SB Nation - DaJuan Summers

The Casual Awards: Hoyas 'Defeat' Temple

CasualHoya — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:00:27 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

27 days ago: Georgetown's Greg Monroe, center, goes up for the game-winning basket as Temple's Lavoy Allen, right, and Rahlir Jefferson, left, defend during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 in Washington. Monroe's driving layup with 6.5 seconds to play rescued No. 19 Georgetown from a lackluster performance to give the Hoyas a 46-45 win. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Browse more photos »

Once again after a riveting victory, we're handing out some hardware to those most deserving. Buckle up.

Ladies and gents, The Casual Awards: Temple.

Fan-Friendly Award:
Verizon Center. $7.50 for beers and cutting off alcohol sales at the 15 MINUTE MARK of the 2nd half! True fans were so incensed that they were driven to drink LONG ISLAND ICED TEAS after the game. Thanks a lot, gimps. I'd rather the Hoyas play outside on the streets.

Bring it On! Award:

Hoyas cheerleaders earn a solid 2 on the 5 pom-pom scale, elevated from the usual 1 due to the presence of the male cheerleader. If anyone knows this male cheerleader please have him contact us, as a legendary one-on-one with Casual Hoya has to happen before the season is lost (read: before the Savannah State game).

Stay Hot Award:
Tie: Henry Sims and Julian Vaughn. This was an awful game for the Hoyas big men. Sims threw all the noted progress he displayed at the Tulane game out the window, getting constantly beat on defense and looking confused on offense. Zero points and 3 fouls in 10 minutes. Vaughn was 0 for 4 from the field and 0 for 2 from the line. Also, if he takes one more 3 this season he should be quarantined. This is going to be a very long season if these guys can't contribute. Stay hot, guys. Stay hot.

DaJuan Summers Memorial Post-Office Award:
Greg Monroe. Could a 'surefire lottery pick' possibly have mailed one in worse than Greg in this one? Since attendance was in the teens I doubt many scouts were on hand to witness that effort, but aside from saving our season with the game-winner, Monroe was outplayed by Temple's LaVoy Allen all game.

Craig Esherick Award:
Once again the award for bonehead coaching move goes to JT3 for inserting Nikita into the game. In his 2 minutes on the court with 6 minutes left in the 1st half, the Hoyas managed not to lose any ground to the Owls (they didn't increase a tenuous lead either), though Nikita did give the fans what they paid to see: his infamous patented dribble the ball through traffic in the lane off the knee out of bounds while falling down move. There's just no telling how much some third tier league in Macedonia is going to pay to giftwrap that thing for its fan base for years to come. Nikita nearly entered that hallowed halls of 'club trillion', though the above-mentioned turnover prevented it. I'm really enjoying this Nikita era.

Honorable mention (for different reasons): Fran Dunphy - the mustache is worthy of 80s skin flicks.

Jack Lalanne Award:
Memo to the Hoyas coaching staff: there are guys on the team who need to start lifting weights. Sims and Hollis in particular. Is this not obvious to anyone involved with the team on a daily basis? Drink your milkshake! DRINK IT UP!

Princeton Offense Award:
16 turnovers and 7 assists. No further comment.

'Ill Communication' Award:
Assistant Coach Kenya Hunter who screamed repeatedly to Hollis Thompson to watch for that fat 3 point shooter Craig Williams on a baseline out of bounds play - of course, Thompson couldn't hear over the deafening crowd noise and Williams dropped the 3. For a team that spends so much time tweeting about in-class updates and the movies they enjoy watching, these guys are mutes on the court.

William Wallace Braveheart Award:
Solidly unclaimed as the Gtown team struggles to find any form of leadership: Monroe, the best player, doesn't demand the ball; Chris Wright, the point guard, clearly doesn't have the support of the team; and Austin Freeman, arguably the most steady player, is so quiet and non-demonstrative that it seems the team forgets about him for stretches of the game.

Interestingly, Chris Wright was dangerously close to the feared Michael Scott Award for Inept Leadership due to ill timed heatchecks and reckless drives to the basket but the season's young and he can still earn it.

Jack Nicholson Award for Celebrity Fan of the Game:
Jeff Green's mom - still going strong. (Note: Even though we're in DC, we aren't giving this award to whoever was on Meet The Press or has a carricature at the Palm - we're talking real celebs. Umm, yeah, like Jeff Green's mom.) Worth noting that Ms. Green's Mom's seats are getting progressively worse, as now she's in one of the corner sections. One would think that a certain member of the OKC Thunder would spring for some casual courtsiders.

The Georgetown Hoyas are still an undefeated nationally ranked powerhouse.

Casually.

Sleeping with the Enemy: Casual Q&A with 'The Owl's Nest'

CasualHoya — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:00:03 -0000

Continuing the esteemed tradition of Casual Q&A sessions with our enemies, Casual Hoya has joined forces with The Owl's Nest to provide you with some insight into tomorrow's opponent. Below you can find The Nest's responses to our hard-hitting questions about those pesky birds, as well as our replies to his inquiries about our Hoyas. Enjoy.

CH: Is former Owl great Mark Macon insane for trying to clean up the mess that former Gtown assistant Kevin Broadus left at Binghamton?

I don't think so. Mark Macon was a great player, and has been a great mentor as a coach. With these issues being resolved, Mark has the opportunity to makes things positive and form a new mold and image of this program (similar to what Temple football has had to do). I think Mark is in a great position to make a name for himself as a coach now, rather than the All-American player he used to be. It won't hurt to try.

Former Hoya player and coach, Craig Esherick and Temple’s current coach, Fran Dunphy are white coaches following legendary black coaches yet even Esherick’s impressive mustache (nearly identical to Dunphy’s) was unable to save his job – what have Dunphy’s biggest challenges been in rebuilding this program and will he be able to turn the corner?

The main challenge that Coach Dunphy has had to deal with is probably the level of talent he acquires in his recruiting classes. With all due respect to the Ivy League, Temple's athletic quality is plenty higher than what Fran Dunphy was getting with Penn. So far though, Coach has been able to implement the remaining players from Coach Chaney (ex. Dionte Christmas, Mark Tyndale, Ryan Brooks) with the newer guys he has brought in (Lavoy Allen, Juan Fernandez). It's somewhat obvious that Dunphy has done a tremendous job with what Coach Chaney left too, since 2 of Dunphy's 3 seasons so far have resulted in Atlantic 10 Championships and NCAA Tournament Appearances.

Did Coach Dunphy keep the 6 am practices? Has he challenged any opposing coaches to fistfights?

