College Basketball "off-season" Thread (players leaving/coaching changes/recruiting)

[allen3xis]

Nice get for IU it seems.

And OSU won't be at the bottom of the Pac 10 for much longer...(not cause of 1 recruit) but Robinson is gona get things going

September 9, 2008
[h1]Nelson makes his choice[/h1]
Jed Tai
BeaverBlitz.com Recruiting Editor

Talk about it in The Lodge
He's obviously spending some quality time supporting his brother-in-law and sister on the campaign trail, but Craig Robinson has definitely continued to beat the bushes for Oregon State University. In fact,Coach Robinson continues to get it done on the recruiting trail.

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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]4 star shooting guard Roberto Nelson has committed to the Beavers[/td] [/tr][/table]In August, he and his staff secured a big man as their first commitment in the Class of 2009 and now in September, they have added anelite guard as Roberto Nelson has cast his lot tojoin the Beavers with his good friend.

Nelson confirmed his pledge this morning.

"Yes, I've committed to Oregon State," said Nelson. "I like the coach, my big man (Joe Burton) from my AAU team is going there, and reallythere were a whole bunch of reasons."

Stay tuned to BeaverBlitz.com as we will have much more on this breaking commitment.

 

[messiahchild]

ESPN.com: Jay Bilas

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Big East the toughest from top to bottom

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The discussion of which conference will be the best in 2009 is not a long one. The Big East will be the best league top to bottom in college basketball and arguably the most competitive league in the world. The NCAA selection committee likes to put forth the idea that the 34 best teams (after the automatic qualifiers are considered) will be selected and put into the field without regard to conference affiliation. It is a good idea in theory, but not always in practice. In 2009, the Big East will test the committee's theory. The Big East could be the first conference to put 10 teams in the NCAA tournament field. It is that strong and that good.

1. Big East
UConn, Louisville, Pitt, Notre Dame, Marquette, Georgetown, Villanova, Syracuse and West Virginia likely will be NCAA tournament teams. Cincinnati, Seton Hall and Providence could be near the line at the end. No team will back into a win in this league. In the Big East in 2009, you can play well yet lose anyway.


2. ACC
North Carolina will be the nation's best team by a wide margin. Duke, Miami, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Clemson will be tough outs and very competitive. The ACC was good last year but not great. In 2009, the league will be much better.

3. Big 12
If you define a good league by its strength at the top, the Big 12 will be very good. Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Baylor and Texas A&M are all NCAA teams, and the rest of the league is very capable, with Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Nebraska and Kansas State set to be very competitive.

4. Pac-10
The top of the league is still very strong, with UCLA, USC, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon and Washington leading the way. Stanford and Washington State should be competitive, but the Pac-10 will not be as strong as it was in 2008. Still, this will be a really good league.

5. SEC
The league had a down year in 2008 but will be better in 2009. It still won't be as strong as we have come to expect, but the SEC can always expect to have five NCAA entries. Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi State and Florida should be the best teams, and Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Georgia have a chance. When Kentucky isn't rock-solid and dominant, the league takes a perception hit. We don't know what to do when not dominated by Big Blue.

6. Big Ten
No league has been beaten up as soundly as the Big Ten, yet the league has done very well in nonconference and postseason play. Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Ohio State and Illinois will lead the way, and Minnesota and Michigan should be better. But to improve the perception of the league, the Big Ten should try to win the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Just once.

7. Mountain West
UNLV, BYU, Utah and New Mexico will be NCAA tournament-worthy. The league is not great beyond these teams, but these five can play with anyone. The coaches in the MWC get better and better, and so does the league.

8. Missouri Valley
Creighton and Southern Illinois are the best teams, but this is the league in which your offense can look horrible because the defenses are so good. A few words of advice to any coach considering a job in this league: You had better be able to coach, because this league is full of guys who can coach their tails off. They all have the same players, and the defenses are dazzling.

9. West Coast
Gonzaga is a top 10 team, and San Diego and Saint Mary's will be very good. This league has some pillow fights, but the top is strong.

10. Big East II
That's how good the Big East will be. The second six teams of this league are upper-division teams in most any other league in the nation. Get ready for a heavyweight fight in every game.

.....

 

[the lowa]

Allen they were on the spot at Madison?

I think that IU getting Watford is a great pick up.

