SEC 2004 Offseason News Recap
Another hot, sticky summer came to an end in the Southeastern Conference and after the haze cleared there were some serious changes to some teams.
Alabama
The only real news at Alabama over the summer was the appointment of coach Mark Gottfried to the John R. Wooden Board of Governors. Also, Kennedy Winston was named to the pre-season Wooden Award list for National Player of the Year.
The Crimson Tide will also be headlining the November 24th Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, and will be facing the host school, Alaska-Anchorage. Washington and Utah also are in the field.
Arkansas
Things were relatively slow in Fayetteville after another tough year, albeit an improved one. The only major noise out of the Hogs was the extension of Stan Heath’s contract through the year 2009. Heath lost the services of recruit Al Jefferson, who eschewed Fayetteville for the NBA. Jefferson was drafted 15th overall by the Boston Celtics.
We could also give you an update on all of the Nolan Richardson lawsuit proceedings, but we really are tired of that story. See the Morning Dish archives for a blow-by-blow.
Point guard prospect Dontell Jefferson was cleared to begin the college application process after completing his junior college classwork, and will be eligible for the Razorbacks team. The 6-foot 6-inch, 190-pound guard played at Atlanta Metropolitan College. He averaged 16.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 3.4 steals, and Heath expects him to compete for the starting point guard slot. The NCAA Clearinghouse approved the academic record of Arkansas freshman center Darian Townes, who also can participate in practice.
Auburn
There plenty of comings and goings in Auburn this summer, most notably the arrival of head coach Jeff Lebo and his staff. Lebo arrives in Auburn after leaving Tennessee-Chattanooga, where he led the Mocs to a 40-20 record in two seasons. Lebo was the coach at Tennessee Tech prior to stopping in Chattanooga.
Auburn’s basketball program was put on two years’ probation, with the NCAA cutting one scholarship but clearing the university of major rules violations. The university was cleared of accusations involving large amounts of money and expensive cars given to high school prospects as recruiting tools. The school, which denied the accusations, already had issued its own penalties, including the loss of one scholarship for the upcoming 2004-’05 season. The NCAA then cut a scholarship for the 2005-’06 season, but did not ban any postseason play or televised games.
Along with this change at the top came changes to the roster as well with the transfer of three players. Center Dwayne Curtis announced that he would be transferring to Ole Miss and after withdrawing his name from the draft, leading scorer Marco Killingsworth said he would be playing next at Indiana. Point guard Lewis Monroe followed Killingsworth’s lead and made the move to Bloomington as well.
Florida
After another surprisingly early exit from the tournament, Billy Donovan and the Gators went into the off season with changes to be made and problems to be solved. They hope they have done both with the addition of Larry Shyatt as an assistant coach. Shyatt is the former head coach at Clemson and Wyoming and Donovan is hoping that he can teach the Gators some defensive toughness. Matt Herring should also help with this as he was added as the conditioning and strength coach. Shyatt replaces former assistant Tom Ostrom, who accepted a similar position at South Alabama.
Also, forward David Lee and guard Anthony Roberson were named to the Wooden award watch list.
Georgia
It was a rough offseason in Athens.
As expected, the NCAA announced penalties yesterday against the Georgia basketball program, placing the school on probation. The unexpected part was that the probation was for four years. The probation is due to rules violations under former coach Jim Harrick, and assistant Jim Harrick, Jr., including academic fraud, unethical conduct and improper benefits. The (only) good news is that the NCAA didn’t add to the Bulldogs’ self-imposed post-season ban, an act that Georgia voluntarily did at the end of the 2003 regular season – recusing themselves from the SEC and NCAA Tournaments – even though the squad was ranked No. 22 in the nation. The Bulldogs, now under former Western Kentucky head coach Dennis Felton, will lose one scholarship each of the next three seasons, and forfeit 30 victories, including the 2002 NCAA appearance, from the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. The athletic department is also “on notice” for the next five years – and must run a clean ship through 2009 – as the school is considered a repeat violator, due to a 1997 football probation penalty.
For those that don’t recall, former Bulldog player Tony Cole told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Jim Harrick, Jr. had wired $300 to a friend to cover Cole’s expenses, including a new television. Upon further investigation, a class in basketball strategy taught by Harrick, Jr. was an academic sham, granting “A’s” to three Bulldog players that never attended. Harrick, Jr., also encouraged two other players to lie to NCAA investigators about the allegations. Six players were also allowed to skate on personal long-distance bills totaling over $1,500. Harrick, who last month was named the head coach of the ABA’s Vancouver expansion franchise, must get NCAA permission to pursue any sports-related position at any NCAA-governed school. Prior to the Georgia debacle, Harrick was faced accusations of wrongdoing at both Rhode Island and UCLA, where he won the 1995 National Championship.
