Half Court Crap

The familiar sound of brackets busting fill the air, April is finally here. The 2009 NCAA tournament is finally coming to an close. Tomorrow night, Michigan State will take on North Carolina for the NCAA championship. Roy Williams and his baby blue brigade will attempt to irritate the area of Detroit. UNC will be viewed as the "heels" tomorrow as the clock strikes precisely 9:21.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo is notorious for his tough and gritty teams, which are easily identifiable for the blue collar town of Detriot. Michigan State has battled all season long to overcome obstacles and find an identity. Izzo tinkered with his rotation all year long and finally has found the right mix.

Prediction: The Spartans bring a much needed sense of euphoria to a city which is down on its luck.

Billy Gillespie was a dead man walking. After Kentucky’s NIT loss this week, they wasted little time in making a decision. Gillespie was out after two seasons, failing to make the NCAA tournament in the latter. The Kentucky faithful were uneasy about their second half collapse. But, there could be glory days ahead for the Wildcats.

John Calipari, current head coach at Memphis, has been in discussion with Kentucky their head coaching vacancy. Calipari is thought of as one of the top coaches in all of the land, reaching the elite 8 five times. He is one of only four coaches in NCAA Division I history to direct two different schools to a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament; Roy Williams, Bill Self and Rick Pitino are the only others in this elite class.

The pairing of Calipari and Kentucky seems like a great partnership. Calipari has been a winner at UMass and Memphis, not exactly powers before or after he left. The combination of Calipari's coaching ability and the draw of Kentucky could spell trouble for the rest of college hoops. Will the deal ultimately get done? I think it will, so watch out NC Two A...

Jay Wright has once again led the Villanova Wildcats to the Sweet 16. Villanova's defense smothered Duke, holding them to a dismal 26.7% shooting. Gerald Henderson, typically a very efficient and effective player shot 1-14, John Scheyer, Duke's best long range shooter, shot 4-13. Duke jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, but Nova stormed back scoring the next 11 points and never looked back.

Villanova is set to face their Big East rival Pittsburgh Panthers in the Elite 8 tomorrow. This game will not be one for the faint of heart. Elbows will be thrown, blood may be shed and there may be a few "Ya Mama's so fat ______" jokes. But, for those who love tough defense and physical play, make sure you tune in tomorrow night.

The biggest upset of the tournament just flew on by. The 11th seeded Dayton Flyers defeated the 6th seeded West Virginia Mountaineers. Dayton was shown the way by sophomore forward Chris Wright. Wright led all scorers with 27 points. West Virginia trailed the entire game and made it close towards the end. But, Dayton's defense was too much for Huggie Bear's squad to overcome.

West Virginia shot only 36.7% from the field and 26.3% from long distance. They were unable to convert on multiple opportunities down the stretch and it killed them. The victory over Bob Huggins is extra sweet for Dayton. Huggins owned Dayton for many years while he was the coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats. Now the Flyers are riding high and will face the defending champion Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday. Don't count out the Flyers in this one...

In an effort to curb the most overused and played out term come March, here at HCC, we have devised a new nickname for "Cinderella". As many of you may know, Rip Van Winkle is most famous for falling asleep for 20 years in the Catskills. Rip awakens to a different world, prior to dosing off for two decades Van Winkle doesn't appreciate his life, but later realizes how good he had it and regrets his previous actions. A "Cinderella" team normally is an unexpected squad that goes on a fairy tale like run during March Madness.

However, I can't stand the glass slipper and pumpkin analogies anymore. Just stop it, please!? A "Van Winkle" team is slightly different then a "Cinderella" squad (one last time I swear). The RVW team is a slightly underappreciated group that has shown flashes at some point this season. These teams actually have a legitimate shot at making some noise in the tournament, if they wake up.

As I carefully study this year’s bracket, there are a few teams that stand out as Van Winkles or RVW, as the urban youths have been referring to it. The Demon Deacons of Wake Forest have as much athletic ability as any team in the country. They were ranked in the top 5 for most of the year but fell to #11 and grabbed a 3 seed in the Midwest bracket. If they can make it by a senior heavy Cleveland St team, Wake could see themselves in the Sweet 16 potentially matching up with Lousville.

