IUPUI

IUPUI's Ron Hunter: Head Coach Q&A

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:43:25 -0700

College Basketball's Best Coaches

CollegeHoops.net is lucky to have access to some of the best coaches in college basketball. As part of our preseason interview series, we thought it would be appropriate to ask these basketball minds about the best things that their team and college basketball has to offer.

Ron Hunter: IUPUI

We continue this month long Q&A Series with 16th year coach Ron Hunter, the man who transformed IUPUI from fan NAIA program to one of the best in the Summit League. Coach Hunter was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer questions for CollegeHoops.net:

CollegeHoops.net) What will be the best strength of this year's team?

Ron Hunter) I think we’re deeper and more athletic top to bottom, than in the past. We had a really good recruiting class come in. Robert Glenn and Alex Young have the chance to be special players in our program. Plus, we had a pretty good nucleus coming back. Not many players shoot it better than Gary Patterson and Jon Avery and Billy Pettiford had really good sophomore years last year.

CollegeHoops.net) Any major weaknesses that worries you?

RH) It’s going to take some time for us to come together. We’re not trying to replace George Hill with just one player. Someone’s going to have to step up and help replace his scoring. Someone else might have to step up and replace his rebounding. It’s going to take a team effort.

CHN) Who is the biggest leader on this year's squad?

RH) It’s got to be (senior guard) Gary Patterson. He’s our only senior and he’s got that ‘been there, done that’ attitude. He’s a tough young man. He doesn’t say a whole lot, but when he does talk, the guys listen.

CHN) What's the best change you've made in your coaching style in recent seasons?

RH) I think I’m more laid back. With some of the work we’ve done with Samaritan’s Feet the past year, it’s really put things in perspective. At least, I’m trying to be more laid back

CHN) If everything goes according to plan, what's the best case scenario this season?

RH)

At the end, we’ve had another 20 win season and are in the NCAA Tournament. That’s our goal.

CHN) Tie score, with just a few seconds left … who will be your go-to guy in those situations?

RH) Obviously, in the past, we’ve looked to George Hill. Now, I have a lot of confidence in a lot of our guys. Gary Patterson isn’t afraid to step up and take the big shot. He’s a gamer.

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State of '08: Indiana

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:33:31 -0700

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: Indiana. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

INDIANA

INDIANA - Considering all the turmoil this program has gone through, Indiana's still topped ND in the RPI for 9 of the last 10 seasons. While Indiana will surely struggle this year, and probably next as well, you still have to figure in time the Hoosiers will regain their place on top of the state's basketball pyramid.

NOTRE DAME - From 1991 to 2000, ND missed the NCAA Tournament every season. But in Mike Brey's eight seasons, the Irish have reached the holy land 5 times. This year, expectations are as high as ever, and a Top 10 ranking is not out of the question.

BUTLER - Who has been the top team in Indiana over the last two seasons? Butler, according to the computer rankings. Brad Stevens picked up where Todd Lickliter left off and led the Bulldogs to an amazing 30-4 overall record. In the last 12 years, Butler has made 7 NCAA Tournaments and 3 NITs. In fact, they've had more Tourney wins recently than ND. But I give the Irish the edge for more consistent success, being in a better conference, and because they'll probably outperform Butler in the next two seasons.

PURDUE - Despite getting tons of hype last season, Purdue probably wasn't as good as many think. They mostly beat up on weak Big Ten teams and poor non-conference opponents. But the program is obviously going in the right direction, and a more legit Top 20 finish is likely this season. Still, the Boilers haven't topped ND in the RPI since the turn of the century, and haven't surpassed Indiana since 2003.

VALPARAISO - From 1996 to 2004, Valpo made the Big Dance an amazing 7 out of 8 tries. The last four seasons have been a bit more pedestrian as the program has made the move to the bigger Horizon League. But the Crusaders still knocked off 5 Top 100 teams last year, and should once again make the postseason in 2009 (NIT or CBI).

