Doyel's Dribbles
Doyel's Dribbles is a daily look (more or less) at the 2004-05 college basketball season. It's almost a blog. See? We're hip.
Felton becoming shooting star
Dec. 31, 3 p.m.
North Carolina junior point guard Raymond Felton is in the midst of a frightening streak that suggests he has turned his biggest weakness into his biggest strength.
Felton, who for two years could do everything but shoot, can shoot now. He has made 12 consecutive 3-pointers, three short of the 14-year-old NCAA record set by Northwestern's Todd Leslie in 1990.
For the season, Felton is averaging 10.7 points and 7.5 assists and making 58.8 percent of his 3-pointers. He has expanded his game to the point where the Tar Heels are obvious 2005 Final Four material ... and Felton is becoming obvious 2005 NBA Draft lottery potential.
Making their marks
Dec. 30, 10:22 a.m.
Two more NCAA Tournament teams were legitimized Wednesday night, even though one of them lost.
The loser -- but still a winner -- was South Carolina, which battled Pittsburgh on even terms before losing 72-68. The Gamecocks didn't become the first non-conference team to win at Pittsburgh in five years, but did validate their 7-2 start (now 7-3).
South Carolina's best win isn't all that eye-popping -- 60-46 against visiting Temple on Nov. 27 -- but losing by four at No. 10 Pittsburgh, after losing by four at No. 2 Kansas on Dec. 18, suggests USC will have what it takes in SEC play to earn an NCAA bid.
The winner -- and also a winner -- was West Virginia, which beat visiting No. 20 George Washington 71-65.
Yes, beating George Washington is a big deal; the Colonials have beaten No. 24 Maryland and No. 23 Michigan State. They're good, which means West Virginia (9-0) is good.
The Mountaineers also have a quality road win to their credit, 84-69 at LSU on Nov. 27.
West Virginia doesn't need to win Sunday at No. 17 N.C. State to have our ultimate seal of approval ... but a win there would bulletproof an already staunch NCAA Tournament resume entering league play next week.
Xavier's faith in Caudle proves true
Dec. 29, 10:56 a.m.
When Xavier junior center Will Caudle was arrested Dec. 7 on a felony assault charge, the Musketeers could have taken the high road and suspended him immediately.
Instead, Xavier took the higher road -- and let him play.
Xavier bucked the politically correct way to handle such matters, which calls for an indefinite suspension until more information comes to light. That appeases the media and uptight alumni -- even if it does, on occasion, hang an innocent person out to dry.
Xavier took another route. From the start, coach Sean Miller said he believed Caudle was innocent of the charge -- that he punched a bar patron in the face -- and therefore wasn't going to suspend him.
Miller cited witnesses who said Caudle wasn't at the bar that night, but still it was a risky stance to take -- especially considering Caudle's middling role on the court; he is ninth on the team in minutes, averaging 4.3 points and two rebounds in 10.6 minutes. This wasn't a star player being allowed to play.
Miller's faith in Caudle, and the faith of the entire Xavier community, was rewarded this week when a grand jury refused to indict Caudle.
Case dismissed.
Caudle wasn't just "not guilty."
He was innocent.
St. John's takes right approach with Epperson
Dec. 28, 10:32 a.m.
St. John's has suspended one of its best players in response to the growing scandal involving Barton County Community College, but St. John's does not deserve our scorn.
St. John's deserves a pat on the back. The Red Storm have done the right thing -- and as far as the latest Barton County scandal is concerned, they're the only Division I team to do so.
St. John's suspended junior forward Rodney Epperson, its No. 2 scorer at 14.1 points per game, after a preliminary inquiry into his 2002-03 season at Barton County. Epperson won't play tonight against Canisius, and might not play again this season. Or he might return next week. It's too early to know.
At least St. John's is trying to figure it out. No other school has taken such a strong stance, although Epperson isn't the only active Division I player connected to former Barton County coach Ryan Wolf.
Wolf has been indicted on charges of falsifying his players' transcripts, getting them inappropriate Pell Grants and hooking them up with bogus jobs. That's a chilling series of accusations, especially considering Wolf has sent more than 20 players to Division I schools.
Attrition has claimed most of Wolf's alumni. In several cases, their eligibility has expired. Cincinnati gave Robert Whaley the boot last season. Nouha Diakite left Louisville last season for a professional team overseas. Randy Pulley was kicked off the team at Missouri last year.
Still, attrition hasn't claimed them all. Epperson was one, and St. John's is sitting him until it can take a closer look at his time at Barton. There are more out there, and it is the responsibility -- the duty -- of the Division I schools involved to follow St. John's lead.
