, showing improved consistency on his jumper as he knocked down three of four from beyond the arc. Stanley Robinson added 25 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks with Gavin Edwards adding 17 points and McDonald’s All-American frosh Alex Oriakhi finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds in his Husky debut.

In his effort to take over for Hasheem Thabeet at center, Oriakhi produced his double-double in 27 minutes while Charles Okwandu scored two points and grabbed a rebound in 18 minutes…

The more intriguing news out of Hartford last night (the game was played before a crowd of 10,000 at the XL Center) was about the Three Players held out of UConn Exhibition Win (Connecticut Post) as Jerome Dyson, Donnell Beverly and freshman Jamal Coombs-McDaniel were unavailable for academic reasons. The school announced Coombs-McDaniel has not been cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center and a review of his academic records is ongoing.

As for Dyson and Beverly the curcumstances are a bit more unclear as the name Josh Nochimson seems to be involved with their matter. As you will recall, it was Nochimson that was the center of the Yahoo! Sports report last March that accused Nochimson, a former UConn manager, and the Huskies of NCAA violations in the recruitment of Nate Miles.

While Dyson and Beverly were held out pending what a UConn press release called “routine educational document review,” the Waterbury Republican-American reported Wednesday night that according to a source the NCAA has requested “documentation” from Dyson and Beverly in regard to contact with Nochimson. According to this source, Dyson and Beverly had yet to hand over said documentation which was believed to be cell phone records.

Also sitting out the game were Jonathan Mandeldove, who is not expected to play until December, and Ater Majok, who is ineligible per the NCAA until the first semester concludes.

“You’re so far off base it’s unbelievable,” Jim Calhoun said, addressing the author of the Rep-Am story during his postgame press conference.

“It, quite frankly, couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Calhoun continued. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it could be about something that I don’t know about.”

Stay tuned…
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It has taken Rick Pitino about three works to go back on his plan of not using Louisville big men Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings on the floor together. In last night’s exhibition game against D-II power Bellarmine, Samuels and Jennings were in the starting line-up together. They were joined by a three guard line-up with Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith and Preston Knowles as Louisville Starts Strong and Handles Bellarmine, 88-65 (Louisville Courier-Journal).

As UL got off to a quick 8-0 spurt with the new-look line-up, the cruised for much of the game as coach Pitino challenged his Cards to play man-to-man defense and for the big guys to chase the smaller opponent on the perimeter.

Samuels led the UL effort with 18 points and 14 (10 offensive) rebounds in 27 minutes. Knowles added 15 and Sosa scored 12 (all in the first-half).

It was the final tune-up for Louisville, which will open the regular season against Arkansas on November 17th.
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South Florida labored through a 9-22 campaign during the 2008-2009 season but there is promise that the USF Men’s Basketball Team is Looking Up (Tampa Tribune) for the 2009-2010 season as coach Stan Heath expects more stability and less sleepless nights this season.

The Bulls showed added firepower in their 110-79 exhibition opening win over D-II Florida Southern on Tuesday with JUCO recruit Jarrid Famous scoring 20 points and complimenting Dominique Jones’ 20 points, which has come to be expected from the junior guard. Jones looks to take on more of a leadership role as the team hopes to be more consistent in terms of personnell this year.
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Villanova tips-off their highly anticipated season tonight with an exhibition match-up against a nationally ranked Division II opponent. It is Villanova vs. Kutztown at the Wachovia Center (Philly News) at 7 PM tonight.

Kutztown is the alma mater of former NFL star receiver Andre Reed, FYI.

