A little WAC roundup

Louisiana Tech lost out on a recruit Coach Kerry Rupp wanted when Vernon Teel signed with Loyola Marymount University. New Lion Coach Bill Bayno is working his east coast contacts -- Teel is from the New York area -- having already signed Larry Davis out of Seton Hall.

Teel averaged 8. 7 ppg. at Chipola (FL) Junior College -- a team with a seven or eight D-1 recruits and has the rep as a shooter-scorer. He's 6-4 190 and someone LAT could have used but he's not irreplaceable. Hawaii also was supposedly interested but to what degree is unknown.

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Coach Mark Fox is looking to complete his 2007-2008 recruiting and is awaiting word from this kid:

Pack basketball: Phillips could be Nevada's sixth and final recruit
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette-Journal
May 6, 2008

The Nevada basketball team’s latest recruit played his prep ball in Virginia, but a cross-country journey to Reno would by no means deter him from playing for the Wolf Pack.

Ahyaro Phillips, a 6-foot-7, 200-pound power forward, is somewhat used to moving. He grew up in New Orleans, where he played his freshman and sophomore seasons before Hurricane Katrina forced him and his mother to move to Richmond, Va...

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On another note, it's not truly important but we thought we would pass on a correction of a correction. A while back, Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal wrote about a 6-8 player from Serbia being a Nevada recruiting target but he was unable to determine a name. We thought we had identified the kid as Nicola Kecman but Murray informed us that this was not the case and that the Wolf Pack had not secured a visit. This per Kecman's junior college coach. Well, we've just been told by someone close to Nevada athletics that Kecman had indeed taken a recruiting trip to Reno. But regardless, he's signed, sealed and delivered to Ohio State, hence Mark Fox's continued pursuit of another frontcourter a la Phillips.

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According to A.W. Prince -- and believe us, he is the go-to guy for inside information on whichever programs he is covering -- Mike Montgomery has signed Jorge Gutierrez out of Findlay Prep in Nevada. Gutierrez had been in on a recruiting trip to Las Cruces but chose to go the PAC-10 route.

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Ah, here's some more of the boondoggle the NCAA calls its pride and joy, the APR. Are you surprised (as you will read) that staff at NCAA headquarters don't fully understand the instricacies. We're beginning to think the NCAA modeled it after a Monty Python sketch and that Jon Stewart on The Daily Show should be preparing an entire episode with nothing but Everything You Wanted To Know About The APR But We're Afraid To Ask And Unable To Explain.

Now on to the Dominic McGuire and Quinton Hosley situations. McGuire had the chance to be drafted but as a player who could have gone anywhere from the late first round (which means a guaranteed contract) to somewhere in round two, it was incumbent on him to do what was necessary to secure a best immediate future. We would do the same. McGuire began workouts to prepare himself for the various visits NBA prospects take to numerous NBA cities. He eventually became the 47th selection in the NBA draft, made a strong impression in the NBA Summer league in Las Vegas and played this season with Washington Wizards. He seems to be set for a 10 year-or-so NBA career. Our sense is that he was not the strongest of students but he should be able to finish up his degree requirements in the off-seasson, should he desire to do so. Can someone explain why this should be a negative for Fresno State? After all, Dominic McGuire's goal -- when he entered college -- was to play in the NBA. He succeeded. Does McGuire in any way feel Fresno State let him down academically? Surely not. So what's the beef? Or where's the NCAA beef on this one?

As for Hosley, he was hoping to be an NBA draftee but the mismatch between his size and skills set indicates he will be a career player in Europe. He;s 6-5, 6-6 with a tremendous wingspan and great athleticism but he's not a backcourter nor that prolific of an outside shooter, hence his small chance of making it in the NBA. He is never going to be a big money maker and had the chance to play overseas, therefore his quick departure from campus. Like McGuire, he has the opportunity to finish his degree requirements in the off season. Of course, we have no idea if he will do so. But if you ask Hosley, we are of the belief he would say he enjoyed his time at Fresno State, that he got all the academic support he needed while he was there but that it was best for him to immediately head to Europe to capitalize on a financial offer too enticing to turn down. His money-making window of opportunity is ticking.

And kudos to Rekalin Sims for knuckling down and utilizing the educational opportunity before him.

APR adds up to bad news for Bulldogs
Matt James
The Fresno Bee
5/07/08

We now know what is happening to the Fresno State men's basketball team: They're losing a scholarship.

We now know why they're losing it: Dominic McGuire left school early for the NBA. (And by "early," we mean really early. Mid-semester early.)

Also, Quinton Hosley did not bother to graduate before he went to play pro ball in Turkey for a team called Pinar Karsiyaka. On an up note, though, he did score 43 points this season against Fenerbahce Ulker.

This, from the team Web site: "Quinton Hosley'in son dakika içerisinde buldugu basketlerle ilk çeyregi 13-14 önde tamamladi."

So I think you can see he's doing quite well.

His foreign endeavors, however, do not help Fresno State's Academic Progress Rate, which we learned this week was an 885 for the 2006-2007 season. That accomplishes zero of the three important things, which are to 1) have a number above 925; 2) get the four-year average above 925, and 3) improve from the year before.

It turns out 885 is not an improvement on 905. But let's not forget this is a slow climb from Ray Lopes' infamous 611 score of 2003-04, so maybe Fresno State should have just improved a little more gradually and everything would be fine. (Ah, there's no humor like academic progress humor.)...

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