Around the HL

[Tipp City Raider]

VU basketball player arrested for underage drinking
JOHN SCHEIBEL
December 15, 2008

VALPARAISO | A Valparaiso University basketball player arrested early Sunday on an underage drinking charge has been suspended from the team.

Logan Jones, a 19-year-old freshman from Madison, Ind., is charged with minor consumption of alcohol after police stopped about 2 a.m. to investigate three people sitting in a parked car near the intersection of Greenwich and Brown streets -- about two blocks from the Athletics Recreation Center.

"Logan has violated one of the men’s basketball team rules in addition to the athletic department’s code of conduct," VU head coach Homer Drew said in a written statement. "Consequently, Logan is suspended immediately from the team."

Further details about Jones' future with the team were not available.

According to police reports, an officer approached Jones' vehicle and a "large cloud of smoke" escaped from his vehicle as he rolled down the window. The officer was "overwhelmed by the smell of burnt marijuana" and Jones immediately said "please be cool, I don't want to loss (sic) my scholarship," according to the police report.

When asked where the marijuana was, Logan reportedly told police, "it's gone," that he had just smoked a joint and had discarded the remains out the window.

Jones also registered a blood-alcohol concentration 0.023 during a portable breath test, police said.

Two other VU students in the car told police they were sitting with Logan as he smoked the marijuana, but did not smoke any. Police said they were released and were not charged.

Jones is a 6-foot-2-inch guard who is averaging 2.3 points per game. According to the VU athletic department Web site, Jones earned All-State honors in each of his last three years at Madison in basketball and was also a standout baseball player.

www.nwi.com/articles/2008/12/15/updates/breaking_news/doc4946c37208280490079579.txt

[Tipp City Raider]

USA Today's HL update:

www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/horizon/home.htm?csp=34

[bballraider]

The pmck revolving door in Green Bay continues to swing as there is no more Tang in Green Bay after 9 games:

www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20081217/GPG020101/81217129/1225/GPG02

[OG Raiderfan]

Dec 17, 2008 17:13:06 GMT -5 bballraider said:

The pmck revolving door in Green Bay continues to swing as there is no more Tang in Green Bay after 9 games:

www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20081217/GPG020101/81217129/1225/GPG02

It's amazing pmck is still around. He loses 1-3 players a year, every year. Out of this year's incoming class, he already lost 2/3 of it. Chop Tang joins Jesse Childs on the way out. Brent Eaton is all that's left. What's the chances he lasts 4 year's in pmck's revolving door of players.

[Raider Alumni]

Q&A with Illinois-Chicago guard Josh Mayo
By Mike DeCourcy - SportingNews
Dec 23, 12:36 pm EST

When a discussion arises about the best shooters in college basketball, you might not hear Josh Mayo’s name mentioned much. You might not hear it, period. So let’s say Mayo is the best unknown shooter in the game and start the argument there. Ten games into his senior season at UIC—University of Illinois-Chicago—he is averaging 20.7 points and shooting 46.7 percent from 3-point range.

Until a tough night in a loss Saturday against Illinois State, Mayo was riding a six-game stretch in which he’d made 25-of-40 from 3-point range, or 62.5 percent. Included were Flames victories against Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech. Generously listed at 5-11, Mayo is a native of Merrillville, Ind., and majors in pre-physical therapy movement science.

SN: So how is it that Valparaiso didn’t scoop you out of its backyard?

Josh Mayo: Valpo wasn’t the school that I really wanted to go to, anyway, but they didn’t really recruit me. And that’s way too close to home. Chicago is only 45 minutes away, but it’s a real big city so it seems far enough.

SN: If Valpo didn’t recruit you, then who did?

Mayo: UIC came along with a couple other schools. Northwestern was another. Purdue told me I could come in but I wouldn’t play right away. I didn’t want to do that. A couple of the schools in the Horizon League were after me, but UIC looked like the best opportunity. So I took it.

