Stop the 'net!!! JaVale McGee going pro

Well, this will certainly roil the good feelings emanating out of Nevada about next season and put the Wolf Pack in a hole at the center position. Only 6-8 Matt LaGrone has the size to move over to the center spot unless and until Coach Mark Fox lands someone from the JC ranks.

This move is good for the other contending WAC teams but bad for the league overall as it can only lower the WAC RPI rating next season.

As for McGee, he needs another season in order to develop the mental aspect necessary to compete in the NBA, plus about 30-40 more pounds and much more technical efficiency with his footwork, etc. But the overarching question -- which nobody knows the answer -- is would he develop these various capacities faster in the pros or in college?

Good luck to JaVale -- may he succeed beyond his wildest expectations.

Pack basketball: McGee hires agent, will enter draft
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette Journal
March 30, 2008

JaVale McGee has decided his NBA future is now.

The Nevada sophomore has hired an agent, nullifying his two remaining years of college eligibility, Nevada director of media services Rhonda Lundin confirmed Saturday evening.

The 7-footer showed glimpses of his immense talent throughout the season, averaging 14.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference second team and the league's all-defensive team after leading the WAC in blocks with 92.

McGee's unique blend of size, length and athleticism, along with his professional pedigree, elicited praise from scouts. However, the 20-year-old is also considered a raw prospect physically, a player who is likely not yet ready to step into an NBA rotation.

McGee and Nevada coach Mark Fox did not immediately return calls to their cell phones, but McGee spoke with draftexpress.com, which first reported the player's decision.

McGee told the site he "wanted to get it off my mind and start working hard," when asked why he decided to enter the draft. The site reported his mother -- former WNBA player and USA Basketball Olympian Pam McGee -- was recently told by NBA general managers her son would be drafted from the "late lottery to 20" portion of the draft, which he said "sounds about right" and "can't get any better..."

Go here for the remainder.

We just loved this

Sometimes you come across lines you wish you had thought of or written. Here's a prime example, despite our affection for Hawaii's Matt Gibson. The subject of the post is Jared Quayle, a new verbal commit to Utah State and Coach Stew Morrill:

Utah State Aggie SCOUT.com message board

# hipsterdoofus21
# True Aggie

He's quick, very athletic, and has great ball handling skills. Obviously he can shoot. He's got the skills to be a Matt Gibson, without the annoying after taste.

Nevada lands a Marcelus Kemp replacement

Here's another newcomer, adding some firepower to Nevada:

Pack basketball: Shaw gives verbal commitment
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette Journal
March 21, 2008

Joey Shaw sat in his living room Thursday and watched the opening day of the NCAA Tournament from the early-morning session through the late-night session.

Next year, he hopes to be playing in the tournament rather than watching it on television.

"That's the goal," said Shaw, who has verbally committed to play for the Nevada basketball team next season. "I knew I wanted to go somewhere where I could play in the (NCAA) Tournament and win a conference championship."

With the Wolf Pack adding another prized prospect to its nationally ranked recruiting class, those might not be far-fetched expectations.

Shaw, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound shooting guard, averaged 16.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game for the College of Southern Idaho this season. He shot 36 percent from 3-point land and 85 percent from the free throw line.

Southern Idaho assistant coach Steve Gosar said Nevada will get a dangerous and versatile offensive threat in Shaw.

"He's a great shooter, somebody who can really score in bunches," Gosar said. "He's really worked on putting the ball on the deck and getting to the hoop this season. He's always been able to shoot, but he's added the driving dimension to his game..."

Go here for the remainder.

Fresno State still haunted by Ray Lopes

Ah, the long reach of the Academic Progress Rate (APR). There's no easy answers but a certainly appropriate question is why are Coach Steve Cleveland and the current Fresno State men's basketball players (as with other coaches, colleges and student athletes) effected by personnel decisions made by a previous coach and the academic woes of previous players? It's like inheriting an unpaid bill from a previous tenant and being forced to pay.

Part of the solution should be both looking at and weighing what has taken place academically since a new coach's arrived -- that should count heavily in any determination. If the academic failings of a former coach and set of players puts a basketball program into such a deep hole that it takes close to a decade to climb out then something is wrong with the system. Leeway should be the watch word of the day if genuine improvement has been made.

Bulldogs fear new hoops setback
Academic issues could lead to more lost scholarships
Gary Estwick
The Fresno Bee
3/17/08

The issue: The men's basketball team's history of low academic progress is a problem that takes years to correct.

