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Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk stars for Canada at World Championships [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: September 2, 2010, 2:16 pm] Of the three Gonzaga players participating in the World Basketball Championships, Canadian forward Kelly Olynyk was probably the least likely guy to emerge as a breakout star.Whereas Germany's Elias Harris averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds as a freshman last season and fellow Canadian Robert Sacre was a productive starting center for the Zags, Olynyk rarely saw significant playing time. The floppy-haired sophomore-to-be tallied 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12.3 minutes a game last season as a true freshman and had more fouls than points in Gonzaga's two NCAA tournament games.Based on Olynyk's performance for Canada this week, however, the Zags can expect Olynyk to make a far more significant contribution next season. He averaged 11 points per night the last three games, doing his best work against the top two teams in Canada's group with 13 points on Tuesday against France and 14 on Thursday against Spain.The 6-foot-11 Olynyk's perimeter skills and agility have made him a centerpiece of Canada's basketball future and a potential contributor at Gonzaga later in his career, but few thought the 19-year-old was ready to make an impact at this level. Canadian coach Leo Rautins didn't think enough of him to give him more than 30 seconds playing time during the team's opening two losses. "I was kicking myself in the rear end, we didn't bring him here to sit him on the bench," Rautins told the Toronto Star after the France game. "This kid's a big part of what I think our future is going to be. He's a talented kid; he plays with balls."He's not afraid and there's not been one game where I've put him in and he's been timid, and we've had some other guys who've been timid at times." If Olynyk can play with this level of consistency and aggressiveness for Gonzaga next season, it could give the Zags one of the deepest and most versatile front courts in the nation. The 6-foot-8 Harris is a legit NBA prospect and the 7-foot Sacre averaged 10 Renaldo Woolridge, aka 'Swiperboy,' remixes Rocky Top [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: September 2, 2010, 10:24 am] If you've never heard a ubiquitous college fight song chopped up and remixed into an even more unpleasant rap song, Tennessee forward Renaldo Woolridge is giving you the opportunity to change that.In honor of the start of college football season, Woolridge, who goes by the rap name Swiperboy, released a new track this week that's sure to be beloved by Vols fans and belittled by the rest of the SEC. It's called "FootVol," a name as subtle as most of the lyrics. In between school and basketball, Woolridge has found time to release a handful of songs beginning with last December's debut, "Tip Off (College Hoops Time). He told the Knoxville News Sentinel he was a little nervous about the reaction to his latest effort since he was altering a song as beloved in Knoxville as Rocky Top."There was a fine line, because it's the Rocky Top song, and people have loved that here for years," Woolridge said. "I remember watching a tape of Marvin Gaye singing the national anthem in 1983, and he sang it differently, and some people liked it, and some people hated it."There is one aspect of "FootVol" that both Vols supporters and opposing fans can probably both enjoy: A gratuitous shot at former Tennessee and current USC football coach Lane Kiffin.Raps Woolridge: "Neyland Stadium stand up, let's get it done. We drivin in a new Lane. Forget the last one." (Thanks, Rush The Court) Marquette basketball's reality show is off to a tepid start [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: September 2, 2010, 10:00 am] As HBO's "Hard Knocks" winds down with NFL training camp is nearing its conclusion, Marquette is hoping you'll get your reality TV sports fix from its new behind-the-scenes show.Marquette Basketball: Revealed, an all-access look at the Golden Eagles' program, made its debut this week on the school's official athletic site. The premiere webisode focuses on the team's first meeting of the season during which charismatic coach Buzz Williams imparts some life lessons to his players about displaying strong character and having each-other's backs.Whereas a show like "Hard Knocks" has a built-in story arc following players' bids to make the New York Jets' roster, the problem with Marquette's show is that there isn't a similar plot line to keep general viewers interested. The show is only slated to run through the team's rivalry game against Wisconsin on Dec. 11, so viewers won't even be able to follow the Golden Eagles' progress throughout the season.On the other hand, if Marquette is simply hoping this series will attract diehard fans and serve as a