BYU Just Made the WCC More Interesting
by Nick Fasulo on Sep 1, 2010 9:27 PM EDT
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After a few weeks of rumors and assessment by school administrators looking for the best possible move for the athletic department and university as a whole, BYU officially joined the West Coast Conference today. So if you're scoring at home, college basketball fans, you have just incurred at least a few additional groggy winter mornings.
Despite being a non-BCS conference school, BYU is one of the few national brands in college sports. "Opening up the Salt Lake City-Provo market to the WCC is a major coup for the league -- which makes it hard to ignore what a significant blow this is to the MWC," writes ESPN's Andy Katz.
Thirteen million mormons spread out from coast-to-coast will do that, meaning the West Coast Conference can expect a spike in television revenues with their newest member (BYUtv is broadcasted to 40 million homes in 12 states), and opposing conference foes can plan on packing the house when both Gonzaga and the Cougars roll into town. By going independent in football, the school also landed a six-year series with Notre Dame and an eight-year deal with ESPN.
So where does the WCC rank in the hierarchy of college basketball? The 13th toughest conference last season, according to RealTimeRPI.com, they have now far outclassed the Horizon League and CAA, and are now comfortably part of that second/third tier of leagues alongside the Atlantic 10, Missouri Valley, and the identity-seeking Conference USA.
Harvard Sports Analysis: Up Three, Time Running Out, Do We Foul? The First Comprehensive CBB Analysis
Excellent stuff from a person that is much smarter than me.
Searching For: Will Blalock
by Nick Fasulo on Aug 20, 2010 11:03 PM EDT
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It has been some time since I crafted a "Searching For," and it's funny how a newspaper stand in downtown Boston can compel me to do so.
Will Blalock, product of the Hub and former Iowa State Cyclone, is, like many run-of-the-mill college guards from the good part of last decade, still trying to find his place and realize potential. He's a fringe player. A guy with enough talent to play in the NBA, but lacking consistency, or maybe a mid-range jumper, to secure a one-year contract. The Phoenix's Paul Flannery followed Blalock out to Vegas this summer to assess the former golden boy's game and stature among his peers, getting me up to speed on one of Boston's great prep players.
Playing for East Boston High and then Notre Dame Prep in the winters, and the BABC AAU program in the summers, Blalock was perceived as a living legend during his teenage years. But nationally, he barely cracked the top 100 in Scout.com's 2003 Prospects List. His stardom as a prep player gave way to a mediocre career in Ames, Iowa playing alongside NYC-bred Curtis Stinson.
Since leaving Iowa State as a Junior in 2006, Blalock has logged exactly 166 minutes of play in an NBA jersey. It was his rookie year with the Detroit Pistons, a team who deemed him expendable just 16 games into the season. From there he's played minor league ball in Anaheim to pro ball in Israel, with many other stops in between. Other stops, like a stroke at Logan Airport that prevented him from attending the Seattle Sonics mini-camp, and also from living. Yeah that's right, Blalock had a stroke at the age of 24 due to a blood clot in his neck. He also was born with a hole in his heart yet maintains he is OK to continue pursuing his dream.
A story of perseverance aside, Flannery's story on Blaclock reminded me of the overall lack of talent produced in the seventh largest media market in the country. Sure the amount of prep schools in the area have drawn top-flight talents like Michael Beasley, Francisco Garcia and Jarrett Jack to Massachusetts, but they're not natives; they don't roc Red Sox caps tilted to the site. Right now, there is not one Boston-born active NBA player. Even more grim - former UConn forward Jeff Adrien and Notre Dame center Torin Francis might be the two most successful college players from the area in the last decade. You don't need their career statistics to understand that it's a shallow talent pool up here in the Northeast. The last Boston-born basketball player that really left an imprint on the college game? Try Kentucky's Wayne Turner from the late 90s.
So is Blalock really that special? Frankly, his game is just average when presented on a national stage, and the feature piece, while insightful and providing that tingly feeling of "oh I remember that guy," reminds us that Boston is not fertile grounds for Division I basketball talent. He left the Vegas with a deal to play in Australia. Always upbeat, Blalock explains it's a chance to lead, and secure his place in the basketball landscape.
"I much prefer the baseball model, for example, that allows a young person, if they want to go play professional baseball, they can do it right out of high school. But once they start college they’ve got to play for three years or until they’re 21."
--- Mark Emmert, NCAA President
It's Confirmed: Corey Fisher Did Work in a Bronx Gym
by Nick Fasulo on Aug 14, 2010 10:06 AM EDT
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There’s been a lot of ruminating around the Internet this week, question the validity of claims made regarding Corey Fisher’s 105-point outburst in a Bronx, New York summer league game last Saturday.
Nearly one week later, we all know for sure that Fisher did indeed put on a show for privy fans in the gym at the Watson Classic. A PR firm representing Villanova, or the school’s communications department, finally took full advantage of their crafty guard’s accomplishment, offering him up to many of the major sports news sites across the web.
"It's true," Fisher told Yahoo’s "The Dagger" on Friday. "It never entered my mind that I would score 100 points. I was playing the game, and people in the crowd were yelling, 'He has this, he has that.' My teammates were finding me at the right place at the right time."
Playing coy and speaking sheepishly, he continued to ESPN’s Dana O’Neil:
"I had 72 after the third quarter and I just kept scoring and scoring. I didn’t realize I was near 100 and then I go to the free throw line and people started going crazy.’’
Now initially was I was considering a little compare/contrast on Fisher’s Summer 2010 folklorish story with against Xavier guard Jordan Crawford, and his once-mythical dunk over LeBron James from 2009. Both occurred without the bright lights and capacity crowds, and both had the interwebs curious and buzzing with banter. But after mulling it over for a few seconds, I had a moment of clarity. Frankly, there’s no comparison between the two. Fisher’s performance - replete with 23 3-pointers (on a mere 28 attempts) and some colander-like defense from former and current college players - far out-impresses Crawford's.
For the upcoming season, I’ll set the over/under on "References to Fisher’s 105-Point Game Made by TV Crews Announcing Villanova Game" at an arbitrary 17. I’m probably way off, but expect this story to carry itself and remain fascinating to the general public all the way to through the Wildcats' season.
SB Nation Philly: Villanova's Corey Fisher Scores 105 In NYC Summer League Game
I love everything about this, especially that it occurred in an obscure summer league game, relatively speaking, and may be one of the few modern day on-court performances that becomes folklore because no photos or video surface.
You can't get that too often in today's world.
SeattleTimes.com: UW vs. Virginia in Maui; Kentucky possible semifinal opponent
Nothing like an early season non-conference game that has a few pints of bad blood to it. Assuming Kentucky and Washington advance to the second round of the 2010 Maui Invitation, the two squads who feuded over prized recruits this spring will square off in a must-see match-up of two top 25 teams.
It must really suck to be Jacob Wise
by Nick Fasulo on Aug 5, 2010 8:18 PM EDT
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Above is Jacob Wise, son of the loose and D-loving Karen Sypher. As we all know, Sypher was found guilty on extortion and five other charges today, and is expected to spend 7-8 years behind bars for demanding money from Rick Pitino as a way to keep their brief yet tawdry relationship quiet.
In her wake she leaves behind a university that is in desperate need of a crisis communications firm, and four children who are probably fretting that upcoming first day of school. Not only is it clear to everyone in the Bluegrass State (and the country for that matter) that their mother has relaxed morals, her sexual proclivities were discussed in grave detail in a Louisville court this week; pretty jarring stuff for kids who somehow have to grow up and push this episode of their life into the subconscious.
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