6. IUPUI - Ron Hunter continues to do a great job in Indianapolis. Since 2003, the same year IUPUI shocked many by making the Big Dance, the Jaguars have consistently finished in the upper half of the Summit League. Without George Hill, their might be a bit of slippage in 08-09, but I still expect an RPI better than 175 or so.

7. INDIANA STATE - In 2000 & 2001, Indiana State was one of the country's darling mid-majors, making the tourney in back to back to seasons, and upsetting 4-seed Oklahoma in 01. But the program has run into some lean seasons, and there hasn't been a .500 or better finish since then. But beginning in 2003, the Sycamores' RPI has improved every year (from 260 to 128), a trend which could very well continue in 2009.

8. EVANSVILLE - The Purple Aces are in the bit of a slump, and Marty Simmons has a lot of work picking up the pieces left by Steve Merfeld. Evansville hasn't reached the .500 mark in MVC play since 2001, and almost certainly won't accomplish that feat in 2009. At least they managed to beat Ball State on the road early last year.

9. BALL STATE - In the 80's and 90's, and really up until 2004 or so, Ball State was a consistently solid program that was always competitive in the MAC. But somewhere along the way, the bottom has fallen off, and the Cardinals haven't even won 10 games in the last four campaigns. Another sub-200 RPI should be expected in 08-09.

10. IPFW - Relatively new to D1 (2004), IPFW has shown signs of improvement every year. Officially joining the Summit League was a big step last year, and finishing 9-9 in conference play was a pleasant surprise.

Last: Georgia - Next: Indiana

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list)

IUPUI Basketball Schedule: 2008-09

Press Release — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:28:25 -0700

INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced its men’s basketball schedule for the upcoming 2008-09 season, featuring opponents from the Big Ten, Pac-10, BIG EAST and Atlantic-10 Conferences. In addition, the Jaguars will host two non-conference games at downtown Conseco Fieldhouse and take part in the 2008 Coaches vs. Cancer 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in Carbondale, Ill..

“This is the most difficult schedule we’ve put together since I’ve been here,” IUPUI Head Coach Ron Hunter said. “It’s in our best interest to test our guys early to get them prepared for Summit League play.

“Plus, we’re really excited to get to play two games at Conseco Fieldhouse. It’s a big step for our basketball program and allows us to showcase our program on a bigger stage.”

The Jaguars’, coming off a school record 26 wins a year ago, will open the 2008-09 season as part of the Southern Illinois regional of the 2008 Coaches vs. Cancer field on Nov. 11-12. From there, Hunter’s squad will take on Indiana (11/18) leading up to the home opener on Nov. 22 vs. IU-East.

IUPUI’s two Conseco opponents will be Eastern Illinois (11/25) and Indiana State (12/23). Other notable non-conference games include trips to Seton Hall (12/20) and UMass (12/27), which finished as the NIT runner-up last season. IUPUI has also been invited to take part in the Desert Classic in Phoenix, Ariz. on Dec. 14. That day, Hunter’s squad will play Arizona State in the opener and Gonzaga will play Arizona in the nightcap.

Summit League play begins against Western Illinois on Dec. 6 in The Jungle. The Jags host reigning conference champ Oral Roberts on Jan. 15 and will celebrate Senior Night on Feb. 21 against Oakland.

With the loss of last year’s Summit League Player of the Year George Hill to the NBA Draft, senior guard Gary Patterson (East Chicago, Ind./Bishop Noll) will be IUPUI’s top returning scorer at 12.9 points per game. The 5-foot-10 guard hit 93 threes last season at a nearly 45 percent clip.

Juniors Jon Avery (Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Senior/Harmony Prep) and Billy Pettiford (Marion, Ind./Marion) remain important cogs in a beefed up front line this season. Avery was among The Summit League’s top reserves last season, averaging 10.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 63.1 percent from the field. Pettiford netted 8.5 points per game and ranked second on the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg), assists (2.8 apg) and steals (1.27 spg).

