By Jeff Goodman

Baylor freshman Quincy Miller is back on the court and is expected to play for the Bears in their upcoming trip to Canada.

``He’s about 80 to 85 percent,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. ``And he looks pretty good.”

Drew said the 6-foot-9 Miller, who is regarded as one of the top freshmen in the nation and is coming off a torn ACL suffered back in December, has been involved in all aspects of practice thus far.

He said Miller is able to do everything, but that the trainer limits him at certain points when he appears fatigued.

Baylor is allowed 10 practices prior to the Bears trip to Toronto from Aug. 11-16.

``Quincy’s improved his shot,” Drew said. ``That’s really all he could do while he was out and rehabbing.”

Drew will likely employ plenty of zone defense with the long frontline of 6-foot-11 Perry Jones, 6-foot-10 Anthony Jones and Miller. He also has 6-foot-11 J’Mison Morgan, 6-foot-9 Cory Jefferson and 6-foot-7 Quincy Acy.

Drew admits the key will likely be point guard play – where he has multiple options.

There’s holdover A.J. Walton, junior college transfer Pierre Jackson, Boston College transfer Brady Heslip, Baylor transfer Gary Franklin and athletic freshman Deuce Bello.

``We have a lot of guys,” Drew said. ``We’ll see what happens.”

Photo via Nicholas Koza

By Jeff Goodman

Baylor assistant coach Mark Morefield is resigning to “pursue other opportunities.”

The Bears put out a release on Monday afternoon stating that Morefield is leaving – and will be replaced by Baylor alum Grant McCasland, the head coach at Abilene Christian.

But let’s face it: Morefield didn’t just up and decide to resign.

He was at the center of a controversy that I wrote about back in October at my previous place of employment, Foxsports.com. Morefield sent dozens of texts to Hanner Perea’s AAU and high school coaches – including one of the threatening variety.

It sparked an NCAA investigation, the findings of which have yet to be released. 

"I guarantee u if he does [commit to another school] he will be in Colombia for the spring and summer and next year. Don’t forget it,” the text said.

Here’s the link to the story: http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebas
ketball/story/sources-ncaa-investig
ating-baylor-mens-basketball-101210

By Jeff Borzello

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. – Archie Goodwin was quickly becoming one of the top scoring guards in the country, ranking as perhaps the elite finisher in the class.

Then, in the All-Star Game at the Pangos All-American Camp in early June, Goodwin broke his left wrist and had to go on the shelf.

“It’s about 50 percent,” Goodwin said.

Despite the injury necessitating that Goodwin wear a protective brace on the wrist, the 6-foot-5 Sylvan Hills (Ark.) prospect refused to sit out the Elite Youth Basketball League finals at the Peach Jam.

Originally slated to miss four to six weeks, Goodwin suited up for the Arkansas Wings this week.

“I’ve been told a lot of times that it would heal faster if I sat out,” he said. “There was no question, I love the competition.

“I wasn’t going to let my teammates go to war without me.”

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That mindset has helped Goodwin impress even without the use of his left hand. He said it affects his ability to finish with both hands at the rim, and also impacts his off-hand dribbling.

The smooth and athletic wing hasn't stopped attacking the rim with reckless abandon, though. He is still playing aggressive, looking to beat his defender and get to the rim at every opportunity.

“It’s just instincts,” Goodwin said. “I’m a relentless guy. I’m going to try to dunk it. That’s the kind of guy I am.”

In terms of recruiting, Goodwin is taking his time. The No. 12 prospect in the latest CBSSports rankings has plans to narrow his choices down at the end of the summer.

“There’s a lot of schools,” he said. “The list is at about 20 now.”

Goodwin listed Kentucky, Connecticut, Baylor, Kansas, Arkansas, Memphis and Tennessee as the schools that have contacted him the most recently.

Unlike many five-star recruits who want a starting job on a silver platter, Goodwin is looking to work for whatever he gets in college.

“I want to go somewhere I feel comfortable,” he said. “And a school that’s not going to give me anything.”

