Roundball Chatter
Each week I'll talk about the sport I love, college basketball:
• I love the fact several conferences have scheduled "challenge" events. For example, the Big 12 vs. Pac-10 Hardwood series pairings were announced. It is great to have Kansas vs. UCLA, USC vs. Texas, Arizona against Oklahoma added to the schedule of marquee match-ups. These events cut down on those cupcake city contests, giving players the opportunity to face the crème de la crème. It adds interest to the sport when you see traditional powers like the Bruins and Jayhawks meeting. It creates excitement went you have coaching match-ups like Bill Self vs. Ben Howland, Tim Floyd vs. Rick Barnes, and the showdown of two up-and-comers in Sean Miller and Jeff Capel.
• The Big East-SEC Invitational pairings have been announced and one matchup will draw major interest. Jim Calhoun vs. John Calipari as Connecticut and Kentucky square off at Madison Square Garden. The other half of the doubleheader at the Garden features Georgia vs. St. John's. Syracuse and Florida battle in one of the two showdowns at the St. Pete Times Forum, while DePaul takes on Mississippi State in the other contest in Florida.
• Good news for new Kentucky coach Calipari as he has added another recruit for the upcoming season. 6-7 forward Darnell Dodson has signed to play for the Wildcats. He helped lead Miami-Dade Community College to a 26-2 record last season. Dodson is originally from Greenbelt, Md.
• Also out of the SEC came a positive for Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy. He inked 6-9 forward DeAngelo Riley from Southwest Tennessee Community College. His school was ranked in the top five of the JUCO poll during the season as Riley averaged 12.1 points, a team-high 8.0 rebounds and 2.9 blocked shots per game. He gives Kennedy another big body up front.
• Memphis suffered a setback as Nolan Dennis, a 6-5 shooting guard from Richland High School in North Richland Hills, Texas, signed to play basketball with Baylor. Dennis had originally committed to Memphis but backed out when Calipari went to Kentucky. Scott Drew now has a solid class with four newcomers for the 2009-10 season.
• Do you think Isiah Thomas has had a positive influence on Florida International? Thomas has already signed four players, including the top juco scorer in forward Marvin Roberts. The 6-5 Roberts averaged just under 30 ppg for Redlands Community College.
• DePaul added Tracy Webster as an assistant coach. Webster was at Kentucky in the same capacity the last two years. Webster is familiar with the state of Illinois as a former assistant with the Illini.
• Good news for Florida fans. Alex Tyus, who previously announced his intention to transfer, has decided to return to Gainesville. Tyus was Florida's second-leading scorer at 12.5 ppg last season. He shot 59.1 percent from the field, starting all 36 of the Gators' games.
• I did not see the Hornets-Nuggets game four, which was blowout city. I was amazed when I saw the score, especially knowing that the game was in New Orleans. 121-63! Wow! Sometimes when you fall behind by a large margin, you feel sorry for yourself, you don't get back on defense and it becomes layup after layup. Give the Nuggets some credit as George Karl has done an incredible job this season.
• Wichita State head basketball coach Gregg Marshall has agreed to a one-year contract extension that ensures his employment through April of 2015. Marshall will enter his third season at Wichita State during the 2009-10 season. The Shockers finished 17-17 last season, losing to Stanford in the College Basketball Invitational event. Also receiving extensions were Monte Ross at Delaware and Mike Rice at Robert Morris.