Hunter also inked one of the program’s best recruiting classes in recent memory by signing a pair of Indiana All-Stars, a Kentucky All-Star and some JUCO big men. Junior Robert Glenn (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis/Wabash Valley J.C.) brings additional athleticism to the frontcourt and last year’s City Player of the Year Alex Young (Indianapolis, Ind./Northwest) could make an immediate impact with his inside/outside combo skills.

In the backcourt, rookie Larry Stone (Indianapolis, Ind./T.C. Howe) was one of the state’s top playmakers a year ago, ranking second in the IHSAA with 8.0 assists per game.

“Top to bottom, we’ve got a really, really talented team,” Hunter said. “We don’t have that George Hill player that can take over games, but I think one through twelve, we’re really deep. We can come at you a lot of different ways.”

IUPUI’s complete 2008-09 schedule is listed below:

Date Opponent Site Time

Nov. 6 # Univ. of Indianapolis THE JUNGLE 7:00 p.m.

Nov. 11 Coaches vs. Cancer Carbondale, Ill. tba

Nov. 12 Coaches vs. Cancer Carbondale, Ill. tba

Nov. 18 at Indiana Bloomington, Ind. tba

Nov. 20 Coaches vs. Cancer Finals New York, NY tba

Nov. 21 Coaches vs. Cancer Finals New York, NY tba

Nov. 22 IU East THE JUNGLE 7:00 p.m.

Nov. 25 Eastern Illinois CONSECO FIELDHOUSE 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29 at Western Michigan Kalamazoo, Mich. 7:00 p.m.

Dec. 2 IU South Bend THE JUNGLE 7:00 p.m.

Dec. 6 *Western Illinois THE JUNGLE 7:00 p.m.

Dec. 14 vs. Arizona State (Desert Classic) Phoenix, Ariz. tba

Dec. 20 at Seton Hall Newark, NJ tba

Dec. 23 Indiana State CONSECO FIELDHOUSE 1:00 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Massachusetts Amherst, Mass. 4:00 p.m.

Dec. 31 *UMKC THE JUNGLE tba

Jan. 2 *Southern Utah THE JUNGLE tba

Jan. 8 *at North Dakota State Fargo, ND tba

Jan. 10 *at South Dakota State Brookings, SD tba

Jan. 15 *Oral Roberts THE JUNGLE 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 17 *Centenary THE JUNGLE 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 22 *at Oakland Rochester, Mich. tba

Jan. 24 *at IPFW Fort Wayne, Ind. 4:00 p.m.

Jan. 29 *at Southern Utah Cedar City, Utah 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 31 *at UMKC Kansas City, Mo. 7:05 p.m.

Feb. 5 *South Dakota State THE JUNGLE 7:00 p.m.

Feb. 7 *North Dakota State THE JUNGLE 7:00 p.m.

Feb. 12 *at Centenary Shreveport, La. tba

Feb. 14 *at Oral Roberts Tulsa, Okla. 7:05 p.m.

Feb. 19 *IPFW THE JUNGLE 7:00 p.m.

Feb. 21 *Oakland (Senior Night) THE JUNGLE 7:00 p.m.

Feb. 28 *at Western Illinois Macomb, Ill. tba

Mar. 7-10 Summit League Tournament Sioux Falls, SD tbd

# - denotes exhibition game

* - denotes Summit League game

home games listed in bold

George Hill: NBA Draft Profile

Jeff Fox — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:34:44 -0700

George Hill

College: IUPUI

Class: Junior

Position: PG/SG

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 180lbs

Accolades: Second Team Mid-Major All-American – CHN (08), Summit League Player of the Year (08), First Team All-Summit League (08), Honorable Mention All-American – AP (08), Summit League All-Tournament Team (08), First Team All-Mid-Continent Conference (06), Mid-Continent Conference All-Tournament Team (06), Mid-Continent Conference All-Newcomer Team (05).

Scouting Report: An explosive combo guard from a small conference.

