If you are interested in participating, send your submissions to rushthecourt@gmail.com as we will be updating these posts throughout the day.
News
- Brandon Knight to Stay in Draft: “As expected, star point guard Brandon Knight stated at a press conference today that he will remain in the 2011 NBA Draft and forgo his remaining three years of college eligibility. Knight will almost certainly be drafted in the lottery, and currently signs point to him being drafted somewhere in the 5-7 range.” (A Sea of Blue)
- Maryland Basketball Clamoring For Series With Georgetown: “A Maryland-Georgetown series is something that has been discussed countless times by many publications, but this is the first time in recent memory that a school official has publicly acknowledged a desire to play the other program.” (Casual Hoya)
- Former UK Recruit At Center Of Academic Scandal: Washington recruit Tony Wroten Jr. is at the center of an academic scandal. (A Sea of Blue)
- Terrence Jones Announced His Return On Twitter: The announcement came today, setting up UNC and Kentucky as the twin spires of the 2011-12 hype machine. (A Sea of Blue)
- A Crushing & Historic Victory for UCLA Students on Behalf of the Bruin Nation: “The result was a smashing victory for current Bruin students, who won it for the entire Bruin Nation. For 37 days we had been subjected to relentless propaganda from UCLA athletic department officials and its sympathizers that the decision to banish our students behind the baseline was done with the support of current students. We have been relentless on our pushback methodically making the point how they were full of lies and contradictions. Now we have a crushing mandate from our student body.” (Bruins Nation)
- Jamal Coombs-McSeeYaLater: UConn sophomore to transfer: “Just two weeks after being arrested on a marijuana possession charge, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel will be transferring to another school, the university announced Thursday, with more playing time the impetus cited.” (The UConn Blog)
- Chandler Parsons Has “Fantastic” Pre-NBA Draft Workout, Writes ESPN’s Chad Ford: “Parsons’ NCAA Tournament swoon — which came after he played one of the more effortlessly dominant games of his career against UC Santa Barbara — may have damaged his NBA stock. But Parsons, if he’s as aggressive as he was in chasing down rebounds in the second half of his senior season, can make up for a lot of that with workouts like the one Ford describes.” (Alligator Army)
- 2011 NBA Draft: Rick Jackson Invited To Combine: “Syracuse only has one player with a shot of getting drafted this year, senior Rick Jackson. If they handed out draft spots based on the number of double-doubles you had during the season, Rick would be a lottery pick. For some weird reason, they do not. So Rick’s going to have to prove why he’s worth picking on June 23rd.” (Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician)
- Quinton Chievous will sign with Tennessee Basketball: “Cuonzo Martin will add his third signee during the 2011 late period, as this afternoon 6’5″ guard Quinton Chievous chose the Volunteers over Saint Louis. As has been the case with Martin’s other two additions, Chievous had a pre-existing relationship with the new staff, this time via assistant coach Tracy Webster during his time at Nebraska.” (Rocky Top Talk)
- Introduction to Micah Shrewsberry: A Q & A with the new Purdue assistant who left Butler to join the Boilermakers. (Boiled Sports)
- Spiece Run ‘N Slam All Star Classic: Day One: Breaking down the performance of Indiana recruits. (Inside the Hall)
Gary Williams Retires
- Reflecting on the Career of Maryland Basketball Coaching Legend Gary Williams: “Thanks for the memories, Gary. Thanks for caring. Thanks for having so much pride in our basketball program and university, and thanks for sticking it out, even in the worst of times. I wouldn’t be a Maryland basketball fan if it weren’t for you and I might not have even attended the University of Maryland.” (Testudo Times)
- Maryland Coach Gary Williams’ Retirement: Snap Reactions: Instant analysis from a Maryland point of view about Williams, his career, and the impact on the program going forward. (Testudo Times)
- Gary Williams Retirement Press Conference: Name May Be Put on Court, Video Included: Video from the press conference. (Testudo Times)
- Video Tribute: Gary Williams through the years: A compilation of key moments in Gary Williams’ career at Maryland. (Testudo Times)
- Gibbs, Faust May Not Be Decommitting in Williams’ Retirement After All: It looks like Maryland may be able to retain its top recruits even after Williams announced his resignation. (Testudo Times)
- Jeff Goodman Says Maryland, Miller Haven’t Met or Reached Agreement [UPDATE: Anderson, Bisciotti on Plane]: It appears like Maryland may be close to an agreement with Arizona head coach Sean Miller. (Testudo Times)
- Maryland Coaching Search Profiles: Sean Miller: A look at Miller, who appears to be the frontrunner for the Maryland job. (Testudo Times)
- Gary Williams is Retiring from Maryland; What Does it Mean for Georgetown Basketball?: “Gary Williams is hanging it up after 22 years at Maryland and 33 years as a college basketball head coach. Now since this is a lunch blog that sometimes discusses Georgetown Basketball, you might wonder why this news matters. Well, Maryland’s status has a direct impact on Georgetown Basketball.” (Casual Hoya)
- Gary Williams Retires as Maryland Basketball Coach: “The ACC sidelines, already looking unfamiliar after the coaching changes of the last two years, will get a little stranger as Gary Williams has announced he’s leaving his job as the coach of Maryland.” (Carolina March)
- Tubby Smith to Maryland rumors are heating up: “Alright, so late last night Gary Williams announced that he is retiring from coaching basketball at Maryland. And, as usual, it didn’t take long for the Tubby Smith rumors to flare up.” (The Daily Gopher)
Analysis
- Scotty Hopson: With or Without You: Looking at the future for Hopson and the Volunteers in relation to his NBA Draft decision. (Rocky Top Talk)
- Making Sense Of Meech’s Move: “When we first received confirmation Demetri Goodson was considering leaving Gonzaga, it was with a grain of aplomb that we whispered to fellow cohorts that we probably wouldn’t hear something from the notoriously tight-lipped mother ship for a few days, and that for God’s sake we shouldn’t assume anything. And then Meech broke up with us, and that aplomb shattered like the Tiny Gallon backboard. Just like that, only 56 hours after the officially unofficial speculation train started running away, he was gone. A press release was sent out deep from the bowels of Zag HQ, and out stepped the Zags’ seventh highest rated recruit ever, and the last remaining member of the 2008 class.” (The Slipper Still Fits)
- Mock Draft Projections for Kentucky Stars: Projections for Enes Kanter, Brandon Knight, and Terrence Jones. (A Sea of Blue)
- 2011 Recruiting Profile: Trey Burke: A profile of the incoming Michigan point guard. (UM Hoops)
- How Effective Was The “Calipari Combine?”: Analyzing Calipari’s pro day style workouts. (A Sea of Blue)