The University filed an official appeal to the NCAA on August 20th in regards to the sanctions placed on the team, especially the “repeat violator” tag. Under the announced violations, only Georgia assistant Jim Harrick, Jr. was cited (multiple times) for academic fraud, unethical conduct and improper benefits, while head coach Jim Harrick, Sr., fired after the 2002-03 season, was not named in the report. Harrick, Jr. must now get permission from the NCAA before getting any athletic-related gig at any of its institutions. Georgia hopes to have three of the 16 penalties revoked, including the forfeiture of 30 games, loss of one scholarship, and the four-year probation period. The NCAA likely won’t hear the case until December at the earliest.
On the heels of the probation news, the athletics department announced a $12 million shortfall as part of the anti-Michael Adams campaign led by UGA boosters. Adams, the Georgia president, did not extend former football coaching legend and athletics director Vince Dooley’s contract last year, and as a result 154 prominent boosters donated 34 cents each – Herschel Walker’s number – for $52.36, leading to the shortfall. Athletics donations fell from $14.7 million to $2.9 million, while non-athletic donations increased by $14 million. Other boosters have organized petition campaigns with 60,000 signatures for Adams’ firing.
The University of Georgia is involved in a messy break with a private fund-raising foundation, and the fallout may affect the school’s official name. The “University of Georgia” trademark lapsed and the foundation applied for the rights to all things labeled “University of Georgia.” The foundation indicated that it did not apply for the trademark to take over the school or its name, just as a protective measure. The foundation raises funds for the University, covers some of the school’s costs, endows scholarships, and has an agreement to license UGA products.
And to make sure that things are as bad on the court as off, top recruit forward Robert Dozier, considered second best big man in the state of Georgia behind Dwight Howard, failed to meet NCAA requirements. Dozier, from Lithonia High School, averaged 16.9 points and 10.2 rebounds last season for the state Class 5A semifinalists. Dozier will attend a prep school in the fall, leaving Georgia with only 8 scholarship players.
Head coach Dennis Felton finally signed his contract. Felton has been working on a good-faith agreement for the past year. Felton recently signed a six-year contract that pays him $700,000 per year, retroactive to last season. Until now, he said, he has been too busy to sign a contract. In other news, Coach Dennis Felton brought Rhode Island’s Desmond Oliver on board as an assistant coach.
Kentucky
It was a fairly typical off season in the Tubby Smith era at UK. There was a player named to the pre-season Player of the Year list, and an inside player transferred. Reserve big man Bernard Cote (6-9) was the latest big man to transfer from UK when he left for Northwestern and forward/center Chuck Hayes was named to the pre-season Wooden award list. Forward Sheray Thomas prepared for his upcoming sophomore season by playing for the Canadian National Team in the Global Games.
The trials of junior guard Kalenna Azubuike continued, as his father is facing over 40 federal charges of wire, bank and bankruptcy fraud in Azubuike’s native Tulsa.
And it was bad news for former Wildcats, however. Former SEC Freshman of the Year Jason Parker entered the NBA Draft after three major knee surgeries. He was not selected. And former Kentucky recruit Michael Southall will be spending the next year in prison on violations of his drug arrest probation. Southall was arrested in the spring of 2000 and never enrolled at Kentucky, but was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year for Louisiana-Lafayette, before being arrested a second time.
Tubby Smith’s son Saul, who played four seasons with the Wildcats, was named as an assistant at Tennessee Tech, where he originally was recruited. Saul had spent the past two seasons on the Wildcat coaching staff. Meanwhile, Tubby’s youngest, Brian, signed a letter of intent to play for Mississippi.
In separate news, Ravi Moss and his father had all charges against them dismissed on a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a disagreement with a security guard at a high school football game last fall. And Kentucky officials will consider a plan by a development company to build condominiums that will house wealthy Wildcat fanatics across the street from Rupp Arena. The proposed 15-story building would include retail stores, a sports restaurant and underground parking garage in addition to the condos, which would range from $145,000 efficiencies to $800,000 three-bedroom penthouses.
LSU
It was a very busy off season in Baton Rouge with all kinds of changes made to John Brady’s staff. Brady had two coaches leave the program, Michael Giorlando and Rickey Broussard, for administrative positions. Broussard moves into LSU’s athletic department staff while Giorlando became the athletic director and head basketball coach at Loyola University in New Orleans. To replace them, Brady tapped John Treloar from Indiana University and Nikita Johnson from New Orleans. Former director of basketball operations Larry Cordaro was hired as an assistant at Texas-Arlington
Additionally, Associate men’s basketball coach Butch Pierre was a front-runner for the head coaching vacancy at Louisiana-Lafayette, but withdrew from consideration in early May. Brady also received a $25,000 raise for this coming season, but he did not receive a contract extension to go with it. And Brady also discovered that former LSU player and 8-year NBA veteran Randy Livingston is not eligible to be a student assistant. Livingston, who is back in school to earn his degrees, had his 5-year window close in 1999 (he enrolled in 1994).
