≈ Saturday, April 08, 2006
Lehigh forfeits made official
The Patriot League Friday Lehigh's forfeiture of 13 games from the 2004-2005 season in which Joe Knight played.
Knight's individual records, including his 45-point game against Colgate in the league tournament, will stand, but Billy Taylor's coaching record will be adjusted to reflect the forfeited games.
As has been the case throughout this saga, Lehigh continues to refuse to acknowledge any wrongdoing or to apologize to the league, or more importantly, to Knight, who lost half his senior season thanks to the actions of athletic department officials.
In a , Lehigh A.D. Joe Sterrett simply says the school accepts the penalty imposed by the league.
Lehigh spokesman Jeff Tourial, in an AP story, says "We misinterpreted an NCAA rule."
It is wonderful PR for a league that basked in the glow of all those nice stories about Bucknell and the league's academics during the NCAA TOurnament. You can almost hear the Memphis fans snickering, eh?
The question the print media has ignored from day one of this whole mess is how a rule that seems pretty clear could be "misinterpreted." We have writted more than enough about this whole affair throughout the season. Rather than rehash it, here are a few links to some of our season-long coverage.
Knight hurt?
Woe is Juco Joe
From the mailbag
Knight's status clarified
Latest on Juco Joe
A Lehigh view of the Knight affair
Another Apologist
Lehigh offers forfeits
Knight's individual records, including his 45-point game against Colgate in the league tournament, will stand, but Billy Taylor's coaching record will be adjusted to reflect the forfeited games.
As has been the case throughout this saga, Lehigh continues to refuse to acknowledge any wrongdoing or to apologize to the league, or more importantly, to Knight, who lost half his senior season thanks to the actions of athletic department officials.
In a , Lehigh A.D. Joe Sterrett simply says the school accepts the penalty imposed by the league.
Lehigh spokesman Jeff Tourial, in an AP story, says "We misinterpreted an NCAA rule."
It is wonderful PR for a league that basked in the glow of all those nice stories about Bucknell and the league's academics during the NCAA TOurnament. You can almost hear the Memphis fans snickering, eh?
The question the print media has ignored from day one of this whole mess is how a rule that seems pretty clear could be "misinterpreted." We have writted more than enough about this whole affair throughout the season. Rather than rehash it, here are a few links to some of our season-long coverage.
Honor for HC recruit
Adam May, a Holy Cross recruit, has been named boys basketball Player of the Year for Lake and Geauga counties by the . May averaged 23 points and 9 boards as a senior.
The Plain Dealer's scouting report reads like this:
The Plain Dealer's scouting report reads like this:
Opposing defenses became more and more committed to stopping May, but they couldn't deal with his vast offensive repertoire. May's shooting range extends to 25 feet. He scores in post-up situations and in transition. He constantly drew fouls on drives to the basket, and made 82 percent of his free throws.May also was a pick.
Where have you gone? (Fordham edition)
You are showing your age if you remember when Jean Prioleau played in the Patriot League. A two-time second-team All-Patriot pick, Prioleau helped the Rams to two Patriot League titles, including one in the first season of league play (1990-91) when he his a three-pointer at the buzzer of Fordham's 84-81 overtime win over Holy Cross.
Why do we bring up Prioleau's name after all these years? Because Friday he was named to Greg McDermott's staff at Iowa State. Wondering where Prioleau has been all those years? It's all here in the on his hiring.
Why do we bring up Prioleau's name after all these years? Because Friday he was named to Greg McDermott's staff at Iowa State. Wondering where Prioleau has been all those years? It's all here in the on his hiring.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Army women's coach dies
Maggie Dixon, who coached the Army women's basketball team to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, died Thursday after suffering what her brother, Pittsburgh men's coach Jamie Dixon, called an "arrhythmic episode to her heart."
The died at Dixon died Thursday at 3:10 p.m. at the Westchester Medical Center, where she had been taken Wednesday after collapsing at the home of a friend.
According to the , Dixon was taken to Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point after she collapsed, then transferred to Westchester Medical Center.
Dixon was 28.
The died at Dixon died Thursday at 3:10 p.m. at the Westchester Medical Center, where she had been taken Wednesday after collapsing at the home of a friend.
According to the , Dixon was taken to Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point after she collapsed, then transferred to Westchester Medical Center.
Dixon was 28.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Flannery wins honor
Bucknell coach Pat Flannery has won the 2006 , poresented to the nation's top mid-major coach.
Flannery, who received nine first place votes from the 20-voter panel, had 65 points. George Mason’s Jim Larranaga and Wichita State’s Mark Turgeon tied for second with 32 points each. The voting was completed on March 12, prior to the start of the NCAA tournament.