recruiting tool, then there's a great chance the school will find success.A glimpse of players and coaches in an environment in which we wouldn't normally see them will be interesting for Marquette fans hoping to better get to know team personnel entering the season. Potential recruits also will surely enjoy familiarizing themselves with the inner workings of the program, even if the scenes they're allowed to watch are surely heavily edited and hand-picked by members of the school's athletic department. Atlantic 10 Preview: Ranking next season's 15 must-see games [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: September 2, 2010, 8:00 am] Our week-long Atlantic 10 preview continues with a look at the conference's 15 most intriguing matchups next season. 1. Temple at Duke, Feb. 23Comment: The Atlantic 10 favorites travel to the home of the defending national champions for a rare non-conference showdown just days before the calendar turns to March. Temple's stingy defense facing off with Duke's talented guards should be a treat to watch.2. Butler at Xavier, TBDComment: Add Xavier's quest for revenge after a timekeeper's error cost them a victory at Butler last year, and what already would have been a marquee non-conference game gets that much more intriguing. More from The Dagger's A-10 Preview • MONDAY: A-10 forecast: How Xavier's program has grown • TUESDAY: Five A-10 storylines to watch • WEDNESDAY: Scouting the Atlantic 10• THURSDAY: 15 must-see A-10 games• FRIDAY: Q&A with Dayton top freshman Juwan Staten 3. Xavier vs. Dayton, TBDComment: The Atlantic 10's preeminent rivalry will again play a role in shaping the conference title race again next season. Xavier and Dayton split a pair of games last year, with the Musketeers grinding out a home win and the Flyers returning the favor in a 90-65 blowout a few weeks later.4. Georgetown at Temple, Dec. 9Comment: On a Temple schedule loaded with challenging non-conference games, this might be the most anticipated home matchup. The Hoyas lost elite center Greg Monroe to the NBA, but return one of the Big East's top backcourts.5. Florida at Xavier, Dec. 31Comment: What's the recipe for a wild New Year's pre-party in Cincinnati? How about an afternoon showdown between Atlantic 10 contender Xavier and a Florida team hoping to challenge Kentucky and Tennessee in the SEC West? 6. Temple at Xavier, TBDComment: Temple beat Xavier at home in their lone meeting last season on the way to sharing the conference title with the Musketeers. The two Atlantic 10 contenders again play only once n How will adding BYU impact Gonzaga, rest of WCC? [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: September 1, 2010, 4:32 pm] If anyone suspects that other West Coast Conference programs are intimidated by adding a school whose enrollment, funding and facilities dwarf theirs, the league's coaches and administrators would like to put that notion to rest. Gonzaga officials are excited about BYU joining the WCC because it elevates the league's profile and makes it more difficult for detractors to discount the achievement of winning the conference each season. And basketball coaches from the league's seven other schools believe the extra TV revenue and exposure generated by BYU will aid their quest to consistently compete with the league's two flagship programs in the long term. "To be able to add a quality institution like BYU is what we've been looking for since the conference began talking about expansion," Portland coach Eric Reveno said. "I don't feel it makes our challenge any harder because Gonzaga's already in our league and we were already trying to catch Gonzaga. It's like we're in a 100-meter race and there's already one really fast guy in the race. Well, once we get as fast as him, if there's two really fast guys in the race, then it makes no difference."The arrival of BYU instantly gives the WCC a chance to earn as many as three NCAA tourney berths each year, which puts them in select company among non-BCS conferences. In the past five seasons, the Mountain West, Atlantic 10 and Missouri Valley Conference are the only other non-BCS leagues to earn that many NCAA bids in a single season. Whereas the WCC had studied the possibility of adding the likes of Seattle, Denver or Pacific for the past year without pulling the trigger, commissioner Jamie Zaninovich wasted little time in snapping up BYU once it became available. The Cougars won 30 games last season, they've been to four straight NCAA tournaments and their large fan base, top-notch facilities and proven commitment to athletics make them a valuable commodity.The only real risk for Gonzaga is that th Bobby Hurley's the latest ex-Duke star to endure financial trouble [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: September 1, 2010, 11:27 am] In addition to their legacy as the first team to win back-to-back national titles since John Wooden's UCLA dynasty, members of Duke's 1991 and '92 