The joke is on Downs
Dec. 26, 7:40 p.m.
On Friday, the father of Kansas recruit Micah Downs was quoted in the Seattle Times as saying Downs was "firmly committed" to entering the 2005 NBA Draft.
On Saturday, Downs' father told the Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World that the Times story wasn't entirely accurate, although Steve Downs conceded that, "I wouldn't say we were misquoted."
Also on Saturday, Micah Downs spoke for himself -- telling the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that the Times' premise that Downs had decided to enter the 2005 draft was "false." However, father and son said they are, indeed, looking into the 2005 draft.
All of this back-and-forth in the media, from Washington to Kansas and back again, is interesting stuff.
But none of it gets to the heart of the matter, which is this:
Micah Downs, in the 2005 NBA Draft?
Get out of here.
For geographic and genetic reasons, Downs often gets compared to Mike Dunleavy. Nice comparison, except Downs doesn't pass, handle or shoot as well as Dunleavy, he isn't as tall as Dunleavy, and he's not any more explosive than Dunleavy. Oh, and he doesn't have three years experience at Duke, like Dunleavy did before becoming a 2002 lottery pick.
Whoever's telling the Downs family that Micah is a first-round pick in 2005, just stop. It isn't true. You're making it up.
As for the back-and-forth in the media, all of it fell within 24 hours of the wrong holiday. Saturday was Christmas, not April Fools' Day.
Floyd's the man
Dec. 23, 1:41 p.m.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Southern California has all but wrapped up Tom Floyd as its next coach.
Floyd's a good hire. Let me be up front about that.
Do I think Paul Westphal would be a better hire? Yes, but Floyd's fine. Forget the NBA and consider his work at Iowa State and New Orleans. The man can coach.
However, there's another point that needs to be made here:
The timing.
Obviously, and pathetically, USC is petrified that interim coach Jim Saia is coaching his way into consideration. After losing their first game in the aftermath of the Henry Bibby firing -- a three-point loss at Fresno State -- the Trojans have gone 4-0. Their best win of the season came Wednesday night against UAB.
Thursday morning, Floyd's the guy?
Good for Tim Floyd, who belongs in college.
But it's too bad for Saia and the Trojans -- all of whom have been neglected by the bumbling USC administration.
Tale of woe continues for Hoosiers
Dec. 23, 11:14 a.m.
All Mike Davis wants for Christmas is a win. One stinking win. That's all.
In lieu of that, how about a brand new clock operator?
After a 2-0 start, Davis' Hoosiers lost their sixth straight game Wednesday night, 74-73 to Charlotte, because of some heroics by 49ers guard Brendan Plavich -- who was aided and abetted by the person who runs the game clock at Assembly Hall.
Plavich, who scored 21 points and tied the game at 71-all with a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left, also hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer. On the final play, Plavich caught a pass at half-court, spun, dribbled and fired a 45-footer.
All in seven-tenths of a second.
Full disclosure: I wasn't there Wednesday night. I also wasn't there when that apple fell in Isaac Newton's back yard -- but I believe in gravity. I wasn't there when Al Gore invented the Internet (wink), but I believe in email.
Same with the Plavich shot. Sitting here in Cincinnati, snowed in instead of attending that Charlotte-Indiana game as planned, I believe the clock operator was slow to flick whatever switch that was supposed to be flicked.
You've got to admire Plavich for having the guts to make that shot, and the one before it.
But you've got to wonder about those seven-tenths of a second.
Knight to USC? Majerus eyeing Hoosiers?
Dec. 21, 9:36 a.m.
Two juicy rumors have been spawned by Rick Majerus' change of heart at Southern California.
A versatile word, juicy. It can mean refreshing. Invigorating. Fun.
Sticky. Messy. Gross.
You choose which definition of juicy best fits these rumors, which actually are a half-step above rumor now that they've been speculated about in the Los Angeles media:
- Bob Knight to USC.
- Majerus to Indiana.
According to reports, Knight is handling the USC opening the way he handled Ohio State's vacancy in June, through intermediaries letting the school know he'd be interested if the school is interested in him. Ohio State wasn't. Southern California? Who knows? It would be fun to have Knight at USC, though we'd wager it would be more fun for us than him.
As for the Majerus rumor ...
Please, please be a rumor. Please. If it's a rumor, it's fun. It's a nice, fairly intelligent piece of conspiracy theory: Majerus backed out of the USC job because Indiana is struggling and Majerus, a former coach at Ball State, has heard he'll be a candidate if Mike Davis is fired.
It doesn't have to be true to be fun. Good, juicy, harmless fun.
