More Reason to like Mike DeCourcy

Unlike many college basketball pundits, he works during the offseason.

Mike's latest is on players who will get a shot sooner than expected as a result of the exodus of college players to the NBA. Among DeCourcy's picks are Wisconsin's Boo Wade, Stanford's Matt Haryasz, Duke's Sean Dockery, and Louisville's Taquan Dean.

More Comments

Below.

Dave and Lenny are having quite a conversation. A pleasure to host at collegeball.blogspot.com.

Pitino's Pissed

After learning that Southeastern Illinois Community College's Donta Smith will (attempt to) follow Sebastian Telfair into the NBA. Take it away, coach:

"It could be one of the five worst moves I've ever seen...If it's the right decision, I'll tell a player I have no problem with it. This one I totally disagree with. Somebody is giving him advice who doesn't know anything about the game of basketball...He never called and discussed it with me. I couldn't be more upset with the player, and I'm very, very disappointed with the (junior-college) coach. That's as poor a leadership from the coach as I've ever seen."

Donta is rated among the nations' best junior college players, but he's expected to be a second round pick.

Let's hope his luck is better than recent juco early entrants.

The list of players who have recently tried to make the NBA from two-year schools includes Qyntel Woods, Kedrick Brown, Ernest Brown, Cory Hightower and Tim Cole. Woods and Kedrick Brown were both first-round picks; both have been marginal NBA players at best. Cole went undrafted, and Hightower and Ernest Brown washed out.

No Gomes, No Games

Providence's Ryan Gomes declared for the NBA Draft today. Unless he returns, don't expect to find the Friars in the NCAA Tournament. This past season, Gomes was the team's only legitimate option on offense and on-campus observers tell me they're frustrated with the lack of player development under coach Tim Welsh.

Comments!

Unfortunately, my (as of now, limited) readership rarely posts comments. But Dave and Lenny provide important context to the emerging debate about Eddie Sutton's recruiting practices.

Be sure to read Dave's original post, my reply, and Lenny's insight, found in the Comments section of my reply.

Gone.

Andy Katz tells it like it is, noting that lottery-bound draft entrants never go back to school.

So long, Luol.

Ageism

In today's Washington Post, PTI's Michael Wilbon makes a persuasive case for an age restriction preventing high schoolers and collegiate underclassmen from entering the NBA Draft.

His column smacks of honesty:

It is indeed paternal, and intensely personal, perhaps because I come from one of the places -- the South Side of Chicago, where basketball has made a lot of careers and left exponentially more 45-year-olds sitting in the same playgrounds where we left them nearly 30 years ago, drinking a 40-ounce while wondering where the next meal is coming from.

Though it also reinforces stereotypes. My Afro and African-American Studies professors might wince at several of Wilbon's generalizations about inner-city neighborhoods: the 40-ounces...the mammas and cousins who have their hands out...and the gun violence and drug trafficking and teenage pregnancy and illiteracy.

That being said, a worthwhile read. I'm left wondering why Wilbon writes for the Post rather than ESPN's website.

Tubby is Happy

Randolph Morris will find himself in Lexington this fall, spurning Georgia Tech and the NBA.

That's three, count 'em three, McDonald's All-Americans who'll matriculate at UK come the fall semester. Morris will join point guard Rajon Rondo and shooting guard Joe Crawford under Tubby's tutelage.

Mike DeCourcy argues picking up Morris is a coup for Kentucky. I'll add that the addition of three All-Americans makes Kentucky a legit Top 10 team this season.

Dave Sez What?

Dave takes Oklahoma State and Cincinnati to task for consistently fielding rosters full of transfers, Prop 48 casualties and junior college players.

I sympathize, but feel the need to interject. Huggins routinely recruits thugs while Sutton goes after higher-caliber transfers (e.g. Bynum, Lucas).

Yes, Sutton's latest signee, JamesOn Curry, is no saint. But to compare the well-respected Cowboy to his Bearcat counterpart is a little unfair. Not to mention Dave's suggestion that Sutton is somehow approaching Jerry Tarkanian's shenanigans.

