SB Nation - Dwayne Anderson

Preseason Q&A with The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy

SFBE.NF — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:00:39 -0000

While relevant college basketball games don't tip off for another month, the sport will open for business this Friday! To celebrate, err... observe this exciting day, we thought it would be shrewd of us to bring in some real college basketball writers on here to shower us with words that carry much more weight than a couple of twentysomething bloggers.

To continue this Thursday, Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News is here. While Mike seemed to question a few of my questions - it in-turn resulted in some great, telling responses ranging from John Calipari's legacy to what a coach "on the hot seat" really is and why it's even something we debate over.

1. Where could we find you this summer? On the beach, at the racetrack -- or in a gym filled with DI prospects? My wife and I spent a week in August in Santa Monica - but only two of those days were beach days. In July, I was in Cincinnati, Akron, Cleveland and Las Vegas watching prospects for a total of about 10 days, along with another three days in Colorado Springs for the USA Basketball trials. So I suppose the correct answer would be "both A and C." But it's pretty obvious work takes precedence over all else.

2. What would you like to see the NCAA implement/change/get rid of, to better the overall product of college basketball? My first vote would be for an immediate reversal of the ridiculous rule the NCAA just passed regarding the draft, which limits underclassmen to a period of two weeks to decide whether to remain on the early entry list. I'll call it the "Tee-Time Rule." Coaches were having to deal with phone calls to NBA teams and agents and all those sorts of people during May and early June instead of playing golf, so they pushed for a rule change and nobody in the legislative process really paid attention to what they were signing. It's a dumb rule that will lead to more players making poor decisions about when to turn pro. How is that a good thing for anybody except the country clubs?

The most important move, though, would be to allow coaches to work with their players during summer school. It's a joke that John Calipari is making more than $4 million a year and yet NCAA rules essentially force him not to do his job in the summer. His job is to make the players in his program better, but he's not allowed to help. It's ridiculous. I thought earning a Ph.D meant you were reasonably smart. So how could so many people with advanced degrees allow such an absurd rule to remain in place?

3. OK focusing on 2009-2010, what will we remember it for after the nets are cut down in Indy? Calipari's move to Kentucky had a landscape-shifting impact on college basketball. I believe UK will be among the leading contenders for the national championship, and that's going to catch a lot of people's attention. It starts with Calipari, who so many in the media love to vilify. Then there's Kentucky's stature, which figures to be immediately restored. And John Wall should put on a few spectacular shows.

Kansas is our pick to win the national championship, but obviously they'll have some things to work through to get there. Kentucky is best positioned to grab the championship if KU does not.

4. On paper, this season appears to offer a handful of solid transfers expected to make significant contributions for their new teams. Which transfers do you like the most and are we overlooking anyone? Transfers at the big-time level generally wind up being complementary players more so than stars. When's the last time we had somebody who was a transfer become a legit All-America candidate? Tyler Smith at Tennessee, maybe, but his circumstance obviously was different than most, including the fact he did not have to wait a year to play. I'm not saying it's bad to have transfers in your program; on the contrary, I think they're great assets because the transfer has little choice but to do everything his coach says. If he doesn't, the next stop is Division II.

I think we'll see Jordan Crawford help Xavier a lot and Wesley Johnson be an important contributor at Syracuse. Ben Hansbrough and Scott Martin will help Notre Dame a lot. Tom Crean loves Jeremiah Rivers at Indiana. Players who step down in class are the ones who have a chance to emerge as stars, and Tony Freeman could make that happen in moving from Iowa to Southern Illinois.

5. What are your thoughts on Kentucky? What are the rabid fans saying down there and are they expecting a national title in Calipari's first season? When he leaves, will the program be intact or fractured much like what happened at UMASS and Memphis? I wouldn't agree at all with the suggestion that Memphis's program is fractured. The roster was in rough shape, but that's because he was scheduled to lose some key veterans and many of the players he recruited to replace them, including Xavier Henry and DeMarcus Cousins, chose to go elsewhere after Calipari left. But Josh Pastner already has recruited two top-15 prospects for the 2010 class. As much as I believe in Josh, there's no way Memphis would be landing those kinds of players if Calipari hadn't shown what was possible there. Memphis is a major program that was dwindling toward insignificance at the time Calipari arrived. He remade the place.