 

[wildkycat]

from Andy Katz...

UK celebrates Midnight Madness a week early

Tuesday, September 9, 2008 | Print Entry

Kentucky is the most unique school in college basketball. The Wildcat athletic department and basketball staff can count on fans showing up essentially whenever they tell them for an event.

That's why Kentucky is taking advantage of the NCAA rule allowing a team to practice two hours a week from Sept. 15 to the official start of practice on Oct. 17.
The move to shift the traditional "Midnight Madness" event from Oct. 17 to Oct. 10 is yet another example of using its unique ability to draw fans for Kentucky's advantage. The weekend of the 10th is a better recruiting weekend for the Wildcats. So expect Kentucky to bring in players for official and unofficial visits. Having the event on the 10th also allows second-year coach Billy Gillispie to focus on practice, and solely practice, when it officially begins the following weekend. "It really is a better recruiting weekend for us," Gillispie said. "It has helped us in many ways. It's a home football weekend [vs. South Carolina on Oct. 11]. We may have recruits in on the 17th, too, but once practice starts you can best utilize as many practices as you need." (Hint: that might mean more double-sessions that weekend as Gillispie is one of the harder working practice coaches.) Gillispie said the Wildcats can use the time for a scrimmage since it's two hours to do whatever they want on the 10th. Kentucky officials expect the "Big Blue Madness," to be a seat-stuffer at Rupp Arena regardless of the date. Midnight Madness has become passé of late anyway with a number of schools dropping the traditional setup. North Carolina, Kansas and Kentucky are three schools that tend to utilize the event every year. The NCAA does allow practice to start after 5 p.m. because it didn't want students to be out as late on a Friday night. Illinois is also doing a similar event, after a football game on Oct. 11 on the football field. The Illini originally tried to get this event to occur this weekend after the Louisiana-Lafayette football game on Sept. 13 in Champaign because of fear that the weather wouldn't be as warm on the Oct. 11th home game against Minnesota (it won't be as warm, you can book that). But the NCAA rejected Illinois holding the two-hour a week practice prior to Sept. 15, when everyone else can conduct the instruction. National Association of Basketball Coaches' board member Phil Martelli of Saint Joseph's said that the NABC was going to look into the use of these practices earlier than the first official day on Oct. 17th. But that might be a tough sell as more and more high-majors attempt to take advantage of holding the events prior to the start of practice so they can maximize recruiting weekends and then utilize the first practice weekend to their advantage. "Because of our fan support, we can do it at a time that is most beneficial for our program," Gillispie. "The fans will fill up Rupp Arena. It's a testament to the great fans we have here." [h2]Final Nuggets[/h2]

• Kentucky sophomore forward Patrick Patterson was cleared to play pickup basketball this week after offseason left ankle surgery. Patterson was a stud last season for the Wildcats averaging 16.4 points and 7.7 rebounds before his season ended early on Feb. 27. Patterson wasn't able to play in Kentucky's NCAA tournament lost to Marquette.
"The way Patrick is working right now I don't see why he can't [do what he did last season]," Gillispie said. "We've got more guys to lighten his minute load but his production will be extremely heavy. His minute load [35.7 minutes a game last season] won't be as demanding as it once was." Gillispie said he really likes the effort put forth by the players this summer, especially in conditioning. He said they are ahead of last season at this point and are a closer team that "really cares about each other. I'm really excited about them."

• Shhh ... but Kentucky is privately really pleased with the potential of 6-foot-7 Darius Miller out of Mason County High in Kentucky and 6-6 Chicago native DeAndre Liggins out of Findlay College Prep in Nevada. Both are penciled in to be impact players this season but the Wildcats don't want too much hype on the pair.

 

[mr subliminals]

Originally Posted by dreClark

Originally Posted by Seymore CAKE

Originally Posted by DCAllAmerican

Mark (Baldwin Pa): Andy...Is PITT a "true" final four contender in your eyes? us Pitt fans are cautionly opptomistic that we'll get over that sweet 16 hump this year

Andy Katz: (12:28 PM ET ) Yes. DaJuan Blair and Sam Young will be two of the tougher inside players in the Big East, let alone the country, and a healthy Fat ##!% Fields is one of the tougher, money-shot point guards.

Fixed!

Fixed!!

