A piece on Stew Morrill

Craw's Corner has posted an article on Stew Morrill -- do check it out.

Mondays's WAC basketball links and notes

Dayton Morinaga features Bill Amis' professional plans (no, not in the videography field, at least not yet) and what the young man is doing to get ready for the challenges.

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Tony Jones has the scoop on a very recent test of the friendship between Stew Morrill and Larry Krystkowiak. Yep, it involves recruiting.

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With Dave Rice now in at UNLV (it that the end of Reggie Theus' college coaching return?), will Fresno State and Steve Cleveland juggle some contract numbers, thus allowing the latter to return to BYU and assist Dave Rose? Of course, Cleveland is 'home' but it will require departing if he wishes to stay in the coaching ranks.

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The second basketball signing period begins on Wednesday so the 'season' has actually yet to end.

Tueaday's WAC p.m. edition

Here's a curious item from Tony Jones' blog. Someone in Laramie is either the eternal optimist  ("I can sell ice cubes to Eskimos") or extremely out of touch.

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The handwriting for Cukic was easy to read but less so for Connor. But both are not only easily replaceable, their departures allow Coach Carter to land a higher potential prospect.

Chris Murray also has an article up on possible budget reductions and the impact of such on Nevada athletics.

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Not WAC-related but this list is interesting: UNLV has announced four finalists for the job opening created by Lon Kruger moving to Oklahoma. Putting such out to the media is an interesting move to make.

Tuesday's WAC basketball links and notes

With a tip of the hat to Sam Wasson for alerting us, the Fresno Bee's George Hostetter checks in on the money side of Fresno State athletics and makes a pair of predictions on the future of Coach Steve Cleveland.


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Dayton Morinaga writes about the Rainbow Warriors roadtripping the final two games of the regular season and the WAC tourney. Two weeks away from home sounds like the NBA.

Jeff Portnoy has a News and Notes column up the whole triumphing over the sum of its parts, who will finish where, plus a good surprise in closing.

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Chris Murray offers an article detailing what Nevada is doing to turn around its approach to games.

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Sam Wasson analyzes the Aggies, and no, a couch was not involved.

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Nick Jezierny writes that seven players and five starting spots might require some of that new fangled math courtesy of Coach Leon Rice as Boise State is having its Senior Night Wednesday instead of Saturday.

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Tony Jones is impressed with Utah State recruit David Collette. Tony also details USU's interest in another in-state prospect.

Catch Stew Morrill's latest news conference here.

Early evening WAC basketball links

Tony Jones writes about what Nate Bendall brings to the Aggies, healthy or not.

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Jeff Portnoy looks at where UH hoops is today and also has a note about an injury to Hiram Thompson.

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Brian McInnis blogs at his Court Sense blog on Thompson's status and also provides a link to Coach Gib Arnold's ESPN chat.

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Chris Murray offers Coach David Carter's analysis that it was a frontcourt showdown last night and Nevada's was a MIA.

BYU is coming to Logan

Jay Drew has the details of the opening game next season for Utah State and BYU.

Some Monday p.m. WAC links

Pesky Utah State fans? That's what Chris Murray is calling the denizens of The Spectrum so we're putting the onus on The Refractioners and Bill Sproat to respond to being labeled pestiferous.

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ESPN's Mark Adams leads off with a Brian Green photo and kudos to Utah State -- later on, he goes psychic and sees Stew Morrill's induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.

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Tony Jones goes with Brian Green as the best shooter in the WAC.

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Gary Wilkinson is called the best import talent in the ANBL.

Wednesday a.m. and the WAC

Two days off for the USU players? Is any further evidence needed that Stew is mellowing into a basketball version of Mr. Rogers?

Tony Jones writes about the above and also has this blog entry on the Aggie point guard corps. Shawn Harrison goes in-depth on Brockeith Pane.

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Here's Sam Wasson with his weekly Marvin Menzies interview.

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Newcomer at the point Derrell Conner receives the celeb treatment -- both Joe Santoro and Chris Murray writes about the junior college transfer. Dan Hinxman looks at Wolf Pack point guards past and present.

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Per Brian McInnis, Hawaii doesn't face Utah State until Saturday and the Rainbow Warriors are homeworkin' it to be ready and advance their three-game win streak.