Tom Izzo and his Spartans have endured quite a bit this year. Even with injuries, sickness and lack of a set rotation, Mich St still was able to finish 26-6. But, I don't believe they have reached their maximum potential as of yet. They could be an extremely dangerous team starting this weekend. Ironically enough, they are also in the Midwest bracket.

Other teams that fit under the RVW mold are UCLA and Purdue...Who are your Rip Van Winkles?

NOTE: The Heat Check quikcast coming soon....

6 players with double doubles, 6 steals By Johnny Flynn, 6 blocks by Hasheem Thabeet and oh yeah, 6 overtimes. All those sixes sound like something associated with the devil, but they are all amazing statistics that only begin to describe the Syracuse UConn Big East quarter-final thriller last night at MSG. Both teams deserve an immense amount of credit for playing one of the greatest college basketball games ever.

This instant classic almost never made it to overtime. Eric Scum-endorf made a last second three off a deflected pass as time expired. For a brief moment he remained the hero, until the officials took a closer look and saw that the ball still remained in Scum-endorf's hand as the clock read 0:00. Syracuse seems to have a flare for Garden dramatics, especially with Gerry McNamara in attendance.

Two key statistics that helped to tip the scales in Syracuse's favor, UConn was only 11-22 from the stripe in regulation. The Cuse shot 23-26 from the line in overtime. Those free points often decide close games of this magnitude. Syracuse fought through fatigue and prevailed as the clocks struck 1:22AM. The Orangemen will be required to return to the scene tonight at 9PM to take on West Virginia in the semifinals. No one could fault Syracuse if they came out flat and tired to start, but I feel the magic will continue tonight for Jim Boeheim and team...

Vikings and dancing really don't belong in the same sentence. But, the Gary Waters led Cleveland State Vikings will be doing some dancing next week. The Horizon League champions defeated Butler 57-54 in grind it out fashion. The senior heavy Vikings avenged two early season losses to Butler, both of which were by two points.

Gary Waters is no stranger to March Madness. Waters coached Kent State to two tournament births in the 1998-1999 and 2000-2001 seasons, the latter included a first round victory over the 5th seeded Cincinnati Bearcats. However, Waters coaching resume is not all blue skies and freezer pops. Mr. Waters spent 5 disappointing seasons as the head coach of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

As a former member of "Fiiiire Waaaters" chants at the RAC, I can provide you with many examples of his coaching mishaps. But, we won't dwell on the past as it seems Gary has "brita'ed" himself from the muddy waters of the Raritan. Waters has proven himself as an excellent mid major coach. The Vikings showed toughness and grit last night and with a favorable first round match up, could be fitted for a glass slipper...

Billy Gillespie wishes he was feeling a little "Tubby". But, the second year coach and his Wildcats will not be dancing the big dance this year. The Kentucky Wildcats loss on Saturday to Florida all but seals their fate. Kentucky's only hope is to two-step all the way to MSG, the site of the 2009 NIT finals. The Kentucky athletic director has already contacted the NIT committee in acceptance of a potential bid. Talk about the proverbial wave of the white flag.

In a year where two former coaches, Tubby Smith and Rick Pitino, are leading their teams to NCAA tournament bids, Billy Gillespie has not stepped up to the challenge. In his defense, Gillespie is dealing with the last two years of Tubby Smith's recruiting classes or lack there of. Gillespie is a solid coach and should be given the appropriate amount of time to get Kentucky back where they should be. But, will the Kentucky fan base (Ashley Judd included) and boosters allow this to happen?

The Pittsburgh Panthers are making a strong case for the number one overall seed. Earlier today, Jamie Dixon and team defeated #1 UConn for the second time in a month. Sam Young played like an out and out superstar. Young dropped 31 points (including 9 pts from long distance), along with 10 boards. Dajuan Blair only had 8 and 8, but definitely set the physical tone in both matchups.