I'm not exactly sure about the 6 AM practices. I wouldn't think so though. That seemed to be a 'John Chaney' type of thing. As for fighting, Dunphy doesn't exactly come off as the mean and passionate type of heart Coach Chaney had. JC had no problem getting on the cases of the UMasses and Dukes who definitely had favored calls.

What are Temple’s strengths and weaknesses? How does Temple's perimeter game stack up? Who are the top shooters? Rebounders?

Strength: Experience. Even after losing 3 of last year's starters, the majority of the players on this team has a taste of success, and have in some way contributed to that. Lavoy Allen and Ryan Brooks, two of Temple's leading scorers, have stepped up the past two years to make up for lost pieces. Each year, there have been several players that have made impressive strides to only make the team better than the previous year.

Weakness: Go-to-guy. 2007 it was Mark Tyndale. 2008 it was Dionte Christmas (If you shut down Christmas, you most likely shut down Temple' offense). Now that both of these players have left, the two highest averages for scoring are just 10 points a game. It is a necessity that Temple consistently has guys that play huge roles in games, especially against a team like Georgetown. There will honestly be no "gimmies" or guarantees this year until players decide to take the helm.

The perimeter game has taken a hit with the graduation of Dionte Christmas. He lived by the 3 ball during his tenure at Temple. The top shooters on this team would be senior Ryan Brooks and sophomore Ramone Moore. The top guy, ironically, beyond the arc is 6'10" forward Craig Williams. When he's on, he's on. Juan Fernandez can shoot the ball from time to time, but he likes to make Steve Nash-like moves, and score the ball in the paint.

Down low, Lavoy Allen is Temple's main threat. With center Sergio Olmos graduating, he now holds most of the rebounding duties. Sophomore Micheal Eric has made strides to possibly be Temple's next center (he's 6'11", the tallest on the team).

What can Georgetown expect out of this year’s Temple squad?

Georgetown should expect a much faster pace game. Temple's overall starting five is much quicker going down the floor compared to last year, and doesn't necessarily slow up to set anyone up for a shot. At the same time, the Owls manage to protect the ball well in doing so (fast breaks). Temple's scoring has primarily comes from mid range jump shots and layups. Juan Fernandez will truly confuse you when handling the ball. He's elusive and makes tricky passes.

Defensively, the Owls have switched back and fourth through man to man, and that signature 2-3 zone. Ryan Brooks and Ramone Moore have quick hands, and can poke the ball out to generate a fast break. Brooks and senior guard Luis Guzman would most likely cover the opposing teams' playmaker. Down low, Micheal Eric and Lavoy Allen are extremely athletic on the defensive side of the ball. They have great windspans and length that allow them to get a number of blocked shots and quick rebounds.

After being waived by the 76ers in camp, Temple legend Dionte Christmas was recently arrested on firearms charges. Prior to Christmas, I believe the last Owl to even sniff the NBA was Mardy Collins, famously loved by Isiah Thomas and consequently hated by the entire city of New York. First question: What was it like to celebrate Christmas at Temple? Second: Do you see anyone on Temple's roster having professional talent? And speaking of talent, how are Temple's cheerleaders?

What you might not have realized is that the charges were dropped due to the fact that the firearm was not his. The car and gun belonged to current Sixer and former Florida Gator Mareese Speights, and Dionte was merely charged with driving without a license.

Dionte Christmas was a great basketball player and an even better human being. His play through his four years with Temple generated a ton of interest in Temple Basketball, as well as put the Owls back on the map as a constant NCAA tournament invite. He will be missed as a Temple basketball player, but also as a great human being in the community.

I would say Lavoy Allen has the best show of playing professional ball. He's still young as a junior, and has yet to reach his full potential. Only time will tell though-- there are plenty of players who have the change to emerge as key impact guys.

I think you guys will enjoy our cheerleaders.

Pats or Genos for cheesteaks?

Either one. I'm a fan of both. Also like Tony Lukes.

See our responses to The Owl's Nest questions after 'The Jump'

The Owl's Nest: It's been quite some time since the Owls have faced the Hoyas. The teams' last matchup was during the '04 season, where the Owls defeated Georgetown 75-57. What have been some of the main changes that John Thompson III has made to this team since his first year, where his team finished out with a record of (16-11)?

The biggest change has been Coach Thompson bringing in his own players. The team he inherited had some tremendous talent but over the past few years, Coach Thompson has done even more to keep local stars here (including McDonald’s AAs Chris Wright and Austin Freeman). Each year, Coach Thompson has had NBA caliber talent but after being dominated on the interior with Hibbert, then on the perimeter with DaJuan Summers (a legendary underachiever), there should be a better balance this year.

For the most part, it looks as thought there are no seniors on this 2009 team. How do you think the majority of the team being juniors and sophomores affects their performance? Do you think the leadership role is divvied up, or could you give us an idea of who fits that spot?

There was a major chemistry issue last year though it appears to have been resolved as the upperclassmen moved on. As noted above, Coach Thompson has kept the locals together and those guys have been playing against one another for years – establishing bonds both on and off the court. Gtown also does a great job keeping the kids in town over the summer and playing in the Kenner League. On top of that, the freshman most of us expect the most from – Hollis Thomson – has been on campus for almost a full year practicing with the team and should be able to blend in immediately.

The team has gone through some changes over the past year but I’d guess that the leader will be Junior Chris Wright – he’s the point guard and very assertive (not always in a good way) and seems to be establishing more trust with Coach, making him the proverbial coach on the floor. Junior Austin Freeman and Sophomore Greg Monroe also play pivotal roles on the team.

What style of play do the Hoyas have on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball? Who are the team's go-to-guy, and most reliable producers?

Coach Thompson runs elements of the Princeton offense so the games are generally lower scoring and the Hoyas run only when they’ve clearly got numbers. Defensively, they apply solid pressure but really only out to the three point line. They’ve consistently had size and shot blockers so they collapse in the paint well but rebounding has been an issue recently.

No doubt that the go-to-guy is Greg Monroe (note below) for both scoring and rebounding. Everyone expects that Chris Wright and Austin Freeman will take major strides this year too – the key to them is that they can put the ball on the ground in contrast to Monroe really needing someone to get it to him in the post (though he did freak Hasheem Thabeet off the dribble last year).

In 2007 it was Jeff Green. In 2008 it was Roy Hibbert. Who do you think is the next talent to enter the NBA on this Georgetown squad?

Simple: Greg Monroe. He would have been a Top 5 pick last year and he opened up in front of his New Orleans home crowd with a nice 18 point game. After that, it gets more difficult to predict with both Wright and Freeman being undersized. Hollis Thomson has the type of length and athleticism the league loves but he still appears to be a few years away from that goal.

