College season updates:

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#1
Now that the college season is in full swing, I thought I would give updates on different teams and players that I think might be revelant to the NBA draft. I'm not going to do it on a nightly basis. Even I'm not that dedicated. But I'll try an keep you up to date on the usual suspects, and also on who I think might be a sleeper. So, with no futher ado, lets talk about last night.

North Carolina/Michigan St.
North Carolina had its hands full for the first half of the first half. Mich. St. came out and punished them on the boards big time. This game was played on the deck of an aircraft carrier. It was a beautiful setting, especially with the sun going down in the background. Fortunately, it wasn't very windy. North Carolina ended up with the win, 67 to 55.

Harrison Barnes, a 6'8" SF, had a nice game with 17 pts, 5 boards, and 2 assists. He looks like he's added more weight and muscle in the offseason. He still has that beautiful shooting stroke, and he moves well without the ball.

John Henson, a 6'10" PF/C, added 12 points, 7 boards, and 9 blocked shots. He still has no game away from the basket, but his bread and butter is defense. He's still to skinny to suit me.


Kentucky/Marist:
This was a game for one half of basketball. I don't know what Calapari said at halftime, but Kentucky was a different team. Kentucky let at the half by about 8 points, but ended up winning by 50 pts 108 to 58. In the second half Kentucky turned up the defense, and the game was over.

Anthony Davis, a 6'10" C/PF freshman, considered by many scouts to be the number one pick in the draft right now, had 23 pts (at least 5 of his baskets were alleyoops) 10 boards, 5 blocked shots, and 3 assists. He was 10 of 13 from the field. Not a bad first game.

Michael Gilchrist, a 6'6" SF/SG freshman, and a terrific defender with a non stop motor, had 15 pts, 7 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. He was 5 of 9 from the field.

Marquis Teague, a 6'2" PG freshman, and also a very good defender, had 16 pts, 4 boards, 4 assists, and 3 steals. He was 7 of 12 from the field.

Doron Lamb, a 6'5" SG freshman, who on occasion plays the Pt, had 15 pts, 5 boards, 8 assists, and 1 steal. He was 6 or 12 from the field.

Terrence Jones, a 6'8" SF/PF sophmore, didn't play as much as usual after being in a car accident at 3 am the night before. I think he's in Calapari doghouse at the moment. He had 8 pts, 9 boards, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot. He was 3 of 7 from the field.

Kyle Wiltjer, a 6'9" PF freshman, who impressed me with his passing ability, had 14 pts, 4 boards, 1 assist, and 2 blocked shots.

Kentucky had 50 rebounds, 24 assists, 8 steals, and 13 blocked shots. You'll win a lot of games if you can do that every night.


UCONN/Columbia:

UCONN went on to win this game 70 to 57. I'd like to add that most of the early season first games of the year for the top teams are usually against 2nd tier teams. So the scores tend to be somewhat lopsided.

Andre Drummond may be rethinking his decision to go to UCONN. He only played 12 minutes while a player far inferior, talent wise took his minutes. Don't know the reason why, except that UCONN has a history of rewarding the more experienced players, and making the freshman earn their spurs. He won't be handed any gift minutes. I think he had 4 pts and a few boards, and a few fouls.

Jeremy Lamb, a 6'5" SG sophmore, and one of my favorite players, had a terrific game. last year Kemba Walker got all the press, and deservingly so. But the player that made a huge difference for UCONN last season, and was hidden to some extent by the shadow of Walker, was Lamb. He has a terrific inside, outside game. And is hands down the best defender on the team. He may be the best defensive SG in college, but I would get some argument there.

Lamb had 30 pts, 3 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. He was 11 of 17 from the field, and 5 of 8 from beyond the circle.

Shabazz Napier, a 6'0" PG sophmore, also had a great game, and made the post Walker era a little easier to swallow. He had 21 pt's, 6 boards, 8 assists, and 2 steals. He was 7 of 12 from the field and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. Obviously he didn't get to play as much last season with Walker there. But he opened the season with a bang.


To be continued:
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#2
Vanderbilt/Oregon: Winner, Vanderbilt 78 to 64

This will make a good friend of mine happy. He's a big Jeffery Taylor fan.

Jeffery Taylor, a 6'7" SF junior, and one of the better defensive SF's in college basketball had a very nice game with 21 pts, 11 boards, 4 assists, 5 steals and 1 blocked shot. He was 8 of 16 from the field. If Taylor could play this way every night, I'd fall in love with him as well. His biggest problem up to now has been his erratic outside shooting. This is a good start, so lets see how consistent he can be from here on out.