But if it's true? If Majerus really did back out of USC because he thinks, or even knows, he could end up at Indiana?
Brothers and sisters who were offended by my last Majerus opinion, you haven't begun to see my fury if that scenario unfolds as fact.
You call this work?
Dec. 20, 9:32 a.m.
Saturday was fun. Lots of fun. If you ever hear me griping about the job, conk me over the head and bring up Saturday.
Left the house in greater Cincinnati at 8 a.m. Got to Freedom Hall in Louisville by 10. Tip-off was two hours later, Kentucky vs. Louisville.
Nice game. Great finish. Fun story to write.
Back in the car, back to Cincinnati. Mississippi State and Xavier tipped off at 8 p.m. Got there at 7:20. Heard about Rick Majerus. Wrote a story on Majerus during the MSU-Xavier game.
Nice game, by the way. Good finish, the Bulldogs holding off the charging Musketeers and freshmen Stanley Burrell (future superstar guard) and Josh Duncan (future all-league forward).
In the Cintas Center hallway after the game, there's a familiar face: Adam Simons, a 7-foot jump-shooter who is transferring from N.C. State to destinations unknown.
Might Xavier be that destination? Could be. Simons told me he also plans to visit Texas Tech and Illinois State before transferring in time for January classes.
Finals week
Dec. 17, 11:28 a.m.
This is a sweet week for college basketball, a week that reminds us there really is a student somewhere in that student-athlete.
It's finals week. It's also graduation week.
At Alabama, Earnest Shelton will graduate Saturday morning -- in 3 1/2 years -- and then play that night against Tennessee State. The first 1,000 fans at Coleman Coliseum will get an Earnest Shelton nesting doll.
At South Carolina, two Gamecocks already graduated this week, also in 3 1/2 years: John Chappell and Carlos Powell. Chappell had three majors (international business, marketing and finance) and a minor (Spanish), which makes him incredibly impressive -- and irritating. Thanks a lot, Big John. Making the rest of us look bad.
As for the product on the court, there's no telling what to expect during finals week.
"This week is one of most grueling weeks for student-athletes," says Oklahoma State coach-designate Sean Sutton. "It's also why kids are in school.
"It does emotionally take a lot of out of you, so coaches are always worrying how your teams are going to react. Sometimes we've seen our guys play really well out of finals, and other times we've almost been sleepwalking. This will be a tough task to travel to Las Vegas and play a good UNLV team right out of finals."
Why wasn't I notified?
Dec. 16, 11 a.m.
For years, whenever the opportunity presented itself, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski has talked about the need for something or someone to protect the evolving college game.
On Wednesday, he got it. A powerful group of basketball leaders including NCAA President Myles Brand, Krzyzewski and Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson announced the creation of the College Basketball Partnership.
What exactly is this new thing, which goes by the acronym CBP?
Hard to say. But it's not the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Or the Black Coaches Association. Or the NCAA or even the NCAA men's basketball committee -- none of which provided the kind of oversight Krzyzewski and others have sought.
Actually, the CBP already had met twice before Wednesday's announcement, though nothing substantial had come from either meeting. Then again, the formation of the CBP was substantial enough.
We've got no way of actually knowing, but this looks like a lot more than a do-nothing think-tank. This looks like a bunch of smart people who will make good decisions for college basketball, with connections to the big man himself -- Brand -- who can get stuff done.
Only one thing wrong with the committee, which includes seven coaches, four athletics directors and three on-air television personalities:
Nobody asked me to join.
Probably an oversight. Coach K, President Brand ... you've got my number.
Big changes ahead
Dec. 15, 1:22 p.m.
Forget what you know, or think you know, about Northwestern's 2004-05 basketball team.
That team doesn't exist any more.
The Wildcats play host to DePaul tonight, when they will unveil the first McDonald's All-American in school history: Michael Thompson, a 6-foot-11 transfer from Duke.
Thompson is large, agile and smart. He has offensive skills we never saw at Duke, where he couldn't get minutes ahead of Shelden Williams and Shavlik Randolph. With reason. Williams and Randolph are better.
But Thompson is good, and he's going to make Northwestern much better than its 2-4 record -- with losses to New Mexico State, Utah State, Colorado and Virginia -- would suggest.
Trust us. Has SportsLine.com ever been wrong about a McDonald's All-American at Northwestern?
Choose wisely
Dec. 14, 10:40 a.m.
Sophomore Marcus White chose to leave Connecticut on Monday, but in truth, this was a choice Huskies coach Jim Calhoun made last month.
Not sure Calhoun made the right choice, either.