UMass wasn't really fractured, either, when Calipari left for the NBA. After he left, Bruiser Flint made the NCAAs in his first two years and was above .500 in league play in all five of his seasons. It was UMass that made the foolish decision to run him out after his team went 11-5 in the Atlantic 10. Calipari's departure didn't fracture that program - it was sloppy administrating that did that.

6. Speaking of programs that need to win now, what coaches are on the hot seat this season...I've never been a huge fan of these, and I'll explain why. I'm a believer that if you think you should fire your coach, you probably should fire your coach. A winning season shouldn't change that. If you've gotten the idea that your coach needs to be replaced, it certainly shouldn't be based just upon his win-loss record. It should be based on success in recruiting, whether his players perform as a unit, whether they handle themselves off the court, whether the coach connects properly with the public. That's one thing Kentucky got right in the whole Billy Gillispie deal. Too many of those areas were deficient, and instead of waiting around to see if he got the team to the 2010 tournament the school decided it needed to make a change. I think UK totally botched the hiring process in 2007, but they took a pretty reasonable mulligan in 2009.

There are factors that go into on-court success that are outside the coach's control: primarily, injuries. If an AD fires a coach who's partway through a rebuilding process because his point guard blew an ACL -- then the AD probably should be fired, as well.

7. Your premature surprise team of the season...I guess it depends on how big a surprise we're talking. I've got West Virginia winning the Big East. I think I'm the only one on the planet - the only one outside Morgantown, anyway - who's got the Mountaineers winning the league and ranked ahead of Villanova. I'm surprised so many people are walking right past the losses of Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham to pick the Wildcats. I think Villanova is strong enough in the backcourt to be a top-10 team, but the frontcourt is very young. Maybe I'll be wrong about this. If so, I'll be surprised.

8. Your premature Final Four picks...I've got Kentucky and Kansas, as mentioned, along with Michigan State and North Carolina. UNC will have the toughest time of the four getting there because of its questions at point guard. I've got West Virginia rated fifth and Texas sixth. I might have underrated Texas a bit, at No. 6, but I wasn't sure how the point guard thing would turn out for them. Jai Lucas went there to be a point guard, but I'm not totally convinced he's a true point. Avery Bradley could play anywhere on the perimeter, but is that his best position?

9. Because of the name of our blog, we ask all journalists on here to name their favorite forgotten college basketball player. What college players were you a fan of while they were in college, and then were never really heard from again? I'd say Sam Clancy. Yeah, I guess because he had a son named Sam Clancy that some people remember him a bit, but not many understand what an amazing player he was. Clancy was about 6-6 but played center for Pitt in the late '70s/early 80s and outplayed so many guys bigger than him. He had great games against Jeff Ruland and Mike Gminski. Sam couldn't shoot but was incredibly athletic and one of the most physically powerful basketball players I've ever seen. I wish more people remembered him as a player.

10. Finish this sentence: I like using twitter because... I can share links to my stories and because I come across links to other people's work that I might otherwise miss. That's what I use it for, mostly. I've even gotten comfortable saying "tweeted." I never imagined that would happen.

How Villanova Can Beat the Heels

T.H. — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 21:51:37 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

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I don't think the Wildcats will necessarily stop UNC's perimeter shooting, but that doesn't mean they don't present a danger. Villanova has an impressive list of scalps for the season, including twice beating Pittsburgh, Marquette, and Syracuse and wins over Duke, UCLA and Notre Dame. Of course, they've lost to as many good teams as they've beaten (They're 9-7 against teams in the Top 40 of Ken Pomeroy's ratings), but if they want the upset, here's how the Wildcats will go about it.

