Lewis and Clark hoops somewhat 021822

 East Coast guy catching up. Here's some older blogs:

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2020/07/pacific-northwest-hoops-chatter-in.html

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2020/01/p5-pigskin-on-hardwood-january-2020.html

I don't think anyone saw this quick of a turnaround for Zona(Pac12) after Tommy Lloyd was named its head coach last April after serving as an assistant coach at Gonzaga(WCC) for the last 22 seasons. Zags have remained top notch w/o Lloyd and Saint Mary trails them by 3 in the conference. 

Arizona is up by three games on USC and UCLA and by four games over Oregon ASU is 5-9 in P12action and I wonder if Hurley will be hurled out of town.

New Mexico St(11-2) remains a #WAC powerhouse, but the infusion of new teams has shaken up the top top tier. Seattle(11-2) is finally having some success, and newcomer Sam Houston (11-3) has been a revelation. Darrion Trammell leads with Seattle with a16.3 PPG, and Savion Flagg leads SHS with a 19.5 PPG. Exploration of small conferences forthcoming.

Feb 20, 2022

Bennedict Mathurin(24 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST) helped the Cats survive the Ducks AZ 84, OR 81. UCLA crushed UW 76-50

Zags beat Santa Clara to remain undefeated in WCC play, and St Mary's beat BYU, who have one more season to get in gear for a Big 12 schedule.

NMST, SHS, and Seattle won WAC games yesterday. Riley Grigsby(23 PTS, 5 REB, 1 STL) had a solid game for Seattle in 67-64 win over Cal Baptist.

In Big West action Ajay Mitchell scored 20 points for UC Santa Barbara in an 84-71 win that snapped Long Beach State's 11-game winning streak.

Feb 22, 2022

I don't know if it's good enough for the NCAA committee's NET tool but keep your eyes on San Fran in the WCC. Khalil Shabazz had 21 points as San Francisco(22-7,9-5) rolled past Pacific 104-71.

NMST beat Seattle and remains the WAC boss.

Feb 25, 2022

I tuned into the start of the Gonzaga/San Francisco, game and the Zags didn't miss a shot in the first few minutes and went on to a 89-73 win. St Mary's handled San Diego and will remain in the top 25.

In Pac 12 play Oregon upset UCLA, USC beat Oregon St, and Zona beat Utah to reach 15-1 in conference play.

Feb 27, 2022

St Mary's upset of Gonzaga kept them firmly in the bubble picture. San Fran, Santa Clara, and BYU won WCC matchups to maintain a pulse for Dance hopes.

I'm unsure what to make of Zona 's loss to Colorado, and USC survived Oregon in Pac 12 news.

Chicago St has been horrible for years, however yesterday's 61-59 win over NMST(WAC) on Brandon Betson's game-winning layup with 2.4 seconds fits into yesterday's pattern of big upsets. Some chatter about Chicago St joining the Summit Conference, which is a better geographical fit.

March 5, 2022

In the WCC, Zags and St Marys will be dancing but other teams need big wins and probably to win the WCC tourney. BYU rolled LMU and will face San Francisco while Portland beat San Diego and will face Santa Clara.

March 6, 2022

Shabazz (22 PTS 4 REB 2 AST) lead SANFRAN over BYU and faces the Zags next

Santa Clara rolled Portland 91-67 and plays St Marys

Ducks are sinking under water. They got crushed 91-71 by Wazzoo and are in a three way tie for 5th with Wazzoo and UW in the Pac 12.

March 8, 2022

WCC final at Orleans Arena in Vegas has its top two teams, Gonzaga/St Marys  which will likely mean these are its two Dance ticket teams.

March 9, 2022

Zags were ready to play last night and beat St Marys 82-69. 

Former WAC member Cal St Bakersfield beat CSU Northridge in rd1 of the Big West T. Both teams have had bad seasons. 

Cal Baptist beat UTRGV in rd1 of the WACT.

March 12, 2022

Big West: CSU Fullerton beat Hawaii and Long Beach St beat UCSB to make it the final tonight.

WAC: Well, we have an all southwest flavor to the WACT final. New Mexico St beat GC, and Abilene Christian beat Seattle last night. AC(Southland Conference) beat Texas in rd1 of the 2021 Dance , which was  the final straw for Shaka in Austin,TX, and also led to Joe Golding leaving AC for the UTEP HC job.

Pac12: Zona beat Colorado and UCLA beat USC to reach the Pac12 final. Both these teams are dancing, and USC will slide in and possibly CU, but I think the Ducks played their way out.

March 13, 2022

Before I get to tournament. title games, it appears that Grand Canyon(WAC) HC Bryce Drew is headed back to the SEC. He coached Vandy from 2016-19 and is high on the list to replace Will Wade at LSU.

Big West: E.J. Anosike scored 22 points for CSUF to escape with a 72-71 win over Long Beach in the title game.

Pac 12 : Zona beat UCLA 84-76

Big Sky: X. Bishop(19 pts, 8 assists) led Montana St to an easy 87-66 win over Northern Colorado.

March 18, 2022

WAC: I didn't pick them and good for NMST upsetting UConn. Allen NMST (37 PTS 6 REB 3 AST)

WCC: Zags  rolled Ga St. ,St Mary's crushed Indiana and  San Fran got close but fell in OT to Murray St.

Pac 12- UCLA got a scare from Akron but prevailed.

March 19, 2022

USC lost a tough one to Miami (FL). Trojans didn't have consistent go to guy on offense. Zona got a battle from Wright St before pulling away in the second half.

