Monday, November 22, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
History Repeats Itself in Portland.
The man pictured above is former NBA center, Same Bowie. Ever heard of him? No? Exactly. Many who have heard of Bowie know him not for the player he was, but the player he wasn't. The year is 1984, Portland has the second overall pick, they selectedthe 7 footer Bowie and pass up on a talented, athletic swingman who was the reigning collegiate player of the year. Bowie went on to average 10 points and 7 rebounds for his career. The player selected third became the uncontested greatest basketball player who ever lived, Michael Jeffery Jordan. Today we have learned that this wouldn't be the first time Portland made a draft blunder like this.
In 2007 Portland selected Greg Oden, the 7 footer from Ohio State. Then reigning player of the year, Kevin Durant of Texas was selected second to Seattle (now Oklahoma City). Oden is now undergoing his third season ending surgery out of his four year career. Oden's best season thus far has been 2009-2010 when he averaged 11-8 over 21 games, he made one play-off appearance in 2009 averaging 5 points and 4 rebounds in 6 games . Kevin Durant is a scoring champion, all-star, All-NBA First Team selection, MVP runner-up, and gold medalist in the FIBA World Championships. It's safe to say that at this point, Greg Oden, like Sam Bowie is one of the biggest draft busts in the history of professional sports.
Next time Portland has to choose between the tallest player or the best player in college basketball, they should go with the latter. As history has shown us, that guy turns out to be the player of their generation.
First Own Goal of The Season
For you casual hockey fans, this is the same guy who single handily put together one of the most remarkable playoff runs in recent memory and due to his stellar play had Montreal very close to reaching to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1993. He was traded to St. Louis over the off-season and played well the first couple weeks, since then he has gone on a downward spiral. The Red Wings did win by 4 so this was not exactly the game deciding tally, however, it is still funny just the same.
Enjoy....
Enjoy....
Monday, November 15, 2010
Big East Preview: Part 2
Louisville: The Cardinals are coming off their eighth straight 20 win season after the team finished 20-13 last year. Four starters are gone from last season’s team including their top three scorers. Not only does Pitno have to deal with the loss of the four starters but now he also has to deal with injuries, Jared Swopshire and Preston Knowles are sidelined with injuries.
Swopshire will be expected to carry the load offensively when he comes back. He made 20 starts last season and averaged 7.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg. Preston Knowles who is their best defensive player will also be expected to pick up the load on offense. Last season Knowles averaged just over 7 points. Peyton Siva who was the backup point guard last season is by far the most exciting and talented player Louisville has. Siva only averaged 4 ppg as a freshmen but there is no doubt he has the ability to fill up the stat sheet.
The team has to replace Samardo Samuels and Edgar Sosa but with players like Siva and Swopshire they shouldn’t be a drop in production. Pitno could also be getting another big boost if the NCAA clears Roburt Sallie who transferred from Memphis. Sallie is the all time leader in Memphis history for 3 point shooting. Louisville tips off their season Nov. 11 against Kentucky Wesleyan.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles put together another successful season this time under Buzz Williams. The Golden Eagles finished the season 22-12 and made a trip to the NCAA tournament. Picked to finish 9th in the Big East Preseason poll, the Golden Eagles will have to replace Lazar Hayward if they hope to return to the tournament again.
This year’s team will be headlined by two players, Jimmy Butler and Darius Johnson-Odem. Butler was named to the All Big East Honorable Mention team last year averaging 14.7 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Helping Butler carry the load will be Johnson-Odem who in his first year with the team averaged 13 ppg and finished second in the Big East in 3 point shooting. Dwight Buycks will look to start at point guard for the team, the senior averaged 6.7 ppg in 11 starts last season.
Replacing Lazar Hayward will be a challenge for Buzz Williams especially seeing as how he was at the top of the Big East in so many categories. Hayward finished 6th in scoring 9th in rebounding and 3rd in steals. The team will rely on Butler and Johnson-Odem to fill the void and also hope their defense carries them like it did a season ago. Marquette led the Big East in scoring defense, 3 point defense and turnover margin. The Golden Eagles start off their season hosting Prairie View A&M.