At stake: Fresno State could face reduced scholarships and practice time, or the NCAA could cite progress and not penalize. Fresno State men's basketball faces possible penalties in the coming months as the NCAA evaluates the program's historically low academic progress rate.

The NCAA will release its annual APR report in early May, and Fresno State is expected to earn a four-year average under the minimum of 900. The score could place the program -- already on the NCAA's public warning list -- in danger of losing scholarships and practice time next season, as well as other penalties.

The NCAA has contacted Fresno State and requested academic-related information, coach Steve Cleveland confirmed Monday afternoon.

"At this point in time, we don't know what will happen," Cleveland said. "We're waiting for the NCAA to let us know. We'll find out in the coming weeks."

Fresno State already is expecting to lose one scholarship because Dominic McGuire departed early for the NBA in poor academic standing. Had he left eligible before he signed a professional basketball contract, he would not have hurt the team's academic standing.

Even if Fresno State's projected score for the 2006-07 year was a perfect 1,000 -- meaning every scholarship athlete ended the fall and spring semesters academically eligible, and returned to the university the following semester -- Fresno State still would fall below the minimum average score for the fourth consecutive school year...

Go here for the remainder.

Boise looks to the future

Here is what Boise is currently up to, with one returnee to the program returning from his LDS mission:

BSU men turn focus to future of program
Graham's contract and next year's roster are among the items the basketball team must address.
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
3/27/08

...RESHAPING THE ROSTER

The Broncos lose four senior starters - Matt Bauscher, Reggie Larry, Matt Nelson and Tyler Tiedeman. Eight players return, plus the Broncos will add transfer Ike Okoye and new signees Robert Arnold and La'Shard Anderson to the mix.

Tyler Young, who signed in 2006 and took a two-year church mission, also is expected to join the program. Graham isn't allowed to comment on Young because of NCAA rules.

That leaves the Broncos with one scholarship available. They are actively recruiting a power forward to help replace Larry, an All-WAC performer who ended his career ranked 13th on the school's all-time scoring list.

Graham likes how next season's squad is shaping up. The productivity, efficiency and leadership of the four seniors will be missed, but next year's group has potential, he said.

"Overall as a team, we'll be bigger," he said. "We can have a lot of different combinations. Everyone on our team will be a little different and offer something different..."

Here's a little something we worked up on a Fresno State recruit

Here is yet another example of fandom crossing the line -- Agenda Fandom yet again. People with ulterior motives not concerned with the facts or getting the facts.

DISCLAIMER: Now we aren't anywhere near possessing angelic status nor do we claim such nor do we wish to continually occupy any sort of high horse while wagging our forefingers, so we're checking out of our room at The Holier Than Thou Hotel after this.

This week, a power forward from Chipola Junior College in Florida, Joey Cameron, decided to request his release from a letter-of-intent he had signed to attend Fresno State next season. Immediately, some sectors of Bulldog fandom went into overdrive, hailing this recusal as yet another sign that the Fresno State men's basketball program was in shambles. how a desperately needed big man must have been backing away because he saw disaster awaiting him, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Nobody, except for the parties involved, knew the facts surrounding Cameron's situation..

But that didn't matter -- for some.

Yes, some took it as just more red meat for blasting Fresno State men's basketball, as an opportunity too 'good' to pass up taking yet more swipes.

Unfortunately for them, here is beat reporter Gary Estwick on the matter:

Dogs ball, recruit parting ways
Gary Estwick
The Fresno Bee
March 18, 2008

Power forward Joey Cameron will receive his release from a Fresno State scholarship in the coming days, coach Steve Cleveland told me earlier today. For those of you wondering how this affect next season's incoming class...

It's actually good news for the Dogs... Cameron was a good pickup, but Fresno State is now in a position to contend for several players that offer a bigger impact.

Among others, Fresno State is recruiting Paul George, a former Pepperdine signee, JeJuan Brown, a former Vanderbilt forward, and point guard Rob Lowery, who hails from the same junior college as Bulldogs senior Eddie Miller.

Cameron was a defense/rebound kinda player. He hails from the same junior college as [current Bulldog] Shawn Taylor. He may develop into a solid Division I player, but it wasn't worth the risk for him to move out West... He will likely settle at a school much closer to his home in Atlanta. He's married, and has a wife out there... Fresno is a long way from the life he has become accustomed to.