 

[lnmymind]

http://real.sports.yahoo.com:80/nca...3a33328fb9.kansas_mcgill_basketball_ottk103:1

Please tell me those aren't their real uniforms

Also...Derrick Character to Southern Mississippi

 

[messiahchild]

Originally Posted by lnMyMind

Also...Derrick Character to Southern Mississippi

So he finally reported to school. I kno he was MIA during the first couple of days.

Also, got the new issue of Athlon Sports, if anybody wants to see their team preview, just hit me up and i'll try to scan it for ya.

 

[tmukg21]

Thanks for the updates guys.
Tyreke looks in shape and Witherspoon looks like a stick around campus

Quick question: What is the logic with the NCAA rule of not allowing coaches to practice with their teams until Oct 17

 

[allen3xis]

Originally Posted by lnMyMind



http://real.sports.yahoo.com:80/nca...3a33328fb9.kansas_mcgill_basketball_ottk103:1

Please tell me those aren't their real uniforms

Also...Derrick Character to Southern Mississippi

Appears to be..

..

^^^^^^^ and yeah...they were at Shun's.

 

[jamesonnt]

http://basketballrecruiti...49692&fid=&tid=&mid=&rid=

Allen, Dre, Anyone ...

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

September 12, 2008
[h1]Fastbreak Friday: Busy weekend for visits[/h1]
Justin Young
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Senior Writer
MORE: Weekly Wrap: Hoosiers make a move | Updated 2009 team recruiting rankings
It may be the biggest recruiting weekend in the history of one Pac-10 school, and another West Coast program tries to land a once-committed player.

Florida State gets a crack at a five-star standout, and a host of other schools try to wow prospects.

Who is visiting where this weekend?

Rivals.com looks at the busy weekend in this week's version of Fastbreak Friday.

ACC

VISITORS OF THE WEEKEND

Move over Snoop Dogg, Will Ferrell and Denzel Washington. You won't be the only stars on the sideline Saturday night when your beloved USC Trojans take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the college football game of the year. There were be at least a dozen big-time basketball players in town for the game. [table][tr][td]

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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Sidney[/td] [/tr][/table]Five five-star prospects, two players within the top-50 senior rankings and a total of eight players that are ranked in the Rivals150 that will be on USC's campus this weekend.
Five-star prospects Renardo Sidney of Artesia (Calif.) High School, Kenny Boynton of American Heritage (Fla.) High School, Josh Smith of Covington (Wash.) Kentwood, Jeremy Tyler of San Diego (Calif.) and Anthony Brown of Huntington Beach (Calif.) Ocean View are expected to take in the game.

They aren't the only young hoops stars in L.A. for the weekend, either.

Top 2009 targets Tyler Honeycutt of Sylmar (Calif.) High School and Noel Johnson of Fayette County (Ga.) High School, Shaunessy Smith of Noxubee County (Miss.) and Derrick Williams of La Mirada (Calif.) are scheduled to visit the Pac-10 school, too.

Underclassmen Gary Franklin of the famed Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., and Kyle Caudill of Brea Olinda High School in Orange County will be on campus for "unofficial" visits.
Two plus two equals four, right? You don't have to be a Duke undergrad to figure that out. The basketball staff is hoping a pair of commits - 2009's Mason Plumlee of North Carolina's Christ School and 2010's Andre Dawkins of Virginia's Atlantic Shores Christian - can help win over a pair of talented underclassmen.
D.C. Assault teammates Joshua Hairston of Courtland High in Spotsylvania, Va., and Tyler Thornton of Gonzaga Prep in Washington, D.C., will make a much anticipated visit to Durham. There have been whispers for quite some time that the two could commit to the Blue Devils shortly after their visits.

It is a huge weekend at Florida State because the program's most coveted prospect is in Tallahassee for the first time. Moreno Valley (Calif.) Rancho Verde guard Michael Snaer, a five-star prospect, will be in town to see the Seminoles. FSU has been in the mix for some time now, and are very high on his list. Also in town to see FSU is power forward Terrance Shannon of Mary Persons High School in Georgia.