Even if many schools want to.

Photo: Arkansas Wings

By Gary Parrish

Jeff Goodman and I spent Monday doing a 2012 NBA mock draft.

We alternated picks.

I took Harrison Barnes first.

Goodman took Anthony Davis second and said he would've taken him first.

(Note: Looks like I'm the smart one. Again.)

Then we knocked out the next 28 picks and among the players never selected was Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor, which led to a few emails that asked the following questions: "Are you an idiot? Did you forget about Jordan Taylor?"

Answer to Question No. 1: Maybe

Answer to Question No. 2: No

As everybody should know by now, being a great college player doesn't necessarily make somebody a great NBA prospect, and Taylor might be an example of that. I'm not ready to give up on his NBA prospects just yet because he could reasonably go late in the first round of any draft and then develop into a quality NBA point guard. I don't know. But the fact that Taylor is a tremendous college guard means nothing ... except for that he'll be a First Team Preseason All-American.

Speaking of, I decided to take a look at how some preseason All-American teams might look.

If I'm doing two teams, here's what I've got:

G: Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin)
G: Austin Rivers (Duke)
F: Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)
F: Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
F: Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)

G: Tu Holloway (Xavier)
G: John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
F: Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
F: Terrence Jones (Kentucky)
F: Perry Jones (Baylor)

Posted by Jeff Borzello

It may still feel like the Final Four just ended, but for most schools, the offseason is now more than two months old. With that in mind, all of us at the blog are going to take this week to give you what we’re calling “Conference Catch-Ups.” The motive is to recap the biggest storylines in college basketball’s offseason so far, plus keep your appetite whetted in what is the longest offseason in major American sports.


The Big Stories

The Big 12 is now the Big 10 . . . kind of: The Big 12 will have a new look next season, going from 12 teams to 10 as Colorado heads to the Pac-12 and Nebraska goes to the Big Ten. It won’t be too big of a loss for the conference, quality-wise, as neither team was a consistent NCAA tournament contender in recent years. Both teams were in the mix for a bid last season, but fell short down the stretch. Without the two teams, though, the divisional scheduling in which the six teams from the “North” play each other twice and the same in the “South.”

Kansas needs to reload: The Jayhawks are certainly not the same team they were in late March when they lost in the Elite Eight. Twins Marcus and Markieff Morris left early for the NBA, as did freshman guard Josh Selby. In addition, Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed and Mario Little were all seniors. Bill Self does return Tyshawn Taylor on the perimeter and Thomas Robinson down low, but a host of freshmen and inconsistent returnees need to step up immediately.

Turnover in Texas: The Lonestar State will be very different next season. It starts in Texas, where Rick Barnes lost nearly everyone from last year’s NCAA tournament team. Three players left early for the NBA draft, while five players used up their eligibility. Texas A&M will have a new coach in former Murray State head man Billy Kennedy, who replaces Mark Turgeon. Turgeon went east to Maryland. At Texas Tech, Billy Gillispie enters the fold, taking over for Pat Knight after several disappointing seasons in Lubbock. Baylor returns plenty of talent, but needs to replace LaceDarius Dunn, the conference’s all-time leading scorer.

Coaching carousel hits hard: Texas Tech and Texas A&M weren’t the only two schools to undergo coaching changes. At Missouri, Mike Anderson left with the highest winning percentage in school history to coach at Arkansas. In his place, the Tigers brought in Miami (Fl.) head coach Frank Haith. It was a move that raised eyebrows across the college basketball world. Oklahoma also made a move, getting rid of Jeff Capel and replacing him with UNLV head coach Lon Kruger.

Transfer central: Iowa State is going to be a tremendous case study next season. The Cyclones struggled mightily last season, fighting their way to three Big 12 wins. Next year will be different, though. Royce White (Minnesota), Chris Allen (Michigan State), Chris Babb (Penn State) and Anthony Booker (Southern Illinois) are all eligible after sitting out. Fred Hoiberg has plenty of talent in those five; will they be able to coexist?