___________________________________________________________

Oops. The 'saviour' of the Fresno State men's basketball program had other more complicated reasons for making the request that he did. Besides what Estwick detailed, Cameron is also currently injured, hasn't played for a while and is concerned over his healing. His wife also owns a business in the Southeast.

Yes, facts do sometimes get in the way of the conclusions that are wished.

Another point: Cleveland has a weekly radio show where callers can pose questions to him on the air-- it's not like he isn't accessible if someone wishes to get a query answered.. It's worth a listen if one wishes to determine who will make the effort to get an answer about a question of interest and those who decide to remain solely frequenters of message boards.

But we already knew about that divide.

In case you're keeping track at home...

There actually has been some player movement already within the ranks of the WAC. So for those of you keeping score:

Luster given his release from NMSU basketball
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
3/23/2008

LAS CRUCES — New Mexico State University freshman guard JayDee Luster received his release from the Aggies basketball team.

The release was requested by Luster following the season.

"He has been given his release to explore other college options," Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies said. "It's uncertain what his immediate plans are. I don't know if he is going to a smaller school or another Division I."

Menzies said Luster requested to be released on Tuesday. Luster's financial aide was not taken away. The release just allows other schools to contact Luster seeking his services...

+

Other players leaving?
Teddy Feinberg
Las Cruces Sun News blog
March 25, 2008

Alright, we have [JayDee] Luster. Who else could go?

Ya know, I was thinking that [Assistant Coach] Chris Pompey is a key piece to this whole thing. With him around, it increases the chances that Herb Pope and Jahmar Young will be with the team. But what if he left? I don't know if either player stays at that point.

Jahmar was a good freshman last year, at least on the court. He averaged double-digit points and that number is sure to go up. He's a scorer. He could easily average 15-17 points per game next season.

If Pope is in place, him and Troy Gillenwater could be a scary combination on the court.

I don't think you'll see DeAngelo Jones return. He played behind some great players this past year and didn't see the court at all. I think he's gone.

There were chemistry problems this past year. That could lead to change and was an indication that not everyone was happy with their roles. Luster left. And this is just the beginning of the offseason.

+

6-11 245 Shawn Oliverson has begun classes at Louisiana Tech this month. He played as a freshman at Cornell then went on a mission as part of his LDS faith. Originally from Idaho, he is a sophomore in eligibility. Oliverson is a project but won't need to play anytime soon because of the big men transfers Coach Kerry Rupp has available in the coming season.

+

Western Wyoming Community College star Jared Quayle has verballed to Utah State. Originally from Utah, the 6-2 Quayle is a sophomore currently averaging 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game. Outside shooting is one his fortes and he also possesses excellent jumping ability. Quayle nailed 63 3-pointers this season, shooting 52% from three-point range, and 53% overall and 78% from the foul line.

How did Idaho entice anyone to take over?

Sure, there are but 300 and some odd D-1 head coaching positions but we're always surprised when someone decides to tackle a complete rebuilding project and one that projects no visible odds in favor of success.

In particular, Don Verlin's move from being a longtime assistant to Stew Morrill to the head coaching spot at Idaho completely caught us by surprise. It seems that it boiled down almost a now-or-never sense for Verlin and we're just hoping he will have enough resources at his disposal to make the Vandals competitive -- a five-year contract will be a great help -- as the departed George Pfeifer was stuck with far less.

Idaho just doesn't have the population to be a so-called basketball state in terms of producing talent -- something that the state of Utah enjoys -- so Verlin is going to have to really do a sales job on the virtues of Moscow, Idaho, playing time, the opportunity to turn a program around, etc.

We struggle at ever seeing Idaho being fully competitive with most of the other programs in the WAC, but we've been wrong before. There are just so many disadvantages. But Verlin is a good first step

New University of Idaho basketball coach promises passion
Chadd Cripe
Idaho Statesman
March 25, 2008


Don Verlin drove from California to Colorado in the early 1990s to meet then-Colorado State men's basketball coach Stew Morrill and discuss a job opening for a graduate assistant.

If Morrill had known Verlin was coming, he would have told him to save the gas money. Coaching jobs are too competitive to take the gamble.

But after the meeting - a former Morrill assistant arranged it - Morrill hired Verlin.

And that was the foundation for a 15-year partnership and life-lasting friendship that prepared Verlin for his new role, as the men's basketball coach at Idaho. Verlin, the associate coach at Utah State under Morrill, was formally introduced by the Vandals during a Monday night press conference in Moscow.

