- In the wake of news surrounding Big East expansion, St. John’s already anorexic roster experienced even more contraction. The New York Daily News reported on Thursday that sophomore point guard Nurideen Lindsey has elected to transfer. The report was later confirmed by Lindsey himself via Twitter, followed by a release issued by the school. The 6’3” Philadelphia native averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in nine games for the Red Storm, but his play had tailed off of late (five total points in his last two games). St. John’s is left with just six scholarship players. There will be much more to follow from RTC Big East on this story but initial reports indicate that there was a mutual feeling between Lindsay and St. John’s coach Steve Lavin that transferring represented his best option. Lindsay has been gracious in his departure, expressing remorse and professing his love for St. John’s basketball and its fans.
- There have been a number of shots taken at the Big East’s realignment strategy, one of which has focused on its resulting diminished of stature in basketball. While no one can deny the replacement of perennial powers Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia with Houston, Southern Methodist and Central Florida is a clear downgrade, Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin put it all in perspective. “Look around our league,” Cronin said, “Connecticut, Louisville, Cincinnati, how many (national) championships are there between us? How many Final Fours? How about the history of places like St. John’s, Seton Hall, DePaul, Georgetown, Villanova and Marquette? Despite their lack of planking, Big East basketball maintains a solid and attractive core. As Cronin stated, “so we go from having a league that’s been ridiculously hard to we still have a great league.” While all of the movement and posturing are driven by football and football money, the Big East was born a basketball league, and will remain one at heart.
- It was confirmed on Thursday that Marquette center Chris Otule has suffered an injury to his left anterior cruciate ligament. While not believed to be a season-ending tear, the overall extent of the injury is not yet known. Medical personnel will continue to evaluate the situation to determine how long it may keep the 6’11” junior out of action. The injury occurred during the Golden Eagles’ Jimmy V Classic victory over Washington on Tuesday. Otule (5.0 PPG, 4.4, RPG, 1.6 BLK) has a history of battling injuries, already missing the bulk of two seasons with foot injuries.
- With Houston now set to join the Big East in 2013 we have our first official ‘Old Big East – New Big East’ rivalry in the making. There will be no love lost the first time Houston visits Providence, and the tension centers around a Houston freshman with the most unassuming of names, Joseph Young. Young, a 6’3” guard who received All-America honors out of Houston’s Yates High School, originally signed a letter of intent to attend Providence. Shortly after signing, Young asked for a release from his Providence commitment, citing a need to be closer to home due to a family member’s health issues. However, Joseph’s father, Michael, a former Celtics draft pick and current Houston Director of Basketball Operations, was rumored to be against the signing from the start, believing that Houston was the best place for Joseph. Providence refused to release Young from his letter, setting off a contentious battle where the elder Young was publicly vocal and personal with his commentary. Both Youngs were viewed as villains in Providence circles as a result. The matter ultimately was appealed to the NCAA and denied. Young then enrolled at Houston and sat out a year under NCAA transfer rules. He is currently averaging 9.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the 4-4 Cougars. The Dunkin’ Donuts Center awaits.
- It is early assessment time in Piscataway. Rutgers is 4-5 after its disappointing 59-57 loss to Princeton on Wednesday. Admirably, Rutgers coach Mike Rice was not looking any further than the mirror when determining where to start pointing fingers. “I have not connected with this team,” said Rice, “I need to figure that out. They’re not listening and I’m not coaching them well enough, not making them listen. With young players sometimes it’s hard. Usually you have some of the older guys self-policing. There are coaching tricks — making sure that when they make those mistakes — it’s not a pleasant practice for the next hour or two. We just keep doing that and thinking it’s going to be, ‘I’m going to make the difference.’ It was a selfish performance.” The fact of the matter is, despite having talent, the Scarlet Knights are uber-young with four freshmen averaging over 20 minutes per game. Unless you are Kentucky, that is a recipe for struggles, and things do not promise to get any easier with the Big East schedule looming. Rice may have done some of his best coaching of the season during his press conference on Wednesday when he attempted to take some of the heat off of his young players while still holding them accountable.