Strengths: Very solid frame. Good shooting stroke. Great leaper – finishes above the rim. Good at driving and dishing. Huge wingspan (6’9”) – largest in pre-draft camp for point guards. Extremely quick. Has been praised as being a poised player. Three-point range on his jumper. Can hit shots with defenders in his face. Great free-throw shooter. Great rebounder for a guard. Very accurate shooter – shot over 50% each year in college.

Weaknesses: Played in a small conference. Is already 22-years-old. May be a “combo” guard – not a true point guard, too small for the two-guard spot. Not real experienced – only played five games his sophomore year due to an injury. Needs to improve his assist to turnover ratio. Can be foul-prone.

Projected 2008 Draft Range: Early to late second round pick.

Consensus: You don’t often see an early entry prospect from a league the size of the Summit. If Hill continues to improve his point guard skills he might be a second round steal.

Stats: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=22778

CHN's Six-Star Ranking System

= Superstar/All-NBA Potential

= Potential NBA All-Star

= Consistent NBA Starter

= 6th Man/Fringe Starter

= Career Reserve

= Fringe NBA Player/12th Man

0 stars = Life in the Minor Leagues

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NBA Draft: Nothing Wrong With Testing the Waters

Jason Brubaker — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:57:53 -0700

Nothing wrong with testing the waters..

With the deadline for underclassmen to pull out of the 2008 NBA Draft now passed, it’s time to look at who used, and who was used, by the system, The rule that allows players to “test the waters” has come under fire from some analysts in recent weeks, as players with no business declaring for the Draft have left college coaches and fan bases anxiously awaiting their final decisions.

ESPN’s Jay Bilas even wrote that the “testing the waters” rule needs to be eliminated, feeling that all of the kids who declare do so with the intention of staying in the draft, only returning to school if they were forced to. While I can’t necessarily disagree with that, it’s hard for me to say that the system isn’t working.

To illustrate that, simply look at the list of players returning for another year of school. North Carolina has to be considered the early title favorite, with Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson and Danny Green all pulling out and returning to Chapel Hill for another season. Now, maybe all of them would have preferred to stay in the Draft, but now they return to school, knowing what they need to work on and where they need to show improvement for the 2009 draft. Where’s the harm in that?

Likewise, Arizona guard Chase Budinger declared for the draft, wasn’t able to get a good read on his stock, and decided to return for his junior season. How this does anything but help him is a mystery to me.

I understand the anxiousness caused by players declaring early, both amongst coaches and fans. North Carolina would have had a drastically different look if their terrific trio elected to stay in the draft, likely having to rely on incoming freshmen to carry a large load. Now, Coach Roy Williams knows he has an experienced, veteran group who enter the season sporting a large target. Not knowing who will be on the team in the fall can drastically alter a coach’s summer plans, be it on the recruiting path or even just in the gym, working out players.

But the rule also allows players to get honest feedback on their Draft status, adding another layer of protection to a high-risk process. Players now can declare, see where they stand, and return to school, having gained a knowledge of the process and an understanding of what they need to work on. If they were simply “in or out”, as some analysts would prefer, more and more players would be sure to slip through the cracks, becoming cautionary tales for future generations, following in the tradition of players like Omar Cook and Joe Forte. The draft is a risky endeavor for all parties, and any way to reduce that risk should be encouraged.

The system also is great for players at lower-profile schools, such as Lester Hudson at UT-Martin. A terrific scorer, Hudson was able to test his skills against a higher caliber of players than he faced during the season, giving him a better feel for his own skill set. Although he showed some potential, the process exposed holes in his game that he might never otherwise have found, and he returns to school a better player because of it. His name is also going to be on scouts’ radar all year now, and he has a chance to be a first-round pick in 2009.

I understand the process now encourages players who have no business declaring to give it a shot, hoping to catch fire in a couple workouts and convince a team to take a shot (i.e. Ronald Steele). But if the thought behind wanting to eliminate the rule is wanting to eliminate bad decisions…well that’s just not going to happen. Today’s players have too many friends, family members, runners, etc. whispering in their ears, telling them how good they are, and sad as it may be, that’s not changing anytime soon.