Verlin, 42, has a five-year contract. Financial details were not disclosed. He replaces George Pfeifer, who was fired last week after producing 12 wins in two seasons.

Morrill compares Verlin to Mike Montgomery, the former Montana, Stanford and Golden State Warriors head coach. Morrill worked for Montgomery at Montana.

"(Verlin) was out beating the bushes, and that says a lot about a guy," Morrill said. "I've always told people about Coach V that he reminded me of a young Mike Montgomery. There's similarities there in terms of a great feel for the game, a true understanding of college basketball, a way about him that people like. When he sat down with me, he charmed me and got the job."

Verlin said Monday that he still has that kind of passion.

"I absolutely still have that passion, and you will see it come out in our players and in our program,'' he said. "That will be the No. 1 thing we do here at the University of Idaho - work our tails off every day to be the best we can...''

Go here for the remainder.

Why Mark Fox to Cal makes sense & why not

Yes, I just may be suffering from an NCAA basketball-induced overdose but let's work through this possible Mark Fox to Cal scenario:

Reasons For:

*** Cal is a member of the PAC-10 which -- hint, hint -- means there are but 10 head coaching spots available in one of the top basketball conferences in the nation -- nine and a half if I wish to be particularly snarky towards OSU

*** Fox's salary requirements should fall within the range of what Cal is expecting to pay for its next men's basketball coach

*** Fox has no center on his roster if center JaVale McGee heads to the Big Show. 6-8 Matt LaGrone is the tallest returning Wolf Packer.

*** Both Cal and Nevada are Adidas schools, something that could play a large factor

*** Fox has a rather minimal $250,000 buyout if he departs prior to July 2011

*** Fox has the necessary WAC championships and the NCAA appearances to win enough of the opening press conference for Cal

*** Fox is visibly passionate while coaching, as asset Cal fans, especially the students, will enjoy mimicking

*** What more can Fox accomplish at Nevada?

*** Cal basketball is not in any way, shape or form, similar to that of Nebraska hoops in potential (a school Fox conversed with prior to declining consideration in the past)

Reasons Against:

*** Why in the world would Fox depart Reno with the very solid makings he has in returning players and with Luke Babbitt (especially) and Mark McLaughlin coming in as freshmen? It makes no sense for him to leap now.

*** Could Mark Fox's temper somehow be held against him? His tango with a referee after a game in the 2006-2007 WAC tournament was obviously not his best monent nor was his bumping an official during a game against Utah State in Logan. In fairness, there were no similar incidents this season.

*** In simply may be our ignorance but we aren't aware of any Mark Fox connections -- often the primary component of any deal -- within the world of Cal AD Sandy Barbour.

We hope you watched the WAC finals

How would you like to be Greg Graham's agent right now? It's fascinating how the worm turns -- not only will the Boise administrators need to re-up Graham but with a nice raise -- not that, to be fair, such wasn't in the plans already. This despite a few hot air Bronco fans somehow believing a Coach K-alike is panting to come to Boise or that Dean Smith would come out of retirement to pursue the Bronco head coaching position. Greg Graham is one of the good guys in the profession and now he has the leverage.

Speaking of such, you have to pull for Matt Bauscher. A former walk-on who thoroughly understands his strengths and limitations plus his role on the team, he is one of those cerebral types we love to watch, seemingly always in the right place at the right time and such doesn't happen on its own. Opportunistic guys like him put themselves in the right position to favorably affect a game -- it's not happenstance.

You also have to love Matt Nelson's footwork and positioning -- he puts on a big man clinic.

We are so glad that Reggie Larry's airball freethrow ultimately didn't matter. The kid is a warrior and is amazingly effective among the trees for being just for 6-5.

In the Department-Of-Full-Disclosure, we have to admit we expected New Mexico State to win this one. Even after the game began and NMSU was down by double figures, we anticipated the Aggie athleticism and deeper bench would still prevail. Sometimes, it's difficult to factor in greater heart. That plus better shot selection. We can't quantify it but we have a sense -- it's just a feeling -- that New Mexico State may have actually been less effective than possible because of having too many players in the rotation -- too much talent -- leading to not necessarily looking to its seniors at crucial moments or for crucial shots. Our preference is the ball in the hands of Fred Peete or Justin Hawkins. However, maybe it was simply better free throw shooting overall that did the trick and nothing else.