John Jenkins, a 6'4" SG junior, and the other half of the big two that will have to carry Vanderbilt this season, had a very strange night. He had 24 pts, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. He was 8 of 19 from the field, but what was strange about his game is that he took 16 three pt shots. He almost tied the record. He did hit 7 of them, so all's well that ends well.

Duke/Belmont: Duke won 77 to 76

This game was the exception to the top teams playing 2nd tier teams. This was a game I wanted to see, because Belmont is a very good basketball team, and could make it to the sweet sixteen or beyond in the tourney. So I saw a potential upset here. And its almost happened. Belmont is a team that doesn't have any big time names on it, but its very well coached and very disciplined. They remind me of some the Princeton teams under coachie, but with a little more talent. Duke dodged a bullet, and had a few players that had nice games.

Seth Curry, a 6'2" SG/PG junior, had 16 pts, 3 boards, 4 assists and 1 steal. He was 5 of 13 from the field, but 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.

Mason Plumlee, a 6'10" PF/C junior, had 13 pts, 14 boards, 6 assists, and 1 blocked shot. He was 6 of 10 from the field. I'm not a big fan of the Plumlee's, but I have to give credit where its due. He had a nice game.

Austin Rivers, a 6'4" SG freshman, had 16 pts, 2 boards, 1 assists, 2 steals, and 5 turnovers. He was 3 of 9 from the field, and 2 of 4 from beyond the arc. Rivers has talent, but not much discipline. Right now he's a one on one type player, which is great on a playground, but it not going to fly with Coach K.

California/U.C. Irvine: Cal won 77 to 56

Cal's lack of height and interior presence will catch up with them at some point, but they're one of the top teams in the Pac 12. They're well coached, and have enough experience in the backcourt to win a lot of games.

Jorge Gutierrez, a 6'3" PG senior, is one of the best defenders at his position in all of college basketball. Just my opinion, but shared by many. He's also the heart and soul of Cal. He had 11 pts, 9 boards, 7 assists and 2 steals. He was 5 of 11 from the field and 1 for 1 from beyond the arc.

Allen Crabbe, a 6'6" SG sophmore, got off to a good start in his second year. He had 24 pts, and 2 boards. He was 10 of 19 from the field, and 4 of 10 from beyond the arc.

Harper Kamp, a 6'8" PF senior, is expected to be the interior presence this season. He had a decent game with 10 pts, 8 boards, 2 assists and 1 steal. He was 4 of 7 from the field.

I'll quickly touch on some of the others.

Gonzaga/Eastern Washington: Gonzaga won 77 to 69

Strange game for Robert Sacre, a 7'0" center senior. He had 22 pts, but almost all of them came at the freethrow line. He was 4 of 9 from the field, but was 14 or 18 from the line. He also had 10 boards and 1 blocked shot.

His running mate, Elias Harris, a 6'7" PF junior, had 16 pts, 8 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He was 6 of 11 from the field.

Kansas/Towson: Kansas won 100 to 54

Easy game for Kansas. Kansas should be good this season, but not the powerhouse its been the past few seasons. They're in a tough conference with Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M, Missouri, and Oklahoma. So its no gimme that they're going to win their conference.

Thomas Robinson, a 6'9" PF junior, and another one of my favorites, had 18 pts, 11 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 blocked shot. He was 8 or 16 from the field.

ST.Bonaventure/Cornell: The Bonnies won 79 to 58

Andrew Nicholson, a 6'9" PF senior, and a player a lot of people haven't heard about had a very nice game. He had 24 pts, 5 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. He was 7 of 16 from the field, and 10 for 10 from the line. Nicholson is a definite 2nd round pick, and he could slide into the first round. Just my opinion mind you.

Purdue/Northern Illlinois: Purdue won 96 to 34

Not much of a game apparently. My only interest is Robbie Hummel, a 6'8" SF, who has been plagued by injuries for the last two years. For his first game back, it wasn't bad. He definitely needs to pick up his rebounding though.
He had 21 pts, 1 board, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He was 8 of 13 from the field and 5 for 7 from beyond the arc.

Marquette/Mount St. Marys: Marquette won 91 to 37

Again not much of a game. And again my only interest is seeing Darius Johnson-Odom, a 6'2" SG. Odom is one of the best shooters in college. His major problem is lack of height for the position. I question his ability to play the point. But he could be instant offense for someone.
He had 16 pts, 4 assists, and 3 steals. He was 6 of 8 from the field and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.