In selecting Charlie Villanueva over White in the rotation at power forward, Calhoun went for offense and potential over defense and rebounding. If Villanueva ever cashes in on his enormous talents, puts it all together and becomes an awesome college force, Calhoun will have made the right choice.
Then again ...
See, if Villanueva ever does become a superstar, he'll leave for the NBA. Let's say Villanueva, a 6-foot-11 sophomore, clicks in February and becomes a 15-and-10 player. In March he'll help the Huskies make a run at another NCAA championship. In April he'll be gone.
Not White, whose motor revs at a much higher RPM. The 6-8 sophomore is a four-year player, so whatever would have happened this season or next, White would have been a UConn senior in 2006-07. By 2006-07, Villanueva will be one of two things: an NBA player, or one frustrated UConn Husky.
In the meantime, White is more productive. Look at the numbers.
- In 9.3 minutes per game, White was averaging four points and 5.8 rebounds. Over 40 minutes, that translates to 17 points and 24.9 rebounds.
- In 17.5 minutes, Villanueva averages 9.5 points and five rebounds. Over 40 minutes, that translates to 21.7 points and 11.4 rebounds.
The better talent? Villanueva. It's not close.
The better piece for a college program? That's a much closer call. Calhoun made his decision, so White made his.
And you are?
Dec. 13, 10:11 a.m.
Sorry, but I've got a question.
Who is Louis Amundson and why is he putting up 22 points and 22 rebounds Sunday night in UNLV's victory against Auburn?
Carry on.
USC responding to Saia
Dec. 13, 10:09 a.m.
I wouldn't know Jim Saia if he walked up and introduced himself -- that would be a pretty good hint, come to think of it -- but I'm starting to like him.
Saia is Southern California's interim coach. He has very little chance to be the full-time coach. Fine.
He's still coaching his rump off, which is more than any of us can say for Henry Bibby, who lived -- and died -- with bullying tactics that might have worked in the NBA in 1980 but don't fly any more.
Under Saia, the Trojans beat San Diego 87-75 and almost beat Fresno State, falling 71-68.
Under Saia, USC players are actually huddling during timeouts. They're playing more than two minutes at a time without looking over their shoulder to study the mood of Mount Bibby.
Best of all, Saia understands that his most dependable players aren't necessarily his most experienced players. Saia has turned the team over to sophomore Lodrick Stewart, freshmen Gabriel Pruitt and Nick Young and former USC tight end Gregg Guenther.
Senior guard Derrick Craven has dropped way down the rotation. Be careful, senior center Rory O'Neil, or you could be next.
Matters of convenience
Dec. 10, 9:43 a.m.
You've got to admire Ohio State. Talk about tough -- the Buckeyes already have declared themselves ineligible for the 2005 postseason because of an NCAA investigation into Jim O'Brien, Boban Savovic, Maurice Clarett, Andy Katzenmoyer and that whole Woody-Hayes-punch thing.
You've got to admire St. John's, too. Talk about tough -- the Red Storm also this season declared themselves ineligible for the 2005 postseason because of NCAA violations.
In related news, Ohio State and St. John's also have withdrawn from the NFL playoffs, the Masters and the Kentucky Derby.
What a joke. When Georgia and Fresno State bailed on the postseason two years ago, that was admirable. Those schools were actually going to go to the postseason.
St. John's? The Big East could get 10 automatic NCAA bids, and St. John's wouldn't go.
Ohio State? Forget its 5-2 record. Ohio State has beaten nobody, has lost to Creighton and Clemson, and isn't going to the 2005 NCAA Tournament unless it expands to 130 teams between now and March.
Eliminating itself from the 2005 postseason also short-circuits O'Brien's $3.4 million lawsuit that contends he was fired without cause. However, a clause in his contract says Ohio State can fire him without owing future compensation if he has done anything that would incur a one-year postseason ban.
Convenient.
Outraged by this outrage
Dec. 9, 9:33 a.m.
You don't have to be an alumnus of the University of Florida (as am I) to be furious with, and ashamed of, the UF basketball program.
It's got nothing to do with the product on the court, which is the same as it's always been under Billy Donovan. Interpret that sentence any way you see fit.
It's got to do with Tuesday's arrest of Florida administrative assistant -- and former UF player -- Major Parker on a federal drug charge. Parker was one of two people accused of selling a half-kilogram of cocaine to an undercover city police officer.
Go ahead and ask questions about Major Parker. But ask them, too, of Donovan -- who essentially has been accused by the federal government of having a drug dealer working on his staff.
In a statement, Donovan said he was "not in a position to comment at this time."
"I have no information," he said.
Obviously.