At least Hasheem "Dont Call Me The Dream", showed up this time. After an embarrassing performance against Pittsburgh 3 weeks ago, the lanky center finished with 14 points, 13 boards and 5 blocks. But, this was not nearly enough, as the early season injury to Jerome Dyson has started to make an impact. The NCAA tournament seedings will obviously depend on conference tournament play but who woulnd't love UConn Pitt III next weekend? UConn will need to win the Big East Tourney in order to achieve a #1 seed next weekend. However, Pitt's #1 seed is now set in stone and their toughness and leadership will lead them to the Final Four.

Jay Wright and Villanova have certainly started to put things together. Even including their loss to Georgetown last week, they are 10-2 in their last 12. The Wildcats currently sit in 5th place in a brutal Big East conference. The new Big East tournament rewards the top four teams with two byes into the quarterfinals. Marquette is in 4th place but they have games versus Pitt and Syracuse left. So, it is a pretty safe assumption that Villanova beats Providence and claims the 4th overall spot.

Jay Wright's squad has beaten Pitt, Marquette and The Cuse twice during their recent stretch. Earlier in the season they lost to Lousville by 1 and UConn by 6 on the road. Scottie Reynolds played extremely well in their win over Notre Dame. He has been streaky this year but is a very talented player. Also, senior Dante Cunningham has provided leadership and some inside scoring to help the Wildcats. Nova always seems to put things together just in time for the big dance. They have advanced to the Sweet 16 or greater 3 times in the last 4 years. My magic 8 ball predicts another Sweet 16 appearance if not further for this Nova team.

The 800 win club is now one member bigger. Connecticut Head Coach Jim Calhoun, became just the seventh mens Division 1 coach to win 800 games. After 14 long years at Northeastern University, Calhoun took the UConn job in 1986. 6 Big East Conference Titles and 2 National Championships later, he now stands as one of the best coaches to ever roam the sidelines.

Calhoun very well could end up at the top of this very exclusive list. The only active coach with more wins is Coach K, with 826. There could be a race to the top between these two extraodinary coaches. Calhoun has completely turned around a UConn program that wasn't even on the map at one point. His UConn squad will most likely reclaim the top spot next week after Pittsburgh's loss at Providence. The Huskies could be on their way to Detriot for a chance at a 3rd title during the Calhoun Era of Domination.

Apparently, nobody wants to be #1 in College hoops these days. In a stunning turn of events, the Providence Friars knocked off #1 Pittsburgh at "The Dunk", yesterday. With the exception of Matthew Ryter, no one, not even Digger Phelps or Rece Davis, saw this one coming. The Friars were able to force Pitt to turn the ball over 18 times in comparison to their 9 turnovers.

Providence jumped on the Panthers early and took an 18 point lead into halftime. Jamie Dixon and team made their late run, as all good teams do, but Keno Davis and the Friars were able to withstand the punch and come out victorious. Strong performances by Geoff McDermott and Weyinmi Efejuku on senior night made Providence alum recall the glory days of God Shammgod and Austin Croshere. This is quite a signature win for Providence and a decent showing at the Big East tourney should lock up a spot for the Friars.

Coach K and his Blue "Devils" came to MSG last night and narrowly defeated the anemic St John's Red Storm. As usual, Duke received admiral efforts from their main two players, Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler. The problem for the Blue Devils is that the other members of their team play basketball like finesse "Angels". Lance Thomas, Brian Zoubek and others all belong on the 1st Team All Downy Softness Squad. Long gone are the days of Shelden Williams "owning" the paint or Carlos Boozer living on the block. Coach K might as well bring Jay Bilas and Jim Spanarkel back; they would put up a better fight underneath.

Just a few weeks ago Duke was sky high, ranked #1 in the country. But, a few weeks and multiple lineup changes later, Coack K's Blue "Angels" have fallen to #9. The ranking is not what scares the Cameron Crazies, it's the way they have lost. A blowout loss at Clemson, a second half collapse at Cameron to North Carolina and a brutal loss to Boston College.