It didn't take long: Florida hired San Francisco's Todd Golden to be its men's basketball coach just hours after SF lost to Murray St 92-87 in OT of rd1. He was an assistant at Auburn (2014-16) 

March 20, 2022

 Tigers had no answer for Timme of Gonzaga. Arkansas contained New Mexico State's Teddy ''Buckets'' Allen and survived 53-48. NMST represented the WAC well in this Dance. UCLA beat Saint Marys 72-56 .

I forgot that Larry Brown was on the Memphis staff.

March 21, 2022

Zona survived OT and beat TCU. Two Pac 12 teams and a WCC team in the Sweet 16.

Jans leaves NMST for Miss St (SEC)

March 26, 2022

St Peters knocks out Purdue. Nine Dance tickets for the Big 10, zero spots in the E8.  ACC(3) , SEC (1), B12(1), MAAC (1), Big East(1) AAC(1)

March 29, 2022

Wazzoo(Pac12) is in the F4 of the NIT and will face TAMU(SEC) tonight, and that winner faces the Xavier(Big East)/St Bonaventure(A10) winner on Thursday.

New Mexico State(WAC) hired former Northwest Florida State coach Greg Heiar to replace Jans who took the Miss St job. Heiar led NFS to a NJCAA Division I national championship in 2021.

March 30, 2022 NIT

Xavier 84 St. Bonaventure 77

Texas A&M 72 Washington State 56

April 5, 2022

For the second year in a row, Dana Altman will need to replace one of his assistant coaches and top recruiters. Last season Stubblefield left for the Depaul HC gig. And now, Chris Crutchfield will be the next head coach at Nebraska- Omaha(Summit) after spending just one year in Eugene and recruiting Dior Johnson , a five star player, to Oregon for 2022. Johnson says he's staying with the Ducks. Hectic is a mild description of how it is to run a big time program.

April 7, 2022

I guess dusting off Fran Dunphy to take over as HC at Lasalle has started a trend. San Diego(WCC) hired  Steve Lavin who last coached at St Johns in 2015. Let's see if he can get the Toreros to compete with the Zags.

June 2, 2022

Timme pulled his name from the NBA draft pool and will be back with the Zags. Jules Bernard(UCLA) is rolling the dice  by staying in. Most folks see him in the G League. 

WAC news: Chicago St hasn't found a conference since it's WAC exit. Dixie St changed it's name to Utah Tech.

July 30, 2022

Gonzaga(WCC) will play Michigan State(Big10) on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of San Diego for Veterans Day 2022. Humidity has forced cancellations in the past for some hoops games on carriers. 

Aug 3, 2022

Kentucky(SEC) and Gonzaga(WCC) agree to home-and-home series starting in Spokane. WA in 2022.

BTW, St Marys(WCC) will play Houston in Fort Worth TX and also has games versus San Diego St, and Vandy which could help its Dance resume.

Nov 3, 2022

 Gonzaga has been transparent with the WCC about its conversations to join the Big 12.

Bill Walton hopes UCLA's move to the Big 10 is rescinded.

Nov 8, 2022

Per Dan Patrick: San Diego St is Pac 12 bound.

Nov 10, 2022

A decade after Enfield coached Florida Gulf Coast to the Sweet 16, his USC squad lost to his former team, 74-61, in LA on Monday night in the season opener for both teams. Enfield played hoops at Johns Hopkins U in Baltimore city.

Nov 11, 2022

I used to enjoy complaining about Tobacco Road hoops in North Carolina when Terps were in the ACC, now I just miss it.  Typical November FGCU loses to San Diego(WCC) after beating USC. UCLA hosts Illinois and visits MD in OOC play.

March 25, 2023

Jason Hooten joins New Mexico St after 13 seasons as the HC at Sam Houston State(WAC). He's got a tough task ahead after ex HC Heiar was fired in mid-season due to the numerous scandals on /off the court with the hoops squad. NMST and SHS will be in the CUSA in July 2023.

Circling back to Enfield, the USC HC who will soon be coaching regularly in the Big 10. He was an assistant at Maryland a long time ago.

April 8, 2023

Utah St(MWC) hires Montana State(Big Sky) HC Danny Sprinkle as Ryan Odom’s replacement.  Sprinkle led Montana State to back-to-back Big Sky tournament championships the past two seasons.

July 1, 2023

Pac12 stumbling and bumbling toward a media contract to save it's a^s has San Diego St stuck in limbo, and they will be a great addition, particularly for hoops to the Pac12. Yes, I think the Aztecs will land in the Pac12.

All the neon shining on Deion's football hopes has me wondering if Colorado basketball get some better players out of all the media attention.

Pacific Northwest hoops chatter in the summer of 2020

Gonzaga center Filip Petrusev signed with Mega Bemax, a pro team in Serbia. He led the Zags in scoring (17.5 points) and rebounding (7.9 boards) in 2019/20 and was WCC Player of the Year I've read some articles claiming that it's not that big of a loss. I call bullsh^t on those opinions.

The Zags are in Spokane which is over 200 miles from Seattle, but Portland U is  right in the heart of the mess.

If the current civil unrest persists, a few members of the WAC, particularly Chicago St and Seattle U may not be cool places to play.

In the Pac12 Wash St is far away from Seattle but UW is nearby. Both Oregon schools are about 90 minutes by automobile from Portland.

In the NBA, the Trailblazers are in the Orlando , Fla bubble for the finish of the 2019/20season, but could be affected for the start of the 2020//21 season.

july 30, 2020

Maybe Seattle is waking up and it will be safe for UW to play sports.: "Defunding the police is a radical experiment that will hurt the vulnerable.” This is what some callers to the Seattle City Council meeting said, and also 20K of signatures have been collected to Stop the defunding.

