Where Have All the True Point Guards Gone?

By Yoni Cohen on Thu Dec 31, 2009 at 01:49:26 AM EST

Seth Davis notes that Duke, Florida, Georgetown, and Purdue currently lack true point guards. Jeff Goodman suggests West Virginia does as well.

Where have all the true point guards gone?

Perhaps Pete Thamel and Bill Simmons, who addressed the question in 2007 and 2001, respectively, have an idea.

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Dear Baylor's Scott Drew

By Yoni Cohen on Thu Nov 12, 2009 at 11:40:15 PM EST

Congratulations on landing Perry Jones, a 6-10 center who is the best high school player ever to sign with the Baylor Bears.

But a word to the wise. Technically, Jones' presence on the honor roll is not an "intangible." High school honor roll assignments are based on grades. They are definite and tangible.

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Our long national nightmare is over

By Yoni Cohen on Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 08:53:22 PM EST

Another season of college hoops begins tonight.

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Bear Market?

By Yoni Cohen on Sat Oct 31, 2009 at 12:19:09 AM EST

I couldn't agree more with The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy. I too am shocked -- shocked -- that Mick Cronin's Cincinnati Bearcats didn't receive a single Top 25 vote.

Cronin can flat out coach and Deonta Vaughn, Yancy Gates, and Lance Stephenson are as good a threesome as you'll find in the Big East. It is only a matter of time until the Bearcats win their way into the rankings.

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yocohoop thought

By Yoni Cohen on Mon Oct 19, 2009 at 01:49:23 AM EST

Seth Davis’ long-awaited entry into the college hoops blogosphere is the best news I’ve heard (on the college hoops front) in years.

I’m looking forward to another great year of hoops – and hoops analysis.

Now if only the WWLIS would frontpage John Gasaway…

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Student-Athlete -- With Benefits?

By Yoni Cohen on Sun Aug 09, 2009 at 11:30:51 PM EST

Is it really legal for the WAC to award a $2,000 postgraduate scholarship to a former student-athlete? I assume that if it where not, the WAC would not annually bestow the Stan Bates Award. But what's to stop Kentucky, for example, from awarding John Wall a $50,000 postgraduate scholarship after he flees for the NBA in the spring? Or UCLA from granting Ed O'Bannon a $100,000 postgraduate scholarship years after his departure from Westwood?

Utah State forward Gary Wilkinson was selected this week as the male winner of the Stan Bates Award, which goes annually to the top male and female student-athlete in the Western Athletic Conference. Selection is based on a student's athletic and academic accomplishments. The prize is a $2,000 postgraduate scholarship. Wilkinson averaged 17.1 points per game last season to help Utah State go 30-5 and reach the NCAA tournament.

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questions

By Yoni Cohen on Fri May 15, 2009 at 10:33:19 PM EST

Why doesn’t Mississippi State try to double down on its lottery bet on Renardo Sidney by also signing the “supermodel with herpes,” Lance Stephenson? Alone, Sidney could lead the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16. But together with Sidney (and Jarvis Varnado), Stephenson might pave MSU a road to the Final Four. If the Bulldogs are willing to gamble on one elite but potentially ineligible recruit, why not two?

Why is Sean Miller’s recruiting haul at Arizona being hailed as an incredible coup? Granted, inking three Top 100 players in less than a (spring) month is no small feat. But Kevin Parrom earlier committed to Miller at Xavier and Solomon Hill earlier signed with Lute Olson at Arizona. Kyryl Natyazhko may have been the Wildcats’ biggest pure get – and he had been seriously considering joining Miller at Xavier.

Why would any NBA team make Stephen Curry a top-10 pick (given the likelihood that Curry is no more productive in the NBA than Eddie House)?

After failing to receive an invite to the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp, how long before Nic Wise withdraws from the NBA Draft?

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NBC Sports

By Yoni Cohen on Sun May 03, 2009 at 01:12:55 PM EST

Before and during the NCAA Tournament, I was offered -- and appreciated -- the opportunity to contribute a handful of college basketball columns to NBC Sports.

See here, here, here, and here.

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A $2 million man?

By Yoni Cohen on Mon Mar 30, 2009 at 01:20:02 PM EST

I like Anthony Grant. He is a talented coach and recruiter with an impressive resume, particularly for an SEC school. Grant is a great hire for Alabama, where he'll likely succeed.

But Grant isn't worth $2 million a year. No way. No how. Not now.

Grant's been a head coach for only three seasons. He owes his success to a senior, Eric Maynor, he did not recruit. Most importantly, he is much less accomplished than the very large number of coaches who earn significantly less than $2 million a year -- including Grant's old boss, Oklahoma's Jeff Capel.

Even Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt, the most overpaid coach in power conference basketball, currently pulls in significantly less than $2 million a year.