Nolan Smith was removed from the starting lineup after the UNC debacle in place of Greg Paulus. Greg Paulus played only 5 minutes at St Johns and freshman Elliot Williams started in place of Paulus. Coach K, a legendary figure in college basketball, seems slightly lost and indecisive on the best way of combating the recent losing streak. How far does Duke go in this years tourney? A reincarnation of Lew Alcindor could get them to the Sweet 16, but other then that, I just don't see it in the cards...

NCAA leading scorer, Stephen Curry, missed his second straight practice this week. Curry is still recovering from a sprained left ankle. He is questionable for tonights game versus the Citadel. It will be imperative that Curry is available for Saturdays showdown with #21 ranked Butler.

Clearly, Davidson goes as Curry goes. They are currently unranked but will still make the tournament. As things currently stand Davidson is around a 7-9 seed, and barring any unforseen circumstances will stay in that range. My question is how long can Davidison dance the dance this year? My prediction is one and out for the Wildcats.

For whatever reason, basketball fans keep a special place in their hearts for clutch shooters and role players. Often those two terms are combined into one relatively un-athletic player. The clutch shooter often teams up with a superstar, hits a few big shots and now has the jewelry to prove it. The former Arizona Wildcat, Steve Kerr, is the definition of a clutch shooting, role player. Kerr won 5 rings during his 16 year NBA career, which included stops in Phoenix, Cleveland, Orlando, Portland and most notably Chicago and San Antonio.

After his playing career Kerr served as an excellent analyst for TNT, often mixing it up with play by play man Marv Albert. In June of 2007, Kerr was named President of Basketball Operations and GM of the Phoenix Suns. The Suns at the time were coming off multiple 50 win seasons and a break or two away from playing for the NBA championship. But, the breaks never came for the team during the Mike D’Antoni era. The Suns and point guard Steve Nash were one of the leagues most exciting and successful teams. But, Kerr felt the “Run and Gun” style D’Antoni employed would never win a championship.

As one of his first major moves as GM, Kerr traded away the enigmatic but supremely athletic, Shawn Marion, for an aging and expensive Shaquille O’Neal. This move signified the beginning of the end for the 2004-2005 Coach of the Year, Mike D’Antoni. Shaq’s inside play required a half court offense that went against everything D’Antoni had preached. Kerr and the progressive coach frequently butted heads and parted ways after the 07/08 season.

Kerr now placed the team’s emphasis on defense instead of the 7 seconds or less philosophy of D’Antoni. Terry Porter was Kerr’s savior, a defensive minded coach, who could relate to the contemporary NBA star. Shortly thereafter, Kerr made his fourth “brilliant” move as GM and traded away Boris Diaw and Raja Bell for Jason Richardson. This trade was merely a cost cutting manuever by Suns Owner Robert Saver. Raja Bell is a gritty and tough player who is noted for his defense. So, why trade away a player who already fits your system?

Sun’s fans and NBA analysts were asking the same questions of Kerr, who was the current leader for the Isiah Thomas ineptness award. The 2008/2009 Phoenix Suns were under performing and the finger pointing had begun. The blame game had come into effect, it was Porter’s fault for the lack of defense being played, it was Amare’s fault for failing to play with Shaq, but most of it all it was Kerr’s fault for putting together this roster of round pegs and square holes. A defense first strategy is laughable with Steve Nash and an aging Shaq on your roster.

After the All-Star game festivities ended yesterday evening, Kerr struck once again. The Suns announced they would be firing Coach Terry Porter and replacing him with assistant Alvin Gentry. Porter never really stood a chance with the current roster put together by the blueprint genius. Throughout the last month, Amare Stoudemire has been rumored to go everywhere but the Green Mile. He has spoken to the media very openly and honestly about the trade rumors as if the trade is a near certainty.

Let’s just take a minute to review Steve Kerr’s 20 months as general manager. He ripped apart and gashed a two time 60 win team, fired two coaches and took on the remaining 50 million of an aging Shaquille O’Neal’s contract. The Phoenix Suns currently sit in 9th place and are in danger of watching basketball on TV in June, instead of competing for a championship. As the season winds down, Sarver and the Suns ownership group will start to question how and why this all happened. Just take a long look down the bench at that clutch shooter and the answer will soon follow.