SN: What was it you liked about UIC?

Mayo: Just being in the city, being close to home so I could have family support, and being able to compete for a starting spot right away and make a name for myself right away. And the members of the coaching staff were great people to deal with.

SN: You averaged 17 points last year, but all your numbers are up significantly. What’s behind the jump?

Mayo: It’s God’s good grace. He’s been good to me. I tell my teammates I didn’t really know who I was until last year, my junior year. I didn’t have an identity. It was like God put something in me last year, and I had a great outburst.

SN: You’ve been described as having unlimited range. How did that come about?

Mayo: Days of shooting repetition beyond what I ever thought I would do. During the summer, I was getting 1,000 shots or more. There were days I would shoot about 1,200 and hit about 900. Every day I was in there shooting. I saw that Kobe was shooting like 2,000 shots. I was like, “I don’t know about 2,000, but maybe I can do 1,000.” It’s worked out great for me.

SN: When you were working so hard on volume, you were working on distance, too?

Mayo: Absolutely. Usually my midrange game is good, but I thrive on the threes, the long ball. About 400 of those shots every day were the long ball. That spreads out the defense and makes it easy not only for me to drive, but my teammates to drive.

SN: Is there any shot that’s too far from the goal?

Mayo: I really don’t put a limit on it. No, not at all. Maybe one step over the halfcourt line, I feel like it’s the green light from there.

SN: And how does your coach feel about that?

Mayo: He’s just as excited when I cross the halfcourt line as I am

SN: You recently got engaged. What’s the rush?

Mayo: No rush. She deserves it, man. She’s a great girl. She was with me before all this came along. We met in sophomore year of high school. We’ve been together since that.

SN: You are known as something of a cereal freak. Can you explain where that comes from?

Mayo: It comes from my father. When I was in high school, he used to always be up in the middle of the night eating cereal. After dinner, I can sit in my room and eat six or seven bowls straight. You eat at 7 o’clock, you’re bored at around 9. And hungry.

SN: So what cereals do you prefer?

Mayo: Lucky Charms and Trix.

SN: So where do you stack up, then, against Derrick Rose and his gummi bears obsession?

Mayo: Mine has more nutritional value. It says I’m getting fiber and calcium. So I think I’m one setup above on the gummi bear thing. We’re both getting a sugar rush.

SN: What do you think when you see all the attention Stephen Curry’s getting? You’re scoring big for a mid-major, too.

Mayo: I’m very happy for him. I love to see him getting all the accolades. When you work that hard and can shoot that well, that’s good, because that’s what I do, as well. We played my sophomore year and his freshman year, and it was a great game. (Davidson won; Mayo had 26 points and Curry 27). We both showed what we could do best. I’m very happy for him. Not at all do I envy him.

rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=qawithillinoischicagogua&prov=tsn&type=lgns

[Raider Alumni]

UWGB hires Clayton State president as new chancellor
By Tony Walter
December 24, 2008

Thomas Harden said community support for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay played a major role in his interest in being the school's next chancellor.

The UW Board of Regents' Special Committee is recommending Harden, 59, president of Clayton State University in metropolitan Atlanta, to become UWGB's fifth chancellor, UW System President Kevin Reilly said Tuesday.

If the full board approves the decision at its January meeting, Harden will succeed Bruce Shepard, who left UWGB to become president of Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash.

"It's an excellent faculty and staff, very committed and friendly," Harden said Tuesday. "The curriculum is very interesting and I want to learn more about it from the faculty. But UWGB has been fortunate to have a community supportive of the university and I want to make sure I follow through and enhance that if at all possible."

Since Harden's tenure as president at Clayton started in 2000, the school has gone from between 3,500 and 4,000 students to more than 6,000, said Steve Stephens, executive assistant to the president and vice president of external relations at the school in Morrow, Ga.

He was selected over two other finalists, including Thomas L. Olson, chairman of the board for MECA & Technology Machine in Ashwaubenon, and Michael Renner of Mansfield University in Mansfield, Pa.

