If you are interested in participating in our ATB2 feature, send in your submissions to rushthecourt@gmail.com. We will add to this post throughout the day as the submissions come in so keep on sending them. We are a little lighter today due to the majority of the blog posts being about the Miami story/scandal.

General News

• USA 124, Finland 64:  “Team USA secured the #1 seed coming out of Group D play as part of their continued domination of play in their pool. In the Shenzhen University Gym today they came within four points of doubling up Team Finland, 124-64.” (Villanova by the Numbers)
• Siva, Kuric and Smith named tri-captains: Rick Pitino has elected to have three captains this season. (Card Chronicle)
• Cal Men’s Basketball Edged By Norway, 69-64: “The silver lining from this game is that Harper Kamp was no longer bothered by his achy knee and was able to play significant minutes. Jorge Gutierrez was still out with his sprained ankle. It had to have been a good learning experience for the young Cal team with regards to ball movement and poise against a tough zone.” (California Golden Blogs)
• Cougars Open 2011-2012 Season At Gonzaga: “WSU announced its 2011-2012 basketball schedule today, and the Cougars will open up the season in a fashion in which they are unaccustomed: On the road, at one of the most hostile places they’ll play all season — against Gonzaga at The Kennel on Nov. 14.” (CougCenter)

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

General News

• Amir Garrett signs with the Cincinnati Reds, will play for St. John’s: “When we didn’t hear word about Amir Garrett signing with the Cincinnati Reds, who drafted him a few months back in the MLB draft, it seemed that perhaps the two parties wouldn’t come to an agreement by the August 15th deadline. Garrett, who has not yet enrolled in classes at St. John’s, has been in Philadelphia with Norvel Pelle and Jakarr Sampson, playing in the Chosen League and getting ready for college hoops. Late last evening, word came about Amir Garrett’s baseball career. Amir Garrett tweeted that he was blessed to be able to play basketball for the St. John’s Red Storm and play baseball for the Reds.” (Rumble in the Garden)
• Draymond Green at the World University Games Update:  A look at Green’s performance. (The Only Colors)
• Europe 2011 — Through a Looking Glass: A look at Villanova’s performance in Europe through advanced metrics. (Villanova by the Numbers)

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

General News

• USA 112, South Korea 68: “Continuing their domination of Group D play, Team USA secured their third consecutive +30 point win over a Group D opponent Monday as they defeated South Korea 112-68 in the University of Shenzhen’s Main Gym.” (Villanova by the Numbers)
• USA 102, Hungary 53: “The USA men’s team upped their World University Games record to 2-0 with a dominant performance over Team Hungary Sunday in the University of Shenzhen’s Main Gym.” (Villanova by the Numbers)
• Cal Men’s Basketball Escapes Upsala Basket, 76-74: “A win is a win, right?  In an ugly, uneven game, the Cal Bears outlasted Upsala Basket by a slim, two-point margin. Allen Crabbe, Richard Solomon, and Brandon Smith lead the way. To be fair, senior standouts Jorge Gutierrez(ankle) and Harper Kamp (knees) did not play. Both Justin Cobbs and Robert Thurman had rough games, particularly on the defensive end.” (California Golden Blogs)
• Fab Melo Helps Brazil Start World University Games 2-0: “Fab Melo and the Brazilian National Team are off to a great start in the 2011 World University Games.” (Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician)
• Bruce Pearl Would Like To Sell You His Home: “With his future still up in the air until the NCAA decides just how much his stupidity should be punished, former Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl is divorcing himself from the mansion he purchased a few years ago.  The 10,000 square foot home sits on a golf course and can be yours for a cool $2.69 million.” (Kentucky Sports Radio)

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

General News

• USA 108, Mexico 67: “The USA men’s team opened their play in Group D with a solid 41 point win over Team Mexico.” (Villanova by the Numbers and The Daily Gopher)
  
• USA 102, Hungary 53: “After opening the World University Games with a win over Mexico, Team USA moved on in pool play to face Hungary and the result wasn’t much different as the Red, White and Blue coasted to a 102-53 win.” (Kentucky Sports Radio)
  
• Villanova Upended by Netherlands: “At 2:00 pm the Nova Nation again turned to twitter to follow the action in Almere, Netherlands as Villanova faced off against the Netherlands National Team. Like Friday, the fans hung on to every tweet but listened glumly as Villanova fell to the Dutch, 75-63.” (Villanova by the Numbers and VU Hoops with video)
• Villanova loses to Georgia 54-87: “Ice cold shooting was the theme for the Wildcats over the last two games. Villanova shot just 26.6% from the floor in today’s 54-87 loss to the senior national team of Georgia” (VU Hoops)
• Second half of Boost Mobile Elite 24 roster announced: “In an attempt to add to the nonexistent drama surrounding the selection of high school basketball all-star teams, ESPN Rise has released the names of the final 12 selections for the Boost Mobile Elite 24, which will take place August 26-27 in the city that fake gave us Hulk Hogan, Venice Beach, CA.” (Kentucky Sports Radio)
• Cal Men’s Basketball Defeats Solna Vikings 89-71: “Cal lead this one right from the tip and cruised out to an early 24-13 lead with seven different Bears showing up on the scoreboard. By half, they had built the lead up to 48-30.  Allen Crabbe lead the way with 25 points, and new point guard Justin Cobbs had a strong debut with 12 points and 6 assists. Robert Thurman also had a strong game off the bench with 14 points and 8 boards.” (California Golden Blogs)