Vitaminwater has recently developed a campaign with the NCAA that could start March Madness fever in February. Just simply click on the link above and re-enact your favorite March Madness moment. For instance, find yourself a buddy to be Grant Hill, and hurl a baseball pass to Christian Laettner, (you) for some turnaround J action. Maybe have your pops play Jimmy V, and storm your driveway a la NC State over Phi Slama Jama.

The possibilities are endless here based upon the amount of amazing tourney moments. The grand prize for this contest is a trip to the 2009 NCAA finals in Detriot. Worst case scenario, you twist your ankle trying to be Tynus Edny, coast to coast style. Best case scenario, you jump on that ladder and cut the nets down yourself! Hey, if A-Rod is juicing, anything is possible? Right?

Gary Williams will always be remembered at Maryland for his net cutting ceremony in 2002. But, in recent years the Terps and Williams, have struggled in the powerhouse conference on the Atlantic Coast. Clearly, no team competes every single year for a national championship. Even the immortals, Duke, North Carolina and UCLAs of the world, have had a down year or two in the last decade. But, the real problem for Williams has been his recruiting, or lack there of.

The Baltimore area is littered with great high school players. Unfortunately, Williams, for one reason or another has failed to land top players in quite some time. In the last 7 years he has only signed one top 50 recruit. During the last few seasons, Williams, and athletic director Debbie Yow, have had a relationship similar to Seinfeld and Newman. These two clearly aren't having Saturday morning tea and strumpets.

But, it remains to be seen if Williams can break free from his current first hour Clint Eastwood persona. What is this "first hour Clint Eastwood persona" you may ask? This is a valid question, but if you have seen any Clint Eastwood movie in the past 5 years, you should know where I am coming from. Eastwood plays the same scowling, angry, old man throughout the first hour of his movies. But, ultimately he realizes his faults and shows us his softer side. Occasionally, when watching Williams roam the sidelines it seems he is disconnected and frequently he is angry and scowling. My advice to G Will would be to try to capture some second hour Eastwood...

After another disappointing conference loss Tuesday night to Mississippi State, the Kentucky Wildcats blood finally boiled over. This was a "clear the air" type of deal for the players. Some were accused of playing soft and not up to their full potential. This confrontation was something that the players deemed as necessary.

Kentucky had moved back into the top 25 for the first time since week 1 of the the Billy Gillespie era. But, 3 straight losses to non-ranked opponents and Kentucky sees themselves in danger of missing the NCAA tournament. The only alarming thing is that Coach Gillespie had no input throughout this locker room blowup. I understand him allowing the players to speak their minds, but the coach needs to intervene at some point. Gillespie turned a poor season around last year, but can he survive another sub-par year with the high expectations at Kentucky? More importantly, what does Ashley Judd think about all this?!...Hmmmm...

The former general of Indiana, Bobby Knight, is contemplating a return to coaching. According to a source close to Knight, he is considering the vacant position at the University of Georgia. Knight denies the Georgia rumors, but, where theres smoke, theres Michael Phelps, right? Just kidding, but Knight does go on to say that it would have to be the right situation for him. Basically, he will not be returning to a Texas Tech type school, he wants to go someplace where he can recruit real players.

As much as I love his different colored ESPN sweaters, I would rather see him all sweatered up on the sidelines. Bobby Knight is a great teacher of basketball, which is sometimes lacking within our "what have you done for me lately" society. Coaches today are concerned with results first and foremost. Of course winning is a priority but the coaches that suceed are those who can relate to the players on a personal level.

Bobby Knight turned boys into men and always graduated his players. His behavior at Texas Tech was toned down in comparison to the chair throwing Knight at IU. As great coaches get older they must reflect on their past behavior and adapt to the contemporary atheletes(see Tom Coughlin). Knight is a master motivator and an excellent in game strategist. To all the athletic directors out there that have reservations about hiring this controversal figure, if you want to keep your jobs long term (which involves winning), do your due diligence and take a long look at Coach Bobby Knight. Virginia, Arkansas and Arizona are all struggling this year and could look to Knight for a shot in the arm, but keep your eye on the Maryland job if Gary Williams parts ways with the Terps at the conclusion of the season...