I know it's extremely early, but do you have any predictions for the way this season could potentially turn out for your team? How do you think Tuesday night will fare?

Season’s a tough one but the #20 (AP) ranking looks pretty solid right now. Figure the Hoyas for just over 20 wins on the season with a Top 5 Big East finish.

Tuesday will be an unusual made-for-TV game and there probably won’t be a ton of fan support. We’ll wait for the Vegas lines but with this both Gtown and Temple opening with convincing road wins, this will probably be a close game with the Hoyas coming out on top. The Monroe-Lavoy Allen should be a nice matchup of 2 athletic big guys.

The dictionary definition of a "hoya"<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hoya> describes some sort of shrub/plant of the milkweed family. However, Georgetown's mascot is a bulldog. Where does the relation between this plant and the bulldog derive?

Hoya refers to neither the plant nor the bullbog. The cheer stems from the chant Hoya Saxa - which means "What Rocks" in a combination of Greek and Latin. Georgetown was once called the Stonewalls and an ingenious student came up with the chant. This of course can not be fully confirmed since it happened over 100 years ago. But in this day and age, Hoya has come to represent those who are able to Google "What is a Hoya." Those incapable of doing so (80% of West Virginia) are not Hoyas.

Casually.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez: Casual Hoya hands out 1st ever Casual Awards as Hoyas Roll in New Orleans

CasualHoya — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:06:19 -0000

via www.istockphoto.com

Player of the Game

DaJuan Summers. Summers' absence was noticeably refreshing. The Hoyas went back to the basics, resulting in numerous easy looks in the 2nd half as Georgetown began to pull away. Hopefully gone are the days of the awful outside shots with 25 seconds left on the shot clock. On the court I'm giving this award to Greg Monroe, but I'm not happy about it. The 18 and 11 is good on paper, but he wasn't nearly assertive enough against an undersized Tulane frontcourt.

Fans of the Game

The 100+ friends and family that came out to support local hero Monroe were great, but I was more impressed with the number of Hoya fans who came to New Orleans from near and far who sat in the visitor's sections and made their presence felt. Throughout the 2nd half the 'Hoya Saxa' chants drowned out anything the Tulane kids could put together. Of course, it was tough to put anything together at that point due to the majestic $3 beers on sale at Fogelman Arena. Special shout-out to the crew of 5 current freshmen at Georgetown who flew down for the weekend and attempted an ill-fated "Casual-Hoya" chant. Also special shout-out to the Tulane student who stripped down to a speedo and danced behind the basket to distract Monroe on a free throw attempt. Monroe missed the freebie.

Bring It On! Award

On scale of 1-5, with Georgetown's cheerleaders being a 1 and Arizona being a 5, Tulane's cheerleaders merit a 2, barely elevated above 1 due to presence of the dance squad and its black spandex. This was a disappointing effort by the Wave, especially considering the level of talent right outside the Arena.

Stay Hot Award

The award for least impressive performance is a tie between the Tulane cheerleaders and Tulane coach Dave Dickerson's tie. Dickerson, who is generally a snappy dresser, decided to impress a near sellout at Fogelman with a choice of neckwear that resembled this.

Jack Nicholson Award

Celebrity fans included the New Orleans Saints' Darren Sharper and Roman Harper. Also in attendance was Tulane's President Scott Cowen, who may be the next president of the NCAA.

Brandon Bowman Memorial Award

This award went unclaimed in this game, as not a single player exhibited any questionable antics down the stretch with a point spread cover or an over/under hanging in the balance. The Hoyas led by double-digits throughout the 2nd half, and the 10 point line was never in question in the final minutes.

Craig Esherick Coaching Move of the Game

JT3 inserted Nikita for a stretch in the 1st half. When he entered the game the Hoyas led by about 8. When he exited just over 3 minutes later, the Hoyas lead was shredded to 3. Nikita adds nothing to this team. Much rather see what Sanford and Benimon can do.

Patrick Ewing Jr Award

Hollis Thompson is the new Junior. He knows the system, his size causes matchup problems, he hustles, and he shows emotion when on the court. The upside is real, palpable, and true.

Look, I could go on all night with these, but I'm still hungover, the Pats and Colts are about to kickoff and we've got Temple to start getting worried about.

Hoyas are undefeated.

Casually.

BtB 2009-10 Big East Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:19:46 -0000

The Big East had a BIG season last year, but not quite the monster year many predicted. At the end of the year, the conference only qualified eight teams for the NCAAs, instead the nine or ten many had predicted. Louisville earned the tournament's overall number one seed, while UConn and Pitt joined them on the top line. The Huskies were the only one of this group to make it to Detroit, but the 3 seed in the East region, Villanova, knocked off the Panthers to join Connecticut at Ford Field.

Graduation and the NBA Draft sapped some of the star power from the conference during the offseason, and teams like Pitt and Marquette, look to be in rebuilding mode because of it. Louisville, whose summer included personnel losses and revelations about Rick Pitino's personal life, will be a contender but not quite the power of last year. UConn and Syracuse also lost significant personnel, but have some exciting recruits coming in to fill the voids. Two teams who fell flat last year, Georgetown and Notre Dame could be back, while Cincinnati, St. John's, and Seton Hall may be waking from a long slumber.

But the two teams who appear to be head and shoulders above the rest are the two who lost the least, Villanova and West Virginia. They'll start with the biggest targets on their backs, and they'll take plenty of shots in the early season, particularly in tournament play. Both play in loaded fields this November, the Wildcats in Puerto Rico; the Mountaineers in Anaheim.

More on all 16 teams in the largest league in the land after the jump.

Here's a recap of last year's Big East standings.

Big East Conference Standings

(updated 4.5.2009 at 12:15 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Louisville Cardinals	16	2	31	6
Connecticut Huskies	15	3	31	5
Pittsburgh Panthers	15	3	31	5
Villanova Wildcats	13	5	30	8
Marquette Golden Eagles	12	6	25	10
Syracuse Orange	11	7	28	10
West Virginia Mountaineers	10	8	23	12
Providence Friars	10	8	19	14
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	8	10	21	15
Cincinnati Bearcats	8	10	18	14
Seton Hall Pirates	7	11	17	15
Georgetown Hoyas	7	11	16	15
St. John's Red Storm	6	12	16	18
South Florida Bulls	4	14	9	22
Rutgers Scarlet Knights	2	16	11	21
DePaul Blue Demons	0	18	9	24

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order. If a team name appears in red, click it to go to that schools SBNation site, your source for more in depth analysis.