Tri-umph! Broncos going to the Big Dance after a triple-overtime victory in WAC title game
Boise State breaks a school record for wins and an NCAA tourney drought in victory over NMSU
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
March 16, 2008

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Need any more proof that this Boise State men's basketball team is the best in school history?

The Broncos won their school-record 25th game Saturday night in the toughest of settings with the highest of stakes on the line - an NCAA Tournament bid.

Boise State outlasted New Mexico State 107-102 in triple overtime on the Aggies' home court in front of 10,921 to win its first WAC Tournament title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

"I'm proud of our guys - they hung tough," BSU coach Greg Graham said. "At times people sold them short, but they wouldn't give up. We've hung in there and raised the bar forever at Boise State."

It is BSU's first appearance in the Big Dance since 1994, a span of 14 years. That's how long it seemed to take for the Broncos to finally sew up Saturday night's game.

"I feel like crying. I feel like puking. I don't know what to do," said forward Tyler Tiedeman, who scored 17 points and made five huge 3-pointers before fouling out in the third overtime. "We're going dancing, and that's all that matters..."

Go here for the remainder.

OR

Aggies lose triple-OT thriller
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
3/16/2008

LAS CRUCES — The Aggies rode their seniors for two years, including 55 minutes of postseason basketball on Saturday at the Pan American Center.

Fourth-seeded Boise State outlasted No. 3 New Mexico State University 107-102 in three overtimes to win the school's first Western Athletic Conference Tournament in the highest scoring game in WAC Tournament history.

The Broncos secured their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1994, while the Aggies hope to land one of 32 berths in the Postseason NIT or the inaugural 16-team College Basketball Invitational.

"I'm not sure what the administration's views are," Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies said. "I think we got a pretty good record and we got to the conference final so I think we should get a bid."

The NIT selection occurs tonight at 5 p.m.

"I'm extremely honored and proud to coach these seniors into this final conference championship game," Menzies said.

In the third overtime with the game tied at 92, the Aggies went to the capable shoulders of senior center Hatila Passos for much of the period. Passos finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds...

Go here for the remainder.

PLUS

Broncos rule, and it's been a wild ride
Brian Murphy
Idaho Statesman
3/16/08

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — New rule: ESPN is obligated to carry every Boise State athletic contest. ESPNU-Can't-Believe- It, sponsored by Maalox. The nation will watch.

New rule: Boise State fans must stop calling for Greg Graham to be fired. And instead drop a bottle of Tums and an apology in the mail for him.

New rule: Every child born in Boise between now and the Broncos' first NCAA Tournament game in 14 years must be named either Reggie or Larry. And every woman should pray for a labor shorter - and easier on the stomach - than the Broncos' triple-overtime classic in the WAC Tournament against host New Mexico State.

The Broncos don't make it easy on their fans or themselves, but as evidenced by some spastic postgame dancing (Michael Flatley need not worry), they are finally going to the biggest dance around:

The NCAA Tournament.

Reggie Larry sat on the Broncos' bench and cried tears of joy. Larry, the tournament MVP, scored a career-high 31 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and left exhausted by his 48-minute virtuoso performance Saturday night. I think Georgia played fewer minutes Saturday - and the Bulldogs won twice at the SEC Tournament.

"I told you I was going to do whatever I can to get this done, no matter what it is, no matter what it takes," Larry said, his body aching and tears trickling down his cheeks.

New rule: There is crying in basketball...

Go here for the remainder.

AND

Broncos, Aggies play a classic in title game
Felix Chavez
Las Cruces Sun-News
3/16/2008

LAS CRUCES - What else would you expect but a triple overtime thriller in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament final?

The regular season featured a four-way tie for the regular season title between Boise State, New Mexico State, Utah State and Nevada, which all finished with a 12-4 mark.

The aforementioned teams consequently made the semifinals of the WAC Tournament. On Saturday night in the title game, Boise State got it done 107-102 in a game that certainly had all the beauty of what March Madness and college basketball is about.

The Aggies, who were hosting the tournament for the second straight year, looked like a beaten team early in the game when they got down 21-7. They still looked beaten with 7:46 left in the contest when Boise State went up 61-48 after a 3-pointer.

But NMSU is a team that has gone through a lot on and off the court this season and it wasn't going to get blown out in its own building.

The Aggies eventually went ahead 71-70 on a Jonathan Gibson 3-pointer. But Boise State's Reggie Larry forced the first overtime time with a free throw.

