Crazy Money for Crean

This has nothing to do with local sports and everything to do with my general disdain for Tom Crean's perma-bronzed forehead, but $23.6 million over 10 years for the new Indiana University coach? Is he really worthy of being the state's highest-paid employee, ten times over? Here's hoping that a similar fate befalls the Hoosiers and Crean as befell Notre Dame after they gave Charlie Weiss a redonkulous 10-year contract for posting a lone winning season with Ty Willingham's refugees. Pro sports isn't the only place where salaries have gotten way out of hand, evidently.

Topics: College Hoop

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The Heart of the Canadian Game

Darnellia Russell, the former Roosevelt HS point guard who figured so prominently in the SIFF '06 favorite documentary The Heart of the Game, is moving a little closer to the WNBA. After playing for North Seattle Community College, she's now headed to Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

When we last spoke with director Ward Serrill about his film (which Ebert and other critics also loved), he was involved in a possible Miramax feature adaptation. With any luck, that might arrive in theaters just as Russell returns from the great white north, degree in hand, to join—dare we hope it?—the Seattle Storm.

Good luck, Darnellia.

Topics: College Hoop

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Peace Out, Packer

One of network sport's great riddles has been solved with the dismissal of Billy Packer as CBS's lead college basketball analyst. That riddle: why does such a talentless, misogynistic hack get to hang on to such a coveted gig for so long? The answer: I have no fucking idea.

Topics: College Hoop

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SU Taking a Run at the Zags

Coming to an office pool near you in like, 2045.

The cross town rivals of my alma mater is moving up a division and hoping the West Coast Conference will take them back after they left in 1980, so sayeth the Times. It's going to be a tough row to hoe for Seattle U. The nearly all-Catholic WCC would seem an ideal fit, but lately the division has become a bit of a basketball powerhouse. Three teams from the conference that boasts perpetual tournament darling Gonzaga made an appearance in the big dance this March.

Without a football program, hoops is going to have to be Seattle U.'s show and they haven't exactly dominated their current conference there. This year saw their first win against Seattle Pacific at Royal Brougham Pavilion since 1992. The Redhawks finished fourth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, behind three schools that would only dream of taking a shot at the Division 1 big time.

All that to say it will be fun to watch the Falcons pound a Division 1 school in the years it takes to get Seattle U's program off the ground.

Topics: College Hoop

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Fair Thee Well, Weaver

When I was a kid, the WSU basketball team was pretty much a joke. Then two years ago, they barreled into the NCAA tournament in the third seed—which made for some awkward Gonzaga basketball fans. Kyle Weaver was the engine of the run that ended against North Carolina in this year's Sweet Sixteen.

Despite some speculation to the contrary, he's headed back to Charlotte to join fellow eastern Washington grad Adam Morrison (who still has that god-awful 'stache) on the Bobcat's squad.

Topics: College Hoop

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Big Pimpin'

You don't understand, OJ: people are paying to see me.

To the surprise of only those who believe in Santa Claus, ESPN is reporting that surefire NBA lottery pick O.J. Mayo received gifts—including hotel rooms, clothes, and a flat screen TV—from representatives of sports agents while he was at USC. Today, we get NCAA president Myles Brand's reaction:

"This is not acceptable behavior and on occasion, it's illegal. You get thrown in jail if you rob a bank, but people keep robbing banks. The fact of the matter is these kinds of activities are unacceptable, they are unfortunate. We expect the schools to enforce the rules and protect our student-athletes."

Brand added that he'd like to see the NBA set up a rule whereby players are required to stay in college "two, three, or four years."