DePaul (last NCAA: 2004) The Blue Demons defeated a league opponent once only last season, bursting Cincinnati's bubble in the first round of the Big East tournament. The pressure is definitely on Jerry Wainwright at the moment, but this team doesn't look like it will improve much. The foundation is good, even with swingman Dar Tucker's departure for the professional game, as 6-10 Mac Koshwal is a beast inside for Wainwright, as he averaged over 12 points and nearly 10 boards a game last year, and Will Walker averaged nearly 15 points a game in the backcourt. But the rest of the squad lacks scoring punch and experience. Ohio State transfer Eric Wallace, Oregon State transfer Eric Wallace, and returnees Devin Hill (3.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Mario Stula (1.7 ppg) will have to produce more to make up for the loss of Tucker, while Jabari Currie (5.3 ppg, 1.8 apg) and Jeremiah Kelly (4.3 ppg, 2.4 apg) will need to help Walker out more in the backcourt. DePaul will play Northern Iowa in the Paradise Jam, then East Carolina or Tennessee in their second game. They'll also head to Tampa to take on Mississippi State in the Big East/SEC Invitational.

Providence (last NCAA: 2004) The Friars won 10 Big East games in Keno Davis' first season at the helm, but ended up in the NIT. Providence's schedule is a big reason for their failure, as they defeated Cincinnati and Rutgers twice, and were swept by Villanova, making their victory total a bit suspect. Providence should drop significantly this season, as they lost four starters off an already disappointing team. Senior point guard Sharaud Curry (11.7 ppg, 4.2 apg) is the lone returning starter, so at least the offense will be in good hands. Production will have to come from 6-5 wing Marshon Brooks (10.6 ppg) and 6-4 Brian McKenzie (4.6 ppg), along with JC transfer Kyle Wright and freshman Duke Mondy, both of whom lit it up at their previous level of competition. 6-9 JC transfer Russ Permenter and 6-8 freshmen Kadeem Bates and James Still will join two redshirt freshmen, 6-6 Jamine Peterson and 6-8 Bilal Dixon, on an all new frontline. How quickly that group can adjust to the rigors of the Big East will determine how well PC can do this season. The Friars don't participate in a tournament this year, but they travel to Alabama and host former Big East member Boston College.

South Florida (last NCAA: 1992) The Bulls should be better this year, but the question is whether that will show up in the standings. Stan Heath returns three starters from a team that won only four Big East contests a season ago, including guard Dominique Jones (18.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.9 apg) and 6-10 forward Augustus Gilchrist (10.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg). Both of those players will receive significant help in their particular units, as Ohio State transfer Anthony Crater will take some of the playmaking pressure off Jones (as will a bigger role for senior Chris Howard, who averaged over 4 assists a game last year) and 6-11 JC transfer Jarrid Famous will combine with Gilchrist to form one of the more intimidating frontlines in the conference. 6-4 guard Mike Mercer (8.5 ppg, 33.3% from 3) returns to the team for his final season after head coach Stan Heath booted him in January for disciplinary issues. USF's freshmen, heavy on guards and wings, includes Joe Dumars' son, Jordan. The Bulls will play in the Charleston Classic before Thanksgiving, where they'll play Davidson on Day 1. A matchup with either La Salle or South Carolina awaits on Day 2. USF will also face San Diego and San Francisco in Las Vegas before Christmas.

Rutgers (last NCAA: 1991) The Scarlet Knights once again struggled in the Big East, winning only two games in the conference in '08-09. Fred Hill's team should face another tough year despite the return of 6-3 sophomore guard Mike Rosario (16.2 ppg) and an improving frontline featuring imposing shotblocker 6-9 Gregory Echenique (8.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.4 bpg) and 6-11 center Hamady Ndiaye (5.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg). 6-7 Jonathan Mitchell, a transfer from Florida, and 6-6 sophomore Patrick Jackson, a rarely used freshman, are expected to contribute as well. While Rutgers is set at shooting guard thanks to Rosario, JC transfer James Beatty will likely replace Anthony Farmer at the point, though junior Mike Coburn (4 ppg, 2.1 apg), last year's backup, will see plenty of time there as well. The Scarlet Knights will make the short trip to Atlantic City, where they'll face UMass in the semifinals of the Legends Classic. They'll play either Florida or Michigan State on the following evening. A December 28 trip to North Carolina also looms large.

Marquette (last NCAA: 2009) The Golden Eagles appear due for a fall in Buzz Williams' second year at the helm. Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews, and Dominic James, Marquette's starting backcourt of a season ago, have all graduated. And while 6-6 F Lazar Hayward (16.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg) is back, that's a lot of production Williams will have to replace. Jimmy Butler (5.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg), another 6-6 forward, should move from the sixth man role to the starting lineup, but he needs to show more offensive consistency. Two-time Wisconsin HS Player of the Year Jeronne Maymon, yet another 6-6 forward, will be expected to contribute immediately, as will 6-7 shot blocking machine Erik Williams. Marquette's all-new backcourt features two JC All-Americans, 6-3 Dwight Buycks and 6-1 Darius Johnson-Odom, and 6-1 Canadian freshman Junior Cadougan, the heir apparent to James. Maurice Acker (2.8 ppg, 1.8 apg), who replaced James when he went out with a broken foot, is also back for the Golden Eagles. Marquette plays in the Old Spice Classic this year, where they open with Xavier. They'll then play either Michigan or Creighton in what has to be called that tournament's Midwestern half of the bracket.

Pittsburgh (last NCAA: 2009) The Panthers will be in full rebuilding mode this season, as Jamie Dixon lost four starters from a season ago. However, the one starter who is back, senior guard Jermaine Dixon (8.4 ppg, 2 apg), is out until November thanks to a broken foot. Reserves Gilbert Brown (5.4 ppg), Brad Wanamaker (5.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg), and Ashton Gibbs (4.3 ppg, 43.9% from 3) will have to take on a greater role, but replacing Levance Fields at the point is the biggest issue for Pitt. Ultimately, Gibbs and Centenary transfer Chase Adams (14.6 ppg, 4.5 apg) will have to shoulder the load. The frontcourt was decimated thanks to the departure of DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, and Tyrell Biggs. 6-10 center Gary McGhee (1.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg in roughly 6 minutes per game) will see a lot more time this season, as will 6-6 swingman Gilbert Brown (5.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg), but 6-9 freshman Dante Taylor, a McDonald's All-American, could become the most exciting frontcourt player for the Panthers this season. Pitt will travel to Kansas City for the CBE Classic, where they'll open against Wichita State. Big 12 power Texas or now-perennially-rebuilding Iowa awaits on the second night.