First, despite what you may think, they won't slow the game down. In their two wins over Syracuse, they ran right at the Orangemen's pace, outscoring them 102 to 85 and 89 to 86. They'll try to work the ball into Dante Cunningham a lot, and penetrate with their guards to pick up fouls and disrupt UNC's interior defense. Villanova won't attempt a Duke-level number of threes - it's the main difference between the two similarly built teams - but they'll need someone to get hot, typically Scottie Reynolds or Corey Stokes, the two players who take more threes than twos. They'll go for the steal a lot, again like Duke, but they're also prone to fouling. This won't have an effect on their depth, unless Cunningham hits the bench early and gives the UNC front line a chance to feast upon his smaller teammates, but they should probably avoid sending UNC to the line if they can hep it.

Offensive rebounding will be important for the Wildcats, and there are only two starters who contribute in that regard, Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson, the 6'6" wing player built in a Danny Green mold. Keeping UNC off the offensive boards on the other end will be critical, though, and the Wildcats typically do well as a team in that end. Of course that's in part because they bait their opponents into taking so many threes; if they can do that against Carolina by denying entry passes and otherwise frustrating them like Maryland and Wake Forest did, that should go a long way to getting Villanova the win.

Overall, I don't think they can do it. This Tar Heel team is too talented and too determined to slip up at this stage. Of course, I thought the same thing a year ago, and that turned out... poorly. Hopefully the Carolina team remembers this as well, and doesn't make the same mistake twice.

Thrill a Minute Thursday Review/Friday Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:26:56 -0000

From start to finish, yesterday was one of the craziest conference tournament days I've ever experienced. If today is one-tenth as exciting and surprising, it will still be well worth it. Let's get to the recap/preview.

One tourney bid is on the line, and it will be decided in my vicinity. (I will indeed be there.) The top two seeds in the Patriot League American University and College of the Holy Cross meet up at Bender Arena (ESPN2, 4:45 EDT). The Eagles are looking for their second straight conference crown, while the Crusaders look to get back to the Dance for the first time since 2007.

There is an almost excessive amount of non-championship conference tournament action going on today.

ACC Quarterfinals (all games on ESPN2 outside of ACC country and Raycom inside it)

Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina (12 EDT) - The Hokies probably knocked Miami out of the conversation yesterday. They can make their case a lot stronger by knocking off the Tar Heels today. UNC, meanwhile, has to like the carnage that took place among the potential #1 seeds yesterday.
Georgia Tech vs. Florida State (2:30 EDT*) - The Yellow Jackets next step in replicating Georgia's run through the SEC tournament last year, knocking out a Seminole team that's now fighting for a top four seed.
Maryland vs. Wake Forest (7 EDT) - The Terps did what they had to do last night. Now they look to get another big win for their resume against a Demon Deacon team who is now very much back in the two seed conversation.
Boston College vs. Duke (9:30 EDT*) - The Eagles are looking good for a bid. They now look to improve their seeding with a second win over the Blue Devils this season.

A-10 Semifinals (FS Ohio/MASN/Cox RI/Comcast Network)

Xavier vs. Temple (6:30 EDT) - After making it five in a row over St. Joe's, the Owls could make the A10 a three-bid league if they can beat the Musketeers.
Dayton vs. Duquesne (9 EDT*) - The Dukes pretty much ended URI's at-large hopes last night, but they probably need to win the auto bid to get in. The Flyers should be safe after defeating Richmond.

Big East Semifinals (all games on ESPN)

Louisville vs. Villanova (7 EDT) - Dwayne Anderson gave the Wildcats a win over a plucky Marquette side yesterday afternoon. Now they have to face a Cardinal team who all but ended Providence's hopes and probably has a better shot at holding on to a #1 seed than previously thought, thanks to the upsets in the night session.
West Virginia vs. Syracuse (9:30 EDT*) - How much do the Orange have left after winning that historic battle against UConn last night? While SU defeated the Mountaineers by 13 back on February 4, they had a full week off before that game. WVU, confident off a thumping of Pitt, should be fresher. But the Orange's momentum can't be discounted.