championship teams seem to share something else in common. They aren't too great at investing their money wisely. The latest victim of a bad investment is former point guard Bobby Hurley, who the Lexington Herald-Leader reports is leaving the thoroughbred business after a bank foreclosed on his 140-acre farm in Florida. PNC Bank is expected to auction off Hurley's Devils Eleven Farm next month to help pay off the $3.3 million debt he owes.Hurley's financial woes are making headlines slightly more than a year after two of his former Duke teammates hit a similar well-publicized rough patch. San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman filed a lawsuit in May 2009 against Blue Devil Ventures, owned by Christian Laettner and Brian Davis, for failure to repay a $3.64 million loan he had given the company in 2007. It's a bit more surprising to see Hurley in this predicament considering that his foray into the thoroughbred industry began with so much promise. One of his first horses, the aptly named Songandaprayer, won the 2001 Fountain of Youth Stakes and emerged as an early Kentucky Derby favorite before eventually placing a midly disappointing 13th later that year. Obviously, the trouble Hurley, Laettner and Davis have experienced is related to the nationwide recession, but it's probably safe to assume a segment of Duke-hating North Carolina and Kentucky fans are taking some perverse pleasure in this. The rest of us can hope that Hurley's new assistant coaching gig alongside his brother at Wagner helps him land on his feet. And that the current crop of Blue Devils are taking thorough notes in their economics classes. A-10 Preview: Scouting the league with ex-Richmond star Greg Beckwith [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: September 1, 2010, 8:00 am] Each Wednesday until the college basketball season starts, an ex-player will help The Dagger preview his former conference. Ex-Richmond point guard and current Spiders radio analyst Greg Beckwith was kind enough to join us this week to provide a scouting report on the Atlantic 10:1. Who's your pick to win the Atlantic 10 next season? I expect the conference to be very competitive, but I still say the usual suspects will be at the top of the league. The upper echelon, consistently you've got to look at Xavier, Dayton and Temple to always be in the mix. And then that second tier you've got Richmond, Saint Louis and then Rhode Island should be pretty good as well. Other Voices Worth Your Attention Fifteen players, coaches, reporters or bloggers worth following on Twitter for your daily Atlantic 10 basketball fix. • Shannon Russell, Cincinnati Enquirer Xavier beat writer: @slrussell • Karl Hobbs, George Washington coach: @GWCoachHobbs • Kwamain Mitchell, Saint Louis guard: @kmitch23 • NinerReport.com, Rivals.com site covering Charlotte: @Niner_Report • Matthew Schwade, publisher of FlyerHoops.net: @FlyerHoops • Juan Fernandez, Temple guard: @juanfernandez4 • Chris Mack, Xavier coach: @CoachChrisMack • Josh Carpenter, Sports Editor for the University Times newspaper: @UTimes_sports • Jonathan Tannenwald, Philadelphia Inquirer writer, blogger: @jtannenwald • MinutemenNation, a blog covering UMass athletics: @MinutemenNation • Chris DiSano, Founder and President of College Chalktalk @chris_chalktalk • OwlScoop.com, a blog covering Temple athletics: @OwlScoop_com • Anthony Gurley, UMass guard: @Hoopsta512 • Aaric Murray, LaSalle forward: @Aaric24 • Brian Gregory, Dayton coach: @UDCoachBG 2. Is there a team you like as a dark horse in the league race? I would say Saint Louis would be the dark horse team. It will be interesting to see if they build on what they did la Multiple reports claiming BYU is moving to WCC in basketball [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 31, 2010, 6:17 pm] Gonzaga, you've got company.The cat's out of the bag tonight, as a few reporters have been tipped to Brigham Young University's decision to leave the Mountain West. The school will go independent in football and join the West Coast Conference in all other sports. At this point we're waiting for official announcements from BYU and the WCC, which Andy Katz writes will be happening before the night is over.The MWC's deadline for BYU's decision was set for tomorrow. That deadline only dealt with what the university was going to do for the 2011-12 academic year. Sneaking in 24 hours before, we now know the Cougars have less than 12 months remaining as a Mountain West school.They'll be leaving the conference they helped concoct in 1999. From a basketball perspective and what it does to the Cougs' strength of schedule, it's a demotion, no question. The Mountain West has produced multiple legitimate tournament-caliber teams over the past half-decade, while the West Coast Conference has occasionally given us a second fiddle to Gonzaga but not much more.The Cougars will not be facing teams that can equate to UNLV, San Diego State, New