Flannery, who received nine first place votes from the 20-voter panel, had 65 points. George Mason’s Jim Larranaga and Wichita State’s Mark Turgeon tied for second with 32 points each. The voting was completed on March 12, prior to the start of the NCAA tournament.
Family tree
Former Holy Cross assistant Kevin Nickelberry Darryl Hilliard as his top assistant at Hampton.
Rounding out Nickelberry's staff: Hartford assistant Chris Pompey and Brian Merritt, the director of basketball operations at Louisville.
Nickelberry says Hilliard, Merritt and himself are coaches from "the Pitino Family Tree," which of course includes Willard, who was a Pitino assistant with New York Knicks and at Kentucky.
Rounding out Nickelberry's staff: Hartford assistant Chris Pompey and Brian Merritt, the director of basketball operations at Louisville.
Nickelberry says Hilliard, Merritt and himself are coaches from "the Pitino Family Tree," which of course includes Willard, who was a Pitino assistant with New York Knicks and at Kentucky.
More fun with Fran and Fran
With the Final Four in the rear view mirror, the folks in Philly have resumed the Who will replace Fran Dunphy game if he takes the Temple job. Kevin Tatum of the rounds up the usual suspects, beginning with Lafayette's Fran O'Hanlon.
Tatum's top four also includes current Penn assistant Dave Duke. Folks who remember Duke's teams when he was head coach at Lehigh have to scratch their heads at that suggestion. Current Lehigh coach Billy Taylor is on Tatum's "others worth a look" list.
Meanwhile, in Easton, of the Express-Times:
Tatum's top four also includes current Penn assistant Dave Duke. Folks who remember Duke's teams when he was head coach at Lehigh have to scratch their heads at that suggestion. Current Lehigh coach Billy Taylor is on Tatum's "others worth a look" list.
Meanwhile, in Easton, of the Express-Times:
"I like it right where I am at and my family likes it here. Besides, they have a coach."O'Hanlon also says the Leopards have one commitment thus far for their first scholarship recruiting class. As Blake points out, most scholarship quality kids sign before their senior season these days, so the full impact of scholarships at Lafayette won't start to kick in for their recruiting until this summer, when they go after next year's high school seniors.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Bucknell fourth in Mid-Major poll
The Bison finished fourth in the final , dropping from the No. 2 spot they held at the end of the regular season.
It was not so much a case of the Bison falling from grace as it was an uptick for George Mason and Wichita State, which both impressed in the NCAA Tournament. George Mason moved up from No. 5 to claim the top spot, grabbing 26 of the 31 first place votes. Gonzaga got the other five first place votes (what a crock, eh?) to finish second after holding the top spot all season.
Third was Wichita State, which lost in the Sweet 16 to GMU.
Holy Cross received one vote in the others receiving category.
It was not so much a case of the Bison falling from grace as it was an uptick for George Mason and Wichita State, which both impressed in the NCAA Tournament. George Mason moved up from No. 5 to claim the top spot, grabbing 26 of the 31 first place votes. Gonzaga got the other five first place votes (what a crock, eh?) to finish second after holding the top spot all season.
Third was Wichita State, which lost in the Sweet 16 to GMU.
Holy Cross received one vote in the others receiving category.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Bison No. 25 in coaches poll
After entering the NCAA Tournament unranked, Bucknell moved to No. 25 in the , released Tuesday.
The Bison are the first Patriot League ever to be ranked in the final poll of a season. Earlier this season they became the first league team to make an appearance in the Top 25 when they were voted No. 24 in the Feb. 13 poll.
The ranking caps a season in which Bucknell received votes in the poll in all 19 weeks of the voting.
It will be interesting to see where the Bison finish in the final Mid-Majors Top 25. That poll was expected to be released today, but as of 8:38 p.m. has not been posted. The Bison were ranked No. 2 in the final Mid-Major Top 25 of the regular season, behind Gonzaga. Conventional wisdom would expect George Mason to claim the top spot after their run to the Final Four. The Patriots were ranked No. 8 in the final coaches poll, Gonzaga was 10th. Two other mid-majors made the final coaches top 25, Wichita State (21), and Bradley (24).
The final AP poll is also due out, but has not yet been released.
The Bison are the first Patriot League ever to be ranked in the final poll of a season. Earlier this season they became the first league team to make an appearance in the Top 25 when they were voted No. 24 in the Feb. 13 poll.
The ranking caps a season in which Bucknell received votes in the poll in all 19 weeks of the voting.
It will be interesting to see where the Bison finish in the final Mid-Majors Top 25. That poll was expected to be released today, but as of 8:38 p.m. has not been posted. The Bison were ranked No. 2 in the final Mid-Major Top 25 of the regular season, behind Gonzaga. Conventional wisdom would expect George Mason to claim the top spot after their run to the Final Four. The Patriots were ranked No. 8 in the final coaches poll, Gonzaga was 10th. Two other mid-majors made the final coaches top 25, Wichita State (21), and Bradley (24).
