Roundball Chatter
Each week I'll talk about the world of college basketball:
•How about a salute to Oklahoma basketball coach Jeff Capel. I know preseason rankings don't mean much, but the Sooners are the pick of the Big 12 coaches this season. Capel's club is led by talented super soph Blake Griffin, and my friends, he is a warrior. How competitive is the Big 12 going to be? Four different schools received first place votes from the 12 conference coaches -- Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Baylor. The Longhorns actually received more first-place ballots than the Sooners (4-3), but Oklahoma had a two-point edge overall. It has already been a great season on the gridiron for the conference's sports fans; it should be awesome on the hardwood in Big 12 country.
•North Carolina, which will be the consensus preseason #1 pick across America, suffered a blow when Marcus Ginyard had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot. He will be out until December, which means he will miss the game against Kentucky. Ginyard is a defensive dynamo and an important veteran for Roy Williams. Seems like the right call to have him physically ready for games in December and into ACC play, plus the tournament of course.
•A familiar name will be appearing at Alabama in the future. Shawn Kemp Jr., the son of the former NBA star, has decided to join the Crimson Tide program. The 6-foot-9 forward- center from Cherokee High School in suburban Atlanta had Washington among other schools under consideration. Kemp is considered a top 100 prospect in some circles.
•Talk about what a difference a year makes. Butler was 30-4 last season and made it to the big dance. This season, Brad Stevens has just one starter returning and it was reflected in the Horizon League preseason poll. Butler was picked to finish fifth in the conference. The team chosen as favorite is Cleveland State, a program that was really struggling a few years ago. Gary Waters has done a nice job turning things around there.
•John Pelphrey has his hands full at Arkansas this season. The absence of Patrick Beverly is a tough blow to the program. A look at the roster shows its youth as there are no seniors listed. Pelphrey is an up-and-coming basketball mind who learned a lot from Rick Pitino. He will get the job done long-term down in Fayetteville.
•California coach Mike Montgomery has a real big man on campus. 7-3 center Max Zhang is from China. Zhang is also the tallest player in the program's history, though he is considered more of a project until he gains more strength and weight. There is the possibility that Montgomery could have a Twin Towers set-up with seven-foot Jordan Wilkes playing most of the minutes up front.
•Kansas guard Sherron Collins had a very good excuse to miss workouts recently. Collins had his tonsils removed. He should be ready for Midnight Madness next week. Collins is also coming off arthroscopic knee surgery during the off-season. A lot will be expected from him as this is an inexperienced Jayhawks line-up. Collins and Cole Aldrich are the most experienced players among the guys slated to receive a lot of playing time.
•IUPUI coach Ron Hunter will get a big-time opportunity to get national exposure when his squad faces Arizona State and James Harden on December 14th. The game is part of a doubleheader which features Arizona vs. Gonzaga in the second game in the desert region.
•Good news for Purdue fans. 6-3 guard Anthony Johnson gave a verbal commitment to Matt Painter and the Boilermakers for the 2010 season. The guard from Chicago should get an opportunity then as Chris Kramer and Keaton Grant are expected to be gone by then.
