The Morning Dish – Thursday, January 8th
Auburn Mess: The NCAA finally released the details of September’s notice of allegations to Auburn. In the notice, the NCAA claims that Auburn basketball representatives provided a car to the mother of Huntsville, Alabama prep star Chadd Moore, and also arranged wire transfers totaling over $3,000 to recruit Jackie Butler of McComb, Mississippi. Each player was on the AAU squad coached by Mark Komara of Huntsville, who the NCAA also claims is a representative of Auburn, a claim both the university and Komara deny. Moore signed with Cincinnati, and Butler is prepping at Coastal Christian Academy (Virginia Beach, Virginia) and has committed to play for Tennessee next season. Auburn officials only admit to secondary infractions during campus visits, and that they will be proposing appropriate penalties. Auburn will plead its case in February to the Infractions Committee, and can still appeal.
Meanwhile, another twist of the story became public yesterday, a dentist claims that Auburn assistant Shannon Weaver couldn’t possibly have offered a car to Moore’s mother, because at the time of the alleged offering, as he was undergoing dental work. Dr. Sam Holland, of Scottsboro, Alabama, stated that he provided the NCAA an alibi that Weaver was under Holland’s dental car in Scottsboro for three days, during which Moore’s mother allegedly was offered a new car. Hoopville looked at the map, and Huntsville and Scottsboro are only about 12 miles apart. Perhaps the NCAA will consult a map as well.
Mountaineer Out: West Virginia head coach John Beilein has announced that junior guard Drew Schifino has been suspended indefinitely for violating unspecified team rules. Schifino, WVU’s leading scorer, is averaging 17.6 points per game and 5 rebounds so far this season. His 48-game streak of scoring in double-digits was snapped Wednesday in teh school’s loss to Notre Dame.
Free Buffalo: Colorado senior guard Michel Morandais has been cleared to return on the Buffaloes basketball team after questions about his academics came to light last month. Morandais received an incorrect grade in a summer class, and when paired with his change of majors, he didn’t have enough credits towards his degree for eligibility this semester. The professor that gave the incorrect grade had been out of the country between semesters, exacerbating the situation. Now that the professor is back on campus, the correct grade was recorded, enabling the credits to be granted. Colorado has lost three straight games without Morandais, who is the Buffaloes second leading scorer, averaging 15.3 points per game.
New Cardinal: Ball State has announced that former Ohio State center Charles Bass has transfered to the Cardinal basketball program. Bass, a 6-9 center from Crete-Monee High School High School in Chicago, originally was recruited by Ball State, but signed with the Buckeyes for the 2002-03 season. Last season, Bass averaged 4.7 minutes of PT in 15 games, and had only played a total of four minutes this season. He will have junior eligibility when he suits up for the Cardinals after fall semester next season.
Record Breaker?: Duke’s J.J. Redick has tied the mark for the most consecutive free throws in the ACC with 48, and will go for the record in tomorrow’s matchup with Virginia. The record was set in 1979-80 by Virginia’s Jeff Lamp. Redick is 39-for-39 this season, and sank four in Duke’s win against Fairfield earlier this week.
Last Year on this Date: We were just finding out about the Nolan Richardson III blow-up at Tennessee State: Have you heard the one about the coach who brought a gun into the gym after one of his assistants hit him with a bag that contained a steel chain? Well, that coach quit his job on Thursday. Oh, and about the guy with the bag of chains, he’s the new head coach. Tennessee State head coach Nolan Richardson III, son of former Arkansas head man Nolan Richardson, resigned as men’s basketball coach Thursday, two weeks after he and assistant coach (and now interim head coach) Hosea Lewis were involved in an altercation.
Additionally, Missouri had just announced that they had landed VMI transfer Jason Conley, who led D-I in scoring as a freshman in 2001-02, in a story broken by Hoopville’s own Jed Tai.
Tonight’s Menu:
• There are quite a few ranked teams in action today, but the marquee matchup is between No. 4 Stanford at No. 6 Arizona. Arizona has won 9 straight, and Stanford has won all 12 of its games this season. Arizona has lost three consecutive home games to the Cardinal. Arizona head coach Lute Olson is looking to become Arizona’s all-time winningest coach, as he tied legendary head coach Fred Enke (coached 1925-61) with the win over Cal on Thursday. Arizona leads the all-time series 42-22, and Olson has a 30-12 record against the Cardinal.
• No. 21 Vanderbilt is one of only 10 undefeated teams left in the nation, and they will be putting that streak up against the No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena tonight. Kentucky is coming off their defeat of No. 14 North Carolina last week, and lead the all-time series 125-35.
• In Champaign-Urbana, No. 20 Illinois hosts the slumping No. 24 Purdue in Big Ten Conference action. Purdue leads the all-time series 84-77, but is only 29-51 at Illinois.
• Conference play rules the land in the rest of the 128 games. The Civil War is in Corvallis today. Princeton will try to slow down Kris Humphries and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Kansas State and Colorado pick on D-1 Independents Savannah State and Northern Colorado, respectively. St. Francis (New York) is facing St. Francis (Pennsylvania). And Yale plays the only non-Division I opponent today, hosting the SUNY Old Westbury Panthers.