Dayton Morinaga has the news that Gib Arnold will sport different attire depending on the crowd numbers for the USU matchup.

This is fascinating...but

There's use of 'rumor' and 'apparently' and 'word is' in the following plus PTW is also unfamiliar with the writer and site -- so you're on your own. What we can write is that Jim Boylen's derriere is certainly en fuego but any StewM consideration or movement, if at all, isn't happening until the USU season is in the books.

‘Stew’ing Over a Move to Salt Lake
BenD
TornbySports.com

Rumor has it that the University of Utah has offered Aggie Coach Stew Morrill the head coaching position over next year’s Runnin’ Ute basketball team. Jim Boylen is currently the coach at Utah, but it’s no secret he’s on the hot seat.  Boylen has fared similarly to previous Ute coach Ray Giacoletti; initially starting well, but underachieving quickly thereafter. One of the main issues with Coach Boylen has to be with the relationships he has with his players. Players have been jumping ship like crazy lately. During the past offseason, two of the Utes’ top perimeter scoring threats, Carlon Brown and Marshall Henderson, transferred to Colorado and Texas Tech, respectively. And the trend has continued during the season as Team Captain Jace Tavita also recently left the team. University of Utah brass want to return the Utes to their previous glory days and they apparently believe Stew Morrill is the man for the job...

Go here for the remainder.

A handfull of Stew Morrill quotes

Here's a bevy of Stew Morrill quotes provided by USU athletics:

Opening comments:

"Last Saturday was a positive week for our team. We had a good week of practice and showed some character and some toughness by hanging in when we were down by 10 in the second half. We got out of Nevada with a road win. When you get road wins, they are seldom easy. You have to get them any way you can and that is kind of what our team did. We had a spurt in the second half where we made about every shot and made about every play and went from down to ahead in a short span of time. I had been pretty hard on them during the week in what we expected and not being satisfied in the weekend before. It was nice to see them respond."

"You get home late Saturday night, and we were fortunate we got home Saturday night, normally we get home Sunday afternoon, and you turn around and have another week where you go on the road. Back-to-back road weeks are tough, just from a logistics standpoint. We will leave [Wednesday] after having been out on the road. It will be really interesting to see what our team has Saturday night on the road. I always talk about Saturday night on the road and obviously there is a lot of emotion and excitement for the Boise [State] game and that will certainly be a challenge. I will be real interested to see what we are all about Saturday night on the road. Three straight road games and two straight weeks on the road, Fresno [State] will be playing their first game of the week at home. Will we be able to compete and match up and match their intensity and all that will go on that night?"

"Obviously before that Boise presents a lot of challenges. We knew that they would have a good basketball team this year; there was no doubt in our coaching staff's mind. They return four senior starters, whether Greg Graham was coaching them and he recruited all those kids or Leon Rice who is doing a really nice job. I felt like they were going to have a good team. It is unfortunate for Greg that he isn't getting to coach this group their senior year, and fortunate for Leon that he inherited some talent and some seniors that have been around."

"They have added some new pieces as well. When you start looking at La'Shard [Anderson], Robert Arnold, [Paul] Noonan and [Daequon] Montreal, you have got a lot of guys who have played a lot of basketball. Now they are having the most success of their careers, probably. The two big road wins they had. I think what is always tough in Boise is you are always trying to get some attention because it is such a football orientated place with all the success in football, and they are getting that attention right now. We, at times, have drawn big crowds when we go in there, sometimes double what they normally have. I would be surprised if that isn't the case with us coming to town, and them coming off two big road wins. That should be fun. You are missing the boat if it is not fun."

"One of the things I have stressed to this team recently, our team, is that they need to enjoy the process of trying to win a fourth straight WAC championship, because there are not a lot of programs, and players, and teams that have that opportunity. So why not enjoy the process of trying to do that. What is the worst that can happen? Some guy is going to say you really screwed up, you only won three in a row. Let's try and enjoy, for six of these guys it is their senior year so let's try and enjoy it. Your careers are short. Try and enjoy what we have got going, try and get better because we need to get better. We needed to get better last week and we need to get better this week. We had a good practice yesterday."