Being that Super Sunday is upon us, I felt it would be interesting to gather an all-star hoops team with the Cardinals and Steelers current players. There were some difficult decisions and I apologize to those who did not make the cut, hey, theres always next year...The team is as follows

C - Max Starks OL Pittsburgh - Max is 6"8 and 345, he also played his college football at Florida University. Although he did graduate in 2004, he was there for the beginning stages of Billy Donovans 2-peat. Who doesnt love a 2-peat?

PF- Big Ben QB Pittsburgh - Ben brings a unique set of athleticism and intangibles that are necessary for any team I will ever assemble. He is a great leader and played his college ball at the same university that Wally Szczerbiak made famous, Miami of Ohio.

SF - Larry Fitzgerald WR Arizona - Fitz is what we call a freak of an athlete. He would service any team in any sport well. His time at Pittsburgh overlaps with current UCLA coach Ben Howland. The toughness Howland brings is a welcome addition to any team.

SG - Santonio Holmes WR Pittsburh - Holmes is on this team for no other reason then he played at The Ohio State. He had to have watched Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd during the big dance.

PG - Adrian Wilson S Arizona - Mr. Wilson is the captain of the Cardinals defense, the "point guard" if you may. He is vastly underrated and played his ball at NC State, he knows about big time college basketball

6th Man - Hines Ward WR Pittsburgh - Ward is a gritty and tough player. Not to mention he played QB and WR In college for Georgia. You must be versatile to be on my team.

Just because - Matt Leinart QB Cardinals - Matt made this team solely on his star power. All this time on the sidelines watching Kurt has allowed him plenty of hours to practice the "Single Ladies" dance, which will be our half time show

The NBA season has crossed the halfway point and it seems like an opportune time to evaluate the rookie class. There have been some suprises but there also has been some lackluster play. Overall, the class has performed well with a few exceptions. Being an optimist, I will begin with the positives...

The Wow Factor

Derrick Rose - Leads all rookies with 6.3 apg and has shown flashes of greatness. Rose's game is ultra smooth and will be an all-star for many years to come. Although, I would love him running D'Antoni's offense in NY, why couldnt DStern have added a few extra blue and orange balls in there?

Brook Lopez - Early season injuries and ineffective play of the other Net's bigs cleared a path for Brook. As a starter Lopez averages 12.7 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 2.1 blocks. Although, if you have ever heard Brook speak, it makes you wonder how he made it through two years at Stanford.

Russell Westbrook - Similar to the "Stanford" genius, Westbrook began the season on the bench. Once the organization realized it was going absolutely no where, RW entered my fav 5. His game is extremely similar to Dwayne Wade's game in his early NBA career. Neither of them shoot it real well fromp deep, but they both are a blur with the ball and can fill up the stat sheet.

Honorable Mention - Eric Gordon and Marc Gasol

The We Want More Squad

Michael Beasley - Beasley's numbers are not exactly where everyone had thought they would be. I had thought his game translated well and would produce from day 1. But, this has not been the case. He needs to give a more consistent effort and should start studying how D-Wade approaches the game.

OJ Mayo - I am well aware that NBA.com ranks him as the #1 rookie so far this season. But, I have watched Mayo on numerous occasions and find him to be lackadasical. The talent is there but his effort and general attitude toward the game are not. He disappears on team of all twenty somethings. He needs to be the leader of that squad and justify his high draft status.

Honorable mention - Joe Alexander and Brandon Rush

The "Hey, I like you, keep it up" Squad

This team is comprised of guys that have shown flashes this year and could develop into impact players down the line.

Kevin Love - Kevin has been a major factor in the resurgence generated by McHale and the TWovles over the last month

DJ Augustin - Moved into the starting lineup after JRich was dealt. Showed great potential while on the floor. But, staying on the floor could be a problem, similar to another small Texas PG.

Danilo Gallinari - Fighting a bad back injury for most of the first half. Recently has made an impact on games during a Knicks streak of exciting play. Can shoot the 3 and has a nice feel for the game.