The Great Unknown

How will Baylor play together? The Bears have some of the best talent in the country, with future lottery picks Perry Jones and incoming freshman Quincy Miller anchoring the frontcourt. Quincy Acy is another extremely athletic frontcourt player, while Anthony Jones brings length and versatility. The perimeter should be bolstered by California transfer Gary Franklin, JC transfer Pierre Jackson and freshman Deuce Bello. On paper, Scott Drew could have the most talent in the Big 12. With that said, Drew also had a loaded roster last season – and didn’t even reach the postseason. If everything comes together, Baylor has the potential to make a deep run in March. If not, the Bears can implode again.

NBA Draft report

The NBA draft only hit two teams in the Big 12, but it decimated both squads. Kansas lost twins Marcus and Markieff Morris, as well as freshman Josh Selby. All three could be first-round picks, but the Morris twins would have anchored another deep run had they returned. Texas went from a top-five team to a borderline NCAA tournament team when Cory Joseph, Tristan Thompson and Jordan Hamilton left for the NBA. 

The biggest surprise return was easily Baylor’s Perry Jones. Jones would have been a lottery pick this season and is also suspended for the first five games in the fall. No one would have batted an eye had Jones entered his name into the draft pool. Alas, he decided to return to Waco. Missouri received good news when Kim English and Laurence Bowers withdrew their names, while Texas A&M was also happy when David Loubeau returned to College Station.

Transference

Coming

- Will Clyburn (from Utah) to Iowa State

- Amath M’Baye (from Wyoming) to Oklahoma

Going

- Stargell Love (from Baylor)

- Dragan Sekelja (from Baylor) to Florida Atlantic

- Calvin Godfrey (from Iowa State) – dismissed

- Eric McKnight (from Iowa State)

- Royce Woolridge (from Kansas)

- Nick Russell (from Kansas State)

- Juevol Myles (from Kansas State)

- Nick Thompson (from Oklahoma)

- Roger Franklin (from Oklahoma State) to North Texas

- Ray Penn (from Oklahoma State)

- Jarred Shaw (from Oklahoma State) to Utah State

My commentary in 20 words or less

Baylor: The Bears have the most talent in the league; will everyone mesh and play together? Or will they collapse?

Iowa State: Might be the most interesting team in the league – five transfers are eligible. The talent is there.

Kansas: After losing seven players from last season, Bill Self has work to do. Thomas Robinson is ready to take the next step.

Kansas State: They lose the heart and soul of the program in Jacob Pullen. Frank Martin faces a rebuilding year.

Missouri: Mike Anderson didn’t leave the cupboard bare, but it’s not clear how the players will adapt to Frank Haith’s playing style.

Oklahoma: Jeff Capel is gone, but the Sooners have a lot of young pieces. Lon Kruger needs to get consistency from them.

Oklahoma State: There’s a chance freshman LeBryan Nash leads the conference in scoring next season.

Texas: Very little returns from last season; Myck Kabongo leads a deep group of talented freshmen that need to make an impact.

Texas A&M: The Aggies are being overlooked as a conference title contender. Khris Middleton is vastly underrated nationally.

Texas Tech: Completely unpredictable at this point. Red Raiders have a new coach and nine fresh faces entering the fold.

Photos: US Presswire

Posted by Jeff Borzello

Watching Derrick Griffin run the floor and grab alley-oops – over and over and over – you would think he doesn’t even hesitate when going up for a dunk.

Interestingly, the 6-foot-6 forward from Terry (Tex.) does have second thoughts the split-second before he skies over defenders.

“Sometimes, I do get nerves,” Griffin said.

Of course, those thoughts quickly dissipate, turning into a confidence where he knows he can out-leap nearly any opponent.

“Then I just jump,” Griffin said. “If it’s there, I’m going to get it.”

Teamed with two top-10 prospects in twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison, Griffin was the one who stole the show at last weekend’s Nike Baltimore Elite Invitational. He wowed the crowd with one-handed finishes, alley-oops when he rose high above the rim and big-time blocks on the defensive end.

