Posted by nvr1983 on December 12th, 2013
- When all the pundits saying that pay-for-play was coming we said that it was still a long way away. Yesterday, Mark Emmert agreed with us. According to Emmert, despite the public’s perceived growing desire to see college athletes be paid the college administrators he has talked to do not agree with that sentiment. Emmert did note that most were in favor of trying to better cover the actual cost of attendance and offer more substantial benefits for players. It is almost always unpopular to do so, but we continue to agree with Emmert’s sentiment on this although our reasons are more economically driven and reflect a belief that paying some athletes (sorry, student-athletes) would have a detrimental effect on the average college athlete in much the same way that Title IX has been perversely dealt with in the sense that some schools will just start cutting sports because they simply do not have the money to subsidize full scholarships when they are spending big money on a few athletes for revenue sports.
- Any hopes of Providence fans that the team could compete in the Big East this year were dashed by the announcement that sophomore point guard Kris Dunn would undergo season-ending surgery on his injured shoulder. Providence has been able to compile a respectable 7-2 record mostly without Dunn, who sustained the injury during an exhibition game on November 2 that forced him to miss the first three games of the season before returning for four games in which he looked like a completely different player averaging 3.8 points per game shoot an anemic 31.6 percent from the field. This is the second straight year that the Friars had their hopes of being competitive dashed by losing a key guard. Last year it was Ricky Ledo, who did not qualify academically. This year, in addition to Dunn, the Friars are also playing without their top two incoming recruits–forward Brandon Austin and guard Rodney Bullock–who have been suspended indefinitely since before the season started for an undisclosed team rules violation.
- We did not expect Drake to contend in the Missouri Valley Conference this year, but they certainly could have been a top-tier team in the conference. Those hopes may have ended with the announcement that senior guard Gary Ricks Jr. will miss the remainder of the season after fracturing a bone in his left foot. Ricks was the team’s second-leading scorer at 12.3 points per game, leader in assists at 3.6 per game, and also its best 3-point shooter at 45 percent on the year. Ricks’ departure will not only mean an increase burden on Richard Carter, but also the remained of the players who have essentially functioned as role players with Carter and Ricks running the show this season.
- We are not sure why it suddenly became a major topic yesterday, but the Internet was all over the announcement by Seton Hall that Tom Mayaan, an Israeli citizen, had to leave Seton Hall to join the Israeli army. For those who are not familiar with the Israeli army, all Israeli citizens over the age are required to serve (men for three years and women for two years). That in itself would be a notable story, but the thing is that it appears that this was known as far back as November 19. Mayaan only put up modest numbers (2.4 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 rebounds per game) so it seems like the Pirates will be able to replace his production and perhaps he even may serve as a rallying point for the team.
- Former North Carolina State coach Sidney Lowe pleaded guilty to failing to file taxes in North Carolina between 2009 and 2011. In exchange, Lowe received a suspended 45-day jail sentence, was placed on 36 months of unsupervised probation, must complete 100 hours of community service within the year, and must pay more than $79,000 in restitution plus a $2,000 fine. According to reports, Lowe made $962,000 in 2009, $953,000 in 2010, and $659,000 in 2011 with a base salary of $210,000 per year that came to $760,000 per year when TV and radio contracts were included with the remainder of his income coming through bonuses. While this is not nearly as embarrassing as what happened to Kentucky legend Richie Farmer it is an ignominious end to a star on the 1983 championship team in what might be his last significant moment in association with the school.
| morning 5, Regular Features
| Tagged: gary ricks jr, Kris Dunn, sidney lowe, tom mayaan
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