Aug 1

WAC shortened the eligibility period from four years to two years for transitioning teams to participate in tournaments. This allows California Baptist to be eligible for the 2021 tournaments at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Dixie State and Tarleton State will be eligible in 2023.

Aug 4

The Russell Rule received a blessing from it's namesake Bill Russell. WCC members will be required to include a minority among the pool of final candidates for every athletic director, senior administrator, head coach and full-time assistant coach opening within their athletic departments.

Aug 13, 2020

 The Pac-12 will consider a return to  hoops play after Jan. 1, 2021. If they play it will probably be conference only games.

Aug 14, 2020

WAC: Men's and women's basketball and men's will be postponed through the end of October pending Board discussion on winter athletics competition.

 

Aug 19, 2020

And now more mixed signals as the pre-season top-two teams Gonzaga and Baylor make an agreement to schedule a game for 2020-21 season.

Feb 3 2021

#tarletonst 's only WAC win is against Utah Valley. Cal Baptist is 3-3 in  conference  play.

Feb 4, 2021

For now, Grand Canyon (6-0 WAC) with new coach #BryceDrew has supplanted NMST(0-2 WAC) as top dog in the conference.  So far they haven't missed Dan Majerle.

Sept, 10, 2021

An interesting bi-product of the Big 12's football move to bring in BYU could change WCC hoops. BYU football may be able to join the B12 as soon as 2022  since it is an independent for football that plays the rest of its sports in the WCC. If/when BYU leaves WCC hoops, will they recruit from the WAC to remain at  10 teams? Perhaps, they'll pursue Seattle U.

Oct 6, 2021

 New Mexico St , whose favored by many to win the WAC despite Grand Canyon winning the WAC 2021 title has a nicer travel schedule with the new Texas teams in the conference this season.

 Jan. 13: vs. Tarleton

Jan. 15: vs. Abilene Christian

Jan. 20: @ Sam Houston State

Jan. 22: @ Stephen F. Austin

In OOC play they face  Washington St  of the Pac 12  this season. 

Feb 8, 2022

I don't think anyone saw this quick of a turnaround for Zona after Tommy Lloyd was named its head coach last April after serving as an assistant coach at Gonzaga(WCC) for the last 22 seasons. Zona upset UCLA a few days ago and is #4  overall.

Feb 11, 2022

I caught some Pac 12 action last night. Zona beat Wazzoo. Oregon beat Stanford. Man, I hate the color scheme of the Ducks hardwood. 

Zags better keep their eyes on USF, Bill Russel's old school. The Dons beat Pepperdine 105-61 in WCC action.

P5 pigskin on the hardwood January 2020

ACC: Louisville and FSU sit atop the ACC with 6-1 records. Duke(5-2) looks ragged and UNC is as bad as their head coach says they are. A bunch of teams with 4-3  conference records including Cuse.
B10: Terps(4-3) woke up yesterday and beat Purdue, but the Buckeyes(2-5) descent continues with a loss to a much improved PennSt (4-3) squad. Here's the top three. MSU (6-1) Illinois(5-2) Rutgers(4-2)
B12: Baylor is 5-0 and Kansas is 4-1 while Texas Tech(4-2) is hanging around. I thought Huggy had WVU(4-2) turned around but they lost to a so-so KSt squad yesterday and haven't looked sharp lately.
Pac12: Another wild week  out west.  WSU loses its football coach , Mike Leach, and its hoops squad knocks off Oregon then Oregon St to move to 3-3 in conference play. #OnyekaOkongwu scored 22 for USC in an overtime win over Stanford which left both teams tied for first with 4-1 records.
SEC: I loved South Carolina knocking off Kentucky at the buzzer, but the Gamecocks weren't done as they headed west and beat TAMU. Rough week for Auburn who lost to Bama and Auburn. Madness tickets are up for grabs to everyone but Ol Miss and Vandy who are 0-4. Georgia is 1-3 but they have Anthony Edwards

Jan 22

 Illinois remained in second with a win over Purdue who 's headed toward the B10 cellar. Bane led TCU to an upset of TT in B12 play. #Lsu (6-0) held off the Gators 84-82 to remain a game ahead of UK in the SEC.

Jan 24

Topsy-turvy action continues. Indiana upset Sparty(6-2) 67-63 in B10 play., which knocked Sparty into a tie for first with Illinois(6-2) . OhioSt (2-7)lost to Minnesota and is only one game out of the cellar. In the Pac 12 Oregon inched closer to Stanford with a win over USC, and Washington stumbled closer to the basement with a loss to Utah

Jan 26

Pac 12:  #remymartin (24 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST) played a key role in ASU comeback victory over #22 Arizona. #23 Colorado beat fading Washington.
ACC:  Wyatt Wilkes scored 19 points for# 5 Florida State in a narrow win over Notre dame. # 6 Louisville rolled over Clemson.
B10: #21 Illinois survived Michigan and #24 Rutgers edged Nebraska.
SEC / B12 showdown ended in a 5-5 tie yesterday. SEC winners: Kentucky won at Texas Tech in OT. LSU beat Texas. Auburn beat Iowa St. Arkansas beat TCU. Alabama beat Kansas St .
B12 winners. Baylor over FLA. Kansas over Tenn. OK over Miss St. OK ST over TAMU. West Virginia over Missouri

Jan 27

 I've heard way too much chatter about how 11 of the 14 B10 teams may get Dance tickets, that's goofy. Illinois and MSU are tied at the top at 7-2. Terps squeaked out a big win over Indiana yesterday and are tied for second with with Rutgers at 6-3. 