Razorbacks going Dancing
Dec. 8, 9:37 a.m.
Roll over Nolan Richardson and tell Sidney Moncrief the news -- Arkansas is going to the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
No doubt about it.
The Razorbacks haven't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2001 -- nor have they come close. After three straight losing seasons, though, Arkansas will return.
Third-year coach Stan Heath has plenty of nice pieces, and he has one true superstar. If Ronnie Brewer isn't the most unsung player in the country, he's not far down the list.
Arkansas (6-1) picked up its first nice win of the season Tuesday night, winning 62-52 at Missouri. The Razorbacks' early schedule was bad enough that, until they hung close with No. 1 Illinois last week, it wasn't possible to know just how good they were.
Now we know. They were good enough to give Illinois a game. Good enough to whip Missouri in Columbia, Mo. And good enough, it says here, to get one of the SEC's six or seven NCAA Tournament bids in March.
Things going Duke's way
Dec. 7, 10:50 a.m.
Greg Paulus is going to Duke after all, which means Josh McRoberts almost certainly is going to Duke after all, which means that next season Duke will still be Duke after all.
Even if Shelden Williams turns pro.
Paulus, a high school senior who was weighing his basketball future at Duke against a potential football future at another school, was the first domino that was going to fall. Fall this way, and Duke's in trouble. Fall that way, and Duke's intact.
It fell that way. Paulus' signed letter-of-intent with Duke was announced yesterday, which means he'll be the Blue Devils' point guard of the future instead of the quarterback of the future at Ohio State or Notre Dame.
McRoberts, a 6-foot-11 power forward, probably would be the highest-rated high school senior not to enter the 2005 NBA Draft if he shows up at Duke. With the signing of Paulus, his friend and point guard, McRoberts now has added incentive -- as if playing for Duke and Coach K and the Cameron Crazies weren't enough incentive -- to put off the NBA for a year or two (or four).
Even if Williams turns pro after this season -- don't do it, Shelden -- Duke's starting lineup next season would like something like this: Paulus, J.J. Redick and DeMarcus Nelson in the backcourt, McRoberts and Shavlik Randolph in the front court.
Off the bench: guards Sean Dockery and Martynas Pocius, forwards David McClure, Lee Melchionni and Jamal Boykin; and center Eric Boateng.
A coach could win a lot of games with that lineup. Coach K could win even more.
Duke fans, you with me? Go Duke, and all that?
Top juco transfers go head-to-head Wednesday
Dec. 6, 7:53 a.m.
Hundreds of junior college players flooded into Division I this season, a monster group that SportsLine.com has narrowed down to two of the best transfers in the country.
We're in luck.
Purdue's Carl Landry and Oklahoma's Taj Gray play the same position. And Purdue and Oklahoma play Wednesday night.
Both are in the 6-foot-7, 235-pound range. Both are averaging close to 15 points and eight rebounds.
Only one can be king.
Twins killing us
Dec. 2, 12:45 p.m.
You've got to hear the latest on Lodrick and Rodrick Stewart, the selfish Southern California twins whom we have criticized for weeks.
We have been harsh. This is why.
After the Trojans lost this week at La Salle, Lodrick threatened to quit the team. Rodrick didn't threaten to do the same, but only because he already had quit the team. Rodrick is transferring, and last week he told reporters around the country that he was going to Kansas.
Guess what?
Even though he has said he is committed to Kansas, Rodrick Stewart now has set up a visit to Gonzaga, his father told the Los Angeles Times.
What are you thinking, Kansas coach Bill Self? Cut your ties to this family, and cut them now.
As for Lodrick Stewart, his father said Lodrick wasn't going to quit Southern California after all. It was an empty threat.
Too bad, Trojans.
Part of the problem
Dec. 2, 12:28 p.m.
At least every coach seems to have learned from the ugly recent brawls in the NBA and college football.
Not.
Iowa State's Wayne Morgan and Northern Iowa's Greg McDermott made a bad situation worse -- much worse -- by getting into a shouting match after a rough foul in Northern Iowa's 99-82 win Wednesday night.
According to the wire story from the game, the anger on the court was starting to subside when Morgan cursed at McDermott, who shouted back. The anger returned to the court, where Iowa State's Curtis Stinson and Northern Iowa's Brooks McKowen had to be separated at midcourt.
Nice going, coaches. Both benches were assessed a technical foul, but the culpable coach -- or coaches -- deserves more than that. This is a chance for a school or a conference (are you listening, Big 12 and Missouri Valley?) to demonstrate that coaches will not, cannot, be part of the problem when violence threatens to break out.
Past month's Dribbles: November | October | September | August