Big Ten Quarterfinals

Minnesota vs. Michigan State (ESPN, 12 EDT) - The Gophers should be safe after bursting Northwestern's bubble yesterday, but a win over Sparty would almost surely lock up a bid.
Wisconsin vs. Ohio State (ESPN, 2:30 EDT*) - The 4/5 quarterfinal features two teams who have to feel much better about their chances right now.
Michigan vs. Illinois (Big Ten, 6:30 EDT) - The Wolverines had little trouble with Iowa yesterday. Next, they look to win the rubber match against an Illini team who has dropped two straight..
Penn State vs. Purdue (Big Ten, 9 EDT*) - The Nittany Lions made sure they took care of Indiana. Like Michigan, they look to win the rubber match against their opposition, a Boilermaker team that's dropped two in a row.

Big 12 Semifinals (Games on Big 12/Altitude/Full Court)

Baylor vs. Texas (7 EDT) - While the Bears defeated Kansas yesterday, they're still on the fringe of consideration. The Longhorns ended Kansas State's hopes and now look to do the same to their in-state rivals, all while pushing to a conference title that may boost their seed.
Oklahoma State vs. Missouri (9:30 EDT*) - It was a sweet victory for the Cowboys last night. Not only did they probably lock up a bid, they closed the door on archrival Oklahoma's chances for a #1 seed. The Tigers stopped Texas Tech's attempt at a Cinderella run, pulling away in the second half. If MU can consistently do that at a neutral site, that should boost their seeding.

Big West Semifinals (all games on ESPNU)

Cal State-Northridge vs. UC Santa Barbara (8:30 EDT) and Long Beach State vs. Pacific (11 EDT*) - The top 4 seeds are still alive for the auto bid. Northridge swept UCSB and Long Beach swept the UOP during the regular season.

Conference USA Semifinals (all games on CBS CS)

Memphis vs. Houston (4 EDT) - The Cougars had a late night, defeating UTEP in OT. Now they have to face a Tiger team with aspirations for the top line on their home court.
UAB vs. Tulsa (6:30 EDT*) - The Blazers look to keep their at-large hopes alive by avenging a one-point loss at the Reynolds Center on January 28.

MWC Semifinals (all games on the mtn./CBS CS)

BYU vs. San Diego State (9 EDT) - That's three wins in three tries for the Aztecs over UNLV, with two of those coming at the Thomas & Mack Center. That fact should be enough to get SDSU in. A win over the Cougars today would really give them some breathing room.
Utah vs. Wyoming (11:30 EDT*) - The Utes escaped TCU thanks to a Lawrence Borha 3 in the dying seconds. They next take on the sixth-seeded Cowboys, who seriously dented New Mexico's at-large hopes last night, 75-67.

Pac-10 Semifinals (all games on (FSN/selected CSN outlets)

Arizona State vs. Washington (9 EDT) - The Sun Devils may have snapped their archrival Arizona's tourney streak. They could give their seed a boost by continuing their run in this tournament. The Huskies started their run at the title by defeating Stanford, 85-73.
UCLA vs. USC (11:30 EDT) - The Trojans upended California thanks in part to an errant inbound pass in the last throes. Now they find themselves back in the discussion and facing a cross-town semifinal. The rival Bruins beat Washington State by 11 in their quarterfinal.

SEC Quarterfinals (all games on Raycom/Full Court/FS South/Sun Sports)

Kentucky vs. LSU (1 EDT) - The Wildcats got by Ole Miss pretty easily. Next up is a Tiger team looking to snap a two-game skid and who beat UK by 3 at Rupp two weeks ago.
Mississippi State vs. South Carolina (3:30 EDT*) - MSU won the battle of the Bulldogs yesterday. Now they have a chance to knock the Gamecocks out.
Alabama vs. Tennessee (7:30 EDT) - So much for Vanderbilt's viability as an at-large candidate, as the Tide took care of them last night. Now they take on a Vol team they just stunned on Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling.
Florida vs. Auburn (10 EDT*) - The Gators pulled away from Arkansas in the second half. This one is a straight-up elimination game now.

Southland Semifinals (all games on Full Court)

Second-seeded Nicholls State takes on 6 seed Texas-San Antonio (7 EDT*), while top seed Stephen F. Austin faces fourth-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (9:30 EDT*). The Colonels lost their only meeting with the Roadrunners (at home), while the Lumberjacks won their only meeting with the Islanders (on the road).