Mexico and Utah on a year-in, year-out basis. They'll go from playing 15,000-seat arenas in the MWC, in storied venues like The Pit (New Mexico) to balling in 2,500-seat, glorified high school gymnasiums. But the move is based on football and football alone, of course. BYU instantly becomes the bread-winner in the conference, which prides itself on its privatized religious institutions. BYU is certainly that. BYU moving to WCC in basketball [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 31, 2010, 6:17 pm] It'll be cats and dogs living together.The Cougars are ditching the Mountain West and joining in the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the West Coast Conference. A few reporters have been tipped to Brigham Young University's decision to leave the Mountain West. The school will go independent in football and join the West Coast Conference in all other sports. At this point we're waiting for official announcements from BYU and the WCC, which Andy Katz writes will be happening before the night is over.(Update: Here's the WCC's press release. There will be a press conference at BYU Wednesday at noon local time, 2 ET.) The MWC's deadline for BYU's decision was set for tomorrow. That deadline only dealt with what the university was going to do for the 2011-12 academic year. Sneaking in 24 hours before, we now know the Cougars have less than 12 months remaining as a Mountain West school.They'll be leaving the conference they helped concoct in 1999. From a basketball perspective and what it does to the Cougs' strength of schedule, it's a demotion, no question. The Mountain West has produced multiple legitimate tournament-caliber teams over the past half-decade, while the West Coast Conference has occasionally given us an inconsistent second fiddle to Gonzaga but not much more. Top to bottom, the MWC is/was a better basketball league. Now, if Portland and St. Mary's can continue to ascend, the gap is not so grand. That remains to be seen. As of now, the Cougars will not be facing teams that can equate to UNLV, San Diego State, New Mexico and Utah on a year-in, year-out basis. They'll go from playing 15,000-seat arenas in the MWC, in storied venues like The Pit (New Mexico) to balling in 2,500-seat, glorified high school gymnasiums. But the move is based on football and football alone, of course. BYU instantly becomes the bread-winner in the conference, which prides itself on its privatized religious institutions. BYU is certainly that. North Carolina's new social media policy claims its first casualty [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 31, 2010, 5:38 pm] It didn't take long for North Carolina's new beefed-up social media policy to drive one of the school's top basketball players off Twitter.One day after the school revealed each of its teams will have a coach or administrator responsible for monitoring the contents of players' postings, sophomore forward John Henson made it clear he's no fan of the new policy.Although North Carolina officials told the Raleigh News & Observer that changes to the policy aren't in response to any single incident, it's probably safe to assume that the accusations against defensive lineman Marvin Austin have played a role. Austin, who's at the center of the NCAA's investigation into whether football players had improper contact with agents, posted pictures of an expensive watch for his younger sister and a bag from an ritzy sunglass store before terminating his Twitter account for good. It's a shame that Henson felt the need to follow suit because he was one of the rare athletes whose Twitter account showcased his fun-loving personality. Henson wrote that he was being "censored" earlier this week and expressed frustration a few months ago after the coaching staff apparently addressed the team about the topic."Well, coach just talked to us about twitter and told us we offend some people n what not so this is a farewell to bein' myself," Henson and fellow sophomore Dexter Strickland both tweeted. North Carolina's new policy is more heavy-handed than those of its peers, but the school is certainly not alone in implementing social media guidelines for its athletes. Most Division I schools warn high-profile players that they are scrutinized as public figures, reminding them not to post incriminating Facebook pictures or write anything that will become bulletin board material for an opponent.Still, actually assigning a coach the task of poring over his players' Facebook and Twitter posts seems dangerously close to crossing the line between vigilant and invas North Carolina's new social-media policy claims its first casualty [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 31, 2010, 5:38 pm] It didn't take long for North Carolina's new beefed-up social-media policy to drive one of the school's top basketball players off Twitter.One day after the school revealed each of its teams will have a coach or administrator