Then the game became a grind it out, emotion-packed affair.

Boise State somehow survived after losing starters Matt Nelson and Tyler Tiedeman to fouls. And how about Boise State guard Anthony Thomas and his clutch play in the third overtime? The sophomore guard foolishly fouled NMSU's Hatila Passos with 3.3 seconds left in the first overtime and Passos converted the three-point play to tied the game at 80 and force a second overtime. But in overtime three, Thomas scored seven points, including a huge three-point play with 42.6 seconds left to put the Broncos up 102-97.

The Thomas play was the final twist and turn of a game that had plenty. Saturday's game was one you didn't want to miss a play, because something big was sure to happen if you did...

Go here for the remainder.

Aaron Garner comes up big

We love it when a real unknown comes alive on one of the biggest stages:

Garner makes most of opportunity in big game
BRIAN MURPHY
Idaho Statesman
3/15/08

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Aaron Garner had everyone inside the Pan American Center scrambling for a roster Friday night.

No. 12 for Boise State?

Who is this guy?

Even after his surprising effort helped the Broncos past top-seeded Utah State and into the WAC Tournament championship game, Garner's Q rating still needed help - the moderator of the postgame press conference was stumped by his name.

That's what happens when you spend an entire season buried on the bench. Garner, a junior college transfer, entered the game averaging 7.3 minutes and 1.5 points per game in his first year with the Broncos.

Not exactly the face of the program. More like the face on a milk carton.

Imagine the frustration for a player who was league MVP in high school and first-team all-conference in junior college.

"One of the toughest things I've ever had to do in my life," Garner said of his season on the bench.

But rather than complain and mope, Garner got his shots after practice and studied the floor during games. And waited.

"He stays and shoots and works and works and works," coach Greg Graham said. "That's hard to do when you're used to being a guy who's all-everything and playing a lot."

Graham had a hunch before the Utah State game.

A hunch that the guy who scored just 12 points in the last 10 games, that the guy with five made 3-pointers all season, that the guy who hadn't played more than 16 minutes in a game since Thanksgiving was going to play a major role in a loser-out game against a team that had beaten the Broncos twice this season...

Go here for the remainder.

Kudos to Matt Bauscher

He gets the least amount of ink and praise as one of Coach Greg Graham's starers but boy did he come through big time yesterday:

Bauscher drops 23 on USU
Wade Denniston
Logan Herald Journal
March 15, 2008

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Matt Bauscher gave props to Utah State star Jaycee Carroll.

“Jaycee Carroll’s the best shooter in the nation. Period,” the Boise State guard said. “There’s not a better shooter in the nation than Jaycee Carroll.”

That may be the case, but Bauscher can also shoot the ball pretty good. The Aggies found that out the hard way.

Bauscher scored 23 points as the Broncos beat top-seeded USU 88-78 in the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament on Friday night at the Pan American Center.

Boise State plays New Mexico State in the championship game tonight at 7 o’clock. The game can be seen live on ESPN2.

Bauscher shot 8-for-10 from the field, including a stellar 5-for-6 mark from 3-point range.

“Our big guys were getting double-teamed and (Matt Nelson) made a couple great passes,” Bauscher said. “It seems like once you hit one, the hoop gets a little bigger. Once you hit two, it kind of gets a little bigger after that.”

Reggie Larry also scored 23 for the Broncos, while Carroll led the way for the Aggies with 20.

Bauscher nailed three of his tri-fectas in the first half to help his team overcome a seven-point deficit and open a 42-37 lead at the break.

Bauscher hit a pair of 3s during a game-changing 16-4 run to end the opening half...

Go here for the remainder.

Besides all the tourneys, here a 'don't miss television event'

If there was ever something called 'don't miss television' then this show is it. Do spread the word and thank you Paul Lieberman for this article:

There was 'Black Magic' before Kobe
The ESPN documentary chronicles great players in a tough game of race and basketball.
Paul Lieberman
Los Angeles Times
March 15, 2008

NEW YORK -- In an era when posters of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James adorn the walls of young basketball fans across the country, it may surprise many Americans to learn that when the NBA was founded, in 1949, there were no black players. None.