Welcome Back

Smart money is on C.J. Giles finding himself at Washington next season. Miami just released the big fella from the letter of intent he signed when Perry Clark was expected to be next year's coach.

Well done, Lorenzo [Romar].

Bo Knows Dissapointment

Today, Wisconsin's Devin Harris declared for the NBA Draft, leaving Bo Ryan and the Badgers to pursue millions of dollars. Another title contender bites the dust.

Harris, however, won't sign with an agent. Seems like declaring, but not signing, is the flavor of the month.

Oy.

Former Utah coach Rick Majerus is joining ESPN as a college basketball analyst.

Is Majerus still living out of a hotel room (as he did while at Utah)? Or is this job a mere excuse to travel around the country, staying in one hotel after another?

Say Cheese

Time and time again, Wisconsin's Devin Harris has indicated that he'll turn pro if he's guaranteed a spot in the lottery.

Professor Katz?

If he opts for the NBA draft, then the slender point guard is almost assured of falling no lower than No. 10 on draft day and could go as high as No. 5.

My gut? Harris wants to stay, but he's going to go.

We'll know by Wednesday.

The Telfair Kid

Sebastian was never expected at Louisville; his entry into the NBA Draft was very much expected.

But what surprised me was the size of his sneaker deal:

Sources told ESPN.com that Telfair's multiyear adidas deal will be worth between $1 million and $2 million annually, depending on his reaching incentives in his contract. The company signed both Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady to deals worth $2 million per year in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

Telfair's deal will remind all the early entrants of the value of an agent. How many potential first rounders do you expect to call their agents (or family members) today and inquire about a similar deal?

Three's Company

Al Jefferson, J.R. Smith, and Shaun Livingston declared for the NBA Draft today. All three high school phenoms indicated they won't hire an agent. My bet is at least one, probably two, of the three will soon seek representation.

Arkansas is now unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina is less likely to make the Final Four, and Duke may soon find itself out of the Top 25. Big news, indeed.

For what it's worth, Livingston's family deserves our respect. Dad and Grandpa both suggested Shaun attend Duke:

"I still think he's going to Duke," Frank Livingston said Monday. "He needs at least a year of maturity. At least. It's not irreparable damage, that he put his name in."

Shaun's dad, Reggie Livingston, also said he thought this decision is not necessarily final. "I think he's trying to buy more time," he said.

Jefferson's a goner while Livingston is the most likely to matriculate -- though Smith ought to, as I predict his stock will slip some before Draft Day.

Rumor has it...

That the Steelworkers' union is trying to organize NCAA athletes.

College basketball players get quite a raw deal. Schools make millions but rarely compel players to take their lone perk, a free education, seriously.

A little birdie told me of the union's efforts. For a little context (and brief confirmation of the rumor), read on.

Lottery Locks, Part Deux

Ben Gordon. (Hartford Courant, 4/15/4. Denver Post, 4/7/4. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/6/4).
Shaun Livingston. (Florida Today, 4/6/4. Chicago Tribune, 4/4/4. Dallas Morning News, 4/1/4.)

They Said It

Not exactly on topic, but...

"I will go top five, worst case a lottery pick... [the] NBA wants and needs Ivan Chiriaev."
-- Canadian high school star Ivan Chiriaev

Lottery Locks

In no particular order.

Emeka Okafor (Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/7/4. Chicago Sun-Times, 4/3/4. Dallas Morning News, 4/1/4).
Dwight Howard (Boston Globe, 4/15/4. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4/14/4. Chicago Daily Herald, 3/6/4).
Luol Deng (Seattle Times, 4/18/4. Orlando Sentinel, 4/3/4. Dallas Morning News, 4/1/4).
Josh Smith (Seattle Times, 4/18/4. The Commercial Appeal, 3/31/4. Richmond Times Dispatch, 3/31/4).
Andre Iguodala (State Journal-Register, 4/20/4. Tucson Citizen, 4/10/4. Long Beach Press-Telegram, 3/13/4).

More to come.

All Together Now...

Amen.

Dick Vitale will not work this year's Eastern Conference NBA finals.

NCAA decides to target summer league coaches

About time.