responsible for monitoring the contents of players' postings, sophomore forward John Henson made it clear he's no fan of the new policy.Although North Carolina officials told the Raleigh News & Observer that changes to the policy aren't in response to any single incident, it's probably safe to assume that the accusations against defensive lineman Marvin Austin have played a role. Austin, who's at the center of the NCAA's investigation into whether football players had improper contact with agents, posted pictures of an expensive watch for his younger sister and a bag from an ritzy sunglass store before terminating his Twitter account for good. It's a shame that Henson felt the need to follow suit because he was one of the rare athletes whose Twitter account showcased his fun-loving personality. Henson wrote that he was being "censored" earlier this week and expressed frustration a few months ago after the coaching staff apparently addressed the team about the topic."Well, coach just talked to us about twitter and told us we offend some people n what not so this is a farewell to bein' myself," Henson and fellow sophomore Dexter Strickland both Tweeted. North Carolina's new policy is more heavy-handed than those of its peers, but the school is certainly not alone in implementing social-media guidelines for its athletes. Most Division I schools warn high-profile players that they are scrutinized as public figures, reminding them not to post incriminating Facebook pictures or write anything that will become bulletin board material for an opponent.Still, actually assigning a coach the task of poring over his players' Facebook and Twitter posts seems dangerously close to crossing the line between vigilant and invasive. I Michigan State's Korie Lucious arrested for drunk driving [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 31, 2010, 12:45 pm] Only weeks after Michigan State severed ties with senior guard Chris Allen as a result of a series of team rules violations, Allen's potential replacement in the Spartans' starting backcourt apparently is also in trouble of a different sort.Promising junior guard Korie Lucious was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving at 2:30 a.m. Monday morning, according to Lansing TV station WLNS. The 20-year-old guard apparently took a breathalizer test and blew a .09, slightly above the legal limit of .08.Michigan State coach Tom Izzo isn't commenting on the report until he gathers more information about the incident. It's difficult to project how Izzo will discipline Lucious, but a suspension during the preseason seems like the most likely outcome unless there's some previous history here that we don't know about. The incident involving Lucious will surely raise questions about whether Izzo would like to have Allen back on his roster. Allen, who since transfered to Iowa State, has said Izzo kicked him off the team because of tardiness, missed curfews and academic issues. Michigan State fans weren't overly concerned with the loss of Allen in part because of the presence of Lucious, the hero of the Spartans' second-round NCAA tournament win over Maryland last season. Lucious replaced injured Kalin Lucas in Michigan State's backcourt for the rest of the tournament and helped the Spartans reach a second straight Final Four.A prolonged absence for Lucious could be damaging for Michigan State with Lucas still recovering from his Achilles injury and the Spartans set to face a difficult preseason schedule as usual. Among the opponents on Michigan State's non-conference schedule are national champion Duke, Syracuse, Texas and South Carolina. They could also face Kentucky, Connecticut or Washington in the Maui Invitational Is a timeout to set up a play in a tie game advantageous or not? [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 31, 2010, 9:58 am] Maybe the most memorable aspect of Korie Lucious' buzzer-beating three-pointer to beat Maryland in the second round of last year's NCAA tournament was the image of Tom Izzo nearly calling timeout seconds before the shot. Izzo clearly was having the same internal debate coaches frequently have entering these final-possession scenarios: Is it better to try to catch the defense on its heels or call timeout to set up a play?John Ezekowitz of the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective analyzed that exact question after watching Izzo during the Maryland game, separately assessing a team's odds of tying or winning after a timeout while tied or trailing by one, two or three points. What he found in his study of games that were tied last season was that it was not advantageous for coaches to call timeout to set up a play to win the game on the final possession. In the case of teams with the ball when the score is tied, the data clearly show that it is more effective not to call timeout. In my 2009-2010 dataset, 452 teams fit the above criteria. 