Seton Hall (last NCAA: 2006) Bobby Gonzalez not only brings back four starters from a season ago, led by offensive force Jeremy Hazell (22.7 ppg), he has several transfers coming in to provide much needed depth. The Pirates' solid backcourt, featuring Hazell, starting point guard Eugene Harvey (12.5 ppg, 4.5 apg), and backup PG Jordan Theodore (5.9 ppg, 2 apg) receives a major reinforcement in the form of Missouri transfer Keon Lawrence (11 ppg, 2.3 apg in '07-08). An emerging frontline, featuring 6-6 Robert Mitchell (14.7 ppg, 8 rpg) and 6-9 John Garcia (8 ppg, 7 rpg), will be even better thanks to the presence of 6-8 New Mexico State transfer Herb Pope, who averaged more than 11 points and almost 7 boards a game in his single season in Las Cruces. Melvyn Oliver, a 6-11 sophomore who weighs in at an immovable 340 pounds and 6-6 Memphis transfer Jeff Robinson will also see some minutes. Seton Hall won't participate in a tournament this year, but they'll still get some time in the sun. They'll travel to Cancun to take on Virginia Tech on the second day of 2010.

St. John's (last NCAA: 2002) Last season, Norm Roberts' Red Storm won 16 games, 6 in the Big East, during a campaign that was plagued by injuries. St. John's hasn't quite been able to shake the injury bug yet, as their best player, 6-7 senior F Anthony Mason, Jr. (14 ppg, 4.3 rpg) will be out until at least late November with a hamstring injury. He only played three games last season thanks to a torn tendon in his right foot. When he returns, he'll join 6-6 junior D.J. Kennedy (13 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and 6-8 junior Sean Evans (10.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg) to form a quality frontcourt. 6-3 junior Paris Horne, who led the Red Storm in scoring a season ago (14.6 ppg), and 5-9 PG Malik Boothe (6.4 ppg, 4.4 apg) will anchor the backcourt, with sophomore Quincy Roberts (5 ppg) and freshman PG Malik Stith, as the supporting cast. St. John's will participate in the Philly Hoop Group Classic over Thanksgiving weekend at the Palestra, where they'll face Siena and Temple.

Notre Dame (last NCAA: 2008) The Fighting Irish have a chance of improving on last year's disappointing 21-win NIT campaign thanks to the return of 6-8 Luke Harangody (23.3 ppg, 11.8 rpg), a player who has numerous school and conference records within reach. In the backcourt, point guard Tory Jackson (10.6 ppg, 4.9 apg) returns, but perimeter sharpshooters Kyle McAlarney (15 ppg) and Ryan Ayers (11.1 ppg) will be sorely missed. Mississippi State transfer Ben Hansbrough, brother of Tyler, will be called on to make up some of that production, though he's just as likely to score inside, as he can really drive to the basket. Unfortunately, another player who would've fit in immediately, 6-8 Purdue transfer Scott Martin, will miss the year with a knee injury. That means 6-8 junior Tyrone Nash (3 ppg, 3.6 rpg) will have to take on a greater role. Ultimately, a lack of depth will keep the Irish from rising too high in the standings, but they should be competitive for an NCAA bid. Notre Dame will participate in the Chicago Invitational Challenge, where they open with Northwestern. The second day the Irish will face either Iowa State or Saint Louis.

Cincinnati (last NCAA: 2005) Thanks to four returning starters and a couple of key newcomers, Mick Cronin's team should be able to improve on last year's 18 wins (8 in the conference), and with the losses other Big East teams suffered, they should get back to the Dance. The Bearcats' strength will be their backcourt, led by all-Big East pick Deonta Vaughn (15.3 ppg, 4.7 apg). He'll receive more help than he had last year, as PG Cashmere Wright is back after missing all of last year with a knee injury and Larry Davis (6.8 ppg) also returns from an ankle injury. 6-9 Yancy Gates (10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), who was one of the league's top freshmen last season anchors the frontcourt, which will also feature 6-11 Oklahoma State transfer Ibrahima Thomas (8.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) when the fall semester ends. However, the arrival of 6-6 New Yorker Lance Stephenson gives the Bearcats a second legit star. New York State's all-time leading scorer averaged nearly 29 points a contest last year, so he should provide an instant boost to a team that was weak on the offensive end last season. Cincy will play in Maui this November, where they open with Vanderbilt. If they win that, a semifinal with Maryland would likely await.

Georgetown (last NCAA: 2008) The Hoyas were touted as a Final Four team by some last year, but struggled with consistency throughout the season. DaJuan Summers left early for the NBA, which is a major blow, and Jesse Sapp, the senior point guard and defensive specialist who saw a lot more action than anticipated last year, graduated, but John Thompson III has plenty of talent returning to improve on last season's 16-15 mark. Chris Wright (12.5 ppg, 3.8 apg) is back to run the point after showing well in his first league campaign. He missed all of the previous conference season with an ankle injury. At the 2 spot, Austin Freeman (11.4 ppg, 2 apg) will be expected to improve his production in Summers' absence. The frontcourt is anchored by conference Newcomer of the Year Greg Monroe (12.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg), but those expected to start alongside him, sophomore PF Henry Sims and freshman SF Hollis Thompson are relatively inexperienced. That means reserve Julian Vaughn (1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg), who was expected to contribute more in his first year after transferring from Florida State, and occasional starter Nikita Mescheriakov (2.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg) may see quite a bit more time than anticipated. The Hoyas won't participate in a tournament this season, but they will head west to take on Washington in the Wooden Classic (not UCLA, which would make sense) and up to New York to face Butler in the Jimmy V Classic.

Louisville (last NCAA: 2009) Rick Pitino was the center of a lot of unwanted attention this offseason thanks to some well-publicized off the court issues. On the court, the Cards the news was also negative, as the team's two leading scorers and rebounders from last season, Earl Clark and Terrence Williams, are now in the NBA. The cupboard is far from bare for Pitino, however. He has a backcourt led by seniors Edgar Sosa (7.3 ppg, 2.3 apg) and Jerry Smith, a gifted shooter who averaged almost 8 points a game while shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc. Junior Preston Knowles shot even better from outside, 43 percent, as the sixth man last year. The Cards will need their production, along with that of 6-4 freshman sharpshooter Mike Marra and McDonald's All-American PG Peyton Siva, to replace some of the production that left with Clark and Williams. The frontcourt should be a strength, thanks to the return of 6-9 Samardo Samuels (11.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg), though he'll need to be more consistent. Samuels will be challenged by having to do more of the dirty work on the glass, as he was only the third leading rebounder on last year's team. 6-9 sophomore Terrence Jennings should also provide more punch this season, as he averaged 4.2 ppg and 2.9 rpg in only about 12 minutes worth of action as a freshman. Tony Delk, a 6-4 swingman, who averaged less than a bucket a game last year, should also see more time. Besides the traditional game with Kentucky, Louisville will play Arkansas in the Hall of Fame Showcase in St. Louis before they play home games against three mid-major opponents in the same event.

