Notre Dame Will Select New AD Today
The University of Notre Dame will select their new Athletic Director today. Well, they presumably have already selected who it will be, but they’ve been mum about the name of the guy replacing Kevin White. The official announcement will be sometime today, so make sure you Irish fans keep your ears open to find out who it is. The word on the street is that it will be Jack Swarbrick, a lawyer from Indianapolis who used to attend Notre Dame. However, there have been other names mentioned in the hunt for a new AD, so you never know. There could be a surprise today.
Even though the AD job at Notre Dame might seem more like a football story, this still could affect Notre Dame basketball. The Irish are slated to be among the best teams in the nation. Indeed, they will have a high AP Poll ranknig once the first one comes out, as they return nearly their whole roster from last year. The new AD will not have to re-sign coach Mike Brey for a while, but scheduling, recruiting, marketing– these are all things that he could help with.
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Kellogg to Replace Packer as Final Four Commentator
Billy Packer has announced his final Final Four game. The 68-year old veteran of college basketball announcing has decided to give up his gig after an incredible run in the industry. For the past 34 years, Packer has been the voice of college basketball’s biggest games. Although his not returning is not that big of a surprise, given his age and the fact that he had failed to secure anything more than a one year contract for several of his last years on the sideline, it’s still an important moment for NCAA hoops. Have a great retirement, Packer. Even though we will miss your signature voice, we wish you well in whatever you end up doing next. According to the article about this at CBS Sports, the NCAA president Miles Brand had this to say:
“His understanding of men’s college basketball, his analysis of the game, and his love for its place in higher education has ensured a legacy that anyone can envy. He is a friend of intercollegiate athletics, and I want to thank him for the enormous contributions he has made to the NCAA’s Final Four tournament, as well as on many, many other occasions over several years.”
Replacing Packer as the commentator alongside Jim Nantz for the next final four will be Clark Kellogg, a man with a great reputation and a distinct style of his own. We don’t foresee any real problem in the transition, as many college basketball fans like Clark Kellogg.
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Quick Hit Hoops News
Monday morning usually hits us here at the Final Four Blog like a ton of bricks, but today we’re going to try to soften the blow and give you the bricks one at a time. So here are some quick hit stories you might want to check out, all found at ESPN.
- Arizona coach Lute Olsen is apparently done with the “one-and-dones.” After the latest debacle with Brandon Jennings, the old timer on the sidelines for the Wildcats has said that he will try to avoid these superstar players, as they’re a lot of trouble.
- Speaking of Jennings, he might just sign with a European agent today… stay tuned.
- As you might know, the 3-point line is getting pushed back this season, so players and coaches are going to have to get used to the move. Who will benefit from the new arc, and who will whine about the line? Andy Katz examines. Read here to find out.
- And finally, for a little relief, we have a Dana O’Neill story about a game played between Concordia Seminary and St. Louis College of Pharmacy. It’s the slow season for college basketball news, remember.
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Shawn Kemp’s Son Might Play for Georgia
Shawn Kemp used to be the “Rainman,” the slashing, jamming, tamahawk slamming power forward for the Seattle SuperSonics. Now, though, he’s a punchline because of all of the out-of-wedlock kids he’s fathered, and the weight he’s gained. And the Sonics are leaving town like a rolling stone, too. However, Shawn’s eldest son, Shawn, Jr., might well become one of the nation’s top basketball players very soon. In fact, he’s a highly sought-after recruit according to an article about him by Luke Winn at Sports Illustrated.
Shawn Kemp, Jr. is 6-9, but he could still be growing. Some people say he plays like his father when he was young, but the story here is that Jr. is trying to make a name for himself, and not be forever attached to the father he barely knows. That’s going to be very hard. However, what’s more likely is that he could bring some good will back to the Kemp name. Schools like Georgia, Ole Miss, Alabama, Cincinnati, Washington and Indiana have all come knocking at his door, wanting him to play for their schools. This story reminds me a little of Daryl Strawberry’s son, who was a college player last season before he was drafted. Like Strawberry, he’s going to be forever linked to his father, who has had his share of problems in the past. But now, due to D.J.’s success, his father isn’t the first thing that people mention when they talk about him.
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The Most Efficient Mid Major Defenses of 2007-‘08
A good defense can carry your college basketball team all the way through the season and on into the Tournament. Defense wins championships, as they say, but as yet there have been very few mid-major teams to win the NCAA Basketball national championship- in fact, none in recent memory. The top mid-major basketball programs usually have players who stick around longer, and thus can develop a nice team chemistry on the defensive end, where roles are established and strengths are catered to. While their players might not be individually as good, they can still play some D as a team. So here they are. We compiled the list with the help of Basketballprospectus.com’s defensive efficiency stats.