Harden, a native of Ohio, said he was interested in returning to the Midwest and after being contacted by a search firm, took a closer look at UWGB.

Judy Crain of Green Bay, a member of the Board of Regents and chair of the special committee, said Harden has the skills to move UWGB forward.

"Dr. Harden is centered on the needs of students and is especially qualified in his focus on expanding college access and achievement in a diverse community," Crain said.

Harden and his wife have four grown children and five grandchildren.

He said he grew up a fan of both the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, but is anxious to begin following the Packers.

www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20081224/GPG0101/812240666/1978

[Raider Rowdies]

Timko to try out for YSU basketball team
By JOHN VARGO
12/25/09

YOUNGSTOWN - Andy Timko has been around basketball all of his life.

This season, the McDonald High School graduate is involved in a different capacity.

Timko, who played one season at Westminster College - a NCAA Division III school - transferred to Youngstown State University - a Division I - and still wanted to be part of a team in one capacity or another.

Timko, a 6-foot-3 guard/forward, said he left Westminster because of financial reasons.

He talked to YSU men's basketball coach Jerry Slocum about being a walk-on for this year's team.

"I really didn't want to give basketball up," he said. "Due to transferring from one NCAA school to another, I would've had to sit out a season. Because of finances and stuff, he gave me an opportunity to be part of the team. Next year, I'll have the opportunity to play as a walk-on."

Just for this season, Timko is a student assistant coach as part of a work-study program.

"He worked our camp this summer and we got to know him a little bit, spent some time with him and liked his basketball IQ, liked his personality and liked what kind of kid he was," Slocum said. "Next year, we're going to give him a chance to become a walk-on with us."

If Timko makes it, he'll have three years of eligibility remaining.

His uncle Bruce, who is John F. Kennedy High School's boys basketball coach, is pleased with his nephew's position with the Penguins.

"I think it's a great experience for him. I know he loves basketball. He's going to be a high school basketball and college coach," Bruce said. "It's disappointing to not see him play at some college level again."

Not only has Andy been an asset to YSU, he has helped his uncle at JFK as well.

"Being a small school, we don't have a lot of people to play against," Bruce said. "Andy works against (Kennedy posts) Nick Brown and Steve Procopio. The kids can see how well he's playing now.

"He actually thanked me for letting him help and he's actually the one doing me the favor."

Bruce played at the collegiate level, coincidentally for YSU. He was in the Penguins' backcourt from 1982-86 and scored 1,021 points in his career.

"It's cool because I've been here watching games here my whole life," Andy said. "Being part of the program is really cool for me because it does have a history with our family."

As for Andy's on-the-court prowess, Bruce has seen a vast improvement in Andy's game since being part of the Penguins' team, which next plays Sunday at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

"First of all, he was going against YSU players in the summer," Bruce said. "He elevated his game since high school. I really feel Andy could be a very solid Division II contributor.

"As for coaching, coach Slocum knows his Xs and Os. Andy has told me how coach Slocum expects hard work 100 percent of the time. He runs a very disciplined program. Andy figures he wants to instill that kind of program when he coaches."

Andy has been an asset as a YSU student assistant, Slocum said.

"He runs drills for us, gets in certain spots," he said. "We've had some injuries, so we're short a guy. He'll hop in and do stuff like that. He kind of organizes and knows what our practice plan is."

Andy is absorbing the knowledge of coach Slocum and YSU's other assistants.

"It's a different situation than I've been in," Andy said. "I'm getting exposed to the game in a different way. We have a really great coaching staff and I'm learning a lot from them, just the day to day activities they do.

"Next year if I get an opportunity and step in, I'll be able to contribute."

For now, he's grateful for the opportunity of being part of YSU's program.