But as it stands now, kids are allowed to make a poor choice, and then reverse it. Today’s players can use the system to their advantage, and many of them did this year. There will always be poor decisions made by players who overestimate their own skill set – that’s not going to change no matter how many rules are put in place. IUPUI’s George Hill and USC’s Davon Jefferson, in my opinion, made poor choices staying in the draft, as neither will likely be a first rounder. But for guys like Hudson, Steele, the UNC trio, Budinger, Jeremy Pargo, Lee Cummard, Robert Dozier…the system worked great, and they will be better players because of it.

IUPUI's Hill to Skip Senior Season: Hires Agent

Press Release — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:58:00 -0700

INDIANAPOLIS - IUPUI basketball standout George Hill (Indianapolis, Ind./Broad Ripple) has opted to hire an agent and forego his senior year to remain in the 2008 NBA Draft. The reigning Summit League Player of the Year had until Monday to reach a decision.

"I’m excited," Hill said. "It’s been my dream to play in the NBA and this takes me one step closer to making that dream a reality."

Hill performed well at the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando and has had stellar individual workouts with various NBA teams since then. He is projected as a second round pick by numerous publications.

This past season, Hill averaged 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game on his way to Honorable Mention All-America honors. The 6-foot-2 guard shot 54.5 percent from the floor and a team-high 45 percent from three-point range, helping the Jaguars to a school record 26 wins. Defensively, he led IUPUI with 57 steals and averaged just under 37 minutes a night.

He led The Summit in double-doubles (9) and was a four-time conference Player of the Week in 2007-08. After earning a spot on the league’s All-Newcomer Team as a freshman, he was a two-time First Team All-Conference pick as a sophomore and junior.

"We’re definitely excited for George," IUPUI Head Coach Ron Hunter said. "Selfishly, I would have loved to see him come back to school next season, but I’m behind him 100 percent. He and I have talked about him playing in the NBA for a long time, and now it’s going to happen for him.

"I have no doubt in my mind that he’s going to have a long, long, successful NBA career."

Hill concludes his IUPUI career with 1,619 points, ranking fifth on the program’s all-time list. In addition, he ranks among IUPUI’s top 10 all-time in rebounds, assists and steals.

Today's Top Game Predictions: IUPUI vs Oral Roberts

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:38:34 -0700

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

IUPUI (26-6) at Oral Roberts (23-8)

7:00 PM ESPN

I've been struggling to pick conference finals games so far.. so take what I say with a grain of salt. Oral Roberts has been the team to beat in the Summit League for a few years.. and is impressively back in the title game despite key graduations over the summer. Though they don't have a star like IUPUI's George Hill (who dominated the semis), they do have a solid cast of supporting players. Both teams split their regular-season series (the games were very close), and tonight's match should be extremely close and heated. But the game is in Tulsa.. and as we saw last night with Siena and San Diego, home-court advantage is a big deal.

Prediction: Oral Roberts

MTSU (17-14) at Western Kentucky (26-6)

7:00 PM ESPN2

The real interesting aspect of the Sun Belt tournament, whether someone could knock off South Alabama to make this a two-bid league, has already occurred. MTSU beat the Jaguars for the 2nd time this season to advance to the title game in Mobile. Western Kentucky is a bubble team of sorts.. but a flimsy one that hasn't beaten a team better than 96th in the RPI all year. In fact, WKU's wins over MTSU are right there as their best wins all season.

Prediction: Western Kentucky

Cleveland State (21-11) at #10 Butler (28-3)

9:00 PM ESPN

Butler is a heavy 10-point favorite in the Horizon Championship.. thanks to name recognition and home-court advantage. But the Vikings beat Butler earlier in the year, and only lost by 5 when they met in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs are too good to lose this game.. but CSU against the big spread is intriguing.

