The Morning Dish – Wednesday, November 10th
Cincinnati Short-handed: Cincinnati soundly thumped Northern Kentucky in the Bearcat’s opening exhibition game, but injuries and eligibility issues limited the Bearcats to 10 players in uniform. Freshman Vincent Banks missed the game because of academic-related matter, which coach Bob Huggins said he is not allowed to discuss. Senior guard Jamaal Lucas sat out with a bruised foot, and freshman center Asrangue Souleymane joined him on the bench with flu-like symptoms. Senior guard Nick Williams, a crucial member of Cincinnati’s lineup, has not practiced with the team this fall following surgery on his left thumb in October.
Air Force Forward in Trouble: Air Force officials discovered that a handful of students cheated on an online test last spring, and they recently named two athletes among the possible violators. The Falcons suspended backup running back Eddie Moss and projected starting small forward Dan Nwaelele. Both players could face expulsion, pending the decision of an honor board. Even if the students remain at the academy, Falcon officials may decide to ban them from playing sports. Nwaelele averaged 2.4 points per game last season, but he showed that he had the potential to be a major contributor in Air Force’s bid to repeat as Mountain West champion.
NCAA Makes Anderson Wait: An apparent misplaced transcript will force Jackson State fans to wait to see their prize recruit, Charlie White. NCAA Clearinghouse officials are reviewing White’s eligibility to ensure he met their standards in high school. But White’s transcript somehow made it to the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis and not the NCAA Clearinghouse in Iowa. Barring miracles by FedEx or UPS, Jackson State must keep White out of the starting lineup against Spring Hill in exhibition play. Tiger fans can’t wait to see one of the most highly touted players to come through in a long time. White originally orally committed to Mississippi State but opted to stay closer to home at Jackson State. By most accounts, White is one of the nation’s top 100 recruits and one of the top 15 points guards in the freshman class.
Bulldog Feels the Pain: Butler guard Avery Sheets probably asks the same questions thousands of Americans do each year: Does the appendix do anything else other than cause trouble? Sheets underwent an emergency appendectomy last week, but he hopes to be available for the Bulldogs’ season opener Nov. 19 when Butler plays South Dakota State. Sheets is crucial to the Bulldogs’ success as the top returning scorer. He averaged 11 points per game last season.
$5,000 in Pants?: Memphis players Clyde Wade, Rodney Carney, Richard Dorsey and Arthur Barclay share an apartment in Memphis, and they also share the losses of a recent burglary. The four Tigers lost more than $30,000, causing some to question how college students – whether they’re athletes or not – could afford such luxury. Coach John Calipari credited their wealth to a federal grant and summer jobs. Some of the possessions stolen include $6,000 in shoes, $4,000 in custom shirts, $2,500 in diamond earrings and $5,000 in pants. $5,000 in pants! All of the pants in Wal-Mart aren’t worth $5,000.
CIAA Gets Some Respect: Unless you’re privy to basketball at every level of play or you’re a resident of North Carolina or Virginia, odds are you’ve never heard of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. But ESPN devotees will this basketball season. The CIAA is an increasingly popular conference in Division II, and ESPN will broadcast five regular season games during the regular season on the cable network’s regional channels. ESPN Classic will show seven CIAA tournament games, which attracted more than 100,000 to the tournament in Raleigh, N.C., in 2004. The CIAA is the oldest black athletic conference, and its members include Bowie State, Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, Johnson C. Smith University, Livingstone, North Carolina Central, St. Augustine’s, St. Paul’s College, Shaw, Virginia State, Virginia Union, and Winston-Salem State. And you never know if one of these schools might produce the next Ben Wallace – the Detroit Pistons star attended Virginia Union.
Gardner-Webb Promotes Holtmann: Gardner-Webb officials announced late last week that Chris Holtmann will become an assistant coach for the team, replacing Bruce Evans, who accepted the head coaching offer at Lander University. Holtmann will be responsible for developing Gardner-Webb’s post players and leading recruiting efforts. He has experience as an assistant coach at Taylor University.