Although he can certainly make an impact at the next level in basketball, Griffin is also a stud football player. As a wide receiver, Griffin reportedly caught 18 touchdown passes, proving to be an impossible match-up with his athleticism and strength.

Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon, Kansas and USC have already reached out to the sophomore for both sports.

He has not made up his mind as to which sport he will play in the future, but Griffin knows his development might be better suited for the hardwood.

“If I get taller, I’m going to play basketball,” he said.

Lee to take it to the next level

Britton Lee understands.

The Roman Catholic (Pa.) sophomore knows he’s 5-foot-10 and isn’t yet a pure point guard or a big-time shooter. He knows he has room to improve and has a lot of work to do in order to reach his goals.

“I need to work on my jump shot, need to work on my handle,” Lee said.

With that said, Lee also envisions himself as a major conference player.

“I think I can go high-major,” he said.

For now, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Xavier and Niagara are showing varying levels of interest.

Other Notes:

- The U-16 group of the Team Final AAU program is one of the top groups in the country, although they also play up an age group in a few tournaments. In addition to Lee and high-major prospects Austin Colbert, Rondae Jefferson and Davon Reed, head coach Rob Brown also has plenty of other players at his disposal.

Yosef Yacob, a 6-foot point guard from Archbishop Carroll (Pa.), is hearing from Canisius, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph’s and Drexel. Yacob is long and an effective facilitator.

Johnnie Davis might be undersized at 6-foot-4, but the Neumann-Goretti (Pa.) forward is productive. Davis is hearing from schools like Niagara and George Mason, but also has high-majors like Pittsburgh tracking him.

- At the Nike Baltimore Elite Invitational last weekend, the New Jersey Playaz should have run roughshod over Threat 220. One player wouldn’t let that happen, though: Junius Thomas.

Thomas, a 6-foot-5 forward from Anacostia (D.C.), was outstanding. He blocked shots, finished above the rim, dominated the glass and single-handedly kept an undermanned Threat team in the game. While they eventually lost, Thomas might have been the most impressive player all game.

If he can get his academics in order, he has the potential to be at least a mid-level player. Thomas did mention hearing from St. Bonaventure and Clemson

Photo: iHigh.com 

Posted by Jeff Borzello

If Baylor doesn’t make the NCAA tournament next season, something will have had to go terribly wrong in Waco.

With the announcement on Monday that Perry Jones will be returning for his sophomore season, the Bears are prepared to field one of the more talented teams in the country.

Jones and freshman Quincy Miller are future lottery picks; both are capable of taking over games. Jones, a 6-foot-11 forward, averaged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds this past season, while Miller is a consensus top-five recruit when healthy. They are both long, athletic and create match-up problems for opponents.

Throw in Quincy Acy, a physical 6-foot-7 forward who finishes around the rim and rebounds well at both ends of the floor, and 6-foot-10 Anthony Jones, and Scott Drew will have a deep frontline.

In the backcourt, California transfer Gary Franklin will be eligible at the semester break – he will immediately become an impact scorer. A.J. Walton returns at point guard, while Stargell Love will see an increased role. Incoming freshman Deuce Bello is perhaps the best athlete in the high school ranks; his highlight-reel dunks will be a nightly occurrence.

NBA Draft

Early entry watch list Latest college basketball headlines

With all the talent at his disposal, Drew has to get this team to the Big Dance. Even with the loss of LaceDarius Dunn, a repeat of this past season does not seem likely.

Photo: US Presswire

Posted by Jeff Borzello

Wednesday marked the first day in a five-day stretch where the bubble and at-large picture will change on a near-hourly basis. With the BCS-conferences kicking off their league tournaments, several teams face must-win situations and others need to search for a marquee victory. This is the last impression many bubble teams will get to make on the committee – they need to take advantage. By the time Saturday afternoon rolls around, many of the fringe bubble teams will have weeded themselves out, while at least two or three bubblers will become locks after a couple of wins. Take a look at the winners and losers of Wednesday, as well as what games matter the most for Thursday.