Jan 29

Rutgers beat Purdue(11-10, 4-6) last night which should put the Boilermakers on the bubble. In the SEC Miss St got a big win over FLA, Auburn survived last place Ol Miss, and TAMU beat Tenn. Missouri beat GA but both those teams, Ol Miss and Vandy need big winning streaks just to get on the Dance bubble.
In the ACC VTech loss to Miami hurt, while VA got a big win over FSU which gives Louisville sole possession of 1st.. Duke beat Pitt.

Jan 31-

Cowan led my Terps to a win over Iowa, and Illinois beat Minnesota to keep things tight at the top of the B10. The Pac 10 is growing a big middle. Pritchard led Oregon(18-4, 7-2 Pac-12) to a win over Cal(9-11, 3-4 Pac-12). Chris Smith scored 30 for UCLA(11-10, 4-4 Pac-12) in a win over Colorado
(16-5, 5-3 Pac-12). Zona(14-6, 4-3 Pac-12) squeaked by Wash(12-10, 2-7 Pac-12).
USC (17-4, 6-2 Pac-12) beat Utah(12-8, 3-5 Pac-12) and Oreg St (13-8, 3-6 Pac-12) beat Stanford 
( 15-5, 4-3 Pac-12) 

feb 2

Wacky Pac 12  results continue with Washington's  descent remaining a constant . Stanford upset Oregon. Cal edged Oreg St.. Zona beat Wash St. ASU beat Wash

feb 4

Big dogs kept rolling in the B12 last night.  Baylor (20-1, 9-0) beat KSt , and Kansas(19-3, 8-1) got a solid game from Azubuike(17 PTS, 12 REB, 2 BLK) in a 69-58 win over Texas. 

feb 5

Terps(8-3) take over first  in the B10 with their win over Rutgers(7-5) and Mich St(8-4) loss to Penn St (7-4). Auburn(7-2) survived Arkansas in OT while UK(7-2) beat Miss St  which moved them into a tie for second in the SEC behind LSU(8-0)

feb 6

In the SEC Florida handled Georgia, while Vandy stunned LSU thanks to a big night from Saban Lee
(33 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST). And SEC cellar dweller Ol Miss got (38 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST ) from Breein Tyreee in an upset of South Carolina. Wake Forest collapsed in the second half against Louisville who outscored them 52-30  for a 86-76 ACC win.Another wacky big 10 final score Purdue 104 Iowa 68. West Virginia stayed in the B12 race with a 76-61 win over Iowa St.

feb 7

Maybe the Pac 12 is filtering out the decent from the mediocre? ASU(5-4) made fourteen treys in a win over UCLA(5-5). Zona(6-3) beat USC(6-4) 85-80. Colorado(7-3) beat Cal(4-5). Utah(4-6) beat Stanford(5-4). Or maybe not? 

feb 8

Big win for the Terps with the D holding Illinois to 24 points in the second half of 75-66 win. Anthony Cowan Jr. MD - G (20 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST)

feb 9

 Sparty loss to Michigan yesterday was great for the Terps. Minnesota fell off the bubble in its loss to Penn St yesterday. Zona's loss to UCLA makes the P12 messier. Auburn looked ragged at the beginning but managed to beat LSU in OT and move in to a three way tie for first place in the SEC with UK and LSU

feb 11

Tre Jones did a great job of  helping Duke overcome a ton of turnovers to beat Florida St 65-60. T. Forrest led FSU with.18 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST. In B12 play Texas Tech crushed TCU and Baylor got by Texas.

feb 12

SEC basement kids are shaking things up. Ol Miss(4-7) beat Miss St(6-5) 83-58 and Mizzou(3-8) gave LSU(9-2) a battle before losing 82-78.

feb 16

Terps blew a big lead then came back behind Cowan in the final two minutes to knock off Sparty. I'm proud they didn't choke. PennSt  beat Northwestern to stay 1GB of the Terps in the B10.
SEC: The basement kids are at it again. Mizzou knocked off Auburn and OL Miss gave UK quite a scare before losing 67-62. Meanwhile Bama stayed on the  bubble  by beating LSU.
 In the B12 Baylor beat WVU and  Kansas handled OK, while Texas Tech was upset by OK St. In the ACC, Louisville  was upset by Clemson while FSU survived Cuse and Duke rolled Notre Dame.
It's getting mighty crowded near the top of the PAC. Colorado(9-4) beat Oregon St, USC (8-5) handled Wash St, UCLA(8-5) beat WASH, and Zona(8-4) beat Stanford. Oregon(8-4) and ASU(7-4) were idle.
feb 19

Why is Ohio St 25. Do conferences records matter?

feb 20

SEC:Georgia(3-10) upset Auburn(9-4) and TAMU(7-6) moved up while knocking Bama(6-7) down the basement steps .Miss St(8-5) edged South Carolina(8-5) which creates more havoc for the Dance Committee.
ACC: NCSt(8-7) upset Duke(12-3) while Louisville(13-3) got back in gear with a manhandling of Cuse(7-8). UVA(10-5) may be off the bubble with a win over BC. 
Texas Tech(17-9, 8-5 Big 12)got a much needed win over KST

feb 21

PAC12: Oregon(9-5) fell out of first in a  77-72 loss to ASU(9-4).Rob Edwards ASU - G(24 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST) had a solid night.Colorado(10-4) edged USC(8-6) to take over first place. Zona(9-4) beat Oregon St and UCLA(9-5) beat Utah.