Recruiting

• Alex Poythress visits Kentucky: News about his visit to Lexington. (Kentucky Sports Radio: Part 1 and Part 2)
• Stefan Jankovic: A New 2012 Target?: “It’s been a popular assumption that A.J. Hammons and Gary Harris are Matt Painter’s only outstanding targets for the class of 2012. But if 6’10 Stefan Jankovic’s final list is any indication, Matt Painter might be casting a wider net than we all expected. Purdue has made Jankovic’s final list along with Wake Forest, Georgetown, Florida State, and Missouri.” (Hammer & Rails)

Analysis

• Conference Expansion and Basketball: “With all this talk of conference expansion, the focus is placed on how these new, potential schools will fit into the football landscape of the SEC. That makes sense because the majority of money generated from college athletics is done so through the football program. The biggest television deals, the biggest postseason payoffs and the largest single school revenues are made through football. However, we are proud members of a basketball school. UK does our football program is a big deal, but it has nowhere near the excitement surrounding it that the basketball program has and it probably never will. So how does SEC expansion affect basketball?” (Kentucky Sports Radio)
• Mind the Gap: Louisville basketball: A look at who the Cardinals are returning this season. (Rumble in the Garden)

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

General News

• Oh Canada! La Salle Wraps Up North Country Tour With a Win: After trailing by 4 at halftime, La Salle ended up winning 66-64 thanks to some solid defense in the second half. (Villanova by the Numbers)
• Men’s Basketball Unveils 2011-12 Out-of-Conference Schedule: “The Commodores will kick off their 2011-12 basketball campaign with a home game against Oregon, according to the team’s newly released out-of-conference schedule. The upcoming season also includes challenging matchups against Xavier, Louisville, Marquette, North Carolina State and a potential preseason tournament showdown with Texas.” (Anchor of Gold)
• Syracuse Basketball: Bucknell Bound For Dome December 20: “Our old friends the Bucknell Bisons will be making a trip to the Carrier Dome on December 20 when they play the Syracuse Orange for the first time since 2005.” (Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician)

One of the lessons that most people learn fairly early in life is that sometimes it is just better to take your punishment rather than trying to run from it. It appears that Kaylon Williams, the starting point guard at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has not learned that yet (at least not as of this morning). Williams, a transfer from Evansville, who averaged 8.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 5.4 APG (1st in the conference) in his first season in Milwaukee while leading the Panthers to a three-way split of the Horizon League regular season title and a runner-up appearance in the conference tournament to Butler, was arrested on a drunken driving charge at 1:40 AM in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Unfortunately, the UWM administration wishes it was that simple.

Lesson: You can't run from the law

After initially being stopped for not having a front license plate, Williams reportedly drove off swerving in and out of the grass before getting out of the car, which was not put in park, and then tried to run away. Williams was initially able to lose the police, but a K-9 unit dog was able to find Williams and tackle him. Williams, who had a blood-alcohol level of 0.228 (nearly three times the legal limit in Iowa), was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, attempting to elude and interfere with official acts (running from the cops), driving without a valid driver’s license, violating his driver’s permit regulations, and driving without insurance. After he was finally apprehended, Williams was taken to a county jail (no word on what the bail situation is). While Williams has not released a statement, his coach, Rob Jeter, has. In a statement from UWM, Jeter said, “We are aware of the situation involving Kaylon Williams. We are disappointed and will take appropriate action as we gather more information and the legal process runs its course.”

We have seen enough athletes get in trouble with the law to know that this is the standard response from school officials (you could probably find the exact wording in several other recent press releases), but you have to assume that Jeter and the school’s administration will come down pretty hard on Williams. Outside of the obvious embarrassment of the DUI arrest, the way that Williams handled it will make him and the program a joke around basketball circles for at least the next few weeks. Jeter probably will not throw Williams off the team, but at the very least Williams should be looking at a very long suspension along with whatever community service and jail time he has coming.