"There's no place I'd rather be, other than playing, than the role I'm in right now," Andy said. "It's definitely different. I get to look at things from a different perspective, which is good for me because I'd like to stay around the game my whole life."

www.ysupenguins.com/cgi-bin/ib3new/ikonboard.cgi?s=fa88c53b88e8b637cf2ab89d8fa02199;act=ST;f=1;t=4720

[Tipp City Raider]

Butler, Gonzaga resume role as mid-major favorites:

sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?id=3791510

[Sixth Man]

Logan Jones reinstated by Valpo
By Mark Lazeruson
December 26, 2008

After speaking with Logan Jones and his parents on Friday, Valparaiso coach Homer Drew has lifted the suspension on the freshman guard and reinstated him to the team. Jones was arrested early in the morning on Dec. 14 for underage drinking and allegedly smoking pot. He missed Valparaiso's games against North Carolina and Central Florida, but will be available for Sunday's game at Purdue.

In a phone call, Drew read off a statement from Jones: "I have made a bad decision. I would like to apologize to my team, my family, the university and the community of Valparaiso on my decision-making and the embarrassment I have put them and myself through. I have learned from this situation and look forward to returning to my teammates."

For more on the story, check out Saturday's Post-Tribune.

blogs.post-trib.com/lazerus/2008/12/logan-jones-reinstated-by-valp.html

[Bomber]

McPherson almost certain to redshirt
January 3, 2009
By Mark Lazerus
Post-Tribune sports editor

VALPARAISO?-- Brandon McPherson isn't asking much.
He just wants one full season at full strength.

Heck, he'll take the next 10 weeks -- and be thrilled about it -- so long as his left knee won't swell up, won't lock up, won't act up after just a few minutes of basketball.

"I?just want to play a full season with no pain," the Valparaiso senior guard said.

But he knows he's not going to get it. You can hear it in his voice, you can see it in his body language. And he's not trying to fool anybody, least of all himself.

Ask McPherson what it will take for him to play out the season rather than apply for a medical redshirt.

"A miracle," he said.

Ask his coach, Homer Drew, the same question.

"A miracle," he said.

And so McPherson's season almost certainly will end today with the Crusaders' home game against Butler. With the game marking the halfway point of VU's schedule, the Crusaders must decide before Monday's game at UW-Milwaukee whether to redshirt McPherson, per NCAA?rules.

The decision has all but been made.

"I'd love for him to be able to play," Drew said. "He makes a huge difference for our basketball team. But next year, with a healthy knee, he'll be able to do so much more."

After playing with knee pain all of last season ("I?was just dying last year," he said), McPherson had offseason surgery to repair a microfracture in his left knee, which had left him with no cartilage and chronic pain. The knee has not fully healed after the surgery, and has not regained full strength after nearly six idle months --?a lethal combination that has all but killed McPherson's senior season.

Interestingly enough, McPherson felt surprisingly good after Tuesday's victory over North Park, and his knee has held up fine the last two days. It's the best he's felt yet. But he knows he still can go only three or four minutes at a time, and he has yet to participate fully in practice. At this rate, he's weeks --?maybe months -- away from full strength. And minor progress isn't nearly enough with the redshirt decision so imminent.

So McPherson will play a handful of minutes tonight, call it a season, and spend the rest of the season doing what he's been doing all year --?serving as an unofficial assistant coach.

"They've made me sit next to the coaches all year," he said with a laugh. "We've got a lot of young guys, so anything I?see that can help them, I?let them know. I'm here to support them and help the team out any way I?can."

Remarkably, McPherson hasn't missed a practice yet.

"He's been a wonderful leader for us," Drew said. "And it'll be great to have him in that role next year, too."

It will be strange, though, for McPherson, to play without Jake Diebler and Urule Igbavboa, who will finish their careers in less than three months. McPherson admitted it will be hard to play without his longtime running buddies.

"But it's worse to just sit and watch them play and not be able to be out there," he added.

On the plus side, Diebler won't be too far away --?in fact, they'll essentially be swapping roles and seats on the bench.?Diebler, a coach's son and aspiring head coach, will be a graduate assistant for the Crusaders next season.