feb 23

B12: Baylor missed too many free throws and easy shots in a loss to Kansas. The B12 has become a more physical conference and the refs  are allowing it . Texas tech  should be off the bubble while WVU's loss to TCU hurt.
Pac12: Buckle up! Here come the Bruins(10-5) who knocked off first place Colorado(10-5). ASU survive Oreg St to remain  alone in first place.Oregon (10-5) survive Zona.
SEC: TAMU  kept rolling with a win over Miss St. Kentucky and Auburn did enough to survive, respectively, Florida,,and Tenn.

feb 24

 Terps lost to the Buckeyes and Penn St lost to Indiana . Sorry to say that means the B10 may get ten tickets to the Dance.

feb 25

FSU took over first place in the Acc with an impressive come from behind win over Louisville. WVU is on the bubble after back to back B12 losses to TCU and Texas.

feb 27

He!! of a comeback for the Terps last night over Minnesota. The74-73 loss nails the coffin on any Dance tickets for the Gophers(13-14, 7-10 Big10). Rutgers' 65-64 loss to Penn St moved the Knights(18-11, 9-9 Big Ten) closer to the bubble
SEC: FLA spanked LSU. South Carolina survived GA in OT. Big night for Anthony Edwards UGA - G(36 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST)

feb 28

 Good luck to the Dance committee sorting out the Pac 12 tickets. Last night Colorado lost Cal. USC beat Zona. UCLA beat ASU. Oregon beat Oreg St.

mARCH 1

 UCLA beat Zona taking sole possession of first place in the P12 pending the outcome of the Ducks game today. Terps, Duke, FSU, and Baylor lost yesterday, too.

march 3

Baylor pushed Texas Tech(18-12, 9-8 Big 12) closer to the bubble with an OT win and Duke did the same to NC St(18-12, 9-10 ACC) via a potent second half .

March 5

ACC: UVA has been hot but barely beating Miami 43-41 puts their O in doubt again. FSU survived Notre Dame . SEC: Tenn upset UK on Monday, and last night TAMU upset Auburn and Arkansas upset LSU.  Dance committee will have some tough decisions.

March 6

ASU lost to the basement Huskies- it appears the Pac12 T would sort out the Dance tickets. 

March 8

 Oregon took the opening of UCLA's loss to USC and the Pac12 crown with a win over Stanford. Zona and Colorado had bad losses to respectively, Washington and Utah. West Virginia got a big win over Baylor in the B12 and TX got rolled by OK St.

March 21

 Sometimes the one and done guys don't improve their draft value. It's no surprise #AnthonyEdwards is leaving Georgia for the NBA, but I think his season was decent not great, and it may hurt him a little during the draft. In his final three college games, he shot 11-for-55 from the field.

March 29

 Shaka stays: Smart is 90-78 (40-50 Big 12) in five seasons and has led Texas to two Dance appearances. Horns were right on the bubble before Covid short circuited the season.

april 30,  2020

 #DaishenNix became the third high school prospect to agree to enter the G League’s professional pathway program, agreeing to turn pro instead of attending UCLA. It appears the Gatorade group will reduce the number of  one-and-doners.

May1, 2020

 Steve Forbes, the new Wake Forest HC, and Currie, the WF AD, worked together when they were both at Tennessee. ETSU (Southern Conference) replaced Forbes with assistant Jason Shay who will be the interim HC for now.

May 24, 2020

When I saw the news that #EddieSutton , HoF coach , died , I thought about the Terps loss in rd2 of the 1988 Dance to his Kentucky team. That was a great season for Terps Coach #BobWade , a one-time legendary HS coach at Baltimore Dunbar High School, who would be forced out at MD by the end of the 1989 season.

June 2

Jason Terry is returning to Arizona his alma mater as an Asst Coach on Sean Miller's staff. He played on six NBA teams including the Mavs 2011 title team.

June 12

 A 10-year NCAA-mandated disassociation with the USC program ended on June 10 for Reggie Bush and basketball player O.J. Mayo. Both players were subject of a huge probe into USC's athletic programs.

June 27,2020

In his first full recruiting cycle since taking over Arkansas(SEC) in 2019, Musselman signed four freshmen in the nation's No. 7 recruiting class and reeled in Indiana (B10) transfer Justin Smith.

7/4/20

Musselman keeps busy: David Patrick, the HC at UC Riverside(Big West), will be the Razorbacks' new associate head coach. Patrick was a major factor in LSU recruiting Ben Simmons. Highlanders elevated Mike Magpayo to replace Patrick.

7/24/20

#stanleyjohnson , who played for  UConn from 2006-10, was found dead in his home. No cause of death but foul play was ruled out. He was a former Mr Alabama of high school hoops.

03/27/21

I  blog from time to time  about the power conferences, and I'm starting to wonder if Austin is the blues capital for men's football and hoops. Or is Shaka not so Smart? Marquette  hired #ShakaSmart as its new head coach. He's a Wisconsin native and was 109-86 overall at Texas with a 52-56 mark in the Big 12 and no NCAAT victories. The rd1 Dance upset to Abilene Christian. may have been the final straw.

 He replaces Steve Wojciechowski, who may be on DePaul's wish list. He certainly has the Catholic background which includes playing basketball at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Baltimore City, but I'm not sure if he'll recruit  well in the Chicago area.

3/29/21

Heavy LA  flavor in the Elite 8 with USC beating Oregon  and UCLA beating Bama yesterday.