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish finished last season 23-12 and returned to the NCAA tournament after missing it the year before. The 20 win season was Notre Dame’s fifth straight 20 win season. The Irish have played in the postseason all 10 years under coach Mike Brey but it may come to an end this season as the Irish lost Luke Harandgody.
All American Luke Harandgody has moved on and Big East coaches have to be happy with that news. Harandgody was one of the most productive players in Irish and Big East history. Last season he led the Big East in scoring at 21.9 ppg and finished 4th in rebounding at 9.1 ppg. Not only do the Irish have to replace Harandgody they also have to replace their starting point guard Tony Jackson. Jackson averaged 9.6 ppg and led the league in assists at 5.3 a game.
Picking up the scoring for the Irish this year will be senior Tim Abromaitis. Abromaitis averaged 16.1 ppg and finished 3rd in the league in free throw shooting at just over 87%. Ben Hansbrough the younger brother of Tyler also looks to have a good season. Hansbrough enjoyed success in his first season with Notre Dame after transferring from Mississippi State. Hansbrough averaged 12 ppg while shooting just over 40% from the three.
Abromaitis and Hansbrough will have to carry this Notre Dame team if they want to make it 11 straight postseason’s reached under Mike Brey. Purdue transfer Scott Martin is also another player to watch this season as he is a 6-8 player who can play guard and forward. The Irish may be turning to freshmen Eric Atkins to replace Tony Jackson. The Irish will open the season with Georgia Southern on Nov. 12
Pitt: The preseason pick to win the Big East is coming off another great season under coach Jaime Dixon. They finished the season 25-9 and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The trip to the tournament marked the 9th straight appearance for the panthers and with seven of its top eight scores returning and four starters back it’s no wonder why the panthers are favored to win the Big East.
The panthers return their entire backcourt in Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wannamaker. Gibbs averaged 15.7 ppg last season and was named the Big East Most Improved Player. Wannamaker on the other hand averaged 12.3 ppg and led the team in assists with 4.7 a game. Gary McGhee and Nasir Robinson return down low for Pitt, both players are strong defensive guys with McGhee grabbing almost 7 rebounds a game.
The Panthers only lost Jermaine Dixon and with the amount of players returning his loss shouldn’t be noticed. The Panthers are an extremely balanced team and with four starters returning you should expect that balance to continue. The fact that Dixon was able to get 25 wins out of a team with so many newcomers is rather scary and it makes you think how could this team could be.
Swopshire will be expected to carry the load offensively when he comes back. He made 20 starts last season and averaged 7.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg. Preston Knowles who is their best defensive player will also be expected to pick up the load on offense. Last season Knowles averaged just over 7 points. Peyton Siva who was the backup point guard last season is by far the most exciting and talented player Louisville has. Siva only averaged 4 ppg as a freshmen but there is no doubt he has the ability to fill up the stat sheet.
The team has to replace Samardo Samuels and Edgar Sosa but with players like Siva and Swopshire they shouldn’t be a drop in production. Pitno could also be getting another big boost if the NCAA clears Roburt Sallie who transferred from Memphis. Sallie is the all time leader in Memphis history for 3 point shooting. Louisville tips off their season Nov. 11 against Kentucky Wesleyan.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles put together another successful season this time under Buzz Williams. The Golden Eagles finished the season 22-12 and made a trip to the NCAA tournament. Picked to finish 9th in the Big East Preseason poll, the Golden Eagles will have to replace Lazar Hayward if they hope to return to the tournament again.
This year’s team will be headlined by two players, Jimmy Butler and Darius Johnson-Odem. Butler was named to the All Big East Honorable Mention team last year averaging 14.7 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Helping Butler carry the load will be Johnson-Odem who in his first year with the team averaged 13 ppg and finished second in the Big East in 3 point shooting. Dwight Buycks will look to start at point guard for the team, the senior averaged 6.7 ppg in 11 starts last season.