While I can't find the original article, it appears that, as of 2006, the NCAA was paying Myles Brand $895,000 a year. (Similarly, USC head coach Tim Floyd has a base salary of $850,000.) That same year, Brand delivered a speech defending the NCAA's pursuit of increased revenues and dismissing complaints that the association's commercialism was inappropriate. "Nonsense," he said. "

Topics: College Hoop

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Casto Becomes a Cougar

DeAngelo Casto, anchor of the Ferris Saxons' two-in-a-row perfect seasons, signed a letter of intent with WSU. If he can manage a qualifying SAT score, he'll be headed for Pullman come fall. It's a big win for the Cougars—Ferris wasn't just undefeated, they were completely unmatched last year—and it's probably a good thing for Casto too. He was one of the students from a nearby home for foster boys, a group that tends to struggle. Casto was beloved by the mostly white, middle to upper-income families up on Spokane's South Hill, going to a smaller school in a smaller town should help maintain some of that community, family stability that can make or break a kid that doesn't always shine academically.

But shiny, happy feelings about the whole thing aside, Casto will need to become more consistent if he's going to be an asset to the Cougars. He was one of the strongest players at Ferris for the last two years, but their success was due more to having a strong and finessed offense across the board. Casto had a few bad games and had trouble getting shots off at times during the state tournament. It hardly mattered then because they were playing so far beyond the skill of their opponents, but now he'll be playing in an aggressive Pac-10 that has something to prove to the doubters that pooh-poohed the conference's performance in this year's tournament. He's also facing expectant fans with a taste for victory looking for someone to take the reigns of graduating seniors Derrick Low, Robbie Cowgill, and Kyle Weaver who led the Cougars to two Pac-10 appearances.

That's a tall order and Casto should be up to it, but he'll have to finesse his game before he takes the court at Beasley Coliseum. But first things first, hit the books and pass that SAT, we need you in Pullman next year.

Topics: College Hoop

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Mock Draft Season Is Upon Us

Nbadraft.net has Kevin Love going 13th and Roy Hibbert going 25th. Hibbert, you'll remember, declined to turn pro after last season, when he would have been a lottery pick, to come back and finish his four years at Georgetown. I get that the knock on him is that he stagnated, but 25th?!?! Seven-feet-two-inches of seasoned length and dexterity going that low when you've got De'Andre Jordan going 10th? If you haven't heard of Jordan, you're not alone. But we have, and while the seven-footer is a magnificent athlete, he got abused down low by Love in the tourney. So it would stand to reason that Love would be projected to go before him, right? Wrong: nbadraft.net has love going 13th. Yes, he's a 6'10" white guy, and 6'10" white guys should be viewed with extreme skepticism when entering a league where 6'10" white guys' ceiling is typically Nick Collison (i.e., solid role player off the bench). But until he ran into a Memphis buzzsaw, Love consistently outplayed players considered to be far more athletic than him, often in the throes of consistent double teams. He's a special player, and for him to be projected to go after Jordan, or even Michael Beasley (aka "Derrick Coleman in waiting"), is ludicrous.

Meanwhile, consensus national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough isn't even on the board, while Wazzu's Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low are. This isn't because Hansbrough hasn't declared for early entry; plenty of players on the board are question marks in that capacity. It's because they don't think he will be drafted, which is horseshit. I guarantee you if Hansbrough's stil around (and personally, I think he'll come back for his senior year to try and avenge the Tar Heels' semifinal meltdown) when San Antonio, Boston, or Detroit pick at the end of the first round, that's where he'll end up, right then and there.

Look, I'm not playing the pro-honky card. In fact, I've advocated against pro squad's overvaluing tall white college stars, because their skills rarely translate as is into the NBA game. But Love and Hansbrough will contribute immediately (Hibbert may, too), and immediate contributors deserve a little more respect than the Andrea Bargnanis and Mo Senes of the world.

Topics: College Hoop

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The Man Who "Could Take the Joy out of Sex" Unfortunately Has Staying Power

Every college hoop fan knows that April brings two things: the Final Four and a chorus of voices calling for Billy Packer's head. Obviously, the former is reaching what should be an exciting crescendo with tonight's run n' gun Memphis/Kansas match-up. But to assure myself that everything's right with the world, I typed "Billy Packer" into google. Lo and behold, the annual tradition of the "fire Packer" petition is alive and well. They're almost at 6,000 signatures.

Let me be the billionth person to send my plea to the deaf ears of CBS: Get rid of Packer, at least for the Final Four. Everyone knows he's an asshole, and you have a national treasure in Bill Raftery ready to take his spot.