Three of the four teams playing today are former  SWC  schools.. Arkansas plays Baylor and Houston plays Oregon St, which wasn't a SWC member.

3/30/21

One former SWC team, the winner of Hou/BAY, will be in the final.  And, how about this in Hoosierland : They hired former Ohio State coach Thad Matta as an associate AD for basketball to serve in an advisory role to Mike Woodson , IU alum and new HC.  

4/1/21

TX hired Chris Beard(UT class of 95) from Texas Tech to be their new hoops HC, but will owe TT a $4 million buyout payment since he is leaving for another school within the state.It would have been 5m but dropped to $4m today under terms of his contract .

Vic Shaefer, who TX hired away from Miss St, got the Horns gals to the Elite 8, while his replacement, Nikki McCray-Penson in Starkville, had a rough season with a talented Dawgs squad. She's on the hot seat after her first SEC season, and maybe thinking it was nicer at Old Dominion.

Hating the Tar Heels is in my Terp blood, but props to Roy Smith who retired today claiming he was no longer the right man for the job.

4/15/21

Tommy Lloyd, a longtime Gonzaga assistant , takes over the Arizona program, despite former Zona players lobbying for Zona guy which included Gilbert Arenas' silly comment that it's an error to hire an assistant coach to be a head coach.

5/15/21

Pac-12 hires MGM Resorts executive #GeorgeKliavkoff as commissioner to replace Larry Scott as Commish. So there were no other qualified candidates with NCAA resumes? I heard Oliver Luck was in the running.

5/16/21

Gonzaga and UCLA hoops have been working to run back Final Four classic in the 2021/22 regular season, which is a great move.

june 22, 2021

Love this hoops matchup: Colorado will play Tennessee in Nashville on Dec . 4, 2021

Jan 14, 2023

By the skin of his teeth, Kevin Warren avoided hurting the Big 10 by deciding to at least play a shortened football schedule in 2020. Jury remains out on how much acquiring USC and UCLA will help the conference. Now he's off to run the hapless Chicago Bears. I don't think he's the answer for Chi-town.

Friday the 20th football slate

FIU at La Tech- The Panthers were crushed by Tulane and lost to WKU and will lose 22-16 to La Tech. I expect J"Mar  Smith, the Bulldogs QB, to have a good game.
Utah at USC- Doubts that Helton can lead the Trojans back to their glory years are firmly entrenched. Trojans D will wilter against the Utes QB/RB combo of Huntley/Moss. Utah 34 USC 23
AFA at Boise St I'm tempted to roll with Air Force, who had a nice win against Colorado last week, but Bachmeier , the Broncos QB, will do enough for his team to win 26 24.

Sept 21 wrapup- 

 J'Mar Smith was outgunned by Panthers QB James Morgan, but Justin Henderson rushed for 141yards and 3 Tds in LA Tech's 43-31 win.
 Pittman Jr had a hell of a game for USC 10 rec , 232 yards, 1td. Backup QB Fink sparkled of the bench . USC D held Moss to 20 yards rushing in a 30-23 win.
Bachmeier tossed for 263 yards and 2 TDs in a 30-19  Broncos' win over AFA

Friday the 13th Football, Mumme and more

Yesterday morning I scanned the sports TV schedule and focused on the two games involving ACC teams , UNC/Wake Forest and BC/Kansas(B12). It's been five years since the Terps divorce from the ACC went into effect for the 2014/15 marriage with the Big 10, and I still forget from time to time.
Jamie Newman led the Deacons to a 21-0 halftime lead, and they hung on for a 24-18 win over UNC that oddly doesn't count in the ACC standings. They're in different ACC divisions and haven't met since 2015, and many wonder why this long time rivalry hasn't been made a part of the ACC schedule .
Kansas stunned BC 48-24 for its first road win over a Power 5 school in nearly 11 years. Carter Stanley tossed three TD passes for the Jayhawks.
In a game matching Hal Mumme coaching disciples, Leach and Holgorsen, Washington St (pac12) survived 31 -24 over Houston (AAC). #AnthonyGordon threw for 440 yards and three touchdowns for his third straight 400-yard game for WSU. BTW, Hal Mumme was on the sidelines and was interviewed during the TV broadcast.

Sept 15

Big Saturday for the Big 12: TCU over Purdue(B10). KST over Miss St(SEC). WV over NCST(ACC) .
UCF (AAC) rolled Stanford (PAC 12)

Oct 4

It's been a rough time for Mumme's disciples, Holgorsen and Leach, since their Friday the 13 matchup. Holgorsen's star QB King took a healthy redshirt, and Leach called his players sloppy and soft after a 67-65 loss to UCLA.

Jan 14, 2020

 King graduated in Dec and entered the transfer portal yesterday. Leach is now in charge at Miss St

Jan 21

West Virginia RB #MartellPettaway opts for grad transfer to #MTSU (CUSA) In 2019 he rushed 19 times for 72 yards and two touchdowns. When he played for Holgorsen in 2018, he rushed for 623 yards, six touchdowns. 
King leaves Houston for Miami U

jan 22

Hawai'i hires Todd Graham ,ex-ARIZ St  HC (2011-17 ), to be HC.  He started his coaching career on Rich Rodriguez's staff at West Virginia as linebackers coach in 2001

april 5

Times have changed  #mikeleach, Miss St football coach tweeted about a woman knitting her husband a hanging rope during the quarantine got slapped by the PC internet cops. In 1992 #jackiesherill, then the Mississippi St coach, allowed a bull to be castrated in front of his team  and got less flack. 

april 19, 2020

  I saw this headline : Miami's D'Eriq King is poised to have a Joe Burrow-like impact for the Miami Hurricanes in 2020 and laughed. He!!, If the Canes average two TDs a game on O, that would be an improvement.

