BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (4/9/2008) *UPDATE
Well, it is that time…with the body of the most recent college basketball season is not even cold yet, but the pundits are releasing their early looks at next year’s Top 25’s. With so much to happen in college basketball prior to next season, in the next three weeks alone, this will change A LOT.
The Providence College coaching position drags on slowly…I guess there was no plan in place whatsoever when they canned Tim Welsh. Although, there might be some serious movement in that regard today. Although, next year’s team might be down a member.
Reports are coming out that Donte Greene could be joining Earl Clark in the NBA draft. Rick Pitino fully expects Terrence Williams to be back. Marquette formally introduces Buzz Williams as their new coach. Seton Hall confirms Bobby Gonzalez will be back next year despite the rumors of the last week. WVU finishes the season ranked and has a model of the future…Memphis? Could it be in more ways than one? Also, Joe Alexander updates a writer his draft status.
Some early predictions for the 2008-2009 college basketball season:
San Francisco Chronicle
#2 Pittsburgh
#4 Connecticut
#7 Notre Dame
#22 Georgetown
#24 Louisville
Andy Katz at ESPN:
#3 Pittsburgh
#5 Notre Dame
#6 West Virginia
#7 Connecticut
#18 Syracuse
#19 Georgetown
#21 Louisville
Katz also considered Villanova and Providence
Luke Winn at CNN/SI.com:
#2 Connecticut
#7 West Virginia
#8 Georgetown
#11 Notre Dame
#13 Pittsburgh
#16 Syracuse
#22 Marquette
#23 Villanova
Winn mentions Louisville as a team in his top 30.
Yahoo!/Rivals.com:
#6 Connecticut
#12 Notre Dame
#13 Pittsburgh
#17 West Virginia
#18 Georgetown
#22 Villanova
#23 Syracuse
#24 Marquette
Andrew Skwara also considered Louisville in his Top 25.
These rankings are also taken as we await NBA decisions from Hasheem Thabeet, Sam Young, Joe Alexander, Donte Greene, Terrence Williams, among others. Also, the late signing period is a week away and transfers, injuries situations and the coaching carousel still has to play itself out. All these factors can all change these looks considerably.
One thing is for certain, the Big East looks to be DEEP once again!
DONTE CHASING THE GREEN?
DraftExpress.com is usually very reliable with their breaking stories and information from their sources. Last night they reported Syracuse freshman Donte Greene is Entering the NBA Draft this season. Late last night there was No Confirmation on the Greene Report (Syracuse Post-Standard), but it would be a major surprise to most if he did not enter the draft. DraftExpress.com reports he will sign with an agent as well.
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PROVIDENCE SEARCH CONTINUES
While Providence got some attention the past few days as reports surfaced that athletic director Bob Driscoll had some form of contact with Larry Brown, their search to replace Tim Welsh continues to drag on.
Jim Donaldson of the Providence Journal writes that It’s Increasingly Difficult to Believe in PC’s Driscoll the longer this process plays out. To this point, it is believed that PC has Interviewed Ohio’s Tim O’Shea for Head Coach Job (Athens Post) and Brown’s Craig Robinson. However, Robinson Moved as PC Waited (Providence Journal) and accepted the head coaching position at Oregon State.
With reports circulating that LSU Basketball Set to Hire Trent Johnson (WGSO Radio), this means UMass head coach Travis Ford is no longer a candidate for the LSU job, which he supposedly pulled out of the mix from yesterday. With LSU filled, UMass’ Ford is Latest Rumored for PC Job (Providence Journal), but he could wait to see how the Oklahoma State job settles and what opens more on the carousel.
Ford played for former PC coach Rick Pitino at Kentucky and Jeff Goodman reports that Ford is On Campus Today (FoxSports.com) touring facilities with an offer on the table.
Goodman also notes guard Dwain Williams will be leaving the PC program.
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CLARK IN NBA DRAFT, WILLIAMS OUT?
Although Eric Crawford of the Louisville Courier-Journal believes Earl Clark Shouldn’t Be in Big Rush to the NBA, but what seems done is done and Rick Pitino says there is zero chance he will be back, against his advice.
Terrence Williams has said he will test the NBA waters this spring, and for a junior, that makes perfect sense, but T-Will Will return (Louisville Courier-Journal) according to Pitino.
T-Will is very sensible,” Pitino said. “He listens. If he was a first-round draft pick, then he would have been gone yesterday.
“He needs to stay for his senior year. He is a great athlete, and he will be a pro, but he will graduate. He’s one of the few people in this younger generation that does listen to older, wiser people.”
MORE NEWS & NOTES:
The WVU Men Finish 17th in Final Poll (Times West Virginian) and a glimpse of WVU in the Future? Try Memphis (Dominion Post).
A big part of that future will depend on Joe Alexander. In Jeff Goodman’s Random Notes on his blog today, Alexander tells Goodman he will enter his name in the draft, but expects to return to school next year at this point.
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Marquette Introduces New Head Coach Buzz Williams (Chicago Tribune) yesterday among Not Much Buzz, But Plenty of Optimism (ESPN.com). The new coach would like to focus on the players as he made the point in his press conference of Playing to the Players (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) going forward.
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’Bobby Gonzalez is the Basketball Coach at Seton Hall’ (zagsblog). With those words, Seton Hall University President Monsignor Robert Sheeran and athletic director Joe Quinlan both ended the recent firestorm of rumors circulating around the embattled coach.
Jeff Goodman, in his Good N’ Plenty College Basketball Blog at FoxSports.com, is curious to see how long he will remain safe.
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The LA Times is reporting that Jamie Dixon is Coming to Town. However, not as part of the coaching carousel, but to be honored at his former high school, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, at the school’s annual Knights of Honor dinner-auction gala at the Universal Sheraton. Jimmy Kimmell will MC the event and Ben Howland will introduce his former assistant, a 1983 graduate of the school.
Will he swing by Stanford while out there? I am sure we will see his name linked as someone they would love to talk to.
April 13th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
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