Is there any way that Isiah Thomas will build Florida International into a decent program? His interview after the press conference was unbelievably bad and awkward. He didn't answer any of the questions directly. It basically seemed like he was lying throughout the whole interview.
He obviously will not be getting the blue chip players to come to FIU so he is going to have to do a great job of spotting potential and recruiting the second tier players. I'm not sure how he will do that with his reputation. I would think a lot of players would stay away from the situation if they have other offers.
Another bad sign was when he was introduced as "Isiah Thompson" at his press conference. How do you mess up the name "Thomas" as if it is a difficult name? Did FIU interview him? I'll be shocked if this turns into a good situation.
Best of luck to him though!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
AAU is Back
It is that time of the year again! I'm not talking about Easter either. AAU season is the best time of the year in my opinion :). I gathered a few observations on the first weekend of action from IndyBall.com tournament and a tournament at the Fishers Fieldhouse.
Cody Zeller has improved at an incredible pace. He will likely end up being very similar to Tyler in running the floor and shooting ability.
Marshall Plumlee plays harder than any big man I have seen in AAU as a 6'10 sophomore. That bodes well for his development as a player.
Zac VanDeWater might be the most underrated player in the class of 2011 in Indiana. Very much a high major recruit with his size, quickness, and shooting ability.
Neal Beshears is not your typical small school "all-star" because of his athletic ability. With added muscle he could be a big time player.
Vincent Zollo had to be disappointed that Billy Gillispie was let go at Kentucky because I do not see him gettng any other high major offers unless he grows into his feet. He is the same height he was listed at last summer so unless they over-hyped his height last year than he hasn't grown.
Justin Gant has become much more consistent with his jumper and it looks very good.
Jeremiah Davis has the highest percentage of unnecessary look away passes I have ever seen. He makes a no-look pass every possession for no reason. No big deal until he commits a turnover when he is looking off an invisible defender.
Austin Etherington looks healthy and poised for a big summer in terms of his recruitment. Tough to defend a 6'6 wing that can put in on the floor.
Jalen Packer got to the rim constantly but that has never been questioned. The factor that will decide how high of college ball he can play is his shooting ability.
Just a few things I saw while I caught some glances at games.
Cody Zeller has improved at an incredible pace. He will likely end up being very similar to Tyler in running the floor and shooting ability.
Marshall Plumlee plays harder than any big man I have seen in AAU as a 6'10 sophomore. That bodes well for his development as a player.
Zac VanDeWater might be the most underrated player in the class of 2011 in Indiana. Very much a high major recruit with his size, quickness, and shooting ability.
Neal Beshears is not your typical small school "all-star" because of his athletic ability. With added muscle he could be a big time player.
Vincent Zollo had to be disappointed that Billy Gillispie was let go at Kentucky because I do not see him gettng any other high major offers unless he grows into his feet. He is the same height he was listed at last summer so unless they over-hyped his height last year than he hasn't grown.
Justin Gant has become much more consistent with his jumper and it looks very good.
Jeremiah Davis has the highest percentage of unnecessary look away passes I have ever seen. He makes a no-look pass every possession for no reason. No big deal until he commits a turnover when he is looking off an invisible defender.
Austin Etherington looks healthy and poised for a big summer in terms of his recruitment. Tough to defend a 6'6 wing that can put in on the floor.
Jalen Packer got to the rim constantly but that has never been questioned. The factor that will decide how high of college ball he can play is his shooting ability.
Just a few things I saw while I caught some glances at games.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
This Just IN...
North Carolina is pretty good. Michigan State needed to play great and have UNC choke to win the game tonight. Unfortunately for MSU neither of those things happened. North Carolina's pressure bothered the Spartans early and often. UNC never let the crowd get into the game. Every coach says they want to take the crowd out of it, but it is a very difficult thing to execute. The Tar Heels executed that game plan with precision.
At least, North Carolina had a former Indiana high school player on their team in Tyler Zeller. He was not a factor in the game tonight, but he would have contributed to their success more if he had not broken his wrist early in the year. I hope he stays healthy next year and has a big year for them.
At least, North Carolina had a former Indiana high school player on their team in Tyler Zeller. He was not a factor in the game tonight, but he would have contributed to their success more if he had not broken his wrist early in the year. I hope he stays healthy next year and has a big year for them.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Indiana Junior All-Stars
The Indiana Junior All-Star team was named. Here is the list.
CORE TEAM
Deshaun Thomas - Ft. Wayne Luers
Terone Johnson - North Central
Xavier Jones - Gary West
Dominique Ferguson - Lawrence North
Travis Carroll - Danville
Donnie Hale - New Albany
NORTH
Jesse Berry - Lafayette Jeff
Jake Kitchell - South Central
Russell Byrd - Ft. Wayne Blackhawk
Kennis White - South Bend Washington
Chris Welker - Zionsville
Michael Harris - East Chicago Central
SOUTH
Erik Fromm - Bloomington South
Julian Boatner - Bloomington North
Trey Hughes - Barr-Reeve
Neal Beshears - Winchester
John Michael Jarvis - Terre Haute South
Kegan Clark - Jeffersonville
CORE TEAM
Deshaun Thomas - Ft. Wayne Luers
Terone Johnson - North Central
Xavier Jones - Gary West
Dominique Ferguson - Lawrence North
Travis Carroll - Danville
Donnie Hale - New Albany
NORTH
Jesse Berry - Lafayette Jeff
Jake Kitchell - South Central
Russell Byrd - Ft. Wayne Blackhawk
Kennis White - South Bend Washington
Chris Welker - Zionsville
Michael Harris - East Chicago Central
SOUTH
Erik Fromm - Bloomington South
Julian Boatner - Bloomington North
Trey Hughes - Barr-Reeve
Neal Beshears - Winchester
John Michael Jarvis - Terre Haute South
Kegan Clark - Jeffersonville
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Motor
Motors make cars run and motors make teams win. A motor in terms of basketball is a player's effort and hustle. If a player has a good motor he is always fighting for rebounds, crushing the boards at every opportunity. It means he is always hustling back in transition defense and not jogging back behind the action. Teams need five players with great motors on the floor to win big games.