Winners:

Marquette: The Golden Eagles punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament, beating West Virginia and becoming the 11th lock from the Big East. They now have five top-25 wins on their resume, improving to 20-13 overall. Without any sub-100 losses and an improving computer profile, Marquette has a chance to pass Villanova on the S-curve with a win over Louisville today.

Colorado: The Buffaloes couldn’t afford another bad loss – and they barely escaped Iowa State, needing late-game heroics from Alec Burks to get the win. The victory doesn’t improve Colorado’s profile; it simply doesn’t ruin it. With a third game coming up today against Kansas State, the Buffs can punch their ticket. As it stands right now, Colorado would be in. It has five top-50 wins and wins in five of its last seven.

Missouri: Because of the soft bubble, the Tigers were likely locked into the NCAA tournament regardless of their Big 12 tournament performance. However, they avoided some serious stress on Selection Sunday by hanging on to beat Texas Tech. Had Missouri lost to the Red Raiders, the terrible road record and lack of big wins would have been analyzed more closely.

Losers:

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers needed to make a run to the Big 12 title game in order to have a chance; they didn’t even get out of the first round. A turnover by Lance Jeter on the final possession against Oklahoma State will relegate Nebraska to the NIT. A poor finish and a terrible non-conference resume will be too much to overcome.

Baylor: Without Perry Jones, not too many people expected the Bears to make the requisite run they needed to get an at-large bid. But getting blown by Oklahoma was a surprise. Baylor can now settle the debate of the most disappointing team in the country – at least Michigan State has a chance of making the NCAA tournament.

Thursday’s bubble games to watch:

Boston College vs. Wake Forest: The Eagles are fourth in the ACC pecking order right now; a loss here would send them packing. A win sets up a potential play-in game against Clemson.

Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech: After last week’s disaster of a performance, the Hokies need to win two games in the ACC tournament. A win over the Yellow Jackets will pit Tech against Florida State.

Michigan State vs. Iowa: The Spartans have already lost to the Hawkeyes once, although they did enact some revenge with a blowout win late in the season. Michigan State obviously needs to win this one to set up a quarterfinal match-up against Purdue.

Penn State vs. Indiana: The Nittany Lions have some good wins, but 13 losses is an eyesore. A run to the title game might be necessary – it starts against the Hoosiers, and could continue in the quarterfinals against Wisconsin.

Colorado vs. Kansas State: Colorado avoided a bad loss against Iowa State, and now could lock up a bid with a third victory over Kansas State. A loss here and the Buffaloes could be in trouble.

Memphis vs. Southern Miss: The Tigers probably have the best at-large profile in the conference, but they finished two games out of first place. They need to knock off a very good Southern Miss team, and then also likely beat UAB in the semis to have any semblance of a chance.

UAB vs. East Carolina: The Blazers don’t have a tremendous profile in terms of wins, but they did win Conference-USA outright and have very nice computer numbers. A run to the title game could get them consideration – a victory over East Carolina is a must.

Colorado State vs. New Mexico: Neither team has much of a case at this point, but if one were to reach the championship game, we can revisit their profiles. The loser is done.

USC vs. California: The Trojans stayed on the bubble with a win last weekend at Washington, but will need to pick up two wins in the Pac-10 tournament. A victory over the Golden Bears will likely bring a date with top-seeded Arizona.

Washington vs. Washington State: This could be a monster game. Washington needs a win to truly feel comfortable about its at-large hopes, while Washington State could get right back into the hunt with a big win over the Huskies.

Georgia vs. Auburn: The Bulldogs lost to Alabama in the season finale, but need to beat Auburn in order to gain a rematch with the Crimson Tide in the quarterfinals. That contest will be a de facto play-in game, but Georgia needs to get there first.

Tennessee vs. Arkansas: Given the terrible bubble, the Volunteers simply have too many good wins not to get a bid. A win here would end all doubt, though.

Photo: US Presswire

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