The Morning Dish – Friday, May 23rd:
Ping Pong Ball Show: The NBA Draft Lottery Selection Show Extravaganza was last night, and it looks like Cleveland go their man, er opportunity to get their man in June. Cleveland gets the first pick, followed by Detroit (passed on by Memphis in a trade), and Denver. Zach Van Hart has a good writeup on the Lottery Experience. Just think, most lottery commercial breaks have 2-3 ping pong ball pools, and last 30 seconds. Meanwhile this one went the full half-hour.
Bulldog Volunteer?: Jordan Howell, a high school recruit from Madison, Alabama, has been granted his release from his National Letter of Intent to Georgia, due primarily to the wreckage of the Jim Harrick regime. Howell has chosen to attend Tennessee this summer, and joining the basketball team later in the season. A 6-3 guard, Howell averaged 17.5 points and shot 47% from behind the arc this past season.
Dr. Tom Adds Son: New Drake head coach Dr. Tom Davis has named his son, Keno Davis as an assistant for the Bulldogs. Keno spent the last six seasons working under former Drake coach Gary Garner at Southeast Missouri State, and previously worked for his father as a graduate assistant at Iowa.
For Lease: New UCLA coach Ben Howland has granted a reprieve to high school recruit Sean Phaler, who is looking to enroll away from Westwood this fall due to the ouster of Steve Lavin. Howland notified Phaler, who averaged 19 points and 8 boards per game, that he is welcome to a spot on the squad and an athletic scholarship, but would see limited playing time under Howard’s new system. The real news is that Howland has given permission for schools to talk to Phaler, who is from Villa Park HS in Orange County, California. Currently New Mexico seems to be the leading candidate to bring Phaler to their school.
