The Morning Dish – Thursday, July 29th
Bulls Sign Two Lottery Picks: Connecticut’s Ben Gordon and Duke’s Luol Deng had better get over their rivalry stemming from the 2004 NCAA Semifinal, as both lottery picks signed as teammates yesterday with the Chicago Bulls. Gordon, the No. 3 pick overall in last month’s draft, declared for the draft after his junior season, having averaged 16.9 points and 4.1 assists per game. Deng, the No. 7 pick overall, was acquired via a draft-day trade with the Phoenix Suns. Deng declared for the draft after his freshman campaign, where he averaged 15.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
Terp a Perp?: Maryland sophomore forward Nik Caner-Medley is in hot water after an incident in Portland, Maine. According to the Associated Press, Caner-Medley, a former Maine Mr. Basketball, was arrested for disorderly conduct while intoxicated and yelling and threatening other patrons of Portland’s Old Port district. Caner-Medley allegedly removed his shirt and threatened to assault a bystander, yelling, “I’m from Maryland, and nobody can beat me.” His former high school and AAU coach, Kevin Millington, told authorities that Caner-Medley had been approached by “mouthy” people, and that Caner-Medley “got mouthy back”. While underage drinking charges can’t be applied (as no one can place him in a bar), Caner-Medley was released on $1,000 bail, and can’t return to the Old Port District. He averaged 12.2 points and 4.7 rebounds for the ACC Tournament Champion Maryland Terrapins, and head coach Gary Williams has not yet made a determination on Caner-Medley’s status for an upcoming exhibition trip to Italy.
Spoonhour back in Coaching: Missouri announced yesterday the hiring of Jay Spoonhour as a graduate assistant on Quin Snyder’s coaching staff. Spoonhour, who last season was named UNLV interim head coach after his father, Charlie Spoonhour, retired due to health reasons in February. UNLV then hired Lon Kruger in March as the full-time head coach, and Spoonhour was not invited to stay on his staff. Spoonhour replaces Brian Grawer, who left the program to pursue other interests. Spoonhour has coaching roots in the Midwest, as he was an assistant on his father’s Saint Louis squads in the late 90’s, and led Wabash Valley JC (Mt. Caramel, Illinois) to a NJCAA Championship in 2001 with a 36-1 record, earning him the NABC and the Junior College coach of the year awards.
Alexander Out as a Billiken: Saint Louis University announced that JuCo transfer Antwan Alexander has been released from his letter of intent to play for the Billikens. Alexander, a 6-2 guard from Indianapolis, averaged 10.7 points and 2.7 assists to lead the aforementioned (above) Wabash Valley Junior College to a 21-11 record. Citing academic concerns, head coach Brad Soderberg stated that Alexander did not meet academic requirements to enable the transfer, and thus Alexander was released from his letter of intent.
