The Morning Dish – Thursday, November 18th
Preseason NIT: Michigan defeated Colorado 69-60 last night in the second round of the Preseason NIT. Michigan’s Dion Harris scored a career-high 24 points, while Lester Abram and Courtney Sims were also in double-digits, with 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Buffaloes were led by Richard Roby (18 points) and Marcus Hall (16), and almost came back from a 19-point deficit with five minutes remaining, coming within seven with one minute left. Michigan finished on free throws to pull away at the end, leading from start to finish, even though Colorado had 12 blocked shots in the contest. Michigan, who is 17-0 all-time in NIT games at Crisler arena, won the NIT championship last April, and will try to become the only team to win the NIT and the Preseason NIT consecutively.
BCA Invitational: N.C. State was led by Hoopville Pre-Season All-American Julius Hodge’s 21 points as the Wolfpack downed the New Orleans Privateers 92-58 in the BCA Invitational in Raleigh, North Carolina last night. The Wolfpack’s Jordan Collins scored 17 and Engin Atsur had 14 in the victory, while Bo McCalebb led UNO with 21 points. N.C. State will next play Elon, who downed Fairleigh Dickinson 73-59. Elon was led by Jackson Atoyebi (20 points) and Chris Chalko (17), while Scottie Rice and Colin Wyatt each notched 11 in the victory. Chad Timberlake led the Knights with 16 points, who gave up a 20-6 run in the second half that sealed the deal for the Phoenix. In other first round action, East Carolina downed Pepperdine 80-58, and Oregon State defeated Siena 67 in the closest game of the evening. Mike Cook scored 21 for East Carolina, with Tom Hammonds adding 14 points of his own in the victory. Kingsley Costain led the Waves with 15 points. Lastly, OSU freshman Sasa Cuic nailed a three-pointer with four seconds remaining to down the Siena Saints. Cuic scored 17 points, and Michael Haddix led Siena with 26 points. Oregon State will face East Carolina in the second round tonight.
Lobo King in Critical: Former New Mexico head coach Bob King has been admitted to an Albuquerque hospital in critical condition. A school spokesman declined to release any additional details about the 81-year-old former coach, who is in the intensive care unit at the Veterans Administration Hospital. King, who led New Mexico from 1963-1972, compiled an overall record of 175-89, including two WAC titles, 3 NIT tournament and 1 NCAA tournament appearances. King then became an administrator, and was athletics director at Indiana State during Larry Bird’s run. The Pit, the Lobos’ home arena, named the court after King several years ago.
Pettis in Court: Former Fresno State guard Terry Pettis will be in court later today to face murder charges following a drug-deal-gone-bad in April of this year. Pettis, who allegedly killed 18-year old Renee Abbott and wounded Kent Wolf, her 21-year-old boyfriend, on April 27th. According to court documents, an un-named former Bulldog player arranged for a meeting between Pettis and Wolf for the purchase of up to $300 in drugs. Pettis allegedly walked up to the car of Wolf, driven by Abbott, and pulled a gun. As the vehicle pulled away, Pettis allegedly fired, hitting Wolf in the thigh, and Abbott in the head, killing her instantly. Pettis then fled to his hometown of Minneapolis, and was extradited back to Fresno in May. Abbott was a student at Fresno City College, where she was on the golf team. Pettis has plead not guilty to two counts, Abbott’s murder, and attempted murder of Wolf. He could be eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
Miles away from the Tide: Alabama has announced that freshman point guard Glenn Miles has left the team, two days prior to the season opener against Western Carolina. Miles, a Birmingham native, withdrew from school and announced that he intends to transfer. Miles was angling to start as a true freshman, but lost in pre-season competition to freshman Ronald Steele. Steele will now be backed up at the point by walk-ons LaKory Daniels and Brandon Davis, though senior shooting guard Earnest Shelton will probably spell Steele the majority of the time.
Better Sooner than Later: Oklahoma announced that sophomore forward Brandon Foust is now cleared to play in the Sooners’ season opener against Cal State Northridge this Saturday. Foust, who was held out of the Sooners’ two exhibition games due to questions about his academic eligibility, is now back on track. However, head coach Kelvin Sampson had a surprise for Foust – a position change, from low-post forward to small forward. Foust, a 6-6 Ohio native, played in 28 games last season, including two starts, and averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest.
Long Beach Pyramid Renamed: Long Beach State has announced that they will be re-naming The Pyramid, home to 49ers basketball and volleyball, after two boosters that have provided a generous donation to the school. Arline and Mike Walter have donated approximately $2.2 million to the school, the largest single donation in school history. The new “Walter Pyramid” will be formally re-named next month, after the 18-story building’s ten year anniversary.
