Month: January 2009

West Coast Conference: WCC Suspends 3 Officials

The West Coast Conference suspended officials Bruce Hicks, Alan Pierce and Thomas Wood for one game after they allowed improper substitutions at the end of Santa Clara’s 89-88 win against UTEP. Hicks, Pierce and Wood allowed the substitutions with 2.9 seconds remaining in overtime following an inadvertent whistle. According to […]

Friars and Blue Demons in Big East Play

An oft-uttered cliché early in a season is that “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” True though it might be, you can’t neglect how you start, because it can have an impact on how you finish. A bad start can have you exerting a lot of energy to try to rebound from it, then leave you out of gas to try and finish it. A good start can give you a boost and help you play better later on.

Duke: Smith Ready to Go for Blue Devils

Sophomore point guard Nolan Smith will be available for Duke when the Blue Devils play Virginia Tech Jan. 4 in their ACC opener. Smith injured his knee while jumping for a rebound in Duke’s 92-51 win against Loyola, Md., on New Year’s eve. Smith averages 10.9 points and 2.3 assists […]

Horizon Notebook: Brownell Leads Wright State Back Into Race

There are some really good coaches in the Horizon League. Jimmy Collins was really good back when I was on a staff that faced him in the late 90s, and has been to 3 NCAAs and an NIT since. Homer Drew is a legend at Valpo (and could pass for a man twenty years his junior). Brad Stevens at Butler appears to be the best young coach in the country.

Quick Hitters For the New Year

Holy Cross continues to be beset by injuries. On Tuesday night, Alex Vander Baan didn’t dress for the second straight game due to his continuing back problems, and at this point the Crusaders are planning to hold him out of remaining non-league games. They are also without Eric Meister for about the same duration. The best news is that they are more optimistic that point guard Pat Doherty may be able to return later in the season, although that’s far from a guarantee that he will.

Florida: Lucas Picks Texas

Former Florida sophomore guard Jai Lucas announced that he will transfer to Texas. If Lucas enrolls before the second semester starts, he would be eligible to play after the first semester of next season. He said Texas was his favorite school, and coach Rick Barnes was a major factor in […]