Virginia Tech is gearing up for a giant weekend. A number of prospects will be in Blacksburg. Commits Manny Atkins of Tucker (Ga.) High School and Jarell Eddie of Concord (N.C.) Cannon School will see their future school and mingle with a number of talented players who will be on campus for unofficial visits. Eric Atkins, a 5-foot-11 guard from St. Joseph's High School in Maryland, will see the sights for the weekend. John Manning, one of the Virginia's most promising prospects from the class of 2011, will also be in town. He's a 6-foot-11 center from Chantilly High School.

North Carolinians Anthony Gill, a 2011 forward from Charlotte Christian; Bishop Daniels, a 2011 guard from Word of God; Dezmine Wells, also a 2011 prospect from Word of God; and Emanuel Chapman, a 6-foot guard from Enloe High School will make unofficial visits to see the Tar Heels this weekend.

Maryland gets a chance to wow Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln power forward James Padgett this weekend. The 6-foot-7 senior plans to be in College Park to visit the campus.

Clemson plays host to one of its top 2010 targets in Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake power forward Marcus Thornton, a Rivals150 junior.

BIG 12

With Hurricane Ike rolling through the Gulf of Mexico, a number of prospects had to change their plans. The biggest cancellation is Avery Bradley of Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep. The five-star guard was scheduled to visit Texas, but nixed those plans because of the hurricane. He will reschedule the trip.

Texas Tech will play host to Houston (Texas) Wheatley combo guard Mike Davis, one of the better sleepers in the Lone Star State.

Forward J.J. Richardson of Missouri City (Texas) Hightower will travel north to see Oklahoma State's campus for an official visit.
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Ryan Kelly is the top priority for Notre Dame.[/td] [/tr][/table]
BIG EAST

It is a huge weekend in South Bend, Indiana - in large part because Michigan is coming to town for football. However, Ryan Kelly's appearance for an official visit is the highest priority for the Irish basketball program. The 6-foot-9 forward from the Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, N.C., is the highest player on Notre Dame's hoops recruiting board in 2009. Also scheduled to visit is Michigan star Trey Zeigler, a 2010 prospect from Mount Pleasant High School.

Providence will get a chance to win over Garfield Heights (Ohio) point guard Carl Jones, a three-star prospect from the class of 2009.

Jordan Sibert, one of the top players in Cincinnati, made an unofficial visit to the hometown UC Bearcats on Friday. The class of 2010 prospect from Princeton High School is one of the most sought after shooting guards in his class.

Providence will welcome Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern power forward Kadeem Batts to town for his official visit. Also in town will be 2009 commitment Antoine Allen of Notre Dame Prep (Mass.).

BIG TEN

It is a big weekend at Illinois. The program has its "Night of Legends" alumni game. Former program stars Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Kendall Gill, Frank Williams, Brian Cook, Kenny Battle and others are scheduled to be in town for the game.

Also scheduled in town are commitments Joseph Bertrand (2009), Jereme Richmond (2010), Crandall Head (2010) and Meyers Leonard (2010). Class of 2010 prospect Austin Younker of Canton (Ga.) Creekview, class of 2011 prospect Hayden Hoerdemann of Bloomington Central Catholic (Ill.) and class of 2011 prospect Andrew Jordan of Peoria (Ill.) Woodruff High School will also be in town for unofficial visits.

Iowa will play host to Texas point guard Nick Russell this weekend. The Grace Prep prospect is one of the top players on the Hawkeyes' recruiting board in 2009. (We mistakenly reported he visited last weekend, but he didn't make the trip.)

Also expected to make it into town is 2009 commitment Eric May and 2010 commitment Chanse Creekmur.

Class of 2011 prospects Quevyn Winters of Milwaukee (Wisc.) Washington and Darrell Longstreet of Kenosha (Wisc.) St. Joseph's are scheduled to visit Iowa unofficially.

PAC-10
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Arizona will try to win back one-time commitment Abdul Gaddy.[/td] [/tr][/table]Once committed to Arizona, Tacoma (Wash.) Bellarmine Prep point guard Abdul Gaddy will return to Tucson this weekend for an official visit. Is this the most important recruiting weekend for the Wildcats this season? No question. Point Guard U will certainly roll out the red carpet for the one-time pledge, and the Wildcats hope to win him over one more time.
Keegan Hornbuckle, who was recently offered a scholarship by the Wildcats, is also expected in Tucson. The Campbell Hall (Calif.) prospect will also spend time in Tempe to see the Arizona State program.