Lets quickly start with a hypothetical scenario. You can be, oh lets see here, Joe...ummm...Joe, Joe, Joe Jacobson. Yes, thats right, you're Joe Jacobson, a top high school basketball recruit from St. Anthony's in New Jersey. I'll be Kelvin Sampson. Keep in mind that I am already on probation from unauthorized and rule violating phone calls from my time at Oklahoma.

But, now I am coaching at the prestigous Indiana University. The same Indiana where coach Bobby Knight brought the program to new heights. Sure, Knight wasn't exactly a saint, but he never violated rules, especially the same rule twice, and he always graduated players.

Ok, so back to our little role playing exercise...

JJ - (Phone rings) "Oh man, its Coach Sampson, again. I'll let it go to voicemail"

KS - (Leaving voicemail) Hey Joey, its Coach Sampson from Indiana calling. Tried you a few times already today. But we both know I wont stop calling until you commit, so make it easy on yourself. I know you've seen Hoosiers buddy, you can be part of that. Think about it...

JJ - (Speaking to girlfriend) This guy is really starting to scare me. I don't think I can ignore his phone calls for much longer. All I really want to do is play for Fred Hill at the RAC, but Coach Sampson is really persistent. Also, I can't go over my cell minutes again, my mom will kill me!

Stop, take a second, lets discuss what just happened here. This is not the way to recruit young men, by breaking rules and rebreaking rules. The NCAA has these recruiting rules for a reason, to protect the well being of impressionable young teenagers. But the worst of it all, making young athletes get punished for increased cell phone bills! For shame Kelvin Shampson, for shame...

Houston's leading scorer Aubrey Coleman was suspended after using Chase Budinger's face as a doormat last Saturday. Houston eventually lost the contest 96-90 in overtime. Coleman claims there was no malicious intent involved in this incident. I agree with the malicious portion of his statement, but what was his actual intent? After closely reviewing the replay, frame by frame, in super slow motion, I have arrived at a conclusion.

Coleman was actually utilizing the coverage of the face smashing as a platform for his future endeavors. Coleman was merely practicing his stomp dance technique for the new flick, Step Up 3: The Courts. Aubrey shows great potential and strength with his crunching of Mr.Budinger's face. The smooth step jab and roll over he used, unheard of in the dance community. Chase really should have known better. When you get that close to the fire, you get burned. Next time Chase, WATCH YO FACE!

ESPN is reporting that Mark Gottfried is on the verge of being fired by Alabama. The Tide are currently 12-7 overall, 2-3 in league play and bound to miss the NCAA Tournament for the 3rd season in a row. Besides the mediocre success recently, Gottfried has come under fire for his dealings with players, and has never been beloved by the fans. In 10+ seasons, Alabama has advanced past the Tournament's 2nd round just one time (Elite Eight in '04).

Okay, the title there is from Highlander: The series.. a fine, fine televison show. And today at the very least, everyone involved in NJIT's fledling program should be proud that the team finally got a win, for the first time since before Sarah Palin was relevant and Jodie Meeks got good.

During last weeks Providence Marquette contest things unraveled late for the Friars. They blew a comfortable second half lead and ended up losing 91-82. The major choke job committed by the Friars was not the only crime committed last Saturday at the "Dunk" (The Dunkin Donuts arena, for those unfamiliar with the terminology).

Jonathan Xaiver, the brother of Providence guard Jeff Xavier, pulled a reverse Ron Artest and stormed the court. Jonathan was extremely upset at a non-call while his brother was driving to the hoop. So, Jon did the most logical thing possible and confronted the referee to chat about his deficiencies. Providence has now made plans to increase their security behind the team benches during games. My take on this is pretty simplistic, the good people at Krispy Kreme would have never allowed this to happen.

Duke outlasted NC State as they continue their early season ACC dominance. However, they still have yet to play the #1 ranked Demon Deacons, the #10 ranked Clemson Tigers and of course Roy William's Tar Heels. These upcoming matchups will prove to be an excellent test of where the Blue Devils stack up in this powerhouse of a conference.