Syracuse (last NCAA: 2009) The Orange lost their three leading scorers--NBA first rounder Jonny Flynn, his Niagara Falls High School teammate Paul Harris, and Eric Devendorf--off a squad that reached the Sweet 16. But don't expect Jim Boeheim's squad to fall too far down the Big East pecking order. Two regular frontcourt starters--6-9 C Arinze Onuaku (10.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg) and 6-9 F Rick Jackson (8.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg)-return, as does part-time starter Andy Rautins (10.5 ppg, 36.6% from 3). The newcomers are even more intriguing. 6-7 F Wesley Johnson, who averaged over 12 points and almost 8 boards as a freshman and 12+ points and 4 boards as a sophomore at Iowa State, will fill Harris' spot in the frontcourt. 6-4 freshman Brandon Triche will replace Flynn at the point. The Orange have some talent on the bench, as 6-1 sophomore guard Scoop Jardine returns after sitting out last year injured, 6-7 sophomore Kris Joseph will provide some depth up front, but he'll have to be more consistent than he was as a freshman. 6-8 freshman James Southerland should see some time off the bench because of his ability to shoot. Syracuse makes the short trip to New York City for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, where they'll face California in the semifinals, then either Ohio State or North Carolina. They'll travel to Tampa to take on Florida in the Big East/SEC Invitational and host Memphis in the Dome.

Connecticut (last NCAA: 2009) Jim Calhoun lost three starters off a Final Four team, Hasheem Thabeet, A.J. Price, and Jeff Adrien, but don't expect UConn to fall too far. PG Kemba Walker (8.9 ppg, 2.8 apg) got a lot of experience off the bench in '08-09 and will be ready to fill Price's shoes at the 1 spot. Freshman Darius Smith should also see some time at the point and maybe even at the 2 spot, thanks to his scoring ability. Jerome Dyson (13.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.1 apg) returns from a torn meniscus to provide more toughness to the backcourt. In the frontcourt, SF Stanley Robinson (8.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg) needs to show more consistency, while 6-9 senior Gavin Edwards steps into a starting role for the first time. Calhoun has some impact youngsters on his frontline, including 6-10 Ater Majok and high school teammates Alex Oriakhi and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel. If the younger frontcourt produces as the season goes on, UConn could go on another long March run. Of course, the ongoing investigation surrounding Josh Nochimson could still lead to some distractions during the season. Schedule-wise, the Huskies will host the North regional of the NIT Season Tip-Off. That should result in the first of two trips to MSG for them, as they also face Kentucky in the Big East/SEC Invitational.

West Virginia (last NCAA: 2009) The Mountaineers bring back the bulk of a team that disappointingly lost to Dayton in the first round of last year's NCAAs. Bob Huggins' frontcourt features two players who will challenge for national honors this year, 6-7 senior Da'Sean Butler (17.1 ppg. 5.9 rpg) and 6-9 sophomore Devin Ebanks (10.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg)-a player who really came on in the second half of last season. PF Wellington Smith (5.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg), a 6-7 senior, should up his performance now that he's recovered from a stress fracture in his leg, while 6-8 sophomore Kevin Jones (6.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg) is another solid reserve player for the Mountaineers. The backcourt will be new as JC transfer Casey Mitchell will be the starting shooting guard and Alex Ruoff's replacement at point guard is a real question mark. Darryl Bryant (9.8 ppg, 2.7 apg), Ruoff's heir apparent, was suspended by Huggins over the summer. Joe Mazzulla (5.6 ppg, 3.7 apg), another player who had to deal with off the court issues last year, is another option. His minutes depend on how well he's recovered from the severe shoulder injury he suffered early last season. The Mountaineers will play in the 76 Classic in Anaheim, where they'll open with Long Beach State. A matchup with either Clemson or Texas A&M awaits on the day after Thanksgiving.

Villanova (last NCAA: 2009) Leading scorer Dante Cunningham (16.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and swingman Dwayne Anderson (9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) may be gone from last year's Final Four team, but there's enough quality on the roster to ensure that the Wildcats remain near the top of the league. Sixth man Corey Fisher (10.8 ppg, 2.8 apg) should move over to the point full-time, while senior Scottie Reynolds (15.2 ppg, 3.4 apg) will continue to help with the playmaking, even in a more offensive role. The frontcourt corps of 6-5 Corey Stokes (9.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg), 6-5 Reggie Redding (7.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg), and 6-8 Antonio Pena (5.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg) will be joined by several newcomers. 6-11 redshirt Maurice Sutton, 6-6 Duke transfer Taylor King, and 6-7 freshman Isaiah Armwood will see considerable minutes, while 6-10 Mouphtaou Yarou, a high school teammate of Armwood, will give the Wildcats an inside dimension they haven't had in years. Nova will play in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off before Thanksgiving. They'll open with George Mason before facing either Dayton or Georgia Tech on the second day.

The Wildcats will hold the Big East's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. There will undoubtedly be a few of their conference brethren joining them.

To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Big East team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Big East Team

Player of the Year: Luke Harangody, 6-8 F, Sr. (Notre Dame)

Remainder of the Team
Da'Sean Butler, 6-7 F. Sr. (West Virginia)
Devin Ebanks, 6-9 F, So. (West Virginia)
Greg Monroe, 6-11 F, So. (Georgetown)
Scottie Reynolds, 6-2 G, Sr. (Villanova)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Big East this season?

Cincinnati

7 votes

Connecticut

9 votes

DePaul

1 votes

Georgetown

24 votes

Louisville

13 votes

Marquette

0 votes

Notre Dame

1 votes

Pittsburgh

6 votes

Providence

0 votes

Rutgers

2 votes

St. John's

1 votes

Seton Hall

1 votes

South Florida

0 votes

Syracuse

10 votes

Villanova

18 votes

West Virginia

19 votes

112 votes | Poll has closed

DaJuan Summers Already a Disappointment in Detroit?

CasualHoya — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:46:56 -0000

The Pistons haven't played a single game yet, but it looks like there's trouble in Detroit already for former Hoya DaJuan Summers.

Detroit Pistons blog MLive isn't exactly predicting great things from Summers this season:

Biggest Disappointment: (Jason) Maxiell. I'm tempted to say DaJuan Summers, because based on his Summer League play, he looked like he would be ready to contribute immediately. In the preseason, he looked lost. But he's a rookie, so he gets the benefit of the doubt.