WAC Semifinals

Utah State vs. New Mexico State (no TV, 9;30 EDT) and Nevada vs. Louisiana Tech (ESPN2, 11;59 EDT) - The favorites remain on course to meet for the title tomorrow night.

The MAC semifinals (Ball State vs. Buffalo (7:30 EDT) and Akron vs. Bowling Green (10 EDT) will also be on FS Ohio and FS Detroit.

Big East basketball roundup: 11/17/08

Mike Rutherford — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:00:07 -0000

A perfect 7-0 mark for the nation's premier college basketball conference on the first night of extensive non-conference action.

Here's how it happened.

CONNECTICUT 99, Hartford 56

The Huskies scored 54 of the game's final 66 points to turn a tilt that had been touch-and-go into a laugher.

Starting in place of an injured (ankle) A.J. Price, Kemba Walker stole the show. The ballyhooed freshman scored 21 points and committed zero turnovers over the course of 29 minutes.

Sharp-shooting Craig Austrie added 21, and Jerome Dyson tossed in 18.

UCONN scored 1/3 of its points from the free-throw line (33-of-46).

PITTSBURGH 82, Miami (OH) 53

If you told me there was a team in action Monday night that was more impressive than the Panthers, then I'd be forced into calling you a knave. I wouldn't want to, but there would be absolutely no way around it.

In taking a Miami team that nearly knocked off UCLA behind the woodshed, Pitt looked like a team possessing everything necessary to make a serious push for the national title.

All four starters scored in double figures, including junior college transfer Jermaine Dixon (14), perhaps the team's biggest question mark heading into the season. Despite playing just 19 minutes, DeJuan Blair finished a rebound shy of a double-double, and Levance Fields scored 12 while handing out a career-high 12 assists.

To sum up: 'dem boys look tough.

MARQUETTE 106, Chicago State 87

Wesley Matthews scored 26 points and Lazar Hayward added 21 to lead the Golden Eagles past the conference-less Cougars of Chicago State.

Despite the win, first-year head coach Buzz Williams can't be happy that 5-foot-8 David Holston - one of the nation's leading scorers a season ago - was allowed to hit seven three-pointers and score 33 points.

Jerel McNeal will be the first to tell you that it wasn't his fault.

VILLANOVA 107, Fordham 68

Dante Cunningham scored a career-high 33 points to go along with 11 rebounds as the Wildcats routed visiting Fordham Monday night.

Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher each added 17 points, but perhaps the best news of the night for Jay Wright's team was that senior forward Shane Clark was able to return to action just 11 days after having surgery on his right knee.

Dwayne Anderson and Casiem Drummond missed the game with injuries.

GEORGETOWN 71, Jacksonville 62

Preseason Big East Co-Freshman of the Year Greg Monroe looked as good as advertised, delivering 14 points and seven rebounds in his collegiate debut. The 6-foot-11 former McDonald's All-American ran the floor, made several nice moves away from the basket, and was credited with three blocked shots on the defensive end.

While Monroe was busy comparing shoe-sizes with Roy Hibbert, sophomore point guard Chris Wright was scoring a team-high 16 points in his initial effort to match the footprints left behind by three-year starter Jonathan Wallace.

DaJuan Summers and Jesse Sapp each added 13 to help GU notch a typical John Thompson III November victory.

ST. JOHN'S 86, Cornell 75

Anthony Mason Jr. scored a team-high 24 points to lead the Johnnies past the class of the Ivy League in an opening round game of the Preseason NIT.

D.J. Kennedy scored 22 points, sophomore Justin Burrell added 11 points and 11 rebounds and Malik Boothe netted 14 points and nine assists for the Red Storm, who will play Boston College in the second round on Tuesday.

DEPAUL 75, Albany 64

Dar Tucker led all scorers with 23 points, and junior point guard Will Walker added 19 points, two blocks and three steals as Depaul began its 2008-2009 season with a win over the Great Daines out of the America East Conference.

The Blue Demons, who ordinarily play their home games at the Allstate Arena, played a regular season game on campus for the first time since 1999.