There were the "Globies," of course -- the Harlem Globetrotters -- but they could be seen as the equivalent of the old black-faced minstrel shows, playing to buffoonish stereotypes, and some of the greatest black players, including Bill Russell, wanted no part of them. On the other hand, perhaps their act was calculated to seduce the enemy, a strategy of "make your enemy laugh," as Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. argues in the documentary "Black Magic," which airs on ESPN in two parts, Sunday and Monday night.

In the classic basketball movie "Hoosiers," Gene Hackman plays the wise Indiana high school coach who yanks a player from a game for violating his rule that the team patiently passes the ball at least four times before shooting. But in "Black Magic," that's the buffoonery, the plodding white guys passing around the rock, immediately contrasted with the shoot-in-8-seconds fastbreak, a style derided as "jungle ball" by certain whites but that may well be, the documentary argues, the way the inventor of basketball, James Naismith, intended it to be played.

"Black Magic" ostensibly is about basketball at all-black colleges in the days before major universities began their recruiting frenzy over the talent that would come to dominate the game. But the latest documentary by New York Dan Klores is just as much about such sensitive issues at the intersection of race and sports in America.

Klores' first documentary, 2003's "The Boys of 2nd Street Park," also began with basketball, but the sort he played in a Brooklyn playground with fellow Jewish baby boomers, whose lives he followed through the turbulent years of the Vietnam War and '70s drug culture. Though the film is not autobiographical, it does draw on the experiences of Klores, 58, as a student at the University of South Carolina, where he got into several fistfights after being called a "Jew bastard" and was reminded what it meant to be an outsider. Still, his experiences were trivial contrasted with those of blacks in the South, where he saw a group of whites celebrating after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., chanting "One less . . . !" -- well, the epithet is all too familiar. "I was right there," Klores says.

If you're making a film today, you know that a lot of viewers would rather you didn't rub their noses in that ugly history. They'll tell you we're over all that. But it's much like Denzel Washington's recent "The Great Debaters ," in which a lynching provides the context for a peek into all-black colleges, which early on had to teach some students how to use knives and forks while nurturing others to doctoral degrees.

"Black Magic" shows a cross burning in its opening moments and later Alabama Gov. George Wallace's "Segregation forever!" speech, apt background for what happens to another Wallace -- Perry Wallace -- when he becomes the first African American to compete in the Southeastern Conference. When his Vanderbilt team went to play Mississippi State, they were greeted with a cheer, "Get the . . . ! Get the . . . ! Rah, rah, rah!"

Wallace, who is now a law professor at American University in Washington, says students today -- white and black alike -- find such episodes hard to believe. "I don't know whether they think I'm making it up or they just have no basis for understanding it," Wallace said this week.

Though ESPN has made an extraordinary commitment to the four-hour documentary, showing it without commercials, Klores and some of those featured admit that it is a daunting task to connect with younger viewers when, says Wallace, "they don't see Kobe, they don't see Allen Iverson." Instead, "they see all that black-and-white social history stuff that goes pretty far away from basketball."

There is, to be sure, much highlight-reel basketball, most notably of two players from Winston-Salem State in North Carolina: the well-known Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, a twirling, scoring machine who went on to win an NBA title with the New York Knicks and who is co-producer of the documentary, and an earlier student, the almost unknown Cleo Hill. Hill could make hook shots -- now the tool of a few big men, playing around the basket -- from out beyond today's three-point line. But when he got his chance at the NBA, according to the documentary, he was frozen out of the action by white teammates on the St. Louis Hawks, then he was blackballed by the rest of the league.

Though the official stats show that Hill played one year in the NBA and averaged just 5.5 points (and made only 35% of his shots), another central figure in "Black Magic," retired coach Ben Jobe, calls Hill "the best of them all," at least as an offensive player, on a list that places Bryant second and Michael Jordan fifth.

Jobe is part of a story that revolves around another coach, John McLendon, who learned the game from its founder, Naismith, then passed his knowledge to others, including Jobe, who in turn mentored Avery Johnson, the speedy guard who now coaches the Dallas Mavericks. But more significant than their up- tempo approach to the game is their bearing as patrician-preacher types, unabashed old-values voices in the hip-hop age.

We're told how McLendon used to teach the Four Ws, "Who are you? What are you? Why are you here on this Earth? Where are you going?" And to this day, Jobe, at 75, refuses to be paid for giving clinics ("Why would you charge for something you were given for free?") while warning about the dangers of teenage promiscuity and the insane worship of athletes and entertainers instead of, say, George Washington Carver, a onetime slave who became a great botanist.