Can't say I'm surprised, but I hope Summers can prove him wrong to some extent.

Casually.

Thoughts from the Open Practice

Hire Esherick — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:45:14 -0000

via www.hellocincinnati.com

If you are expecting any ground breaking revelations from Saturday's HHC Open Practice, you are going to be sorely disappointed with the following write-up. Imagine a team that has been practicing for a week. Imagine the drills, skills and fundamentals coaches run in order to get a team into shape. And then imagine yourself sitting on hard wood bleachers in a poorly ventilated high school gymnasium. That was Saturday in a nutshell.

Autographs and Q&A Session

Took place in the dining hall because there was such an overwhelming response to the invite that they needed a bigger venue... or so we were told.
Process of filing into Leo's, signing in and receiving pins, shirts and other goodies was remarkably efficient - kudos to Athletic Department for making that better than any other Georgetown process I have seen.
All attendees received Georgetown Thunder Sticks in their information packets - made me want to puke. Navy blue inflatable menaces with "29 Sports, One Team" scribed across the demon sticks. Good idea, I just hate those things.
Players and JT3 signed autographs for young Hoya fans and awkwardly eager parents claiming it was for their kids. Others sat around tables munching on bagels, muffins and fruit. Conversations were about the off-season news including: Jeremiah Rivers' whiny comments, DaJuan Summers' NBA status, latest episode of Gossip Girl, etc.
Coach Thompson did not have much to say in opening remarks - mainly he was thankful for the support, excited for the season, blah, blah, blah. Then led to Q&A.
Commented that the Big East will not be as top heavy as it was last year, and that the most experienced teams are actually the ones near the bottom last year. He expects more parity in the league.
He did not know where Georgetown was picked to finish in the preseason polls and said he did not care because nothing anyone says now matters anyway.
He is nervous about OCC schedule, expects Temple to be a very tough game and scared Verizon Center will be empty for the Tuesday home opener at 4pm. Does not want to give a national television audience the impression that Georgetown does not have supportive fans.
Most impressed with the improvement of Jason Clark but says that can change since it is so early in the season.
Vee is a very cerebral player while Jerrelle has been injured for most of the offseason.
Thinks Hollis can contribute immediately since he was here for half the season last year.
Visibly tired of people questioning the offense. He understands that people like to watch up-tempo teams but he wants to win, doesn't care how it looks. Said they played at a faster speed last year than in previous years.
He was amazed at the stupidity of someone asking if they work on boxing out and free throw drills in practice. Shot down question immediately.
When asked about facilities - he revealed that the reason the Autographs and Q&A session was moved to the dining hall is because they could not reserve the gym at 10am. Said McDonough is cramped but they make it work.

Open Practice

Team started with a shoot-around.
Ran full court weaves and passing drills.
Practiced dribbling the length of the court, Hollis Thompson was the most impressive here.
Did a back-door pass drill, worked on kicking out to open shooter at 3 point line.
Every player practiced taking threes from the top of the key and corners. Looked like the team had five minutes to hit a certain amount of threes otherwise they would run laps. But they were able to take foul shots in order to get out of running. Something like that, interesting drill.
Yes, they did practice boxing out. Nice to see, players were getting physical. Practiced backing out opponents away from the ball and going up strong on offensive rebounds.
Ran 4 on 4 and 5 on 4 half court sets - team did not look especially sharp here but it has only been a week.
I am not even going to attempt to do player evaluations since they were running drills and not playing in games. The team looked motivated but uncomfortable having a group of people watching their every move. Every player hit a shot, every player missed a shot. Every player did something good, every player did something bad. Anyone attempting to evaluate beyond that is full of crap.
And then there was pizza outside. And beer. And then it rained.

There you have it, a quick recap of the open practice. As people were filing out JT3 commented that he could now run the actual practice, since he never likes to embarrass players in front of a crowd. You could tell he was holding back from critiquing the players during the drills. Good to see a healthy turnout at the open practice, don't ask me how many people because I am horrible at estimating crowd sizes. If I had to guess, I'd say it was somewhere between 300 and 1,200.

Good talk.

Big East Media Day Commences: What Will the Coaches Predict?

Hire Esherick — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:07:38 -0000

via www.officialwire.com

The Big East Conference Annual Media Day starts today in New York City. It is a two-day event where coaches and players talk about expectations for the upcoming season, lessons from the past and dreams for the future. In sum, every coach will compliment every other team and talk about how great and competitive the league is. Nothing special, except for the predictions. This is where it gets interesting. Last year the coaches weren't too far off actual finishes, other than the fact they failed to predict the final ranking of all 16 teams.

Below are the predicted rankings, actual finishes, and how far off the coaches' were in their predictions.

Ranking	Predicted	Actual	Spots Off
1	Connecticut	Louisville	+2
2	Louisville	Pittsburgh	-1
3	Pittsburgh	Connecticut	-1
4	Notre Dame	Villanova	+6
5	Villanova	Marquette	-1
6	Marquette	Syracuse	-1
7	Georgetown	West Virginia	+5
8	Syracuse	Providence	-2
9	West Virginia	Cincinnati	-2
10	Providence	Notre Dame	-2
11	Cincinnati	Seton Hall	-2
12	Rutgers	Georgetown	+3
13	Seton Hall	St. John's	-2
14	St. John's	South Florida	-1
15	DePaul	Rutgers	+1
16	South Florida	DePaul	-2

The coaches also pick the best players in the conference. The only surprise from last year was the complete dismissal of DeJuan Blair, who was Big East Rookie of the Year in 2007-08 but not selected to the Preseason Big East Team in 2008-09. He ended up winning Player of the Year along with Hasheem Thabeet. Conversely, coaches thought too highly of DaJuan Summers, as he was selected to the Preseason All-Big East but did not even receive Honorable Mention honors at the end of last season. The coaches did pick Greg Monroe as Preseason Co-Rookie of the Year and he ended up going home with the award at the end of the year, and not having to share it either.

I predict Monroe nabs preseason honors this year in a much weaker conference. Georgetown will also be picked to finish 4th in the conference, behind Nova, UConn and WVU. This is what I said five months ago, I still stick by it.

Let the games begin.

Good talk.

Hoyas Freshmen Get B- (Hoops, not the Girls)

CasualHoya — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:05:26 -0000

According to an ESPN.com article that was published 3 months ago, our incoming freshman class merits a "B-" grade before any of them have even set foot on a court in NCAA action. I give the reporter a D for this article, just because I can.

For the record, while I was at Georgetown I averaged an A-/B+.