Replacing Lazar Hayward will be a challenge for Buzz Williams especially seeing as how he was at the top of the Big East in so many categories. Hayward finished 6th in scoring 9th in rebounding and 3rd in steals. The team will rely on Butler and Johnson-Odem to fill the void and also hope their defense carries them like it did a season ago. Marquette led the Big East in scoring defense, 3 point defense and turnover margin. The Golden Eagles start off their season hosting Prairie View A&M.
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish finished last season 23-12 and returned to the NCAA tournament after missing it the year before. The 20 win season was Notre Dame’s fifth straight 20 win season. The Irish have played in the postseason all 10 years under coach Mike Brey but it may come to an end this season as the Irish lost Luke Harandgody.
All American Luke Harandgody has moved on and Big East coaches have to be happy with that news. Harandgody was one of the most productive players in Irish and Big East history. Last season he led the Big East in scoring at 21.9 ppg and finished 4th in rebounding at 9.1 ppg. Not only do the Irish have to replace Harandgody they also have to replace their starting point guard Tony Jackson. Jackson averaged 9.6 ppg and led the league in assists at 5.3 a game.
Picking up the scoring for the Irish this year will be senior Tim Abromaitis. Abromaitis averaged 16.1 ppg and finished 3rd in the league in free throw shooting at just over 87%. Ben Hansbrough the younger brother of Tyler also looks to have a good season. Hansbrough enjoyed success in his first season with Notre Dame after transferring from Mississippi State. Hansbrough averaged 12 ppg while shooting just over 40% from the three.
Abromaitis and Hansbrough will have to carry this Notre Dame team if they want to make it 11 straight postseason’s reached under Mike Brey. Purdue transfer Scott Martin is also another player to watch this season as he is a 6-8 player who can play guard and forward. The Irish may be turning to freshmen Eric Atkins to replace Tony Jackson. The Irish will open the season with Georgia Southern on Nov. 12
Pitt: The preseason pick to win the Big East is coming off another great season under coach Jaime Dixon. They finished the season 25-9 and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The trip to the tournament marked the 9th straight appearance for the panthers and with seven of its top eight scores returning and four starters back it’s no wonder why the panthers are favored to win the Big East.
The panthers return their entire backcourt in Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wannamaker. Gibbs averaged 15.7 ppg last season and was named the Big East Most Improved Player. Wannamaker on the other hand averaged 12.3 ppg and led the team in assists with 4.7 a game. Gary McGhee and Nasir Robinson return down low for Pitt, both players are strong defensive guys with McGhee grabbing almost 7 rebounds a game.
The Panthers only lost Jermaine Dixon and with the amount of players returning his loss shouldn’t be noticed. The Panthers are an extremely balanced team and with four starters returning you should expect that balance to continue. The fact that Dixon was able to get 25 wins out of a team with so many newcomers is rather scary and it makes you think how could this team could be.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Big East Preview: Part 1
With a new season about to tip off its time to take a closer look at the teams in the Big East.
Cincinnati: Last season the Bearcats finished 19-16 and went to the NIT, it was the school’s first appearance in the NIT since 2006. The Bearcats will have to replace former diaper dandy Lance Stephenson and Deonta Vaughn, who were the team’s top two scores from a season ago.
The team will return 8 players from a season ago with Yancy Gates being the headliner. Gates is the only returning player who averaged double digits last season averaging 10.4 ppg while also grabbing 5.9 rpg. Ibrahima Thomas who came over from Oklahoma State will have an expanded role this season after averaging just over 5 points and 5 rebounds a game. Coach Mick Cronin may look to sixth year senior Rashard Bishop to pick up the scoring that the team lost. Bishop averaged 8.4 ppg last season. The battle for the point guard position will come down to three players, Cashmere Wright, Dion Dixon and Jaquon Parker. Wright is the most likely starters after averaging 5.4 ppg in 11 starts as a freshman.