One of the main reasons for Duke's recent winning streak has been the improving and supremely athletic play of forward Gerald Henderson. In the last 4 games Henderson has averaged the following: 22 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.5 apg, 3 steals per game and 1 block per game. Clearly this means he is getting it done at both ends of the floor. On top of those exceptional numbers he is also shooting over 61% from the floor. Gerald has worked hard on improving his mid-range game and it has finally come to fruition. No longer will Henderson just be labeled as athletic, he will soon be labeled as a lottery pick.

A greeting is defined as an expression of friendly or respectful regard. Normally a greeting is a greeting, either you greet someone or your don't, there isn't much of a grey area. The NCAA may disagree with Bill Self's definition of greeting.

Last week Bill Self "greeted" 2009 top recruit John Wall after his high scool game. Unfortuantely for Self, this occurred during an evaluation period in the recruting process. During this time period coaches are only allowed to greet recruits and nothing else.

According to Self this greeting was of the standard kind, but the NCAA isn't so sure. Kansas officials along with the NCAA will review this greeting/encounter for potential rules violations. Quick note to Bill Self, if you are going to catch some heat, at least make it worth it. Next time Bill, buy the kid some new slacks or maybe take advantage of the double cheesburgers limited apperance on the dollar menu...

On Thursday, the NCAA voted to allow 7th graders to be treated as college prospects. This will give college coaches the chance to recruit 12 year old boys and girls as potential college athletes. I have a somewhat unconventional solution to this "problem" the NCAA decided to "solve".

Why not just have the youngster make his decision at birth? As soon as the infant releases itself from its mothers womb, a decision must be made! The child will be required to place its footprint on the dotted line and don a diaper with the appropriate school colors...

When will this madness end? Probably never, as its only beginning to out of hand...

Mike Rosario, the top recruit for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in 2008 has made an immediate impact on the banks this season. Rosario leads the team in scoring with a 17.1 ppg average so far this season. But, he will most likely be remebered for something he would like to forget.

While playing against perrenial big east power Syracuse, Mr.Rosario becomes closely aquainted with the lower region of Syracuse's Jonny Flynn. The thunderous slam by Flynn became Sportscenter's number one play during their Top 10 highlights that night. Unfortunately for Rosario and Rutgers coach Fred Hill, this was not the type of publicity they had set out for.

But, hey, no news is bad news, even when you get posterized...right?...right?

Let's hope we keep this guy wrapped up at Butler for a long time!

Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch came through with a very solid story yesterday about Ohio State big man Dallas Lauderdale, and how he's learned to help his mother cope with multiple sclerosis. Can't claim to know Lauderdale personally, but he comes off as a grounded, caring guy in this piece.

Many small schools have just one or two bloggers out there plugging away about their team.. but no so Kentucky, Big Blue Nation is out in full force on the web with an endless amount of know-it-alls blabbering about whatever it is bloggers blab about. But one of the best, if not the best, sites out there for all things Kentucky is A Sea of Blue, run by Ken Howlett. If you're a Cats fan, an SEC fan, or just a hoops fan in general, I suggest you check it out.

Here's the gist.. the son of CS Northridge coach Bobby Braswell and the Matador's leading scorer Deon Tresvant were arrested on charges of commercial burglary and grand theft.

You may have noticed some downtime on CHN on Wednesday.. or sluggish responses even when it wasn't down. SportsIllustrated.com linked to our Best Cheerleaders story on their Extra Mustard section.. which caused a chain of events leading to the site issues. A) Extra Mustard is popular and CHN was the lead story of the day. B) People apparently really like cheerleaders. C) Because of B, the story was linked from other places causing a rush of traffic that the site couldn't initially maintain. D) With traffic popping, the server went down to restart itself, which isn't that big a deal, but when it rebooted up again the database tables went haywire which took awhile to sort out. So there you have it: Cheerleaders, the root of all our problems.

What is this you might ask? A place for CHN readers & writers to post relevant & interesting links about college basketball. All you need to do is be a register CHN member, join the Half Court Crap group and start posting links. To keep a level of editorial quality (if there's such a thing from a section with Crap in the title), I'll edit and weed out links to make sure their of proper quality.  So without further, ado, lets start posting some Half Court Crap.