On what Coach Morrill demands of his players:

"I don't know how to do it any other way. It isn't phony, they are getting what I feel out there, and what I think we need to do to have a chance to win. There is fear of failure; there is urgency, whatever you want to call it. They [the players] have to decide how to respond to that. We have got a lot of really good kids, at three different universities, respond well and try and do everything they can to be successful. So you feel fortunate that you had good players in all of that. There are some days that I am a good guy. Maybe it means I am maturing. Maybe that is what it means if the edge and the craziness leave. What happened after San Jose [State], I don't like that. I don't like when I act like that, what a temper tantrum. I don't like it and I feel like crap the next day, but it is real. It is going to happen sometimes, hopefully not very many times every year. If the edge goes maybe it means you are maturing, maybe it means it is time to be done, I don't know. I still have got the edge, and I still plan on doing it for awhile."

On Boise State's Paul Noonan:

"He didn't have the kind of year that he could have had. Based on back when he was a freshman, we saw him and went, `Wow, this is going to be a really good player.' I think what is happening this year is maybe he is healthier; maybe he realizes this is his last year. The fact that he is playing two positions really causes you to concern. He plays a wing position and you are guarding him with a wing player, and then he goes to a post-position and it really is a tough match up. It is a match up like we used to have with Spencer Nelson where he has got a lot of wing talent but the posts have to match up with him. You have to find him quicker in transition. When he is in the post, the posts are not used to finding him. You have to get back to him quicker on ball screens. There are a lot of things. He is playing really well. You look at all those guys, La'Shard Anderson is player of the week in the WAC, Robert Arnold is really aggressive offensively, Montreal is an athletic, big post guy. So they have got good pieces."
 
On finding Noonan on the perimeter:

"That is the first priority. He is a really good passer; he can use a shot fake and go by you. You have got to be disciplined when you guard Noonan. You can't get easily faked out, easily distracted. You have got to have a disciplined guy on him. Tyler Newbold is the kind of defender who has a chance to guard him. Tyler is very disciplined in how he approaches the game defensively and he is very experienced. He has [defended] a lot of good players."

On Brady Jardine playing well at Nevada and returning to Idaho this week:

"It was really good to see Brady [Jardine] play well at Nevada. He had not had a great start to league in the first weekend. He got a lot of minutes, Nate Bendall got in foul trouble, plus Brady was playing well. We could've played Nate a few more minutes but Brady was playing so well that we left him out there and he had a really good game. Boise [State] recruited him, he is an Idaho kid, and certainly when you play in the state of Idaho or anyone from the state of Idaho it is going to have a little bit of special meaning to Brady. I remember Greg Graham got a little bit of heat for not getting Brady. Brady belonged at Utah State, I will always believe that. It is a good place for Brady Jardine. He is married now, he found his wife here, it is just a good fit in the cultural and social part of the school."

On Brockeith Pane being more productive:

"He is definitely playing better. He is taking better shots, he has settled in a little bit and understands what we expect from him. He is getting more confident because he is playing better. Brockeith has gotten to the basket, and I think the main thing is he has gotten a better feel for when to attack and when not to within our system. He has not been in a system quite like this and it is a big change. One thing I will tell you about Brockeith is he cares, basketball is important him. He tries to do what we ask and he is hard on himself. All of that, with some talent, gives you a chance to be playing well and that is what he is doing."

On Tai Wesley's minutes:

"Tai Wesley playing minutes is huge. I would like to play Tai, with all he does for our team, 34 to 36 minutes. I think he needs a breather now and then, he did get 38 the one game. I would like to leave him in the whole second half if we have enough timeouts, and if he doesn't need to come out. That being said, the foul issues always seem to come up and it really helps when they don't. He makes our whole system work better. He makes it easier on Brockeith because we can enter through Tai. We run a lot of our stuff through Tai. It is like having another point guard out there with all the things we run through our four-men, and we have for a long, long time. I hope that we can get players to continue to do that. Tai's assist-to-turnover ratio needs to get back to where it was last year but he is an extremely good passer and smart player. One of the smartest I have ever had, he understands everything that you are doing."