235 of those teams called timeout, 217 did not. Of the teams that called timeout, only 35.7 percent scored on the subsequent possession. Teams that did not call timeout scored 53.0 percent of the time. A simple two sample t-test with unequal variances shows that this difference is strongly statistically significant (p=0.0002). A logistic regression with timeouts as the independent variable and whether the team scored as the dependent variable showed that calling a timeout was a significant predictor of successfully scoring (p Atlantic 10 preview: Five storylines to watch next season [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 31, 2010, 8:00 am] Our week-long Atlantic 10 preview continues with a look at the conference's five most intriguing storylines entering the new season. Will the Atlantic 10 be even stronger than last season?Skeptics often scoffed when Atlantic 10 coaches insisted their league should be viewed as one of the majors, but last season's success made it more difficult to dismiss those claims. The Atlantic 10 finished with the sixth-best RPI of any league, placing three teams in the NCAA tournament and sending four other squads to other postseason tournaments.All that success might seem as though it would be difficult to duplicate, but there's reason to believe the Atlantic 10 might be better next season. Four of the five members of the first-team all-conference squad are returning and the league's top coaches rebuffed interest from bigger programs to remain with their respective programs.The next step for the conference will be for a program besides Xavier to experience some NCAA tournament success, but at least five teams begin next season with legitimate hopes of a memorable March run. The Musketeers are always a threat, Temple and Richmond each expect to return to the NCAA tournament and Dayton and Saint Louis each have a chance to join them. Can Temple finally win an NCAA tournament game?If every Atlantic 10 team besides Xavier is starved for NCAA tournament success, then Temple is the ideal symbol of that. Coach Fran Dunphy is 0-3 in first-round games with the Owls, a statistic made more painful by last season's one-sided opening round flameout against Cornell.The good news for Temple is that this year's team ought to have an excellent chance to end that run of futility. The defending regular season champion Owls return many of the key pieces from last year's surprising 29-win team including third-leading scorer and top rebounder Lavoy Allen, standout guard Juan Fernandez and Atlantic 10 Sixth of the Man of the Year Ramone Moore.One important loss Temple did sustain i Ranking the possible destinations for BYU basketball [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 30, 2010, 7:39 pm] As Wednesday's deadline approaches for BYU to decide whether or not it will declare its independence in football, the fate of the Cougars' men's basketball program also remains in limbo.The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that BYU is still doggedly determined to pursue football independence, which would likely mean the basketball program is headed for either the WAC or the WCC. The only way BYU basketball would remain a member of the Mountain West would be if the conference offered an 11th-hour sweetheart deal to take the Cougars' non-football sports.Although football and TV revenue will undoubtedly be the two biggest factors in BYU's ultimate decision, this post will attack the issue from a totally different perspective. Here's a look at the best possible options for the Cougars for the longterm health of the basketball program: 1. Remaining in the Mountain WestBYU football has valid reasons to declare its independence, but its basketball team is far better off staying in the Mountain West than going elsewhere. Unless either the Pac-10 or Big 12 have a chance of heart and invite the Cougars, no other conference can offer them the combination of exposure and competitive and geographic viability that the Mountain West does. The Mountain West put four teams in the NCAA tournament last season, a feat that it could easily duplicate again next season and in years to come. In addition to BYU, San Diego State, New Mexico and UNLV are all solid, well-coached programs and the imminent arrival of Nevada (and perhaps Utah State) will only strengthen the conference. 2. Forming a new conferenceIt doesn't appear as though there's enough momentum to make this happen, but there are enough dissatisfied non-BCS programs out there not to completely rule this option out. The key would be forming a conference that's strong enough in football to negotiate a lucrative TV deal yet doesn't completely neglect geography, basketball or the other sports. Any new conference for BYU wo UConn in trouble with loss of Majok/scholarships? [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 30, 2010, 2:45 pm] The more roadblocks that get thrown in Jim Calhoun's way, the more I wonder how much of this is worth it for the 68-year-old coach. He could very easily be retired, living the good life on the water up in his native area of Boston and never having to deal with those inferior human beings: beat reporters. But more trouble is appearing over the horizon. On Friday, the Hartford Courant's Mike Anthony scooped that underwhelming 23-year-old freshman Ater Majok was probably on his way out at Connecticut. Ater Majok’s playing career at UConn has likely ended, multiple sources have told The Courant. Coach Jim Calhoun said that is a distinct possibility, but not a done deal.