Up in Seattle, hometown product Clarence Trent, a Gig Harbor native now at Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep, will officially visit Washington.

SEC

Two weeks ago, Hurricane Gustav pushed back a number of players' scheduled visits to LSU. Now, some of those players will get a chance to see Trent Johnson's program. Metairie Park (La.) Country Day forward Eddie Ludwig will take an official visit to LSU. He is quite familiar with the school because his sister is a student there.

Also making his way to campus for an official visit is Seattle (Wash.) Rainier Beach guard Aaron Dotson, a top 100 prospect. In-state juniors Matt Derenbecker, a teammate of Ludwig's at Metairie Park (La.) Country Day, and Langston Galloway of Christian Life Academy in Baton Rouge are scheduled to be on campus for unofficial visits.

South Carolina is gearing up for a huge football game against the Georgia Bulldogs, and the weekend is one of the most important for Darrin Horn and the Gamecocks basketball program. Floridians Keith Clanton and Ramon Galloway will officially visit South Carolina. A host of underclassmen will also be in town for the game, too.

Mississippi State is raiding Alabama. A pair of talented underclassmen, Trevor Lacey of Huntsville Butler and Reggie Ragland, a freshman from Huntsville Bob Jones, will be in Starkville for unofficial visits.

AROUND THE NATION

It is a huge weekend at Xavier as Kevin Parrom of South Kent (Conn.) and Chris Braswell of Hargrave Military (Va.) will both be in town for official visits. Jordan Sibert also made an unofficial visit this week to the Atlantic 10 powerhouse.
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Kevin Parrom is part of a big weekend at Xavier.[/td] [/tr][/table]Derrick Kellogg will have his first big recruiting weekend since taking over the UMass program. Freddie Riley of Hargrave Military (Va.) will officially visit the Atlantic 10 school. The Florida native will be joined by Raphiael Putney of Woodbridge (Va.) High School for the weekend.
It is down to Stanford and BYU for Lone Peak (Utah) star Tyler Haws. The Rivals150 prospect will visit BYU officially this weekend and could end his recruitment in the near future.

Rivals150 prospect Anthony Stover of Windward Academy in Los Angeles will travel to middle America to get a better look at Creighton.

Stephenson (Ga.) guard Adrian Coleman will travel west on Interstate 20 to visit UAB's campus officially.

A pair of Northeastern big men will travel to the Charlotte, N.C., to see Davidson's campus. Centers Tom Knight of Dirigo High School in Dixfield, Maine, and Jake Cohen of Berwyn (Pa.) Conestoga are officially visiting Bob McKillop's program.

New Ohio coach John Groce has an important visitor on campus as 6-foot-7 forward Jonathan Smith of Grove City (Ohio) High School will make an official visit to the MAC school.

Kent State will play host to Chicago (Ill.) Seton Academy point guard .J. Cooper.

Class of 2011 point guard Stevie Taylor of Gahanna (Ohio) Lincoln High School will visit Akron.

Cordova (Tenn.) Christian Brothers guard Drew Barham will visit Southern Illinois.

A few Ivy League schools are expecting visitors this weekend. Ian Hummer, a grinder from Gonzaga Prep in Washington D.C., will visit Princeton. Harvard will play host to Dallas (Texas) Episcopal power forward Jeff Georgatos.

Siena has a pair of Philadelphia guards in town. Seniors Denzel Yard of Franklin Learning Center and Parrish Grant of Imhotep Charter will visit officially.

Longview (Wash.) Mark Morris forward Eric Hutchison will visit Montana.

North Eugene (Ore.) big man Joe Kammerer will visit Idaho.

Brewster Academy (N.H.) prospect Luke Apfeld will visit Vermont.

Northfield (Minn.) forward Emmanuel Addo will visit Albany.

Josh Sparks of Savannah (Ga.) Christian will travel to Lafayette for an official visit.

Justin Young is a basketball recruiting senior writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at [email protected].

Talk about it in Basketball Recruiting Board

 

[jamesonnt]

^ good look.

I'm expecting Sidney to commit to USC shortly.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Originally Posted by tmukg21

Thanks for the updates guys.
Tyreke looks in shape and Witherspoon looks like a stick around campus

Quick question: What is the logic with the NCAA rule of not allowing coaches to practice with their teams until Oct 17

Coaches can practice with the teams before then just it can't be a full roster at once and more than 3 days a week

My Johnnies are ranked 16th in the Big East btw

 

[rellbettablues]

Kevin looking like Squidward.