Om Tai Wesley doing a better job of staying out of foul trouble:

"Yes, it still flares up now and then but he is really trying hard. It is a priority in his mind that [there are] no dumb fouls. That is where he gets in trouble. If you want to get into a physical thing with him, he often times responds. That is his nature and sometimes he needs not to respond because that is when he picks up a dumb foul. Just the ones here and there that he can avoid really helps us. Maybe we need to do some things too, we are trying to. Play a little more zone, sometimes we will do that if it is working. Or we will double the post if it makes sense against the team we are playing. We have got to try and do things to keep him out of foul trouble but it is not always that simple. He has a reputation. The refs know Tai, they know that he is a physical guy, they know that he is not going to hesitate to mix it up. If you cheap shot him, there is a chance that he will cheap shot you back. I don't say that in a condescending way. I have always told players don't back down but use some common sense."

On La'Shard Anderson:

"He is the deal. He kind of sets the tone for how they play. Their style of play is about the things he gives them, but the other players then feed of him. In transition, they are flying down the court and he leads the break a lot of the times but it gets them playing fast. Making aggressive plays on ball screens, that is a big part of his game. Can we defend the on ball screen? He is really good at that. He shoots three's, he drives it, he is one of the better guards in the league right now, no question."

On playing so many doubleheaders in league this year:

"I have never liked doubleheaders, at home or on the road. Unless there is a gap there so you know when it will be. Like sometimes our women will play at three o'clock and that doesn't affect anything with us. It is the same the other way around if we play at three and they play at seven, that just makes sense to me. You hang out a lot [with doubleheaders]. You don't know what time the game is going to start, it is a pain. That is not a title nine statement. You have to qualify everything these days, I don't do a good enough job of that. It is just a fact, whoever plays first there needs to be a gap, that is what I think. I don't think it should ever happen in conference. When we are on the road, [the women] should be at home, when they are on the road we should be at home. The conference should have the same exact schedule. It just makes sense, why wouldn't you? It just makes practicing easier."

It's Thursday and we're loaded

No, no, no, not in the way you immediately think, certainly not the virtuous PTW. We have standards and one of them is waiting until noon until we meet Sam Adams. Now where were we...

On to a bevy of links.

Jason Groves leads us off with an almost-straight-out-of-Johannesburg Tshilidz i"Chili" Nephawe feature.

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Louisiana Tech traveled to Austin last night and fell 89-58. Here's a report from the Austin American. This is from the LA TECH athletics site. Olu Ashaolu led with a double-double of 13 and 11. Rebounding was close at 47-41 but the Bulldogs passed for just four assists.

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Idaho athletics fills us in on the three Vandal signees and, yes, Anthony Jones, is the son of the former Laker who played college ball at Oral Roberts.

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Frosh Bobby Miles receives an introduction via Dayton Morinaga at DM's Warrior Insider site.

Brian McInnis previews the upcoming UH - Montana State encounter.

If you haven't already done so -- warning you that we do check on these things -- do get to the all-things-Hawaii-basketball offering published by the Star Advertiser sports staff. It's the best individual team coverage we've read so far anywhere. Go here.

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The Idaho Statesman offers a bit of coverage on basketball signees plus those expected at Idaho and Boise State.

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Kraig Williams at the Deseret New has posted his WAC team preview, including rankings and reasons for hope.

Shawn Harrison writes about a teleconference with Stew Morrill in which the latter reaches back to one of his classes at Gonzaga. It wasn't quite Spinoza or William James and thankfully Freud was left out altogether.

Stew Morrill on Nate Bendall

Tony Jones offers a series of tweets regarding USU hoops -- the most important being: "Nate Bendall will not qualify for a medical redshirt according to Stew Morrill....it's now or never for the senior...tough deal for Bendall"

Go here for the others, which are well worth reading. 

Two Sunday items for you

Westwind Prep in Phoenix is absolutely loaded with both 2011 talents and also players doing a prep season. We don't know how Coach Bobby Bossman is going to everyone satisfied -- such is the level of recruits at his disposal.

Now, 6-foot-9 Khalil Brown has joined the party -- go here and a Rivals sub is required -- and Fresno State, among others, has already offered. He's a multi-positional player with tremendous upside and just the type of talent Steve Cleveland and Fresno State will need for the move to the Mountain West Conference.

