The Morning Dish – Sunday, April 17th
Who’s Next at DePaul? With Dave Leitao leaving for the Virginia head coaching position, speculation abounds about who will succeed him at DePaul. It will almost certainly be someone who is currently a head coach elsewhere or has been before, with a couple of interesting names being former Utah head coach Rick Majerus and former UCLA head coach Steve Lavin, both of whom are currently analysts at ESPN. Majerus’ health, a prime factor in reconsidering the USC head coaching job offer early in the season. Dayton head coach Brian Gregory has been mentioned, as he grew up a DePaul fan going to Ray Meyer’s basketball camps and credits Meyer for his interest in coaching, but both Gregory and Dayton spokesperson Doug Hauschild have indicated that there is no interest in the job. Western Michigan’s Steve Hawkins, Bowling Green’s Dan Dakich, Niagara’s Joe Mihalich and Manhattan’s Bobby Gonzalez have also surfaced in discussion. Thus far, DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto has not spoken to any coach directly.
Doherty to Return to the Sideline: ESPN is reporting that Florida Atlantic will be introduced on Monday as the next head coach of Florida Atlantic. This will be his first job since 2003, when he resigned after three seasons as the head coach at his alma mater, North Carolina. Doherty succeeds Sidney Green, who was fired last month after three consecutive losing seasons.
Felton to Announce: North Carolina junior guard Raymond Felton threw out the first pitch at Friday’s baseball game against Miami. He later said that he will hold a news conference either Tuesday or Wednesday next week to announce his plan to either stay for his senior season or declare for the NBA Draft. Felton helped lead the Tar Heels to the national championship and was part of former head coach Matt Doherty’s last recruiting class.
Spider Suspended: Richmond suspended sophomore point guard Daon Merritt indefinitely, after he was arraigned in Richmond General District Court on a charge of assault and battery. He is charged with striking a 20-year-old female Richmond student on campus Wednesday evening, according to the school’s police department chief. Head coach Jerry Wainwright simply said that he is suspended, and will not say anything further until the matter is resolved legally. The resident of Jamaica, N.Y., a starter for most of his two seasons, remains enrolled at the school and has a May 2 court date.
Terps Fill Staff: Maryland hired two assistant coaches on Friday to fill out its coaching staff, as Washington Mystics coach Michael Adams and Charlotte assistant Rob Moxley joined the staff. They replace two assistants who left to become head coaches at other schools, Mike Lonergan (Vermont) and Dave Dickerson (Tulane). Adams played for head coach Gary Williams at Boston College from 1982 to 1985, then spent 11 years in the NBA and has experience coaching in the NBA, WNBA and International Basketball League. Moxley has been Charlotte’s top assistant and recruiting coordinator for seven years, and is a native of the Washington, D.C. area who grew up a Maryland fan.
Ford Still Owes: According to an Eastern Kentucky administrator, former men’s basketball coach Travis Ford owes the school more than $225,000 for his contract buyout. The sum represents the money remaining on his deal at the school, which was extended to April 30, 2007. Ford’s new contract at Massachusetts is a five-year deal worth $200,000 annually that could double with incentives. Ford guided the Colonels to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 26 years and a school-record 22 wins, with the season ending in a 72-64 loss to Kentucky in Indianapolis. Former West Virginia assistant Jeff Neubauer was hired this past Monday to succeed Ford.
Down to Two: Jacksonville’s vacant head coaching spot is down to two candidates, Georgia Tech assistant Cliff Warren and Valdosta State coach Jim Yarbrough. Hugh Durham, the school’s winningest head coach, retired last month, and the school plans to announce his successor by the end of next week. Warren has been an assistant at Georgia Tech for the past five seasons, in addition to prior experience at Siena and Mt. St. Mary’s. Yarbrough is a 1987 graduate of Florida State and is 97-42 in five seasons at Division II Valdosta State, in addition to Division I coaching experience as an assistant at the College of Charleston.
Knight Lawsuit May Finally Be Ending: A lawsuit accusing Indiana University of violating a state law prior to Bob Knight’s firing may be nearing its end after four years in court. The judge appointed to hear the case asked attorneys to submit written arguments within a week. In October 2000, 46 fans sued IU for violating Indiana’s Open Door Law, claiming that the school’s nine-member board of trustees illegally met in secret with then-President Myles Brand to determine Knight’s status.
Jordan Classic: The Jordan Classic was held at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, featuring 40 of the nation’s top high school seniors in two separate games. The Regional game consisted of players from the New York City area, while the National game consisted of players from across the country.
In the first game of the evening, Jordan Suburban won the Regional game by a score of 104-89. Connecticut-bound guard Craig Austrie of Trinity Catholic High School (Stamford, CT) scored 23 points and St. Joseph’s signee Alvin Mofunanya of Dwight Morrow High School (Englewood, NJ) scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds en route to being named co-MVPs.
The National game followed that, and it came down to the end, as two missed free throws with 3.8 seconds left secured a 127-126 win for the Grey Jerseys over the White Jerseys. The co-MVPs were North Carolina-bound forward Tyler Hansbrough of Poplar Bluff High School (Poplar Bluff, MO) with 24 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes, and Andray Blatche of South Kent School (Syracuse, NY) with 26 points and 16 rebounds. More coverage of this event is still to come.
Blatche Won’t Play College: It’s no surprise to anyone who has closely followed him, but the aforementioned Andray Blatche is definitely heading to the NBA next season. It has long been a foregone conclusion that the 6’11” center will bypass college, and it became official with his participation in the Jordan Classic on Saturday. The game was Blatche’s third postseason game, which makes him ineligible for next season, and Blatche said after the game that he has an agent.