 

[bigmike23]

Originally Posted by JamesOnNT

^ good look.

I'm expecting Sidney to commit to USC shortly.

dont hold your breath on that

 

[messiahchild]

[h2]Stephenson Outduels Harris at iS8[/h2]

Two of the biggest names in New York hoops circles faced off on Saturday at iS8 when Lance Stephenson's Juice All-Stars met Tobias Harris and the Unique All-Stars.
Despite showing up with five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Stephenson hit the game-winning basket and finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds in a 66-64 Juice victory. Harris, coming off an unofficial visit to Rutgers for Thursday's football with North Carolina, struggled to score but ended with 14 points and 13 boards.

The Unique All-Stars easily could have won the game. They led 14 -13 at the end of the first quarter, 30-28 at the break and 54-44 at the end of three. It was a tie score with 10 seconds remaining when Juice called a timeout.

Everyone in the gym knew who was going to take the shot, and out of the timeout, the 6-foot-5 Stephenson drove to the hoop and scored.

He finished with 28 points on 11-for-17 shooting. He was 0-for-1 from 3 and 6-for-11 from the line. Born Ready, who appears to be waiting until the spring before picking a college, added 10 rebounds, 1 block, 2 assist, 2 steals and 2 turnovers.

Harris struggled after scoring two early field goals. Once Lance showed up, he guarded the bigger Harris. He tallied 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting and 3-of-8 from the line. He also tallied 1 assist, 4 blocks and 7 turnovers.

(Tom Konchalski provided valuable stats for this account)

Kevin Parrom committed to Xavier Saturday, choosing that school over St. John's.
"I committed to Xavier today," the 6-foot-6, 195-pound Parrom, a senior shooting guard/small forward at South Kent (Conn.), said Saturday by phone from Xavier where he is on an official visit with Chris Braswell. "I like the coaching staff and the players. They're going to the (NCAA) tournament every year. They just win, that's what I like."

Asked what he could contribute to Sean Miller's club, Parrom said: "I think I can contribute energy to the team. I'm a scorer and I can bring more fire and versatility to the team."

"He can be a terrific player," recruiting analyst Tom Konchalski said of Parrom. "I don't think he'll ever be a primary scorer, but his strong suit is his versatility. He's a terrific offensive rebounder. He can pass the ball, he can handle the ball. He'll hit an occasion moonball three, but he's not a consistent perimeter threat. He does so many things. He has so many little wins. He's an all-court player, he can can handle the ball, he can pass, he can rebound.

"I think he's a good fit for Xavier. It's a good get for them."

Parrom, who transferred from St. Raymond's in the Bronx after last season, also considered St. John's, South Carolina, Providence and other schools, but Xavier has long been in the running, partially because of Parrom's relationship with assistant Book Richardson, the former head of the Gauchos AAU program.

"Their academic advisor has graduated every player that she's had so I'll definitely get a degree at Xavier, so that's a plus," Parrom said. "It's a good environment. It's good fit for me."

Xavier has one ship left for '09 and is looking for a versatile, face-up four-man such as Braswell.


allen3xis- here is an update on Fisher.....

Nova Notebook: Fisher Hopes Summer Toils Pay Dividends This Winter
Villanova sophomore spent time enhancing his frame and game

Sept. 12, 2008

The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears weekly during the fall and into the basketball season and periodically from May through August. In this entry we visit with sophomore guard Corey Fisher.

The sprawling weight room that houses the Villanova men's and women's basketball squads is typically a hub of activity during daylight hours. There is often music on the sound system and images on the flat screen monitors as athletes, alumni and coaches make use of a vibrant area directed by strength coach Lon Record.

On a recent afternoon, though, there was a pause in the activity that allowed for a quiet conversation with Corey Fisher, the guard who came to Villanova as one of the country's most heralded prospects in 2007 from St. Patrick's High School in New Jersey. In at least one respect, there could have been no more fitting backdrop for the conversation.

"For me, this summer was really about getting stronger and faster," states Fisher. "I spent a lot of time here working on my body. I lost some weight and worked on my flexibility. I think I did a great job of that."