Here's a dated -- October 2008 -- ESPN evaluation: "Brown does not have the game of a post player, though he has the height of an interior prospect. He has the ability to play on the perimeter and hit jump shots in the mid-range portion of the court, though he can occasionally hit the 3-pointer. He has a quick enough first step and handles the ball well enough to drive past defenders when he faces the basket in the mid-post area. When he does get in the paint, he can finish with either hand, though he seems more comfortable with his right hand. Brown needs to get significantly stronger and exhibit a higher level of effort for extended periods of time."

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Stew Morrill made a trip to California recently and one place he hit was the Antelope Valley College gym. Go here and read Melvin Grussing's report. By the way, Melvin operates THE BEST fan community college site around and AVC hoops is lucky to have his support.

Andy Katz, Doug Gottlieb and a little WAC love

Andy Katz and Doug Gottlieb offer the WAC -- actually, make that mostly Utah State -- some hugs and kisses in a recent column (and do read the entire piece):

Teams to watch

Utah State: The Aggies are the class of the WAC once again and are led by a senior crew that is looking for its fourth straight regular-season title. Utah State will get plenty attention early with games against Utah, BYU and Georgetown. Once conference season begins, look for Tai Wesley and the Ags to fend off New Mexico State for the WAC title.

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Nonconference games to watch

Utah State at Georgetown, Dec. 4: USU coach Stew Morrill had been stubbornly against going on the road without a return against a power-six conference team. He finally took the plunge and should benefit -- win or lose -- from this venture to D.C. This will be as much of a test for the Hoyas as it will be for the Aggies, who must show well on the East Coast to create some believers come March. This game won't affect Utah State's winning the WAC but certainly could help with seeding or at-large selection (if needed).

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Five coaches who don't get enough love

Stew Morrill, Utah State: There is reason for concern, as conference realignment left USU stuck in what is now a six-team WAC for 2012. But as long as Morrill is coaching the Aggies, there is hope. He is a lock for 20-plus wins and a postseason berth every season, and he's made seven NCAA tourney appearances since 2000. This towering presence runs a myriad of sets and constantly keeps opposing coaches up late. Morrill won at Montana and Colorado State and continues to cruise in Logan.

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Five mid-major conference races to watch

WAC

You might not have noticed, but the WAC was one of the country's best non-major conferences in 2009-10. The reason? A star-dominated Nevada team featuring Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson, a brilliant offensive conference champ in Utah State, a pair of 20-win teams in New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech, and a handful of mid-level teams with the ability to beat any of the big boys on any given night.

Johnson and Babbitt left Nevada for the NBA, but the WAC should still be worth the watch. Utah State is the clear favorite yet again: The Aggies return almost every major contributor -- Tai Wesley, Nate Bendall, Pooh Williams, Tyler Newbold -- from a team that ranked No. 18 in the nation in offensive efficiency last season. But that group, for all its talent, will be challenged by an experienced, senior-dominated New Mexico State team that played some of the better offense in the country itself last season. The Aggies also feature one of the country's best offensive rebounders in 7-foot center Hamidu Rahman. Then there's efficient junior Troy Gillenwater (who should get a much higher percentage of his team's minutes in 2010-11) and 6-6 senior Wendell McKines, all significant contributors in last year's 22-win campaign.

Nor is the WAC strictly a two-team race. Even without its two NBA-caliber stars, Nevada will be displeased with anything below a third-place finish, and upstarts like Boise State, Fresno State and San Jose State all feature a smattering of likely all-conference selections.

So, yes, the WAC can play. In 2009-10, the only better "mid-major" conferences, in so far as that term is appropriate, were the Mountain West, Conference USA and Atlantic 10. Don't expect a dropoff in 2010-11. Instead, expect a competitive race to unseat Utah State.

Andy Katz hearts Utah State hoops

ESPN's Andy Katz offers some justified love to USU basketball today:

Resilient Utah State can still sell program
Andy Katz
ESPN
August 20, 1010

Utah State's Scott Barnes was the first remaining WAC athletic director to talk about loyalty and honoring a commitment.

What he could have added as well in his letter to USU fans is that his basketball program has stood quite well on its own for some time.

Lost amid the moves of Fresno State and Nevada to leave the WAC for the Mountain West in 2012 is how they will affect the Utah State men's basketball program...

Go here for the remainder.

A couple more Monday items for you

Chris Murray has multiple links and a ton of information on Luke Babbitt and the draft. Go here.