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If I had to guess

By Yoni Cohen on Sun Mar 15, 2009 at 07:10:46 PM EST

the final two teams the Selection Committee considered were Arizona and San Diego State. The Selection Committee ultimately opted for Arizona, in large part because of the Wildcats' regular season defeat of the Aztecs.

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Doug Gottlieb, Rising Star

By Yoni Cohen on Sun Mar 15, 2009 at 06:50:25 PM EST

I completely agree with Fox Sports' Jason Whitlock; Doug Gottlieb is "smart, opinionated and unafraid. ESPN needs to expand his role."

This afternoon, Gottlieb alone predicted both Dayton and Wisconsin were much less secure than the majority of bracketologists believed. As it were, both the Flyers and the Badgers were among the final four teams selected for the field of 65.

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The Last Four Bids

By Yoni Cohen on Sun Mar 15, 2009 at 03:26:09 PM EST

After Mississippi State defeated Tennessee, four at-large bids remain for the following eight clubs. Which teams would you select for the field of 65?

RPI Avg RPI Win Avg RPI Loss vs. RPI 1-50 vs. RPI 51-100 Last 12 Games Away Neutral Team
31 147 42 2-6 5-3 8-4 5-5 4-2 San Diego State
40 133 32 5-8 4-2 5-7 4-6 2-1 Minnesota
41 158 92 2-2 7-3 11-1 8-4 3-1 Creighton
44 113 40 4-10 5-1 7-5 4-7 2-2 Wisconsin
47 181 80 2-3 1-1 8-4 8-3 5-2 Saint Mary's
51 139 40 4-8 4-3 6-6 2-6 4-3 Maryland
63 140 45 6-10 2-2 7-5 2-9 2-1 Arizona
68 163 45 6-9 1-1 6-6 5-6 2-2 Penn State

In head-to-head play, San Diego State lost to St. Mary's and Arizona. Minnesota swept Wisconsin, which swept Penn State. Minnesota and Penn State split their season series.

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Arizona's Bad Karma

By Yoni Cohen on Sun Mar 15, 2009 at 03:22:06 PM EST

After Arizona archrival Arizona State lost to USC to reduce the number of at-large bids available, former Arizona and current Tennessee guard J.P. Prince missed what would have been the game-tying free throw, then turned the ball over with under 10 seconds remaining against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs' subsequent victory further decreased the likelihood the Wildcats will go dancing.

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Nobody Wants A No. 1 Seed

By Yoni Cohen on Sat Mar 14, 2009 at 06:44:07 PM EST

Not Kansas. Not Oklahoma. Not Michigan State. Not Wake Forest.

Even Connecticut, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina tried to unlock their No 1 seeds.

If Louisville tonight defeats Syracuse, the Cardinals will secure a No 1 seed. If not, Memphis will receive the final No. 1 seed by default.

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Morning in America

By Yoni Cohen on Thu Mar 12, 2009 at 08:55:54 AM EST

Good Morning Must-Reads

1. The Madison (WI) Times' Mike Lucas on the education of Ohio State's freshmen. "Before the start of the 2007-2008 season, Ohio State men's basketball coach Thad Matta decided to conduct an informal Q & A with his freshmen players. 'What's an automatic bid.' Matta got no response. 'What does the 'bubble' mean?' No reaction. 'At large?' Silence. 'They didn't know,' Matta sighed. 'None of them knew.'" LINK.

2. Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn on DeJuan Blair's offensive rebounding. "Blair has been the most dominant major-conference offensive rebounder of not just this season, but the past eight seasons... B[asketball] P[rospectus] recently made the mind-boggling observation that Blair is also outrebounding seven D-I teams on the offensive glass." LINK.

3. The Wall Street Journal's Darren Everson on Virginia Tech. "What if Stephen and Seth Curry, the sons of Virginia Tech legend Dell Curry, had come to Tech, rather than being allowed to slip through the school's recruiting net?" LINK.

4. McClatchy Newspapers' Robbi Pickeral and Ken Tysiac on ACC players' favorite moves. "If the best players get the ball in their best spots, the defense often can’t stop them." LINK.

5. USA Today's Jack Carey on Selection Friday for NCAA Tournament officials. "Game officials can log on to a secure Internet site Friday night and learn whether they're among the 96 officials and eight alternates selected to work the [NCAA Tournament]." LINK.

Good Morning Quote

“I know he never listened to his uncle about anything." Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim on Donte Greene, whose uncle, Derrick Marcano, received a $50,000 line of credit during the 2007-08 season as part of Ceruzzi Sports and Entertainment's efforts to sign Greene. LINK.

Good Morning Stat

Dayton guard London Warren averages 4.1 assists per outing in only 20.6 minutes of play. According to KenPom.com, when Warren is in the game, he assists a whopping 37.7 percent of his teammates' field goals, good for 11th best in the country.

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