- Here’s an interesting (if not well-edited) piece on the seventh circle of hell known as watching AAU basketball in the midsummer heat of Vegas as an assistant coach.
- Just in case you’d forgotten, Deron Washington can dunk. Hard.
- Did Tim Floyd have an ulterior motive in signing Lil Romeo to play at USC? Demar DeRozan says hello.
- Billy Gillispie is considering using “special teams” in basketball for specific situations. In Lexington, the only special teams that matter are ones that hang banners – the populace could not care less how it’s accomplished.
- After a 14-44 record in two seasons at the helm, Ricky Stokes was “promoted” to a position within the athletic department at East Carolina. Mack McCarthy (309-177 at VCU and UT-Chattanooga) will take over as head coach.
- Doug Gottlieb gives his takes on players poised for breakout years based on his summer viewing of their pickup games. Takeaways: Derrick Rose, Kevin Love and DJ Augustin are the real deal.
- The Wages of Wins, one of our fav blogs, analyzes the impact of superstar power on winning titles in the NBA. Conclusion: It matters. A lot. We’d love to see something like this for the NCAA Tournament, especially given the knockout nature of the tourney.
- Finally, in the “you’re doing a great job, Brownie,” category, props to Joe Alleva for keeping his job as the Duke AD. His accomplishments during his nine-year tenure include presiding over the worst football program in America as well as throwing his lacrosse team under the bus amidst unsubstantiated allegations. Keep up the good work!