“We’re talking to Ater about his future, yeah,” Calhoun said. “That’s all I can say. He hasn’t made any decision yet, but he could certainly go back and play in the Australian professional league. Nothing’s been determined yet, but there’s a chance that kind of thing could happen.” If you look at Majok's Twitter profile, you'll see two indications of his impending move: the first being a tweet draped in vagueness from last Thursday; the second a re-tweet that mentions Australia — where he played professionally before enrolling at UConn. It's presumed that's where he'd return if he left Storrs. The motive? Majok has a massive family in the Sudan. They are likely angst-ridden in waiting for Majok to help support them. The plans for Majok were to bolster his NBA cred by attending a pro-feeder of a program like UConn, which has put out as much NBA talent as almost any other school in the past 15 years. Still, Majok's departure may not be nearly as damaging as the possibility of losing scholarships which, according to one recruit, is happening. Angelo Chol responded to a question on Twitter (you see how much transparency this is bringing to collegiate athletics?), complete with a misspelling of the word "scholarships." Trash talking starts early between Duke and UNC recruits [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 30, 2010, 12:54 pm] They will have to wait more than a year to take the court on opposite sides of college basketball's greatest rivalry, but that didn't stop North Carolina-bound James McAdoo and Duke-bound Michael Gbinije from engaging in some friendly banter.In an interview with DraftExpress.com during the walk-up to Saturday's Boost Mobile Elite 24 event in Venice, Calif., McAdoo and Gbinije needled each-other as though they were a couple of diehard fans in a sports bar. They joked about each-other's appearances, college choices and chances of making it to the NBA one day. "Recap what their problem was last year because we won the whole thing and they went to the NIT?" Gbinije said. Responded McAdoo: "What happened to y'all two years ago when we beat you twice, home and away."The interview was reminiscent of a pair of similar smack-talk sessions DraftExpress conducted with class of 2010 recruits Kyrie Irving, Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall the week of the McDonald's All-American game last April. Bullock said the Tar Heels would win next season because Duke has "sorry wing players," so a smiling Irving politely reminded him which program was playing for a national title that weekend and which didn't make the NCAA tournament."I was proud of North Carolina this season," Irving said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "They had a tremendous season. It was amazing to watch them on TV. They played so hard every night. They put on a show every night for me when they lost by 30, 25, 40, 15. You guys got rolling at the end of the season. It was amazing." McAdoo needed to change the subject away from last season's results, so the Norfolk Christian star brought up his team's 63-56 victory over Gbinije's Benedictine High School last December."We lost, but we played on their court with their refs, not to mention I'm a guard and I'm like the biggest player on my team," Gbinije said. "We got here a UNC big The Nevada Gaming Board is investigating Marcus Jordan [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 30, 2010, 10:54 am] A reminder to all the underage sons of multi-millionaires out there: If you're going to blow a chunk of your trust fund during a crazy weekend in Las Vegas, don't publicize the details afterward.Central Florida guard Marcus Jordan has found that out the hard way since he tweeted last week that he and his older brother spent $56,000 in a single day at Liquid and Haze, the poolside lounge and swanky nightclub at Aria Resort & Casino. Not only were Michael and Juanita Jordan apparently not thrilled that their youngest son would divulge his spending habits, the Nevada Gaming Control Board is also reportedly investigating whether Marcus broke any laws.The Nevada Gaming Control Board on Friday confirmed it is involved. At issue is whether Marcus Jordan, 19, was drinking alcohol or gambling.Gaming Control board member Randall Sayre said MGM Resorts International is in the early stages of an inquiry to see "where the system broke down." It's hard to