Last but not least, well, maybe it is the least.

UCLA/Loyola Mary: Loyola Mary won 69 to 58

I have said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm not a big fan of Howland's. I've never seen any coach as good as Howland at taking talent and getting it to underaccheive. This should have been an easy game for UCLA. They came in ranked 20th in the nation. A ranking that I thought was too high. Belmont, an unranked team would hand them their heads. Anyway, enough about that.

Reeves Nelson, had a decent game for UCLA. He had 13 pts, 8 boards, and 2 blocks. He was 6 of 12 from the field.

I think thats enough for now.. By the way, no, I didn't see all of these games, but I did see quite a few of them thanks to two DVR's. For the one's I didn't see I relied on blogs from scouts and written play by play from ESPN, CBS sports, Fox sports, and tweets from the game.

Now I'm off to the TV to watch more games...Adios!
 
#3
So far to me Jeremy Lamb and Anthony Davis are the two key guys I think would be a perfect fit here. Also Gilchrist, Barnes and Rivers. So excited for college basketball. I honestly think this is UK's year, This one as done kids are going to be so fun to watch!
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#4
So far to me Jeremy Lamb and Anthony Davis are the two key guys I think would be a perfect fit here. Also Gilchrist, Barnes and Rivers. So excited for college basketball. I honestly think this is UK's year, This one as done kids are going to be so fun to watch!
Yep, Kentucky is a fun team to watch. I like Michael Gilchrist a lot. I've been following him for quite a while now. He's a high charactor kid, and he doesn't know what the word quit means. Jemery Lamb has the talent to be a top 3 pick, and thats saying a lot, when you look at the talent out there. Anthony Davis is still finding his way, and accidently playing great in the process. Think how good he'll be once he gets up to speed. The one that I'm going to be cautious on is Rivers. He's sort of a black hole right now. Doesn't move without the ball very well, and is mostly a dribble drive shooter. He has a lot of talent. I'm sure Coach K will help him in the right direction.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#5
I took in a few games this weekend. First up was Kentucky & Old Dominion. Kentucky stayed unbeaten, but showed off all of its youth and inexperience. I'm not sure they would have won the game without Darius Miller coming off the bench and showing some veteran leadership. The starting five played as though they had never seen a 3/2 zone before. Well, they probably haven't. Marquis Teague really struggled and turned the ball over 5 times in the first half. He improved in the second half with only 1 turnover. Right now through 3 games, his turnover to assist ratio is around 3 to 1. Unfortunately its 3 turnovers to every assist. Not to worry. John Wall and Knight both had very similar starts for Kentucky. Teague is very talentd, so I think he'll be fine.

Aside from Miller who ended up with 13 pts on 4 of 8 shooting, to go with 4 boards, 5 assists, and 1 steal, the best player on the floor may have been Michael Gilchrist, the energizer bunny. He 13 pts on 6 of 13 shooting. 9 boards, 2 assists and 1 steal. Anthony Davis, who fouled out late in the game, had 11 pts on 4 of 6 shooting, 9 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 3 blocked shots. Terrence Jones, who took 9 shots and only made 3, scoring only 6 pts, was very active on defense with 7 boards, 1 steal, and 4 blocked shots.

For Old Dominion I was very impressed with their 6'9" PF, Chris Cooper. He was very active on the board and played good defense. He ended up with 17 pts, and 12 boards.
Kentucky has the talent to be one of the top 5 teams in the country. They're currently ranked # 2. Right now their biggest weakness is the lack of outside shooting. Their only consistent shooter is Doron Lamb. Miller can get hot, but is inconsistent. They're going to see a lot of zone defense, so their outside shooting has to improve.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#6
I also saw UCONN and North Carolina play. Not against each other! Both won handily! Your going to be hearing a lot about the backcourt duo of Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier. No relationship to Grant. So far, Shabazz is making everyone forget all about Kemba Walker. Shabazz had 22 pts on 8 of 14 shooting, and get this, 12 boards. Not bad for a 6'0" PG. He also had 13 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. Napier is a sophmore, and didn't get to play much behind Walker last season. So far he's taking advantage of his chance to shine.

Jemery Lamb, a 6'5" SG, is in my opinion a top 5 pick in the next draft. Offensively there's just not much he can't do. He can take it to the basket, or shoot the 3. What makes him special is his defense. He's a terrific defensive player. He had 25 pts on 10 of 17 shooting, 2 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Lamb still has room to improve, and is very possibily a future NBA star.