Topics: College Hoop

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Breakfast of Champions

Memphis guard Chris Douglas-Roberts on star teammate Derrick Rose's stomach troubles:

"He eats Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast, and Twizzlers and Honey Buns for dinner. That's why his stomach hurts. We tell Derrick the whole year, 'Stop eating so many Gummy Bears and Sour Straws.' But he can't. ... Nobody eats Gummy Bears more than him."

Topics: College Hoop

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UCLA's Silver Lining

Before UCLA got throttled by Memphis on Saturday, there was chatter that one or both of the Bruins' sparkly backcourt tandem of Darren Collison and/or Russell Westbrook would leave school early and turn pro (Kevin Love's departure is considered more likely, if not an outright certainty). But these two were so thoroughly outplayed by Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts in the national semi — especially Collison — that their odds of returning to Pauley Pavillion next year increased exponentially. CDR bullied the much smaller Westbrook when the two were matched up, while Rose exposed Collison as the second coming of Darrell Armstrong. Would you expend a lottery pick on the second coming of Darrell Armstrong? Me neither. Collison, a lightning quick playmaker who, because of his lack of size, has trouble creating his own shot inside the 3-point arc, should come back and prove he's better than that.

Topics: College Hoop

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Stanford Prepares to Suck Again

Why? Simple: The Lopez twins are turning pro. Brook we totally get. Dude has a sensationally polished low post game and a tough demeanor that should translate nicely into the pros and assure him of high lottery status (we'd take him ahead of Michael Beasley or Tyler Hansbrough, but maybe not Kevin Love). But Robin? Bad move, bro. You've been a nice, Varejao-esque hustle player who's had moments of brilliance in your two years, but the opportunity to step out of Brook's shadow next year could have catapulted your stock into the stratosphere. Will you be a first round pick as is? Maybe. But "maybe" shouldn't be enough to nudge you into skipping out on the chance to avenge that dreadful tourney loss to Texas.

Topics: College Hoop

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A Message for Cocky Tourney Pool Leaders

Your first-round leads don't and won't mean shit. Early upset picks are great and all, but winning virtually any bracket is all about keeping your Final Four intact. Celebrating a tourney pool lead at this point is like jumping up and down when your horse has a lead in the Kentucky Derby after two furlongs. So chillax.

Topics: College Hoop

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Gone-Zaga

The super-talented, underachieving Bulldogs (remember when it was the other way around, when they were marginally talented overachievers who were everyone's favorite Cinderellas? Be careful what you wish for, Coach Few) choke on their collars against Davidson, and St. Mary's lost to Miami (FL). Who wants to bet the WCC doesn't get three teams into next year's tourney? What a fucking joke of a conference.

Topics: College Hoop

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Pac-10 Schizophrenia

While UCLA, Wazzu, and Stanford delivered Bobby Bowden at the helm, Florida State in its prime, football score blowouts in the tourney's first round (Wazzu's win having special significance because it pummeled the team that eliminated its second round opponent, Notre Dame, last year), Arizona and, to a lesser extent, USC, were majestically disappointing in defeat. USC losing to Kansas State I sort of get, but Orenthal James Mayo ought to reconsider pulling a Spencer Hawes and come back to join 'Lil Romeo in the Trojan backcourt next year. And in terms of seeding, Arizona losing to West Virginia shouldn't come as any surprise — until you consider the talent the Wildcats consistently squandered this year. Bayless, Budinger, and Hill are all potential NBA first-rounders (expect Budinger's versatile game to really flourish in the pro format), and yet Kevin "Hoop Dreams" O'Neill's roll-out-the-ball offense made Arizona perhaps college basketball's biggest underachiever. Where at first O'Neill looked like Lute Olson's heir apparent, he now may have earned himself a one-way ticket out of town.

This tourney was supposed to be the Pac-10's chance to cement its status as the nation's new top conference. But unless Oregon can get out of the first round or two, the East Coast bias might start looking more objective.

Topics: College Hoop

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