Valparaiso is out of scholarships next season, so unless someone leaves the team or a commitment falls through, one player -- be it McPherson or someone else -- will have to pay his own tuition. Drew declined to name names, but said it has happened before at Valparaiso.

McPherson, who hopes to keep playing after college but had nothing lined up for next fall, said he'll do what it takes.

"I?just want to play, and I?want to be healthy," he said. "If a miracle comes, that'd be great. But if it has to wait until next year, I'll wait. Like I?said, I?just want to play."

www.post-trib.com/sports/1360426,Mcpherson.article

[Doliboabros]

January 2, 2009
Butler's ranking precarious

Even if the Butler Bulldogs win Saturday at Valparaiso -- no guarantee of that, by the way -- they could fall out of The Associated Press 25. Why? Because some unranked teams might climb over them.

At this stage of the season, virtually all ranked teams start picking up losses in conference road play. That's why it was important for Butler to climb into the Top 25. It's easier to stay there than get there.

Teams in the top 10 aren't going to fall out in one week. Among those that have lost this week outside the top 10 are No. 15 Villanova (to Marquette), No. 16 Gonzaga (to Utah), No. 18 Louisville (to UNLV), No. 21 Minnesota (to No. 10 Michigan State) and No. 23 Michigan (to Wisconsin). It is possible all five losers could remain in the Top 25. (No. 17 Arizona State was playing late Friday at Stanford).

Tops among those receiving votes were West Virginia (which has crushed No. 24 Ohio State), Marquette (beat Villanova), Illinois (won at No. 9 Purdue), Davidson and Memphis (three losses to ranked teams). Illinois State (13-0) and Stanford (10-0) are unbeaten but unranked.

As usual, there are about 32-35 teams worthy of Top 25. Obviously, this didn't figure to be an issue after Butler lost five seniors from last season.

Perhaps more important than Butler's No. 25 ranking is its No. 2 standing in RPI. The body of work is starting to be big enough to make RPI meaningful. Butler's RPI will inevitably decline, but it has never gone into the new year with such a high ranking. It did not seem possible Butler would be working on a record good enough for inclusion as an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament, but that is exactly what is happening.

Yet these Horizon League road games are perilous, irrespective of opponent. If you have ever traveled to a Horizon road game, you know what a big deal it is for a ranked Butler team to visit. For many opponents, it is their only shot all season at a Top 25 team. Beyond that, there is resentment against the Bulldogs, as there always is for successful programs.

"It's what we told our team. When you're ranked, with that comes some extra talk and those types of things," coach Brad Stevens said today.

Last season's veteran 30-4 team won successive road games at Valpo, Green Bay and Milwaukee -- and trailed in the second half of all three. So it would be presumptuous to assert this young Butler could improve on last year's 16-2 league record. Sure, it's possible. Not probable, though.

What is sure is the Bulldogs have laid a good foundation. The computer rankings -- RPI and Sagarin (13th) -- confirm that, irrespective of what the AP poll releases Monday.


blogs.indystar.com/butler/

[Doliboabros]

HL update

rushthecourt.wordpress.com/2009/01/01/checking-in-on-the-horizon-league-3/

[Tipp City Raider]

"CSU Coach Waters just said on his radio show that D'Aundray Brown (shoulder) is out at least 2 or 3 weeks."

www.leaguelineup.com/forumsdetail.asp?sid=329608392&url=letsgovikes&itemid=3025440

[Glory Days]

McPherson to sit, apply for redshirt
By Mark Lazeruson
January 7, 2009

The inevitable is at last official. VU senior guard Brandon McPherson will sit for the rest of the season and apply for a Medical Hardship Waiver from the NCAA following the season.

McPherson's doctor suggested Tuesday that he shut down for the season and focus on rehabilitation for his knee, which underwent microfracture surgery in May. I just spoke with McPherson and VU coach Homer Drew, and while neither was surprised, of course, it was still a tough decision.