Andre Drummond is coming off the bench so far, and his minutes are starting to increase. He hasn't made quite the splash that everyone thought he would, but he's currently playing with a face mask due to an injury he suffered in practice prior to the start of the season. So not to worry! I think once the mask comes off, and he gets comfortable, he'll be more of a factor for UCONN.

North Carolina looks like a well oiled machine. Which is why they're ranked # 1 in the nation. They have a nice mix of young talent and experience. Barnes looks like the player we thought he'd be last season. He had 18 pts on 8 of 16 shooting, 7 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He's added some muscle, and is playing with confidence. John Henson looked very good in the game. He's still too skinny, but he's a defensive force. I can see a Marcus Camby type career for him. He had 18 pts on 7 of 14 shooting, 14 boards, 3 assists, and 1 blocked shot.

Ty Zeller is an interesting player. Not the greatest athlete, but still, a better athlete than you think. He has some excellent post moves and is deadly with his hook shot with either hand within 4 to 6 feet from the basket. He rebounds well, and plays good defense. I still don't think he's a first round pick, but would be a steal in the second round for someone wanting a 7 footer on the bench. He had 16 pts on 8 of 15 shooting, 10 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 3 blocked shots.

Kendall Marshall their 6'3" PG, is the glue that holds the team together. He won't dazzle you offensively, although he can hit the spot up 3. But he'll get you the ball in the right place at the right time. He had 8 assists in the game

I'll close by mentioning a player that I've seen play twice now, and he's really impressed me. Its the 6'1" PG from Iona, Scott Machado. The dude is averaging 13.6 assists through 3 games, while averaging 15.3 pts and just under 3 steals a game. He's also shooting 51% from the field. Two of the three games came against Purdue and Maryland, so he was up against good competition. Someone to keep your eye on.
 
#7
I like Lamb a lot, a pure SG.

I think Drummond will be doing pretty well by the end of the season, he's probably a top 3 lock no matter what.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#8
I like Lamb a lot, a pure SG.

I think Drummond will be doing pretty well by the end of the season, he's probably a top 3 lock no matter what.
Yep, he's dripping with talent. Bad break getting injured in practice. A lot of players have problems playing with a mask. Still, he had pretty good results in the last game in limited minutes. UCONN is fairly loaded without him, so when he gets up to speed, they have a good chance to go all the way.
 
#9
Assuming the age restriction stays the same and there actually is a 2012 draft, it's going to be very deep. I don't even need for us to get Davis or Drummond, Gilchrist would be fine by me ;)
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#10
Assuming the age restriction stays the same and there actually is a 2012 draft, it's going to be very deep. I don't even need for us to get Davis or Drummond, Gilchrist would be fine by me ;)
Obviously if there is a season, I think we have a good chance to reach the playoffs. I have mixed emotions about that, because if we do, we lose the draft pick to Cleveland. However if we end up somewhere in the 10 to 14 range, we'll get a very good basketball player. So if were going to improve and not make the playoffs, then this is the year to do it because of the tremendous depth in the draft. I believe that this year you could get a player at 14 that might have been in the top five last year.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#11
Last nights games:

Kentucky 88, Radford 40:

This one was a real laugher for Kentucky. But it gave Calapari the chance to give Wiltjer extended minutes. And he played well. He only had 9 pts, but on this Kentucky team your not going to see one player with a lot of points very often. Its a very unselfish team and the scoring is well spread around. Wiltjer, a 6'9" PF showed off his passing skills, and should have had more than 2 assists. He also added 8 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocked shots.

Marquis Teague, a 6'2" PG, with a wicked crossover, had what was probably his best game of the season so far. 13 pts, on 6 of 8 shooting, 5 assists, 2 steals, and only 2 turnovers. Teague is also proving to be a very good spot up shooter from beyond the arc.
Anthony Davis, the 6'10" C/PF had what is becoming a routine game for him. 12 pts on 4 of 4 shooting, 6 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 4 blocked shots. Personally, I thought he had 5 blocks.
Michael Gilchrist, a 6'7" SF also had his typical game. 15 pts on 3 of 8 shooting. He was 8 of 8 from the free stripe. He added 9 boards and 3 steals. I just love this kid. He has winner written all over him.
Terrence Jones a 6'8" SF/PF, also had a nice game. 17 pts on 6 of 13 shooting, 8 boards, 1 assist, and 3 blocked shots.

