Official 2008-2009 College Basketball Thread

[fathom]

NC State is desperate for talent, their top 3 scorers are leaving off of a mediocre squad.

 

Heard WF is a player. GT might get a visit, but they're waiting for a big man transfer instead.

[chimpy2121]

SDSU really rushed the court for winning a NIT game where they were a higher seed?

[fathom]

SDSU really rushed the court for winning a NIT game where they were a higher seed?

 

I've heard rumors that Alabi might go pro....what's your view on this?

[chimpy2121]

I've heard rumors that Alabi might go pro....what's your view on this?

 

I doubt he does. There hasn't been a lot of concern either. It could happen, but I don't know. The rumors are thanks to Bob Ryan, "Is he ready for the NBA? No. But if he did decide to come out now, there would be a land rush. He's have to be a lottery pick."

 

He knows he isn't polished enough yet and he values an education being from underprivileged Nigeria. I'm in advertising with him and he has come to class every single day (when they're not out of town) and actually pays attention unlike some other athletes. I can see him leaving after next year if he puts on some muscle, but we'll see. Money changes a lot of people's minds.

[Felix]

SDSU really rushed the court for winning a NIT game where they were a higher seed?

Ha, I just posted that in the NIT thread

 

I can't believe it.

Edited March 26, 2009 by Felix

[JDsDirtySox]

Rumors flying around that Jake Kelly is leaving Iowa.

Jermaine Davis has already left as well.

 

Kelly and Gatens were the only two players Iowa had that are decent.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Ha, I just posted that in the NIT thread

 

I can't believe it.

Mid Majors

[shaneomacfan]

Rumors flying around that Jake Kelly is leaving Iowa.

Jermaine Davis has already left as well.

 

Kelly and Gatens were the only two players Iowa had that are decent.

 

Yep. Kelly to Indiana State, I believe, to be closer to family. Davis to a D2 school in Minnesota (heard grades were a major issue). Palmer won't return, thank goodness. Peterson is looking at transferring as well, so he's the only one that's still up in the air at this point. They also lost the commitment of a 2010 in-state recruit that few people were excited about to begin with, so probably not the best day that the program has had in recent years. I think that Lick is a pretty good Xs and Os coach, but recruiting is already a question and now it sounds like there have been communication issues as well. What really sucks is that there are essentially no good recruits left in this class, so there's an even better chance that next year will be horrendously bad. Wanna have a cripple fight, Heads?

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Yep. Kelly to Indiana State, I believe, to be closer to family. Davis to a D2 school in Minnesota (heard grades were a major issue). Palmer won't return, thank goodness. Peterson is looking at transferring as well, so he's the only one that's still up in the air at this point. They also lost the commitment of a 2010 in-state recruit that few people were excited about to begin with, so probably not the best day that the program has had in recent years. I think that Lick is a pretty good Xs and Os coach, but recruiting is already a question and now it sounds like there have been communication issues as well. What really sucks is that there are essentially no good recruits left in this class, so there's an even better chance that next year will be horrendously bad. Wanna have a cripple fight, Heads?

Illinois State fans will not want a beefed up Indy State.

 

[ChiSox_Sonix]

Rumor is it'll be an ACC school.

 

Va Tech dropped the ball once in not offering him a scholarship, I'd be surprised if they do it again. I'd say Va Tech, NC St, Clemson and even possibly South Carolina have to be considered likely potential landing spots for him. He wants to go to a big school, but he also will want to stay close to home and I'd bet he would pass on any 'elite' school so he could remain a focal point of the team.

Edited March 26, 2009 by ChiSox_Sonix

[kev211]

Illinois State fans will not want a beefed up Indy State.

 

[danman31]

So why doesn't anyone use their brain and say Memphis isn't that good? Everyone knows their conference is ok at best so none of those wins will garner much respect from me, at least when you are talking about getting a #1 seed. But seriously, Memphis hasn't beaten anyone I respect. Their best wins are Gonzaga (who only has notable wins over bubble team Maryland, 7th best place in the Big 12 Oklahoma State, and twice over 10-6 in the SEC Tennessee compared to losses to bubble team Arizona, Portland St. and Utah), Tennessee (10-6 in the SEC as I said, not impressed at all) and then what? Seton Hall? Cincinnati? Those are atrocious 'good' wins. About as bad as any team in the top 4 seeds. Now let's look at their losses. Xavier, @Georgetown and Syracuse (in Memphis). Georgetown isn't a bad loss, but not exactly a good one. It's also pretty fair to say Xavier and Syracuse are the best 2 teams on Memphis' schedule, and Memphis lost, on a neutral site and at home. So can someone actually come up with a good reason why Memphis is one of the top 8 teams in the country?

Oh thank goodness it was my Missouri Tigers that prevented me from looking like an ass.

[knightni]

5 of the elite 8 teams could be from the Big East.

[RockRaines]

Enjoy riding the pine for the next 5 years Mullens.

[southsider2k5]

Enjoy riding the pine for the next 5 years Mullens.

 

I'm sure the millions of dollars will help cushion that blow.

[RockRaines]

I'm sure the millions of dollars will help cushion that blow.