Indeed, the refinement of Fisher's frame is apparent at first glance. His body is leaner and more sculpted than it was in his debut campaign of 2007-08. After having seen firsthand the physical nature of college basketball in the BIG EAST, Fisher recognized the need to hone his phsyique.

Already he reports feeling an impact when he is on the court working with his teammates in open gym.

"I can see the results of all that work I put in when I am out on the court," he says. "I wanted to get stronger and quicker and I can feel it in my whole game. When I'm out there I want to be on the attack all the time.

"I just can't wait for the season to get here."

The toil in this room is not glamorous. There are no cheering students, no national television cameras to chronicle the action. It is sweaty and intense even in air conditioned comfort. What's more, the off-season work requires a commitment to be here on campus instead of at home for June and July.
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"It's real hard," Fisher says. "There are family things you miss because you're here. But we all know how important it is to us getting better as individuals and as a team. We have that dedication and that can only help us."
Fisher has now been a Villanova fixture for just over a year. His freshman basketball campaign actually began a little earlier than it would typically have as the `Cats practiced and then headed north to Ottawa to play four exhibition games in Ottawa over Labor Day weekend 2007. That gave Fisher and classmate Corey Stokes a small head start but it could not disguise the fact they were still freshmen on a college basketball stage that tends to grade on a steep curve.

"A year ago, there was so much to learn," Fisher says. "You kind of hear about that coming in from high school but it's something you have to experience."

Like many of his fellow incoming rookies, the 6-1 guard who hails from the Bronx, N.Y., endured some peaks and valleys. After sitting out his opener with knee tendonitis, Fisher found an offensive groove in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., at the Old Spice Classic in late November. In the opener he scored 18 points to help VU down Central Florida 76-68 and then dropped in 21 points in the tournament final against N.C. State.

But there was an ebb and flow to it all as Fisher learned the ropes of what it takes to become a Villanova guard. His stat line in two January games against DePaul serves as an example. On Jan. 3, he led the Wildcats with 23 points in the BIG EAST opener against the Blue Demons at All State Arena in Rosemont, Ill. Thirteen days later, he did not score when the two teams met again at the Pavilion.

Now, Fisher says, it wasn't until the post-season that he felt completely comfortable in his on court responsibilities.

"It really started into fall into place around the BIG EAST Tournament for me," he says.

Fisher's best postseason tournament effort came in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against No. 5 seed Clemson. His 17 points included a series of critical free throws in the second half that helped rally the Wildcats past the Tigers after they had fallen behind by 19 points in the first half.

The word Fisher uses to describe his season is "decent."

That may be selling things a tad short. The 6-1 guard finished third on the Wildcats in scoring, trailing only Scottie Reynolds and Dante Cunningham at 9.1 ppg. His 92 assists were second on the team and his assist-to-turnover ratio (92-6 was the best of any Villanova freshman guard since Jay Wright became head coach in 2001.

Last season, Villanova survived a five game losing streak to reach the Sweet 16 and Fisher believes the tenacity that allowed the `Cats to come through that experience will aid it as it approaches a season with loftier expectations.

"We saw that you can't let the things people are saying on the outside affect what we do every day," he says. "We kept a great attitude, listened to our coaches and the upperclassmen, and became a good team at the end of the year. Now, people will say we could be this or that and we have to put all that aside and keep working. This is a new season."

Fisher is convinced that the accomplishments of last March have only increased the appetite to achieve more in 2008-09.

"We're just hungry," he says. "Everybody worked on their bodies and their games this summer. We have the experience of playing together, which we didn't have at the beginning of last year. We all want to have a great year."

With the conversation complete, Fisher moves quickly out of the weight room to finish dressing for a workout. The room is again absent its usual buzz and that is how it will be when the games begin in November. But the baskets Fisher scores, the passes he makes and the charges he takes when the bright lights are shining, will owe a little something to those lonely hours spent here.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Xavier's a better fit for Kevin. Sean Miller will coach him very well, much better than any of our rejects could coach him here.

 

[JND1]

I don't know if its been posted but, Hairston and Thornton committed to Duke today.

 

[jkalu47]

Originally Posted by JND1

I don't know if its been posted but, Hairston and Thornton committed to Duke today.

YES!!!!!!

 

[dmoney23444]

If matt Pilgrim was playing this year fro UK, They would be unstoppable in the paint.