Kentucky's offense is starting to come around. Still a work in progress, but with the defensive capability they have, they'll still win games despite offensive breakdowns.


Ohio St. 107, Virgina Military 74:

Another laugher, and not quite as interesting to watch. Ohio St. isn't as entertaining as Kentucky. However, I do enjoy watching Aaron Craft, a 6'2" PG for Ohio St. He had 13 pts on 4 of 6 shooting, 2 boards, 8 assists, and 3 steals. Craft is a very good defender.
William Buford a 6'6" SG, had what I would like to see from him every night. 23 Pts on 10 of 16 shooting, 3 boards, and 6 assists. The main difference between Buford landing in the first round and the second round, is his consistency.

Jared Sullinger a 6'9" PF had a typical game. 17 pts on 8 of 10 shooting, 12 boards and 1 assist. I think Sullinger will be fine at the next level, but I'm still not sold on him being a star. He's definitely thinner and more agile than last season. Fundamentaly, he's as sound as any player in college in the post. But athleticaly he's average, and he's still bothered by the occasional length of opposing players, which he'll see on a nightly basis in the NBA. He doesn't appear to have the wingspan of others like Elton Brand and Millsap. I hope he proves me wrong.

Michigan 79, UCLA 63:

Tim Hardaway Jr. a 6'5" SG, and the son of Tim Hardaway, is proving to be a very good basketball player for Michigan. He had 20 pts on 8 of 13 shooting, 4 boards, 4 assists, and 1 steal. I can't wait to see him play again.
His running mate, Zack Novak had 22 pts on 7 of 8 shooting, 3 boards and 1 assist.

Jon Horford a 6'9" PF, and the younger brother of Al Horford is proving to be a chip off the old block. He's currently coming off the bench for Michigan, but that could change if he continues to play like he did last night. He had 12 pts on 5 of 5 shooting, 7 boards, 2 steals, and 3 blocked shots in limited minutes. He'll remind you of his brother when you watch him play.

UCLA is a big mess. They just one win, and its against that famous powerhouse Chaminade. To be honest, I'm surprised they won that game. Their best player is Reeves Nelson a 6'8" SF/PF, and he's been in the doghouse for missing a practice and then missing the team plane. last night he came off the bench to contribute 6 pts on 3 of 7 shooting, 4 boards and 1 assist. He's obviously very unhappy with his stay at UCLA. If he continues down this road, he'll go from being a 2nd round pick to being undrafted.

Joshua Smith a 6'10" C, who is talented, and should be the starting center on the team, is also coming off the bench. Smith who is listed at 310 pounds, looks more like he weighs 360, and plays like it. He probably had his best game of the season last night. He had 12 points on 6 of 9 shooting, 5 boards and 2 assists. He also added 6 turnovers. This is guy talented enough to be a first round pick. Someone needs to light a fire under him, if thats possible. Apparently Howland isn't capable of doing that. If I'm Kyle Anderson, a very talented 6'7" PG, and one of the top highschoolers in the nation, I'm rethinking my decision to commit to UCLA next year.


Duke 68, Kansas 61:

Probably the best game to watch last night. Closer game than I thought it would be. Ryan Kelly a 6'11" PF has really improved his game over the summer. He's playing with more confidence and looking for his offense more. He had 17 pts on 6 of 17 shooting, 3 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.

Mason Plumlee a 6'10" PF/C, is also playing better this season. He had 17 pts on 5 of 10 shooting, 12 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocked shots. I'm still not a big fan of Masons, but I do think he can play in the NBA. Although he's a good rebounder at the college level, he seldom rebounds out of his area, and when going up against a big strong opponet, he gets pushed around too easily.

Austin Rivers a 6'4" SG, and highly touted freshman had his good moments, and he had his bad moments. There's no problem with his talent level. His problem is between his ears. He's excellent at getting to the basket, but has tunnel vision on the way. He passed up many teammates for easy dunks, and instead ended up throwing up wild shots. He ended up with 10 pts on 4 of 10 shooting, and 4 boards.

The star of the game ended up being Tyler Thornton a 6'1" SG/PG who came off the bench replacing Rivers who had 4 fouls. Thornton only scored 7 pts, but two of them were 3 pt'ers with the final one coming just seconds on the shotclock at the end of the game. From now on he should be called Ice Thornton.