Not nearly as much money as if he would have stayed a year and improved his status. He's a fringe first round pick, he would have easily made it into the lottery. He spent part of his childhood in a homeless shelter which really motivated him to make the jump now, which is 100 percent understandable, but I agree with most of the experts that say he could improve both his game and his wallet with another year in college......As well as my Bucks chances at a Big Ten title.

 

I'll still be extremely happy if Turner stays like he said he would

[whitesoxfan99]

Not nearly as much money as if he would have stayed a year and improved his status. He's a fringe first round pick, he would have easily made it into the lottery. He spent part of his childhood in a homeless shelter which really motivated him to make the jump now, which is 100 percent understandable, but I agree with most of the experts that say he could improve both his game and his wallet with another year in college......As well as my Bucks chances at a Big Ten title.

 

I'll still be extremely happy if Turner stays like he said he would

 

He could just as easily improve in the NBA. Why do people act like you improve more by staying in college then playing in the NBA? There really is no evidence of that at all even for guys who aren't getting a lot of PT early on.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

He could just as easily improve in the NBA. Why do people act like you improve more by staying in college then playing in the NBA? There really is no evidence of that at all even for guys who aren't getting a lot of PT early on.

 

If you're at a big time school you'd improve more in college. Thabeet still has a lot to work on but he didnt touch a basketball until 4 years ago. Since he arrived in Connecticut he has improved tremendously. That improvement wouldn't have come in the NBA. You need to grow in game situations not just in practice. Leaving too early they wont get any game time at the next level and if they havent reached the level expected of them they are often let go. Look at Blake Griffin. Last year he would have been a lottery pick, but a lot of people weren't sold on his readiness to play in the NBA. He was a very good player last year, but now he's a monster. He would not have improved so much by sitting on an NBA bench and playing 2 minutes a night.

[southsider2k5]

Not nearly as much money as if he would have stayed a year and improved his status. He's a fringe first round pick, he would have easily made it into the lottery. He spent part of his childhood in a homeless shelter which really motivated him to make the jump now, which is 100 percent understandable, but I agree with most of the experts that say he could improve both his game and his wallet with another year in college......As well as my Bucks chances at a Big Ten title.

 

I'll still be extremely happy if Turner stays like he said he would

 

He could just as easily go the Joakim Noah route and cost himself millions by exposing himself as not that good.

[RockRaines]

He could just as easily improve in the NBA. Why do people act like you improve more by staying in college then playing in the NBA? There really is no evidence of that at all even for guys who aren't getting a lot of PT early on.

Because once he's in the NBA he wont improve his draft status by improving. If he stayed a year he may be a top 5 pick, which would make him more money. He would also actually be playing instead of garbage min once in awhile. Repetition is the heart of improvement.

[Heads22]

Brackins working on draft paperwork.

[WhiteSoxfan1986]

He could just as easily improve in the NBA. Why do people act like you improve more by staying in college then playing in the NBA? There really is no evidence of that at all even for guys who aren't getting a lot of PT early on.

 

Because you don't get better sitting on the bench.

[whitesoxfan99]

Because you don't get better sitting on the bench.

 

Link? Improvement by players comes in practice and in the offseason. Game experience is certainly important , but even if you aren't playing a ton you are going up against better players in practice then you ever do in college basketball. You have more time to work out and practice then you do in the NBA and you have more money to improve your diet which makes a big difference for some players. Now if you don't have a good work ethic then you won't improve if you aren't playing but if you are going to put in the work there is no reason you can't improve more by going to the NBA then you would by staying in college. Also based on the pay scale of the NBA it is more important to get to your post rookie contract as early as possible then make a little more during your first three years in the NBA.

 

Rashard Lewis for instance averaged only 7 minutes a game is rookie year after coming out of HS. The next year he went up to 19 and he averaged 8 pts a game. He then made a huge jump to 35 minutes per game and averaged 15 pts. I'm sure he would have been better though if he had gotten a ton of minutes as a freshman in college as opposed to being stuck on the bench?

 

Al Jefferson played under 20 minutes a game his first two years and in year 3 he averaged a double double. Bynum averaged 7 minutes a game his rookie year, then averaged 8 and 6 while starting the majority of games his 2nd year, and by his 3rd year he was big time when healthy.

 

Guys might not be ready to contribute when they enter the league but there really is no evidence they don't improve by "sitting on the bench". It all depends on the individual and how hard they are going to work.

Edited March 27, 2009 by whitesoxfan99

[Jordan4life_2007]

I'm glad Mullens is gone. Let's just hope Evan Turner was blowing smoke when he said he's coming back.

[RockRaines]

Link? Improvement by players comes in practice and in the offseason. Game experience is certainly important , but even if you aren't playing a ton you are going up against better players in practice then you ever do in college basketball. You have more time to work out and practice then you do in the NBA and you have more money to improve your diet which makes a big difference for some players. Now if you don't have a good work ethic then you won't improve if you aren't playing but if you are going to put in the work there is no reason you can't improve more by going to the NBA then you would by staying in college. Also based on the pay scale of the NBA it is more important to get to your post rookie contract as early as possible then make a little more during your first three years in the NBA.

Can we have a link to your supporting evidence? That seems to be your argument.

 

And I said that he would improve his draft stock and his wallet by staying a year. Its supported every season in college bball when sophs, juniors and seniors raise their draft status, my link is www.espn.com