The Morning Dish – Thursday, October 30th
Dotson Represented: Carlton Dotson, accused of murdering Baylor teammate Patrick Dennehy, has had counsel assigned to him for his upcoming hearing in Waco. Dotson, who was extradited from Maryland Tuesday, will be in court today to enter a plea in the case against him. Two Waco attorneys, Abel Reyna and Russ Hunt, were assigned to Dotson’s case after Dotson indicated that he had no money for private representation. Dotson was arrested July 21st in Maryland for the June 12th murder of Dennehy in the Waco area.
Demon Shoulder: The up-and-coming DePaul Blue Demons suffered a setback yesterday when it was announced that highly-touted freshman Wesley Green would miss the entire season following surgery on his right shoulder next week. Green, the runner-up for Mr. Basketball in Florida last season with 23 points and 12 rebounds per game, will redshirt this season and have freshman eligibility for the 2004-05 season. The 6-9 forward was expected to contribute right away for the Blue Demons, who were 16-13 last season.
Stanford Endowed: No it’s not a off-color joke. Stanford University once again won the Sears Directors’ Cup for D-I athletics last spring, for the ninth consecutive time. Results of a survey came out earlier this week and Stanford, by far, has the highest athletic endowment in the NCAA with almost $270 million. The next highest is Notre Dame, with only $130 million. Schools with larger athletic endowments not only have more cash on hand for athletic scholarships, but traditionally have additional sports teams, improved facilities, and can hire top-flight instructors, all of which brings an edge to recruiting and eventually, championships. Running down the list of the top ten school athletics endowments are North Carolina at number three, USC, Duke, Texas A&M, Virginia, Michigan, California, and Florida.
Pac-10 Names Fat: Officials for the Pac-10 have announced that Arizona State basketball legend Lafayette Lever, known more commonly as “Fat” Lever, will be inducted into the Pac-10 Hall of Honor. Lever, who played for the Sun Devils from 1978-82, was a three-year starter, and was second team All-American his senior year. A two-time All-Pac-10 selection, Lever led ASU in assists and steals for three straight seasons, and became a role model by returning to Tempe to earn his degree in 1996 after his professional playing days were through. Lever joins the third induction class into the Pac-10 Hall of Honor, and the ceremony will be held on the eve of the Pac-10 Tournament March 10th.
More McNeese: Steve Baker, track and field coach at McNeese State, resigned last week. So what does this have to do with basketball? Last month the NCAA and Southland Conference announced that McNeese State was under investigation for unspecified rules violations, specifically the men’s basketball and track and field teams. Baker had been with the school since 1997, was the head coach for both men’s and women’s track and field. The school would not comment on the nature of Baker’s resignation, as they don’t comment on ongoing investigations. It might not be looking good for basketball head coach Tic Price, though he has only been with the program for two seasons. Price is 36-23 in his two seasons at Lake Charles.