Virginia Tech announced today that it was denying transfer Allan Chaney medical clearance due to ongoing medical issues related to his diagnosis of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) in April 2010. Chaney, who was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school in Connecticut, appeared in 23 games as a freshman at Florida where he averaged 3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in limited action as he played just 9.8 minutes per game in a season that was marred by injuries and a season-ending suspension, which eventually led to his decision to leave Gainesville. After sitting out the 2009-10 season as a transfer at Virginia Tech expectations were high for Chaney as Hokie fans expected him to help Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen get the team back to the NCAA Tournament after a prolonged absence. However, that all changed when Chaney collapsed during an April 2010 workout, which at the time was thought to be due to dehydration, and was later diagnosed as myocarditis.

Complications from myocarditis kept Chaney from wearing a Hokie jersey

While Chaney recovered from the viral myocarditis the resulting scarring around his heart, which reduced his exercise capacity, was concerning enough for team physicians that he was forced to sit out the 2010-11 season and underwent an undisclosed cardiac procedure in May at the University of Pennsylvania. Still, many Hokie fans expected (or hoped) that Chaney would be available to return for the 2011-12 season. In the end, it appears that Chaney was not able to regain enough functional capacity (or there was enough concern for a potentially fatal arrhythmia) for the team doctors to clear him to play “due to persistent complications from myocarditis”. In a statement, coach Seth Greenberg said, “Allan Chaney has been through a great deal in the last year and a half. Everyone involved in our basketball program feels for him. Unfortunately, this rare condition will prevent him from continuing his career here at Virginia Tech. We will do everything in our power to assist Allan as he goes through his next procedure and support him in every way possible.”

Earlier today Andre Drummond, the consensus #2 player in the class of 2012 (behind Shabazz Muhammad), announced that he would be heading to Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Massachusetts for a post-graduate year. After Drummond graduated from St. Thomas More Academy in Connecticut this spring there was some speculation that he might head to college this coming year with Connecticut being the likely destination as he had previously committed there. However, those rumors were dispelled and it was widely believed that Drummond would return to St. Thomas More for a post-graduate year, which he confirmed as recently as 5 days ago although his coach at St. Thomas More did not appear to be as sure.

Ultimately, Drummond’s decision to switch prep schools for his post-graduate year probably will not affect his “list”, which includes UConn, Kentucky, Louisville, Georgetown, and West Virginia (even in light of Luke Winn’s excellent research on top-100 recruits and their tendency to switch high schools). In reality, the big question with Drummond has shifted from whether he will go to school “early” (technically it would be on time although he is relatively young for his grade) to whether he will enter the NBA Draft after his post-graduate year. Under the current NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement Drummond would be able to do so (and likely be a top 5 pick) as his high school class would have graduated one year earlier, but that may all change depending on how negotiations go with the ongoing NBA lockout. Like any college basketball fan, we would love to see Drummond in college even if it is only for a year, but it is beginning to seem more likely that we will not be seeing that.

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

General News

• Steve Adams Heading to America Soon: “Well, I won’t bury the lead in this. In a story that gushes over Steven Adams is this big, big nugget. ‘Adams is set to graduate High School in New Zealand at the end of this year and will then transfer to Notre Dame Prep for the 2011-12 season to gain some American high school experience. He becomes eligible to play for Pittsburgh in 2012-13.'” (Pitt Blather)
  
• Mark Emmert Says “Thanks But No Thanks” To Pay For Play: The NCAA president opposes the proposed pay for play ideas. (Kentucky Sports Radio)
• Villanova Loses to Senegal 69-64: “The Villanova Wildcats opened their summer playing tour in Europe with a loss to the #36 ranked (FIBA) Senegal National Team, 69-64 in a game played in suburban Paris.” (Villanova by the Numbers and VU Hoops)
• Cal Men’s Basketball Scrimmage Highlights: Video clips and impressions from the scrimmage. (California Golden Blogs)
• Cal Basketball Non-Conference Schedule Features UNLV, SDSU, Georgia: “Whether through luck or planning, Mike Montgomery’s Bears have faced an unusually tough non-conference schedule over the last two years. 2010-11 included eventual top seeds Kansas, Notre Dame and San Diego State. In 2009-10 Cal had Ohio St., Syracuse, Kansas and New Mexico. Both sets of tough schedules were mixed blessings – Cal generally had solid RPI and strength of schedule numbers, but they also suffered a number of early losses that seemed to damage Cal’s national reputation – for whatever that’s worth. For better or worse, that almost certainly won’t be the case next year.” (California Golden Blogs)

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

General News

• Calipari: “Doron Lamb is our best basketball player.” (Kentucky Sports Radio)
  
• USA Midwest, Harris win Nike Global Challenge: “The USA Midwest team, featuring 2012 IU recruiting target Gary Harris, beat Canada 99-94 last night in Hillsboro, Oregon to win the Nike Global Challenge.” (Inside the Hall)
• Epic Kenner League Playoffs Recap: A summary of the playoffs of the Georgetown summer league. (Casual Hoya)