For Kansas the big gun was Thomas Robinson, a 6'9" PF, who looks like a slightly smaller version of Dwight Howard. The kid can board! He had 16 pts on 6 of 15 shooting, 15 boards, 1 blocked shot and 1 steal. He needs to work on his mid-range game, but he's a terrific athlete.

The point guard for Kansas, Tyshawn Taylor, a 6'3" PG, had a very nice first half, and was absolutely horrible in the second half. He had 17 pts on 6 of 13 shooting, 4 assists, 1 blocked shot, 1 steal, and get this, 11 turnovers. Not the ratio you want from your PG. Taylor won't like watching the game film.

I'm currently working on my early season 2012 draft board. I'll be basing it on what I've seen so far this season, and not on potential, although I will take injuries and such into consideration. I'm also sure that my final board just prior to the draft, will look considerably different than the early season one.
 
#12
Obviously if there is a season, I think we have a good chance to reach the playoffs. I have mixed emotions about that, because if we do, we lose the draft pick to Cleveland. However if we end up somewhere in the 10 to 14 range, we'll get a very good basketball player. So if were going to improve and not make the playoffs, then this is the year to do it because of the tremendous depth in the draft. I believe that this year you could get a player at 14 that might have been in the top five last year.
Oh yeah, stupid Hickson trade. I'm not as high on our chances as you are, I just think with the players we have, they still have a long way to go before they figure out how to play together.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#14
Oh yeah, stupid Hickson trade. I'm not as high on our chances as you are, I just think with the players we have, they still have a long way to go before they figure out how to play together.
Well, we'll see how stupid the Hickson trade was. Jury is still out with me. He's a very good athlete with some skills. How well he'll fit? I don't know. How far we go this year I think will be determined by who we aquire in freeagency. But you could be right. I'm not about to predict their record after last seasons disastor. I'm still not sold on Westphal, and I think coaching makes a big difference in basketball.

So when I say we have a good chance to make the playoffs, I'm being overly optimistic, and merely accepting it as a possiblilty.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#15
Baja, what do you think of Quincy Miller?
So far, I like him a lot. He's only had one bad game, and there's no doubt he knows how to play the game. He rebounds well for his position, and he's making sure that they don't miss Perry Jones during the first 5 games. He's performing the way everyone expected Harrison Barnes to perform last season. Biggest difference between him and Barnes in this same time period, is that Barnes had trouble getting his own shot, and Miller doesn't. He's moving up my draft board. I'm still juggling players around and I'm going to wait until I've had around 7 games under my belt before posting it. I've already seen Kentucky play 5 times. 6 times if you count the exhibition game. Duke 4 times, North Carolina 3 times, Baylor 3 times and so on.

Unfortunately at this time of the year most of the top teams are playing inferior teams, unless their in a tournament of some kind. If you get a chance take a look at Bradley Beal of Florida. The kid can really ball. His running mate, Patrick Young is pretty good as well. They say Young is 6'10" now. I take all these measurements with a grain of salt, but if he is that tall it will help his draft status.

Note: Now that Baylor has played 5 games, Perry Jones should be eligible for the next game, since his suspension was only for 5 games.
 
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#16
Didn't want to start another thread on this so this seemed a good spot. Reggie Theus could become next head coach of University of Illinois according to report.

http://chicago.sbnation.com/illinoi...907761/illinois-reggie-thesus-coaching-search

Addendum: Illinois finally officially went with Groce. As article says Theus was in the running with lots of big shot Fighting Illini backing, but no cigar. I think probably a disappointment for him since he was also strongly in running for UNLV head job last season but they went elsewhere. It will be interesting to see where he ultimately ends up, whether back in NBA or more likely as a head coach somewhere in collegiate ranks.
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
#17
Didn't want to start another thread on this so this seemed a good spot. Reggie Theus could become next head coach of University of Illinois according to report.

http://chicago.sbnation.com/illinoi...907761/illinois-reggie-thesus-coaching-search

Addendum: Illinois finally officially went with Groce. As article says Theus was in the running with lots of big shot Fighting Illini backing, but no cigar. I think probably a disappointment for him since he was also strongly in running for UNLV head job last season but they went elsewhere. It will be interesting to see where he ultimately ends up, whether back in NBA or more likely as a head coach somewhere in collegiate ranks.
Probably a good choice by Illinios. Groce has proved what he can do at Ohio. Pretty impressive actually, and when your at, an at large school, you have to strike while the iron is hot.

Too bad for Reggie though. One would have thought that the UNLV job was the perfect fit for him. I'm sure he'll land a gig somewhere. Hey! Ohio needs a coach!