MAY 10, 2020

I was looking around at transfer news and saw Tyler Carr, TE from Texas Tech,  was headed to Hawaii and his OC would be GJ Kinne who was a low level asst on the Eagles(NFL) staff last season. When I read more of Kinne's bio , I learned that he was once put into protective custody when his father , who was also his high school football coach was shot in the chest by the disgruntled parent of one of the team's players at Canton HS in Mesquite,TX.

June 4, 2020

RIP Johnny Majors who had 185-137-10 lifetime record at three stops : Iowa St, Pitt, and Tenn. He ended his career in 2007 as Asst AD at Pitt. He led Iowa St (Big Eight) to its first   bowl game, the Sun Bowl in 1971, in which they were crushed by LSU 33-15.

Jackie Sherill replaced Majors at Pitt in 1977.

June 5, 2020

Marinos's statistics dipped during his senior year, which saw Pitt transition from head coach Jackie Sherrill to new coach Foge Fazio. Sherill took the Texas A&M job in 1982.

June 29, 2020

 I found this while reading an article on Rolovich , who left Hawaii(MWC) for Wazzoo. Hawaii's athletic budget of 46M is smaller than East Carolina (AAC), UMass(Independent) and James Madison (1AA)

June 24, 2021

Mumme just took a job in a developmental football league called “The Spring League” . Don't know WTH that is!!!!!!

March 1, 2022

Art Briles, who lasted four days at Grambling after Hue Jackson hired him.   S. Miss considered hiring Briles as an asst in 2019. Shawn Oakman, one of the Baylor players involved in that mess, was eventually exonerated. One a side issue, I noticed Mumme is a Tarleton St grad, and wonder if he chats with Gillepsie, their hoops HC.

May 3, 2022

D'eriq King jumped from the Houston Cougars to the Miami Canes in 2020 looking for an eventual big NFL  payday. Pats signed him as a UFA.

Dec 12, 2022

Mike Leach, the Miss St HC, is in the hospital and reports are that he's been fighting pneumonia for months. Zach Arnett, the Dawgs DC, is running the team heading into the bowl matchup against Illinois

Going out West for some hoops---why?

 #PAC12 hasn't received much respect this season and after watching parts of UW's ,the top team in the league with an 11-1 record, narrow win over a pesky WSU (3-9) squad, I get it. Utah(8-5) looked  as if it was ready for a good run , but they lost to ASU(8-5). Stephen Thompson Jr. had 22 points and Oregon State (8-4) swept the Civil War series against Oregon(6-6). UCLA(6-7), who may be worse since firing Coach Alford, was blown out by Stanford(7-6) 104-80. USC (7-6) beat Cal(0-13). Maybe four teams  , UW, , OSU,ASU, and UTAH get Dance tickets.
In the WCC, Gonzaga(12-0) is gong Dancing regardless of how they do in the conference tournament #byu (18-10, 10-3), who defeated Loyola-Marymount yesterday, may be in line for an at large ticket, but they haven't fared well against big name OOc teams with losses to Houston and Miss St, but they beat intra-state rival Utah. San Francisco and St Mary's have to win the WCCT for a dance ticket.

feb 18

Tough times in the desert:  Colorado (16-9, 7-6 Pac-12) sends Arizona (14-12, 5-8 Pac-12) to its 7th straight loss, 67-60.

feb 21

Then Colorado(7-7) turned around and lost to WSU(4-9) 76-74. Utah(8-6) scored only 18 points in the second half of a 62-45 loss to UW(12-1). ASU(9-5) got 16 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST from Rob edwards in a 80-62 win over Stanford (7-7)

feb22

Is it Pac 12 parity or mediocrity? UCLA(7-7) edged Oregon St(8-5), USC(8-6) blew out OU Ducks(6-7), and Zona(6-8) kept Cali winless in P12 play. Top 3 remains at UW, ASU, and Oregon St.
In the WCC Zaga rolled Pepperdine.  BYU(10-4) lost to San Fran (9-4). St Mary's (9-4)  won while holding Pacific(3-10) to 32 points.San Diego(6-7) kept Portland winless in WCC play

feb 24

 Matisse Thybulle had 17 points, six steals and five blocked shots  for UW(13-1) in its win over Colorado(7-8). Beavers (9-5)  beat the Trojans. Utah (9-6) beat WSU, and UCLA beat Oregon.
In the WCC BYU's 34 point lost to Zaga probably means they need to win the WCCT to get an at large ticket . St Mary's beat San Diego to  move to 10-4 in WCC play while  San Fran fell to 9-5 with a loss to Santa Clara.

march 1

This can't help the Pac 12 get more dance tickets.  Darius McNeill scored 19 points and Connor Vanover had 18 to help the California(1-15) snap a 23-game losing streak in Pac-12  play by beating No. 25 (overall) Washington(13-2) 76-73 on Thursday night. Oregon St (9-6) lost at the buzzer to Zona(8-8)  while ASU (10-6) lost 79-51 to Oregon (7-8). That's a rough night for the top 3 Pac12 teams. UCLA (9-7) beat USC(8-8) and Stanfords (8-8) crushed WSU(4-11)
IN the WCC the Zags beat Pacific while Saint Mary's(20-10, 11-4 WCC)kept it's thin Dance chances alive with a 65-48 win over Portland

march 3

Jordan Ford had decent numbers for St Mary's, 19 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, but the Gaels wilted in the secod half of a 69-55 WCC loss to Gonzaga.  More goofiness from the P12 .Cali beat WSU for it's second win in a row. Zona follow up a solid win over Oreg. St with a 73-47 loss to Oregon , while Utah's descent continued with a 71-63 loss to Colorado. What a mess after UW (13-2).  see blog