Mick Cronin did add two 3 star recruits to his team. 6-10 center Kelvin Gaines and 6-8 forward Justin Jackson. The losses of Stephenson, 12.3 ppg and Big East rookie of the year and Vaughn who finished third on the school’s all time scoring list will certainly hurt the Bearcats. The Bearcats will need to continue to crash the boards if they hope to have a successful season, they finished 2nd in the Big East in rebound margin at +6.2. The Bearcats kickoff their season Nov. 15 against Mount St. Mary’s.
Uconn: The Huskies are coming off their worst season in recent memory under Jim Calhoun. The Huskies went 18-16 and 7-11 in conference play. Four players did post double digits last season for the Huskies, but production fell off after that. After a disastrous regular season to a troubled regular season with Calhoun facing infractions from the NCAA, the Huskies are most certainly ready to start a new season.
Kemba Walker is back and it all falls on his shoulders. Walker was named All Big East third team last season after he averaged 14.6 ppg, 5.1 apg and led the league in steals with 2.1 a game. The only other starter that Uconn returns is center Alex Oriakhi. Oriakhi averaged 5 points and 6.6 rebounds a game and was named to the All Big East Rookie team. With only two starters returning freshman Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier could see minutes right away and contribute.
There are more questions surrounding this Uconn team than in years past. With Jerome Dyson, who led the team in scoring at 17.2 ppg, Stanley Robinson who led the team in rebounds with 7.6 a game and sixth man Gavin Edwards all gone the Huskies could struggle through the first half of their season. A bright spot for the Huskies however was in Big East play where they held opponents to 40.4 percent from the field, which was tops in the league.
DePaul: Despite being picked to finish last in the preseason poll there is optimism in the windy city. The Blue Demons somehow were able to lure Oliver Purnell away from Clemson. Purnell’s has went to the big dance the past three years and does a great job at building up programs. Purnell does have his work cut out for him has the Blue Demons have only won two conference games in two years.
The Blue Demons lost their two top scores, Will Walker and Mac Koshwal. Forward Mike Stovall will look to pick up the slack. Stovall started 20 games last season and averaged 7 ppg. Eric Wallace will also look to have a big season after averaging 6 points and 4 rebounds in his first season at DePaul, Wallace was a transfer from Ohio State. The offense will run through guard Jeremiah Kelley who averaged just over 5 ppg and led the team with 84 assists.
The loss of Walker and Koshwal will certainly impact a team who isn’t very good to begin with. Koshwal averaged 16 points a game and just over 10 rebounds and in 19 games had a double double 11 times. Walker was also another big time scorer for the team averaging just over 16 ppg as well. If anything Walker was dependable leading the Big East in minutes played, averaging over 38 minutes a game.
Georgetown: The Hoyas are coming off another successful season under JT3 in which the team went 23-10, went to the Big East championship game and made a trip to the NCAA tournament. The team did lose All-American Greg Monroe but returns a bevy of guards headlined by Austin Freeman who was picked as the Big East Preseason Player of the Year.
Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Jason Clark are back to form the best back court in the Big East. Wright was named to the Big East Second Team in the preseason and the trio of Freeman, Wright and Clark combined to average more than 41 ppg. Joining the trio of guards will be swingman Hollis Thompson. Thompson is a sophomore who averaged 5ppg and had 16 points in their NCAA tournament game.
The Princeton offense will be in full effect again this year, all be it with some minor changes. The will have to figure out how they will replace Greg Monroe who arguably was the team’s best passer despite be 6-10. Chris Wright and Austin Freeman will now have to create their own shots but few teams in the Big East will be able to matchup with Georgetown’s guard play. Once again expect another trip to the big dance if you are a Hoya fan.
Cincinnati: Last season the Bearcats finished 19-16 and went to the NIT, it was the school’s first appearance in the NIT since 2006. The Bearcats will have to replace former diaper dandy Lance Stephenson and Deonta Vaughn, who were the team’s top two scores from a season ago.
The team will return 8 players from a season ago with Yancy Gates being the headliner. Gates is the only returning player who averaged double digits last season averaging 10.4 ppg while also grabbing 5.9 rpg. Ibrahima Thomas who came over from Oklahoma State will have an expanded role this season after averaging just over 5 points and 5 rebounds a game. Coach Mick Cronin may look to sixth year senior Rashard Bishop to pick up the scoring that the team lost. Bishop averaged 8.4 ppg last season. The battle for the point guard position will come down to three players, Cashmere Wright, Dion Dixon and Jaquon Parker. Wright is the most likely starters after averaging 5.4 ppg in 11 starts as a freshman.