Ultra competitive players are basically born with a good motor in them because they don't want to lose so they naturally outwork their opponents. Sometimes players don't have a good perception of themselves and thinking they are outworking guys when they aren't even close. Tyler Hansbrough has the ultimate motor. He is the definition of a guy with a great motor. Hansbrough never gives up on a play until the whistle blows.
One thing that happens a lot in AAU is that younger players watch the older, elite players play during down time stretches. Most of the time the top 25 players in the nation do not play very hard because they can get away with it. So the younger, less talented player says to himself "well player x doesn't play hard all the time and he is going to Ohio State..." and they don't believe they have to play hard to make it to the next level. The problem is a lot of times colleges do not recruit guys because they do not play hard enough. Mediocre talent can't lack hustle and they can't be a problem off the court i.e. grades. I've talked to many college coaches who have told me they like a guy's talent, but they don't think he has the motor to play at their level. That is a shame for the player!
Ultra competitive players are basically born with a good motor in them because they don't want to lose so they naturally outwork their opponents. Sometimes players don't have a good perception of themselves and thinking they are outworking guys when they aren't even close. Tyler Hansbrough has the ultimate motor. He is the definition of a guy with a great motor. Hansbrough never gives up on a play until the whistle blows.
One thing that happens a lot in AAU is that younger players watch the older, elite players play during down time stretches. Most of the time the top 25 players in the nation do not play very hard because they can get away with it. So the younger, less talented player says to himself "well player x doesn't play hard all the time and he is going to Ohio State..." and they don't believe they have to play hard to make it to the next level. The problem is a lot of times colleges do not recruit guys because they do not play hard enough. Mediocre talent can't lack hustle and they can't be a problem off the court i.e. grades. I've talked to many college coaches who have told me they like a guy's talent, but they don't think he has the motor to play at their level. That is a shame for the player!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
McDonald's Game
The McDonald's All-American game is about to start. It is a little strange to have zero all-americans going to The Big Ten. I know the ACC and Big East are the hot conferences right now, but you would think a couple would chose the Big Ten. I think the game has dropped off a little bit recently due to a few factors. I think now it is based more off of potential and in the past decades it was based off of accomplishments first and then potential if they have some recommendations.
Another thing is there are no players from Indiana in the game this year. Mason Plumlee did make it and he technically lives in Indiana but spent his high school career at prep school in North Carolina. So, he really does not count. I think Derek Elston would have made a run at it if not for his knee injury last summer. I'm guessing the selections are based off of summer play more than high school seasons for good reason and he missed all last summer.
Next year, I would hope DeShaun Thomas and Dominique Ferguson make it from Indiana. I think both should be locks unless they get injured or do something stupid off the court. The 2010 class in Indiana is definitely better than this year's class and 2011 should potentially be better than both of them. 2012 class is also looking strong early in their high school careers. There is hope for the Big Ten and state of Indiana in the near future.
Another thing is there are no players from Indiana in the game this year. Mason Plumlee did make it and he technically lives in Indiana but spent his high school career at prep school in North Carolina. So, he really does not count. I think Derek Elston would have made a run at it if not for his knee injury last summer. I'm guessing the selections are based off of summer play more than high school seasons for good reason and he missed all last summer.
Next year, I would hope DeShaun Thomas and Dominique Ferguson make it from Indiana. I think both should be locks unless they get injured or do something stupid off the court. The 2010 class in Indiana is definitely better than this year's class and 2011 should potentially be better than both of them. 2012 class is also looking strong early in their high school careers. There is hope for the Big Ten and state of Indiana in the near future.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Coaching Changes
April means two things in college basketball. One is the Final Four and the other is coaching changes. Some get fired and others look for better opportunities in the coaching business. This spring is no different. John Calipari is heading to Kentucky which will start a domino effect in the business. Memphis now needs a coach which will probably be a coach from another school and the trend continues down the line.
VCU's Head Coach Anthony Grant took the Alabama job. VCU hired a Florida assistant as they had done when they hired Grant. Billy Donovan has a good coaching tree and VCU has made some great hires recently with Grant and Jeff Capel, who left for Oklahoma.
I'm hoping all the changes trickle down to the JuCo level. Maybe one of the new head coaches will take a JuCo coach with him. There is always hope! :)
VCU's Head Coach Anthony Grant took the Alabama job. VCU hired a Florida assistant as they had done when they hired Grant. Billy Donovan has a good coaching tree and VCU has made some great hires recently with Grant and Jeff Capel, who left for Oklahoma.
I'm hoping all the changes trickle down to the JuCo level. Maybe one of the new head coaches will take a JuCo coach with him. There is always hope! :)
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