The final AP poll is also due out, but has not yet been released.
We have a winner
Just like the championship game, in the end, the Hoop Time Bracket Challenge wasn't even close.
TThomas blitzed the field, piling up 157 points to easily outdistance runner-up Steve, who finished with 113 points. TThomas' domination was so complete, he would have won easily even without upset bonus points. After correctly picking Florida to win it all, he finished with 134 "regular" points. The 23 bonus points for upsets picked along the way were just icing on the cake.
Last place went to Kevin, who finished with 44 points, 7 behind next-to-last finisher johnny.
Congratulations TThomas and johnny. Please shoot us an e-mail with your address so we can get you your prizes.
TThomas blitzed the field, piling up 157 points to easily outdistance runner-up Steve, who finished with 113 points. TThomas' domination was so complete, he would have won easily even without upset bonus points. After correctly picking Florida to win it all, he finished with 134 "regular" points. The 23 bonus points for upsets picked along the way were just icing on the cake.
Last place went to Kevin, who finished with 44 points, 7 behind next-to-last finisher johnny.
Congratulations TThomas and johnny. Please shoot us an e-mail with your address so we can get you your prizes.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Then there were two
Just like the tournament itself, the 2006 version of the Hoop Time Bracket Challenge has come down to two entries vying for all the marbles when Florida meets UCLA Monday night.
Current leader TThomas has 124 points, and will win the contest if Florida wins the title, as he has predicted from the start.
But despite TThomas' 29-point lead over Bill H., the guy currently in seventh place, Bill H. can still pull out a win in the Bracket Challenge is UCLA wins Monday. Bill H. currently has 95 points.
A Florida win in the final will be worth 33 points (32 plus one bonus point for a 3 beating a 2). UCLA will bring 32 points to anybody who has the Bruins.
Best we can tell from a quick scan of the 55 entries, they are the only two who have picked UCLA or Florida to win in the final. It is possible we missed someone else who has picked one of those two to win it all, but if so, it would be someone more than 32 points behind the leader TThomas, so it would not matter anyhow.
At the other end of the standings, Kevin has clinched last place with 44 points, 7 behind No. 54 johnny. To add a little insult to injury, Kevin, who had Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Ohio State for his Final Four, is 26 points behind first round leader imaputz, a "novelty" entry that picked every lower seed all the way through, except for Bucknell, who imaputz had winning it all (beating the play-in winner in the title game). Imaputz didn't pick up a point after the second round, yet still managed to score 70, better than 26 folks who actually put a lot of thought into their brackets.
For Kevin, we offer this glimmer of hope: Last year, Brother of Hoop Time SteveC. was awarded the Kansas postseason media guide for finishing dead last. This season he looks to finish fourth and actually held the lead going into the Sunday of Elite Eight weekend, when his beloved Villanova Wildcats went south, a loss that was the ruin of many a poor boy in the house of the Hoop Time Bracket Challenge.
©2005 Hoop Time. All rights reserved.
Current leader TThomas has 124 points, and will win the contest if Florida wins the title, as he has predicted from the start.
But despite TThomas' 29-point lead over Bill H., the guy currently in seventh place, Bill H. can still pull out a win in the Bracket Challenge is UCLA wins Monday. Bill H. currently has 95 points.
A Florida win in the final will be worth 33 points (32 plus one bonus point for a 3 beating a 2). UCLA will bring 32 points to anybody who has the Bruins.
Best we can tell from a quick scan of the 55 entries, they are the only two who have picked UCLA or Florida to win in the final. It is possible we missed someone else who has picked one of those two to win it all, but if so, it would be someone more than 32 points behind the leader TThomas, so it would not matter anyhow.
At the other end of the standings, Kevin has clinched last place with 44 points, 7 behind No. 54 johnny. To add a little insult to injury, Kevin, who had Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Ohio State for his Final Four, is 26 points behind first round leader imaputz, a "novelty" entry that picked every lower seed all the way through, except for Bucknell, who imaputz had winning it all (beating the play-in winner in the title game). Imaputz didn't pick up a point after the second round, yet still managed to score 70, better than 26 folks who actually put a lot of thought into their brackets.
For Kevin, we offer this glimmer of hope: Last year, Brother of Hoop Time SteveC. was awarded the Kansas postseason media guide for finishing dead last. This season he looks to finish fourth and actually held the lead going into the Sunday of Elite Eight weekend, when his beloved Villanova Wildcats went south, a loss that was the ruin of many a poor boy in the house of the Hoop Time Bracket Challenge.