Georgetown Hoyas

Georgetown commits: three
The Hoyas faded down the stretch after getting off to an impressive start last season. They will likely lose leading scorer DaJuan Summers to the NBA, but they dodged a huge bullet when Greg Monroe decided to stay for another year. With Summers gone, Georgetown will look to 6-7 SF Hollis Thompson (Concord, Calif./De La Salle), who enrolled early to get a jump on the competition, to help replace that scoring punch. He has very good leaping ability and will have to continue to develop his body as well as his perimeter touch and consistency. Vee Sanford (Lexington, Ky./Lexington Catholic), a 6-3 SG, has the ability to connect on jumpers from deep as well as get to the hoop. PF Jerrelle Benimon (Warrenton, Va./Fauquier) has a tremendous amount of upside, which greatly complements his impressive athleticism and rebounding skills.

I have the 10th pick in a 12-man fantasy draft tonight.

Casually.

Poll

What was your GPA at Georgetown?

3.5-4.0

64 votes

3.0-3.49

52 votes

2.5-2.9

16 votes

2.0-2.4

4 votes

There's a reason I went to BC/ND/Cuse and not Georgetown

6 votes

142 votes | Poll has closed

DaJuan Summers Signs Rookie Contract with Detroit Pistons

CasualHoya — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:33:46 -0000

According to rotoworld.com:

The Pistons signed their three draft picks, forwards Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko, to rookie contracts on Friday.

via grfx.cstv.com

After not hearing his name called in the 1st round of the NBA Draft which would have resulted in an automatic rookie contract, Summers performed well enough in the Summer League to impress Joe Dumars and the rest of the Pistons brass.

Though it remains to be seen just how much playing time Summers will get this season, it looks as if the jerseys on the walls of McDonough will soon have some company.

Congrats to DaJuan.

Casually.

Last Day of the NBA Summer League Raises Question Marks for Former Zags

Zach B — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:46:53 -0000

Micah Downs is just one former Zag hoping to find a place on an NBA roster next season.

View full size photo »

Today is the last day of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and for many former college stars, it is probably their last time playing basketball in the United States. For those who were drafted, they obviously have a good shot to make their respective team but a good amount of the players in Las Vegas are vying to fill a very limited amount of spots on NBA rosters. Their journey from that point will probably be long and arduous and could possibly land them in the D-League. Four former Zags from the 2008-09 season took part in the summer league this year. One proved his vast amount of doubters wrong with his consistently excellent play, two were up and down but made some good impressions, and one has barely gotten off the bench long enough to do anything.

continue reading this post after the poll...

For Austin Daye, the summer league experience couldn't have gone any better. Not only was Daye one of the best performers at the summer league, but he had his moment where he could tell all of his doubters to shut up. Daye played 34 minutes a game, shot a solid 47% from the field, and averaged about nine rebounds and 17 points again. Everyone that was in attendance in Las Vegas came away very impressed with Daye, commenting that he could not only withstand contact but often times he initiated it and it never really bothered him. His one major struggle was in the turnover department where he struggled from time to time but that it is too be expected and was probably a result of nerves combined with the different style of game. The most exciting part for Daye is that he is on a team that should be a power in the future. Along with him, DaJuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko are both rookies that impressed in the summer league. It's safe to say that Daye will have more of an immediate impact in the NBA than most people initially thought.

The fun part about the Detroit Pistons summer league team was that Austin Daye was joined by Jeremy Pargo. Pargo played for the Orlando Magic in the Orlando summer league a few weeks ago but joined the Pistons in Vegas. Jeremy did a lot to improve his position in Las Vegas. The former Gonzaga court general averaged 10 points a game in only 18 minutes per game. He shot 50% from the field and really impressed the Pistons fans and it isn't completely crazy to think that Jeremy could find a spot on their roster. The Pistons were auditioning guards for a third-string spot on the roster and many think it became a battle between Jeremy and former Virginia Cavalier Sean Singletary. They both had very similar stat lines for Detroit and I feel like Jeremy has more NBA ready size. You have to wonder if Detroit passes on Jeremy because they have a player kind of similar to him in Will Bynum.

Micah Downs also made some waves in the summer league and did a lot of things right the past few days to give himself a fighting chance. What we grew to love about Micah Downs at Gonzaga was his versatility and his strong desire to do whatever it takes to get a win. Here is something from the wonderful Twitterworld that I found about Micah from an ESPN.com "Tweeter".

Thabeet just got beat by Downs on a rebound under PHX hoop. Micah freaking Downs...Micah Downs is on my all Make Good team for Summer League. PHX has a lot of multi-taskers out there.

Micah had a game to remember a few days ago against the D-League Select team where he shot 8-11 and finished with 19 points. Micah still has one more game this evening before his summer league is over but thus far he has filled up the stat sheet. He's averaged a little over seven points a game, about three rebounds, and has had a few steals. He hasn't made a whole lot of mistakes either, with only four turnovers in four games. Downs, like Pargo, has the chance to make a roster with his performance but we will have to wait and see. The Suns have some options for him with their roster and if they pass, he could catch one elsewhere. Micah has his last game tonight against the Clippers at 7:30 PST.

The most perplexing summer league belonged to Josh Heytvelt. Josh was a guy that was labeled as a draft day snub but signed on with the Washington Wizards summer league team. Josh seemingly had the inside track to being signed to a roster when this was all said and done. He possesses great NBA size and versatility but his summer league tenure has been odd to say the least. Josh has only played seven minutes a game, attempted nine shots, and made three of them. His average stat line in four games has been 1.5 PPG and 2.0 RPG. He hasn't made a lot of mistakes defensively and actually was impressive against Blake Griffin when they matched up with the Clippers. I posted a FanPost over on the Wizards SB Nation site Bullets Forever asking about Josh and they seemed pretty iffy about him at this point as well. The Washington roster is kind of loaded with young, mediocre post men in Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee so it is hard to tell if Josh will stick. I really can't imagine him not finding a place on someones roster but in a league with a lot of good young players, it is pretty easy for players to get lost. Hopefully Josh gets more minutes in the Wizards final summer league game today against the New York Knicks at 1 PM PST.

Let us know what you think, who you are rooting for and what former Zags you think have the best shot at making a roster in the comments below!

Poll

Now that the summer league is nearly complete, which former Zag do you think has the best shot to make an NBA roster?

Jeremy Pargo (10 PPG, 3 APG)

111 votes

Micah Downs (7 PPG, 50% from 3 point range)

124 votes

Josh Heytvelt (7 MPG, 1.5 PPG, 2 RPG)

27 votes

262 votes | Poll has closed