Arizona State	10-6		19-9
Oregon State	9-6		17-10
UCLA	9-7		16-13
Utah	9-7		15-13
Colorado	8-8		17-11
Oregon	8-8		17-12
Stanford	8-8		15-13
USC	8-8		15-14
Arizona

Vegas to Diamondhead- those players' first names

I was scanning the 12/23/18 scores of the smaller hoop conferences  and the names JoJo, Fatts, Amauri, Zigmars, and Lamine  leapt off the page.
Jo Jo Zamora scored 28  for N.Mex St  (WAC) in a win over Wash St (Pac12). Of course, I remember Jo Jo White, of Kansas then the Celtics.
Fatts Russell scored 20 for Rhode Island (A10) in a win over Charlotte (CUSA).
Amauri Hardy scored 22  for UNLV (MWC) in its loss to Indiana St(MVC)

Zigmars Raimo (14 PTS, 17 REB, 3 AST) in Hawaii's (Big West) win over Colorado (pac 12) 

Lamine Diane (24 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST ) for CSU Northridge (Big West) in a narrow win over Rider(MAAC)

April 20

Making the transition to  college baseball players' interesting first names.

Alsander Womack

Norfolk St. batting

.463.

Easton Walker has a .82 ERA for BYU.

 Adley Rutschman batting  .420 for Oregon St.  Equon Smith has 32 SB for Jackson St.
Andru Summerall (FAU) scored 29 runs

may 7, 2019

I guess this first name isn't too rare.  #davonJones, a BC  RUNNING BACK grad transfer, will be reunited with former Boston College assistant coach Scot Loeffler, who is now the head coach of Bowling Green (MAC).

may 26,2019

 The spelling of  #CodiePaiva,  Loyola Marymount pitcher (7-5, 1.71 ERA), first name is different. BTW, LMU won the WCC tournament.

june 19

Try learning how to spell this first name as a kid:  Kent St defensive back #QwuantrezzKnight will appeal the NCAA's denial of his waiver request for immediate eligibility, which he says is based on depression he developed while playing at MD.

July 13

 #Tyree Appleby 's name has some commercial potential ,  but he was the Cleveland St (Horizon) best basketball player, and his transfer request may have played a role in yesterday's dismissal of head coach #DennisFelton and his staff in the middle of the only July live period. Felton's resume includes HC stints at #wku and #uga .

aug 20

 Wisconsin football reinstates WR Quintez Cephus after being acquitted on two counts of sexual assault.
 aug 26:  Cephus is practicing and listed behind Pryor on the WR depth chart.
sept 2: Cephus had three catches for 39 yards in a Wisky blowout  49-0 win over USF . Bigger question is USF HC Charley Strong  headed for the exit?
sept 24:  Healthy Houston QB D’Eriq King is going to use the red shirt rule to eventually grad transfer elsewhere in 2020.  Self absorption reaches a new high

May 3 , 2020 

I omitted #pookawilliams, RB for Kansas, in my list. He'll be back for his junior year this season.  He's first Kansas U football player since Gale Sayers in 1963 to reach 2,000 career rushing yards in his first two seasons. BTW, Kansas is renewing a Big 8/ big 12 border war in 2025 with Missouri who left for the SEC in 2011.

August 18, 2020

Jahmi'us Ramsey, a Texas Tech freshman hoopster is expected to be a rd1 pick in the NBA draft. The spelling of his name has me wondering if the clerk hit the ' in error while typing his birth certificate.

Jan 10, 2021

Sometimes checking out these rare first names keeps me in the loop. I caught some action on the Red Zone and noticed that #QuintezCephus saw a lot of action in final four games for the Detroit Lions.

May 8, 2021

#JakubDombek and his Hartford U teammates can't be happy with this. Their reward for winning  the school's first America East championship and first Dance ticket is to learn its dropping all sports  from Division I to Division III. Consultants claim the move will save 9M.

May 9, 2021

Cashius McNeilly, a Texas A&M point guard and a native of Scarborough, Ontario , transferred  to TCU . Maybe he'll change the spelling to $$$$ius to take advantage of  the coming laws that allow college athletes to make money from their name, image, and likeness rights.

May 11, 2021

BTW, Pooka Williams was signed as a FA by the Bengals 

May 27, 2021

"It's the lack of respect for the area that bothers me," Hartford U hoops Coach Gallagher said. "It's the '(Hartford) Whalers Syndrome.'

Aug 9, 2022

Checking back in! Pooka Williams, spent most of last season on the Bengals training squad and played one game in December at kick returner. He's been a returner during 2022 Bengals training camp.

Sept 9, 2022

Some tough games to pick among teams with a long matchup histories took me another odd first name. Jirehl Brock, RB for Iowa St. Iowa/Iowa St and Kansas St /Missouri are some tough games to predict this weekend.

Dec 29, 2022

Jalon Daniels was back for the Jayhawks who nearly completed a huge comeback against Arkansas but fell 55-53 in OT. Texas Tech spanked Ol Miss last night. I was hoping for a 2-0 Big 12 night.

Circling back to the original blog topic, I noticed Pooka Williams only lasted a season with the Bengals and is now in the XFL.

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