Villanova’s first game is Nov. 13 at the Pavilion against Fairleigh Dickinson.
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Also in action on the exhibition trail tonight is Cincinnati and a lot of questions are looking to be answered by Mick Cronin’s club. The head coach himself is eagerly awaiting to see the answer to his question on where his team is defensively. One question not likely to be answered quite yet is the eligibility status of star freshman Lance Stephenson. There was hope that the NCAA could issue their decision on the amateur status of ‘Born Ready’ on Wednesday, but the word never came. Stephenson will be held out of Thursday’s game if he is not cleared prior to tip-off. But, UC will Begin to Answer Questions With Scrimmage against Saginaw Valley State (Cincinnati Enquirer) at Fifth Third Arena.
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Notre Dame wraps up their exhibition schedule on Friday night with a match-up against Division II Quincy (IL) University. With four freshmen and a transfer trying to add to the mix for ND this season, the Identity for the Irish Could Come Slowly (South Bend Tribune) this season. While a trio of Tory Jackson (PG), Ben Hansbrough (SG) and Luke Harangody looks to have established roles for the club, coach Mike Brey expectes November and December to have a lot of ‘moving parts’ as they find out who else can help on a consistent basis going forward.
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Expectations at Marquette have been tempered tremendously from where they have been the last several years. Graduation losses of Jerel McNeal, Dominic James and Wesley Mathews and the preseason injury to freshman Junior Cadougan that has shelved the expected heir to James at point guard for the season has pushed the Golden Eagles well down the preseason projection in the conference. It looks as though Marquette’s Season Hinges on Lazar Hayward and Help (Chicago Tribune) as Buzz Williams’ club will ask Hayward to carry the scoring load, become a vocal leader and teach nine underclassmen who’ve never logged a significant minute how to win in the formidable Big East.
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Unfortunately for St. John’s fans injuries and Anthony Mason Jr seem to go hand in hand (or is it foot and leg and ankle and hammy, etc). After missing all but three games last year because of a torn tendon in his foot, the fifth year senior is missing time once again, this time because of a hamstring injury, until possibly mid-December. Mason is Itching to Return to the Court (SNY.tv) and help Norm Roberts’ club improve on last year’s 6-12 conference mark. With a team dominated by juniors who have been paying their dues in the tough Big East, this should be the year St. John’s makes a move.

Making a move this season could determine the fate of coach Roberts. After five very non-descript seasons at the helm of the once proud SJU program a strong season might be in order for the Red Storm to (Must) Save Norm’s Job (NY Post).
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Expectations are high at West Virginia, and that is no secret as WVU alum Bob Huggins has West Virginia Poised to Content (FoxSports.com) in the Big East and nationally this year. With a dynamic forward duo of Devin Ebanks and Da’Sean Butler to go with a team that has quickly taken a look similar to Huggs’ past Bearcat clubs with strong defense and versatile and tough athletes, Morgantown will see basketball as a tough ticket to find this year.

Ebanks is the player poised to explode this year and NBA scouts have been keeping a close eye on his progress this summer and early fall. Ebanks Builds on Freshman Year by Bulking Up for WVU (NY Daily News) and the dividends are expected to pay of very handsomely for the Mountaineers and Ebanks himself in the near future.
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Despite their placement in the bottom half of most league projections this preseason, Seton Hall is a team many are pointing out as a possible surprise club to watch in 09-10 under Bobby Gonzalez. With most of their top contributors from last season returning, including leading scorer Jeremy Hazell, to go with some high profile transfers, Hazell Says Pass the Victories (Hoops Haven) this year and who scores wont matter a bit.
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While the Syracuse loss to LeMoyne can be explained away, in time, as just a scrimmage, exhibition, etc as a game that will not count as anything for the Orange, their is still No Defense for Syracuse’s Lack of Defense in Loss to LeMoyne (Post-Standard) Tuesday night. While that is an area that will certainly be worked on throughly by the SU staff and be turned into a valuable lesson, fans around the internet will continue to have a field day…until, SU beats there team during the season. Then, they become a fan of a team that lost to a D-II club, ha ha! But, that is off topic…many expect this Jom Boeheim team to be one of his best in his 2-3 zone defense…so, observing that the Orange played man to man defense nearly exclusively on Tuesday is woth pointing out…
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Adam Zagoria has the patest on Tobias Harris and J.J. Moore and their recruitment as Harris Hits Louisville with WVU Next and Moore’s Decision is Looming (ZagsBlog.com) within the next couple weeks.

Harris has now visited Syracuse, Tennessee, Kentucky and Louisville and he heads to West Virginia on Friday and will then visit Maryland and Georgia Tech before announcing his college decision on November 19th. His father maintains there is no leader at this point.

“When we finish all the visits, Tobias will decide,” Torrel Harris told Zagoria. “Right now all of them are equal. Every one is better and better.”

As for Moore, he just finished a trip to visit Pittsburgh which sounds to have gone very well, according to NY Panthers AAU coach Gary Charles who acocmpanied Moore on the unofficial visit.

“The visit went extremely well,” Charles was quoted as saying in ZagsBlog.com. “J.J. enjoyed it. His mother enjoyed it and I enjoyed it also. It gave us the opportunity to see what the team looks like, how they work out and exactly how J.J. would fit in if he decides to pick that program. All our questions were answered. He had a chance to talk to the guys. I know he said it was a very good visit.”

Charles said Moore will now decide between his three finalists, which includes Louisville and St. John’s along with the Panthers.
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