When he finished making "Black Magic," Klores thought Jobe, the son of a sharecropper, would be its breakout character. But at a Washington screening sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus, another figure drew a standing ovation, Bob "Butterbean" Love, a Louisiana native who lighted up the nets at Southern University and the Chicago Bulls. What appeals to viewers is the disability he lived with: a stutter, a major reason he wound up, after his playing days, working as a busboy and dishwasher, pitied no doubt by those who had no idea what he was made of. Love comes across as a gentle soul ready with a hug for the world despite all he's been through. More important, he's someone for whom "We shall overcome" was a personal credo, in a way that brought the screening audience to its feet.

"They called my name and people yelled and clapped. I was shocked," Love recalled this week. "I loved it."

But he seems to have gotten equal pleasure out of something else, how people remembered how flat he shot the ball -- like a line-drive -- while twice averaging more than 25 points a game for the Bulls.

That "really surprised me," he said. "I never knew that people loved my jump shot."

The NBA and the NCAA circling around AAU/club team basketball

We imagine ESPN will also want a chunk of this. However, we cannot imagine the various corporate shoe companies -- Nike, Adidas, Reebok -- will be sitting idly by if their respective interests aren't represented.

We really don't wish to be cynical because we solidly back anything that aids the development of youngsters as both persons and players but exactly what benefit will the mid-major and lower level NCAA teams get from this?

Our fear is them who have the gold, rule (yet again). Will the NCAA truly represent all of its members or just the elites?

NCAA, NBA forging youth hoops pact
Co-branded leagues, tournaments, training programs could be part of historic agreement
Anthony Schoettle
Indianapolis Journal
March 15 - 2008

Professional and collegiate basketball are on the brink of a landmark agreement that hoops insiders said will change the landscape of the sport in this country. Proponents say it would be good for basketball, but others say it's an attempt to further commercialize the sport.

The agreement between the NBA and the locally headquartered NCAA would be a major departure for both organizations, which have maintained separate agendas and have never had a formal business partnership. Neither organization has ever made a foray into youth basketball, which is a major subject of discussion between the two groups.

The desire to bring structure to youth basketball development and to field improved teams for international competition is the driving force behind the agreement. For two years, the parties have been discussing a pact to develop year-round training programs for high school players and academies for elite players; conduct sanctioned co-branded youth leagues, tournaments and development programs for coaches and officials; and explore corporate partnerships that could pay for such sweeping initiatives.

Sources with knowledge of the discussions said talks have intensified since NCAA President Myles Brand was a guest of the NBA at last month's All-Star weekend in New Orleans. The pact has not been finalized, and NCAA and NBA officials said no time line for an announcement has been set.

Minimizing contact between young players and the shoe companies and apparel makers that often stage summer basketball leagues and tournaments is a central goal of the deal, but there are some self-serving motives, industry experts said, especially on the part of the NBA...

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Compadre Darrell Moody joins the chorus

Here's Darrell Moody with yet another gem of a column -- the Vegas chorus is growing and getting louder. Not to be provincial or come off like a member of the aristocracy (my gosh, you wouldn't believe how often that happens) but try this comparison -- Vegas or Las Cruces (yes, we will get ready for further incoming ordance from our NMSU buddies), Salt Lake City, Sacramento, etc.? We have nothing further, your Honor.

As for getting on ESPN more than three times -- the West Coast Conference is showing up much more often than the WAC on the various stations run by the Bristol, CT sports conglomerate -- and that is just plain embarrassing. We don't wish to over-simplify a complex problem but Karl Benson needs to repeat this mantra, as provided by Darrell Moody: "One thing I know for sure is that the WAC needs ESPN more than ESPN needs the WAC."

The great debate rages on in the WAC
Darrell Moody
Nevada Appeal
March 15, 2008

The debate goes on: Campus sites or neutral court?

It's a never-ending battle. The Western Athletic Conference men's coaches are in unanimous accord in wanting a neutral site for the men's basketball championships, while many of the conference presidents or athletic directors prefer the campus sites because their schools get more guaranteed money.

The coaches almost got what they wanted last spring, but Reno won the bid by a 5-4 vote over Salt Lake City to host for the next two seasons, mainly because of its tiered proposal, which guarantees more money the longer a team stays in the tournament.

Again, that nagging problem with money.

"If this is supposed to be our premiere event, it needs to be off-campus," said San Jose State athletic director Tom Bowen. "This will come back up again in May when we meet..."

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