THE FINAL FOUR BLOG’S
TOP TEN MID MAJOR DEFENSES
1. Winthrop
2. Davidson
3. Gonzaga
4. Virginia Commonwealth
5. Southern Illinois
6. Oral Roberts
7. St. Mary’s
8. Butler
9. Sam Houston State
10. San Diego
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It’s Official: Jennings Goes to Europe
Brandon Jennings’ saga is over. Well, not quite. But it’s official that he will not be playing at the University of Arizona, as Wildcats fans might have hoped. He has instead chosen to begin his professional basketball career early, with a European team. Jennings’ official statement read:
Jennings and the Wildcats were waiting for test results from the last of Jennings’ college entrance exams, test results that need to be up to par in order to attend the University. He has a scholarship waiting for him at Arizona if he was able to be get a high enough score, so this news comes as a bit of a surprise, as his options were not yet whittled down to just Europe. Just like Lute Olsen said, we here at the Final Four Blog are a little disappointed that he will not be playing college ball, but at the same time we do want to wish him the best of luck. Who knows? This might just be the best possible situation for Jennings, who would have likely been a one-and-done player anyways.
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LeBron and Chris Paul vs. College Basketball Campers
People who rely on CBSsports.com for college basketball information (this blogger included) are always treated to a sweet article by Gary Parrish, who seems to be everywhere at once, including his laptop. Today there’s a cool read at the college basketball page about a pickup game that LeBron James and Chris Paul played against some attendees at a college basketball camp in Akron. LeBron and Paul showed up to help out at LeBron’s Skills Academy, where some of the best college basketball players are honing their game over the summer at the University of Akron.
Some random students who showed up were treated to pickup games between the team with James and Paul going up against college players like Patrick Christopher (Cal), Patrick Beverley (Arkansas), Jonny Flynn (Syracuse), Terrence Williams (Louisville) and Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State). Apparently James and Paul lost three times out of seven games. Parrish made sure to remark that the U.S. Olympic team, which will include these two players, will have it’s work cut out for them if they intend to do as well against the rest of the world in China in a couple of months.
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Bracketology Way Too Early
Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology reports are always fun to look at when the season is underway, but when the college basketball tip off is still painfully out in the distance, they just make you a little sad. Well, maybe the fact that it’s Monday has a little something to do with it too. Either way, there’s a fresh Bracketology report out there. It’s still much too early to tell much about the way the basketball season is going to turn out by Tourney time, but Joe gives it a valiant effort. Unlike most of the other Top 25 lists that come out too early, Joe’s list is more real-world, in that it goes straight to the heart of the matter- which teams will get into the Tournament, and which ones will be left out. In the end, getting ranked in the top 25 is great, but if you fail to make the dance, you’re season is a bit of a disappointment.
So who does Joe put to make the No. 1 seeds? Well, apparently he’s a big fan of Tobacco road, because he’s got North Carolina and Duke as No. 1s. He’s also got Memphis and Pittsburgh as the other regional No. 1s. Memphis lost three hugely important players from last season to the NBA Draft. Duke lost one of their best outside scorers to a transfer, and North Carolina will miss Ty Lawson from last year’s team. Yet, still they should be replenished with good rookies, ready to get back to the top of the college basketball world.
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Which College Teams Were Hurt the Most from the NBA Draft?
A couple of days ago we did a little blog about what conferences had the most players drafted to play in the NBA. The Pac-10 was by far the most prolific college conference, especially at the top end. You had Love, Westbrook, Mayo, the Lopez twins, there were a lot. But by individual school, who will miss the largest number of outstanding players? We’re going to use the cool feature at basketball-reference.com to help us out. Here’s the list of schools with the most draft picks:
Kansas – 5
Memphis - 3
UCLA - 3
Georgetown – 2
Indiana – 2
Kansas State – 2
Stanford – 2
Cal - 2
Oregon – 2
So there you have it. Kansas, the national champion, certainly had the most draftable class. And they should. They were prided as the team that, although without a traditional star, was good in tall around. They lost most of their starting five. How will they ever recover?
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Pearl, Howland Land Big Contracts
Bruce Pearl of Tennessee and Ben Howland of UCLA are two of the most successful and well-paid college basketball coaches in the land, and they just got a little more bank this past week. Bruce Pearl was signed to coach the Tennessee Volunteers through the 2013 season, but he extended his contract to 2014 and also picked up some sweet incentive, buy-out and bonus dollars in a new deal with the University.
Ben Howland was signed well into the next decade, but he increased his deal through 2015, grabbed some extra loot to increase with each year he remains the coach at UCLA, but kept some of the incentive dollars the same in the new contract. Here are a few of their past accomplishments:
- Howland has guided the Bruins to three-straight Final Four appearances, and will go for a fourth this year.
- Bruce Pearl coached the Vols to a No. 1 AP ranking after they beat then-No. 1 Memphis during the 2007-08 regular season.
- Both the Volunteers and the Bruins won their respective conference titles last year, and both achieved their best regular season records in decades.
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