Rush The Court

If you are interested in participating in our ATB2 feature, send in your submissions torushthecourt@gmail.com. We will add to this post throughout the day as the submissions come in so keep on sending them.

General News

• Was Anthony Hubbard forced out?: “So it appears we may have gotten some illumination on the Hubbard story: via Mike Hlas (who has a very good column on the subject), a report from a website called MetroSportsReport.com that Hubbard was kicked off the team for violation of a strict “zero tolerance policy”, and did not willingly transfer as suggested by the official Iowa press release. ” (Black Heart Gold Pants)
• First Half Of Boost Mobile Elite Rosters Released: “I don’t know if releasing rosters is something that can create a significant amount of buzz, but the people at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game are trying to do that today, releasing the roster in two pieces. The first half was just released and you might recognize a few important names, including Shabazz Muhammad and Anthony Bennett, who will square off in the dunk contest. The event will be held August 26-27 in Los Angeles and is where Kyle Wiltjer surprised us all with his commitment last year.” (Kentucky Sports Radio)
• Wayne Blackshear should be in Louisville in two weeks: “A story in this morning’s Chicago Tribune confirms that Blackshear is in summer school in Chicago satisfying a core requirement in order to qualify academically. Fear not, however, as Blackshear’s high school coach Nick Irvin says the McDonald’s All-American will be on campus shortly.” (Card Chronicle)
• Manhattan, Albany & Brown Join Syracuse In Carrier Dome For 2011 NIT Season Tip-Off: “So let me get this straight… Syracuse, which is located in New York, is playing Manhattan, which is located in New York City, in Syracuse, NY for the right to play in a tournament in New York City? And the Orange might also have to beat Albany, another school located in New York to get there?” (Troy Nunes is An Absolute Magician)
• Hokies NIT Pod Set: “We’ve known for a while that Virginia Tech would be participating in the Preseason NIT (otherwise known now as the Preseason Virginia Tech Invitational).  We’ve known George Mason would be in the pod (East Regional), led by their new coach and TechHoops.com favorite, Paul Hewitt.  We’ve known it would be played at the Cassell.  And now we know who the Hokies will play in the first round and who the other two teams are.” (Tech Hoops)
• Louisville pulls out of 2012 Maui Invitational: “It appears Cardinal fans who had been planning on a November, 2012 getaway to the island of Maui are out of luck. Louisville has pulled out of the 2012 Maui Invitational Tournament and has already been replaced by Marquette. U of L was also scheduled to participate in the event in 2009, but instead worked out a deal to push their participation back three years.” (Card Chronicle)

Recruiting

• Video: James Blackmon Jr. Highlights at Best of the Midwest: “Ft. Wayne Luers and Spiece Indy Heat guard James Blackmon Jr. is regarded as one of the nation’s best shooters in the class of 2014, but the IU commit is working to expand his game off of the dribble this summer.” (Inside the Hall)
• Scouting & Video: Zak Irvin and VJ Beachem at Best of the Midwest: “Zak Irvin and VJ Beachem both played instrumental roles in the Eric Gordon All-Stars’ championship run at the Best of the Midwest event last week. The performances bookended an impressive first July evaluation for both prospects that earned the pair additional offers, Tennessee for Irvin and Notre Dame for Beachem. Irvin holds a Michigan offer, and Beachem could very well add one down the road, but both prospects appear to be nearing college decisions.” (UM Hoops)

Analysis

• Longhorn Network: Big 12 made its bed, NCAA doesn’t need to: Calling on the NCAA to take on the new Texas/ESPN network. (Kitchen KC)
• WSU RECRUIT SCOUTING REPORT: DaVonte Lacy, G: A look at the incoming Cougar guard. (Coug Center)
• Justin Brownlee, a man of versatility and heat checks – Red Storm in Review 2011: “Justin Brownlee was needed when he came. And he languished on the Red Storm bench while Sean Evans rebounded… but provided little else. Steve Lavin gave Brownlee playing time, and he logged the second highest number of minutes on last year’s team. But in the Big East season, he was out of position; the mismatches that worked for him early didn’t work as well as the season went on.” (Rumble in the Garden)