Prediction: Butler

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 88-53)

March 10th - Gonzaga at San Diego (1-2)

March 9th - Florida at Kentucky (1-2)

March 8th - UNC at Duke (2-1)

March 5th - Tennessee at Florida (2-1)

March 4th - UNLV at New Mexico (3-0)

March 3rd - Texas Tech at Kansas (3-0)

March 2nd - Clemson at Maryland (1-2)

Championship Week: Stars of the Day

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:06:53 -0700

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

Kevin Kanaskie - MTSU

The junior scored a season-high 23 points in an upset win over South Alabama that shakes up the Big Dance

George Hill - IUPUI

Lit it up like always with 32 points and 13 boards as IUPUI advances to the Summit League title game

Robert Jarvis - Oral Roberts

Scored 17 of his 19 in the 2nd half as the Golden Eagles rebounded from a slow start to beat IPFW

Other Top Performers

De'Jon Jackson - San Diego - In the Toreros WCC Championship victory, Jackson had 16 & 8 and made big 2nd half plays

Will Thomas - George Mason - The Patriots advanced to the CAA title game behind 18 & 13 from Thomas

Previous Stars of the Day

March 9th - Brandon Johnson, San Diego

March 5th - Marquis Weddle, UTM

March 4th - Joe Alexander, WVU

March 3rd - Kevin Love, UCLA

March 2nd - Tyrese Rice, BC

Three Stars of the Day: Budinger, Harangody, Patterson

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:15:05 -0800

Three Stars of The Day

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

Chase Budinger - Arizona

Finished with 29 points and 8 boards, and hit big threes in the 2nd half that helped Arizona beat Pac-10 rival USC

Luke Harangody - Notre Dame

A regular member of this list, the sophomore set a high with 31 points and added 14 boards in an OT win over Providence

Gary Patterson - IUPUI

Usually just a 10 ppg guy, out of nowhere Patterson scored 37 points in a win over Southern Utah

Other Top Performers

Ryan Anderson - California - Could easily have been #1 on a different night, as his 27 & 9 pushed Cal over Washington State

Wes Channels - Austin Peay - Finished with 29 points, and hit big threes and big free throws down the stretch in an OT victory

Brook Lopez - Stanford - Numbers-wise, this was his best ever game.. with 31 points, 18 rebounds, and 3 blocks

Previous Stars of the Day

January 29th - Beasley/Walker, Kansas State

January 28th - Chris Godzinski, Wofford

January 27th - DeMarcus Nelson, Duke

January 26th - Hackett/Lewis/Mayo, USC

January 24th - Jerryd Bayless, Arizona

January 22nd - Patrick Patterson, Kentucky

January 21st - DJ Augustin, Texas

January 20th - Dezmon Harris, Weber State

January 19th - James Gist, Maryland

January 18th - Abbott/Harden, Arizona State

January 17th - Dionte Christmas, Temple

January 14th - Roy Hibbert, Georgetown

January 11th - Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin

January 9th - DJ White, Indiana

January 8th - Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin

January 7th - Wayne Ellington, UNC

January 6th - Shan Foster, Vanderbilt

January 5th - Damon Huffman, Brown

January 4th - Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

January 3rd - Damon Huffman, Brown

January 2nd - Martin Zeno, Texas Tech

November/December Star of the Day Archive

Picture of the Day: Ron Hunter

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:11:48 -0800

Picture of the Day

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we now have access to thousands of great college basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, CHN will feature a Picture of the Day, which might include a newsworthy, funny, or simply interesting subject. At the bottom will be a caption or headline that might be informative or amusing. The possibilities are endless!

Ron Hunter

A good day's work done by IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter who went shoeless in a Summit League game against Oakland. Hunter went barefoot to further his campaign to collect shoes for children in Africa. By game night, Hunter had collected an amazing 110,000 pairs of shoes from a mix of corporate and individual donors. Hunter, as well as some of his current & former players will head to Africa this summer to distribute the footwear.

- Check out recent Pictures of the Day!