The Morning Dish – Thursday, July 24th
More Baylor News: On the heels of Carlton Dotson’s arrest for the murder of teammate Patrick Dennehy, new reports have Baylor assistant coaches arranging to pay for Dennehy’s schooling last season. Patrick Dennehy, Sr., is claiming that the Baylor coaching staff paid for Dennehy’s tuition and expenses in exchange for Dennehy giving up his scholarship for this past season. That scholarship was then applied to another student-athlete. Dennehy, Sr. indicated that his son had stated that the school would “take care of me” when asked about how to pay for his tuition. Dennehy, Jr.’s mother, Valorie Brabazon, said that her son had asked her to fill out financial aid forms last year, but that he didn’t qualify for aid due to their income level.
Dennehy, Sr., also claims in his interview with the Dallas Morning News that his son’s girlfriend, Jessica De La Rosa, told him that a coach may have helped Dennehy buy an automobile, possibly the Chevrolet Tahoe that was recovered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, last month. Reports from the AP have De La Rosa stating that Dennehy received $1,200 in cash from the Baylor basketball offices, which she reported to the New Mexico athletic department. De La Rosa is a hurdler on the New Mexico track team. Baylor spokesman Scott Stricklin stated that the school was already aware of the allegations and had begun an inquiry independent of the athletic department.
Meanwhile, Waco police are continuing to search areas described by Dotson as where Dennehy’s body may potentially reside. Searching via horseback, helicopter, and all-terrain vehicles, investigators were stymied yesterday with rain in the area. At the same time, having been given clearance by Waco police, the Dennehy family began removing Dennehy’s belongings from the apartment that he shared with Dotson.
Burying the ACC Hatchet: ACC commissioner John Swofford has announced that the feud between the ACC and the Big East has ended – at least between the conference offices – the lawsuit is still ongoing. Swofford told the AP that Big East commish Mike Tranghese has apologized for his conduct during the ACC power grab that led to Virginia Tech and Miami jumping to the ACC. Swofford, during the ACC Football Kickoff, stated that he has no regrets about the ACC expansion process.
Williams Released: A month after being hospitalized in Chicago after a single-vehicle motorcycle accident, former Duke and current Chicago Bulls guard Jay Williams was released from Duke Medical Center. Williams, who survived what many thought would be a fatal accident, underwent two pelvic surgeries and surgery on his left leg. Williams was transferred to Duke over the July 4th holiday weekend, and has started rehabilitation on his left knee. His agent, Bill Duffy, stated that he has rented a home in the Durham area and will hopefully return to the court for the 2004-05 season.
Wooden Honored: Hall of Fame coach John Wooden will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Wooden, who won 10 national championships while coach of UCLA, was nominated by former player Andre McCarter, who first took the nomination to then President Clinton in 2000. The award is given annually to individuals of significant public or private accomplishment and recognizes exceptional meritorious service. Established by President Truman in 1945 to recognize war service, the award was re-launched by President Kennedy in 1963.
Bull Gone: South Florida sophomore forward Yusuf Baker was dismissed from the squad yesterday for academic reasons. New head coach Robert McCullum announced that Baker, who started 17 games as a freshman, fell short of the standards and expectations of the USF program and the school in general. Baker averaged 5 points and 5 boards per game last season.
Minuteman Gone, Too: UMass redshirt freshman forward Stephen Briggs was dismissed from the team yesterday, but in this case it was for violating team rules. Head coach Steve Lappas didn’t comment on the specific violation, but Briggs had already been dismissed once for rules violations in October 2002, but was reinstated this past January. A native of Houston, Briggs averaged 18 points and 11 boards for Westside High School in 2001-02.
Fired: Philip Seegers, an assistant coach on the Iowa summer boys’ basketball camp, was dismissed by Anthony Dean, director of summer sports camps, following an arrest for public intoxication. Seegers, a 6-8 center for St. Joseph’s College (Rensselaer, Indiana), had a blood alcohol content of .16, which is twice the legal limit in Iowa. Additionally, the camp has been investigated for fireworks being launched from a camp dormitory window. The camp, one of three run by head coach Steve Alford, employs over 50 staffers, most of whom are college, high school, and junior college coaches.