Mick Cronin did add two 3 star recruits to his team. 6-10 center Kelvin Gaines and 6-8 forward Justin Jackson. The losses of Stephenson, 12.3 ppg and Big East rookie of the year and Vaughn who finished third on the school’s all time scoring list will certainly hurt the Bearcats. The Bearcats will need to continue to crash the boards if they hope to have a successful season, they finished 2nd in the Big East in rebound margin at +6.2. The Bearcats kickoff their season Nov. 15 against Mount St. Mary’s.
Uconn: The Huskies are coming off their worst season in recent memory under Jim Calhoun. The Huskies went 18-16 and 7-11 in conference play. Four players did post double digits last season for the Huskies, but production fell off after that. After a disastrous regular season to a troubled regular season with Calhoun facing infractions from the NCAA, the Huskies are most certainly ready to start a new season.
Kemba Walker is back and it all falls on his shoulders. Walker was named All Big East third team last season after he averaged 14.6 ppg, 5.1 apg and led the league in steals with 2.1 a game. The only other starter that Uconn returns is center Alex Oriakhi. Oriakhi averaged 5 points and 6.6 rebounds a game and was named to the All Big East Rookie team. With only two starters returning freshman Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier could see minutes right away and contribute.
There are more questions surrounding this Uconn team than in years past. With Jerome Dyson, who led the team in scoring at 17.2 ppg, Stanley Robinson who led the team in rebounds with 7.6 a game and sixth man Gavin Edwards all gone the Huskies could struggle through the first half of their season. A bright spot for the Huskies however was in Big East play where they held opponents to 40.4 percent from the field, which was tops in the league.
DePaul: Despite being picked to finish last in the preseason poll there is optimism in the windy city. The Blue Demons somehow were able to lure Oliver Purnell away from Clemson. Purnell’s has went to the big dance the past three years and does a great job at building up programs. Purnell does have his work cut out for him has the Blue Demons have only won two conference games in two years.
The Blue Demons lost their two top scores, Will Walker and Mac Koshwal. Forward Mike Stovall will look to pick up the slack. Stovall started 20 games last season and averaged 7 ppg. Eric Wallace will also look to have a big season after averaging 6 points and 4 rebounds in his first season at DePaul, Wallace was a transfer from Ohio State. The offense will run through guard Jeremiah Kelley who averaged just over 5 ppg and led the team with 84 assists.
The loss of Walker and Koshwal will certainly impact a team who isn’t very good to begin with. Koshwal averaged 16 points a game and just over 10 rebounds and in 19 games had a double double 11 times. Walker was also another big time scorer for the team averaging just over 16 ppg as well. If anything Walker was dependable leading the Big East in minutes played, averaging over 38 minutes a game.
Georgetown: The Hoyas are coming off another successful season under JT3 in which the team went 23-10, went to the Big East championship game and made a trip to the NCAA tournament. The team did lose All-American Greg Monroe but returns a bevy of guards headlined by Austin Freeman who was picked as the Big East Preseason Player of the Year.
Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Jason Clark are back to form the best back court in the Big East. Wright was named to the Big East Second Team in the preseason and the trio of Freeman, Wright and Clark combined to average more than 41 ppg. Joining the trio of guards will be swingman Hollis Thompson. Thompson is a sophomore who averaged 5ppg and had 16 points in their NCAA tournament game.
The Princeton offense will be in full effect again this year, all be it with some minor changes. The will have to figure out how they will replace Greg Monroe who arguably was the team’s best passer despite be 6-10. Chris Wright and Austin Freeman will now have to create their own shots but few teams in the Big East will be able to matchup with Georgetown’s guard play. Once again expect another trip to the big dance if you are a Hoya fan.
Friday, November 12, 2010
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