 

[haiti5]

Illinois '10 class is absolutely disgusting..if crandell keeps working hard..its safe to say hell be much better and well rounded than luther...jereme andjoseph are also

...good to see prospects staying in state man


and Duke nice pickups

 

[ezeemal]

Originally Posted by jkalu47

Originally Posted by JND1

I don't know if its been posted but, Hairston and Thornton committed to Duke today.

YES!!!!!!

These N's suck

. Overrated IMO. I don't know, maybe they'll progress in the future.

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Originally Posted by JND1

I don't know if its been posted but, Hairston and Thornton committed to Duke today.

September 13, 2008
[h1]Blue Devils land elite 2010 duo[/h1]
Brian McLawhorn
Devils Illustrated Publisher

Talk about it in Devil Insider
The Duke Blue Devils' basketball program entered the weekend hoping for big news, and just several hours into it, they got what they wanted. With several visitors, both committed and uncommitted, on campus today, coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff landed two elite prospects from the 2010 class.

[table][tr][td]

[/td] [td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Hairston[/td] [/tr][/table][table][tr][td]

[/td] [td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Thornton[/td] [/tr][/table]The Devils' 2010 haul just got better as five-star power forward Joshua Hairston (Spotsylvania, Va. Courtland) and four-star point guard Tyler Thornton (Washington, D.C., Gonzaga) offered their verbal pledges to the coaching staff on Saturday during unofficial visits to Durham.

Hairston, who appeared to be close to committing in late June following a visit to the Duke campus, was seriously giving four other programs a look -- Georgetown, Ohio State, Virginia and Virginia Tech. However, no other program was able to overcome the wow factor that Hairston and his family experienced when they first set foot on the campus and met with legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

The junior was originally expected to make a decision sometime in late August, but with the Blue Devils' coaching staff in China for the Olympics the decision was slowly being pushed back. Once the staff arrived back in the United States, Hairston scheduled his return visit to Duke for this weekend.

When asked earlier in the week if there was a chance he would leave Durham committed, Hairston quickly told Devils Illustrated that it was certainly a possibility that it could happen, stating that it had to be a definite feeling that Duke was the right place.

What the talented recruit saw in his first few hours on campus Saturday assured him that Duke was definitely the place for him.

"We actually played early today; we had a few pickup games and then we sat in the lounge and relaxed a little bit," Hairston said. "Then Coach K talked to us individually and I told him right then and there that I wanted to commit.

"About 30 minutes into the conversation, toward the middle, he brought it up that he felt like Duke was the place for me, and I knew it was. He said that they had no timetable and that they would wait for as long as they needed to, but I felt the need to tell him right then. I knew it was the place.

"My parents thought I was going to commit later tonight, but I told him earlier instead. I didn't feel the need to wait. Coach K gave me a huge hug and said he can't wait to get me there. It feels tremendous to have the decision made, and I can't wait to be down here."

While Hairston was the first to offer his pledge to the Blue Devils coaching staff, Thornton soon followed suit.

"We went in today about 11 this morning and had lunch and then we played a few games and after that me, 'Dre, Josh, the coaches and our families went into the media room and watched a video on the USA team," Thornton said. "After that we walked out of the media room and each of us met individually with Coach K. We were in the practice facility and we only talked for about five or ten minutes.

"He was talking about the USA team and how he is going to bring things back from that to the basketball team. I just knew right then while we were talking that I wanted to commit. I just told him, 'I'm ready to go'.

"It feels great. It's such a big relief and now I'm just really going to focus on getting better and doing what I have to do to improve for when I get to Duke."

Hairston and Thornton become the second and third players to commit, joining their close friend and former teammate, Andre Dawkins.

Lets get it.

I don't wanna see Hairston playing at the 5 though. We need a big man.

Originally Posted by ezeemaL

Originally Posted by jkalu47

Originally Posted by JND1

I don't know if its been posted but, Hairston and Thornton committed to Duke today.

YES!!!!!!

These N's suck

. Overrated IMO. I don't know, maybe they'll progress in the future.

You played against them?

 

[ricardo malta]

Here we come...

 

[seymore cake]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Malta

Here we come...

Business!!! Now if we could manage to snagg Roscoe and a big I'd cry tears of joy