The biggest news, however, might have been freshman sensation Brandon Bass withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning for his sophomore season. Bass, the SEC Freshman of the Year, also had minor arthroscopic surgery on his knee in late September. He should be ready for the season.
His new teammate, LSU recruit Glen Davis, a 6-foot-8, 310 pound forward from University High School in Baton Rouge, has completed his coursework needed to meet NCAA standards for freshmen. Davis, recruited nationally for both basketball and football, averaged 26.3 points and 14.3 rebounds per game last season, leading his school to the Louisiana State Championship.
Mississippi
The Rebels made a few changes to their coaching staff to help them improve on last year’s record. After Wayne Brent resigned as an assistant, head coach Rod Barnes brought back former player Michael White from Jacksonville State and hired Tracy Dildy who had previous stops at Auburn and DePaul. Dildy, who recruited the nation’s top class in 2001 while at DePaul, will try to strengthen Ole Miss’ recruiting.
The Rebels also landed former Auburn center Dwayne Curtis, who transferred intra-conference to Oxford in May. The Chicago native played in 19 games with five starts and averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game
Mississippi State
The Bulldogs took their regular season conference title into the off season and pretty much stayed put. The only real news to report out of Starkville was that Lawrence Roberts was named to the Wooden award list, after withdrawing from the NBA draft. He is the only returning first team All-American and should be a favorite to win the National Player of the Year Award. The Bulldogs also agreed to play in the Wooden Award Classic on December 5th in Anaheim, where MSU will facing a field of Arizona, Boston College, and UCLA.
Head coach Rick Stansbury promoted Mark White to assistant coach and hired Marcus Grant as coordinator of basketball operations. White has been a member of Stansbury’s staff for three years, and Grant is a former Bulldog star who graduated in 1995. The moves must be approved by the school’s board of trustees before they become official. White takes over the position held by Sam Weaver, and Grant fills White’s former position.
South Carolina
Dave Odom’s Gamecocks spent the off season wanting to get better and if their two best returning players, Tre Kelley and Brandon Wallace do so, then the team should too. Both Kelly and Wallace spent their summer working on their game playing for the SCORE All-Stars in the Dominican Republic.
South Carolina announced that head coach Dave Odom has signed a two-year contract extension, which will keep him on the sidelines through the 2007-08 season. Odom, the SEC coach of the year this past season, receives a $10,000 raise, up to a base salary of $160,000. That of course does not include the “other” salary from radio and television shows, shoe endorsements, etc., which will also get a bump. Odom led the Gamecocks to a 23-11 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance, the school’s first since 1998. He has a 57-42 record at South Carolina, and is 335-216 overall in 18 seasons as a head coach, including stops at East Carolina, Virginia, and a 12-year span at Wake Forest, where he was national coach of the year in 1995.
In June, Two South Carolina basketball players have run afoul of the law. Senior Carlos Powell, who had a run-in last season with domestic violence charges, was pulled over for driving over the center line, and was subsequently arrested for driving with a suspended license. His license was suspended for excessive points, and he’ll be in court this Friday. Last week, guard Josh Gonner crashed his car in a single-vehicle accident, and ended up spending two nights in jail. Unlike Powell, Gonner’s license wasn’t suspended. In fact, he didn’t even have one. Head coach Dave Odom said that the athletes wouldn’t be punished further, as both were traffic violations, though easily avoidable.
Tennessee
Coach Buzz Peterson announced over the summer that Justin Albrecht is going to forgo his final season of eligibility and focus on his studies. Albrecht played two seasons for the Vols after transferring from Western Iowa Community College.
Peterson is also prepping his Vols for an appearance in the Maui Invitational, set for November 22nd at the 2,400-seat Lahaina Civic Center. In addition to the Vols, BYU, Chaminade, Iowa, Louisville, North Carolina, Stanford, and Texas will appear. Tennessee is the only school in the field that is a first-time participant, and will face Stanford in the first round.
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt’s biggest off season loss was the graduation of “Mr. Everything” Matt Freije, but they picked up some help along the way. Derrick Byars announced that he will become a Commodore after leaving Virginia. He averaged 7.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg for the Cavaliers. Unfortunately, the roads aren’t all one-way inbound, as Vanderbilt lost junior guard Adam Payton, announced that he was transferring to William & Mary. Payton played in 29 games last season, averaging 2.2 points and 0.7 rebounds.
Additionally, head coach Kevin Stallings is now a hot commodity, as he was named as a potential replacement for ousted Ohio State head coach Jim O’Brien – interviewing twice – prior to the hiring of Xavier coach Thad Matta to the position. Vanderbilt was able to sign Stallings to a contract extension on September 12th.