Just a thought: when the WAC has two front-end first-rounders and possibly a late one with Armon Johnson (and all three players are underclassmen), what is the kingmaker conference on the west coast offering? Quincy Pondexter.

Plus, look at Nevada's handful of NBA draftees the past few years. Who is the last player to be drafted out of Colorado? Was it really Chauncey Billups back in 1997? Yowza.

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Marvin Menzies and Stew Morrill are quoted in Eric Prisbell's Washington Post feature on basketball game scheduling, or actually lack thereof. Go here. Prisbell, like ESPN's Andy Katz, once worked for the Fresno Bee.

Coach Morrill does do the right thing

We try to be an informative as possible at PTW and also attempt to apply fairness to who and what is presented here.

Not too long ago in a post here, we didn't much like the jettisoning of Modou Niang from the USU roster vis-à-vis Anthony DiLoreto's remaining an Aggie.

Today, it was announced the Coach Morrill has also decided that DiLoreto's off the court decision-making has not been up to par while a member of the Utah State basketball team:

Utah State cuts ties with troubled DiLoreto
Diamond Leung
ESPN
May 6, 2010

Utah State announced today that it has dismissed center Anthony DiLoreto from the program. DiLoreto, a freshman, redshirted this season. He already had strikes against him after pleading no contest to a bank robbery charge coming out of high school, and had been on suspension after an arrest in February for marijuana possession...

Go here for the remainder.

Not that he needs the following (or should care) but this was a necessary and appropriate move for Morrill and we applaud him for it.

As for Anthony DiLoreto, we bear no animosity (nor should anyone other than possibly the bank personnel involved) -- here's hoping he gets his personal life and decision-making  in order and prospers, first and foremost, as an individual. Basketball ranks as unimportant right now.

Sunday's WAC brunch (we get spicy at the end)

Thanks to warriorbow at the Scout Hawaii site basketball message board for posting this: a feature on UH backcourter Hiram Thompson. Here is one from April on Jared Quayle.

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Matt James provides an interesting piece of the seemingly greater player loyalty to Bulldog football vis-a-vis Fresno State basketball. It is true that Pat Hill's roster (as opposed to Steve Cleveland's) contains more player geographically 'connected' to the Fresno area and maybe that 'pull' gets these young men to stay longer but another critical variable to consider is the period of time needed for a college football player (as opposed to a college basketballer looking at the NBA) to have a body ready for the NFL. It generally is three years for those on the gridiron but can be as minimal as one for hoopsters.

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Jared Eborn checks in on the departures of Modou Niang and Tyrone White from the USU basketball program, plus a whole bunch of other player personnel information.

The impression given in the article (hopefully we are reading it correctly) is that Utah State made the decision to drop Niang. Granted, players know that an athletic scholarship is a year-to-year proposition and plenty of players decide on their own to migrate to a new college because of a sense it will be a 'better' home but coaches also don't enter the living rooms of players and their families during recruiting visits and stress that you may be dumped if you don't work out as expected and we find someone better.

This is one aspect of college sports that has always bothered us.

Compounding this is the fact that Niang has encountered no brushes with the law nor academic failings that are known to the public. He just didn't develop at an expected or acceptable rate.of progress.

Anthony DiLoreto certainly has a familiarity with the former, twice to be exact. His inital escapade should have meant the affixing to him of a two-strikes-and-you're-out tag. Yet he remains on the Aggie roster  -- ostensibly because he is seven feet tall and talented in basketball.

There is much to admire about Stew Morrill -- even opposing fans, if truly honest, must admit this fact. But not the latest personnel moves.

Your WAC breakfast scramble

Nick Jezierny reports on the get-together between Leon Rice and The Mills family.

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Jared Eborn interviews Stew Morrill as part of a lengthy season reviews of USU hoops.

Tony Jones has an update on the status of Anthony DiLoreto at his Aggieville blog.

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Here is one more, the subject of which may produce another PTW rant

Okay, ESPN's Andy Katz writes that Stew Morrill (among others) -- according to Katz' source(s) -- would listen to overtures from the powers-that-be in charge of hiring a new head basketball coach at Iowa.

Hawkeyenation offers the ESPN link to the latest on the coaching carousel but also much more in a well-thought-out and well worth reading piece that touches upon the nation of coaching rumors.