imagine any major consequences coming from this for Marcus, but it's also difficult to imagine him spending $56,000 at a casino anywhere besides the bar or the tables. Bottle service at Haze costs a minimum of $425 per bottle, so you can see how it would be easy for a deep-pocketed college kid to run up a hefty bill in a hurry.The real lesson for Marcus here isn't so much about abiding the law or the value of a dollar but about the celebrity that comes with being the son of the world's most famous basketball player. To his credit, Marcus insisted he has learned from this incident in a conversation with FoxSports.com last week. "I didn't mean it the way it came across," Marcus Jordan said. "My family and friends know the type of person I am." A-10 Preview: How Xavier basketball rose from humble origins [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 30, 2010, 8:00 am] When Xavier coach Chris Mack played for the Musketeers in the early 1990s, he quickly learned to dread morning shootarounds at the Cincinnati Gardens.There was a sheet of ice beneath the gym floor since the aging multipurpose municipal facility also housed Cincinnati's minor league hockey team, yet the owners rarely turned on the heat in advance for the Musketeers."Guys would sometimes practice wearing hats or gloves or heavy sweatshirts," Mack said. "You could see your breath in the morning. That always woke you up."Trading the hard-back seats and video-less scoreboard of the Cincinnati Gardens for the luxury suites and spacious locker rooms of the state-of-the-art Cintas Center is just one of many signs Xavier is no longer the Cinderella team Mack once knew.Marquee schools who once wouldn't dream of deigning to play at Xavier are now clamoring to try to schedule a game. Analysts who once routinely mispronounced the school's name as "Eggs-Avier" are now touting the Musketeers as a budding national power. And fans who once ignored Xavier basketball now show up in droves to support a program that Forbes Magazine ranked the 15th most valuable in the nation this year.As the Musketeers begin a new season with the chance to win a fifth straight conference title and make a 10th NCAA tournament appearance in 11 seasons, it's still difficult to pinpoint any single individual responsible for the program's steady rise.It happened because under-recruited players like Byron Larkin, Brian Grant and David West outworked more highly touted peers at big-name schools. It happened because coaches like Pete Gillen, Skip Prosser and Sean Miller left the program in better shape than when they arrived. And it happened because Xavier's administration gradually became convinced a strong basketball program could elevate the university's profile and didn't hesitate to spend the money necessary to help it flourish. More from The Dagger's A-10 Preview &b Atlantic Sun Preview: Expect a three-way battle at the top [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: August 29, 2010, 8:00 am] Our conference preview series continues with the Atlantic Sun. Here's a look at the projected standings, three must-see games and the conference's three most intriguing storylines entering the new season. Can Adnan Hodzic propel Lipscomb to the NCAA tournament? If standout center Adnan Hodzic doesn't want his college career to end without leading Lipscomb to the NCAA tournament, next season is his last and perhaps best chance to end the drought. Hodzic, the nation's leading scorer as a junior, led the Bisons to a share of the conference crown last season, but they flamed out in the first round of the Atlantic Sun tournament. The 6-foot-9 big man flirted with entering the NBA draft but opted to return to Lipscomb in hopes of finally winning the championship that has eluded him.Lipscomb figures to have an opportunity to send Hodzic out in style because all five of its starters return. Complementing Hodzic's interior punch are high-scoring guards Josh Slater and Jordan Burgason, both sharp shooters from the perimeter who averaged 17.1 and 12.8 points per game respectively.Will East Tennessee State have its top players back? East Tennessee State might have more returning talent than any team in the league, but the two-time defending Atlantic Sun tournament champs also face more question marks than fellow contenders Lipscomb and Belmont. Last season's leading scorer forward Tommy Hubbard was suspended in April after an altercation with his girlfriend that resulted in her laptop computer being destroyed. And all-conference guard Mike Smith is still recovering from a stress fracture in his leg that cost him all but four games last season. East Tennessee State coach Murray Bartow told the Johnson City Press last month that Smith's rehab is going smoothly and that he expects Hubbard to be reinstated in the fall. If both return to their previous form and guards Justin Tubbs and Micah Williams perform as well as they did last year in Smith's absence, the Bucs ha |