The Morning Dish – Wednesday, September 3rd
Gator Extended: Florida head coach Billy Donovan yesterday signed a shiny new six-year contract extension for $1.7 million per season. Donovan, who has led the Gators to five straight NCAA tournaments, including the 2000 finals, has a 184-93 record in seven seasons at Gainesville. He’ll be the second-highest paid coach in the SEC, behind Kentucky’s Tubby Smith.
Thomas Transfers: Former Baylor guard Kenny Taylor, who announced his decision to transfer to Texas two weeks ago, officially transferred to the Austin campus yesterday. Taylor, who is one of four Baylor players to transfer away from the school due to the Patrick Dennehy murder and subsequent scandal that cost former head coach Dave Bliss his job, averaged 12 points per game last season as a sophomore. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining, and can play immediately, as both the NCAA and the Big 12 waived regulation one-year wait periods to enable the transfer. Taylor acknowledged that new Baylor head coach Scott Drew had contacted him before the transfer became official, but Taylor decided to move on.
Graduation Rates Rise: The NCAA announced yesterday the findings of a graduation study that reveals D-I college athletes are graduating at a record rate, and are now three percent more likely to graduate than non-athletes. The study, which tracked student-athletes that were enrolled between 1996 and 2002, showed that graduation rates among athletes went up two percentage points across the board to 62 percent over that span. The only bad news was a decline by white male basketball players (52 percent) and white football players (61 percent). The overall improvement in men’s basketball, traditionally with the lowest graduation rates, showed a six percent increase, up to 42 percent. The gender breakdown shows female athletes graduating at 70 percent, and male athletes graduating at 55 percent.
Cowboy Transfer: Former Texas guard Steve Leven has signed as a transfer to Wyoming, Cowboys head coach Steve McClain announced yesterday. Leven, a 6-5 member of two All-Australia youth teams, played prep basketball for Laurinburg Institute (Laurinburg, North Carolina) before enrolling at Auburn in 2002. Leven then transferred to Texas for this past 2003 spring semester. Leven will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, and will have sophomore eligibility for the 2004-05 season.
Clemson Hire: Yesterday Clemson announced the hiring of former James Madison assistant Ben D’Alessandro as the Tigers’ new coordinator of basketball operations, something we announced on August 10th. Just letting you know we’re on top of things here in Hoopville.