"I'm definitely disappointed," McPherson said. "I came in with Urule (Igbavboa) and Jake (Diebler), we spent four years together pretty much non-stop. They're just brothers to me. It's definitely hurtful for me to see them going through a tough season and not be able to help."

The bright side of all this, of course, is that McPherson should be fully healthy for a fifth year that holds a lot of promise. With Cory Johnson entering the fold, and McPherson's former high school rival and current friend Brandon Wood joining the team, VU should be quite competitive. As Drew put it, "The fifth year is always better than the first." In the meantime, though, McPherson said he will focus on his rehab, and on serving as a motivational force and pseudo-assistant coach for his young teammates.

blogs.post-trib.com/lazerus/2009/01/mcpherson-to-sit-apply-for-red.html

[Bomber]

Haanpaa OK with decision to turn pro
1/8/09
By Mark Lazerus
Post-Tribune sports editor

Somewhere in the south of France early?Sunday morning, a lone computer flickered with images from a dark and distant gym thousands of miles away.
Despite the tinny sound, the occasionally pixelated video, and the fact that he was watching it hours after the game had ended, the man watching might as well have been there --?in Valparaiso's Athletics-Recreation Center, in his No. 13 uniform, in the heat of the moment.

"I was living in the game, it was like being on the floor," Samuel Haanpaa says via e-mail. "You think you could be one of those guys playing out there. Still, that is one of the rare moments I?have put a thought on the issue."

That makes one. Back across the ocean, Valparaiso fans, players and coaches still invoke Haanpaa's name wistfully -- and regularly.

It'd be different if Sam were here.

Of all the losses Valparaiso suffered over the offseason, perhaps Haanpaa's has been the most palpable. Transfer Bryan Bouchie's size has been missed, but Urule Igbavboa is still there in the paint. Injured Brandon?McPherson's all-around skill has been missed, but Erik?Buggs and Logan Jones have been able to effectively man the point.

But Haanpaa? The sharpshooter with the knack for hitting big shots from nearly anywhere inside the halfcourt line? Nobody's been able to fill that role.

And the Crusaders miss him.

"Oh, sure, there's no question," says VU?coach Homer Drew. "If Sam's here, if Brandon's healthy, if Bryan's here --?we have a very good basketball team. All three can score, and we struggle scoring. We really don't have anyone who can shoot the way Sam could."

Indeed, it's been a tumultuous transition for Valparaiso -- but it's been nothing compared with what Haanpaa's dealt with in his first year as a professional.

Months after signing a three-year deal with Capo d'Orlando in Italy's premier league, the Serie A, and after playing in just three games in five weeks, Haanpaa's team folded due to financial problems.?A tax payment wasn't made, and the team was tossed from the league, and, after a few half-hearted appeals, ownership gave up.

Suddenly, Haanpaa found himself without a team for the first time since, well, since he was a toddler. So he went back to his home in Finland for a few weeks and waited for his chance.

That chance came in?France. After being invited to a tryout, Haanpaa was signed by Fos Ouest in Fos sur Mer in the south of France. It's a significant step down from the highly respected Serie A. In fact, Haanpaa's new league, National 1, is just the third-highest level of competition in France. He has only played four games in five weeks with Fos Ouest so far, chalking it up to the older, more experienced competition and the fact that he entered an unfamiliar team and an unfamiliar system at midseason.

Haanpaa's contract allows him until the end of January to find another team, but for now, he's content working on his game and living the life of a professional athlete while waiting to move up in the pro ranks.

"It was not the easiest start for a professional career, but it has been mostly what I?expected it to be," he says. "I'm able to focus on basketball at its fullest. There are no late-night studies for the next day's exams, and in the mornings the classroom has changed to a gym and a lifting room. … We practice here twice a day --?usually two hours in the evenings and an hour or two in the mornings. I?get a lot more out of this system than working out in one long period in the evening as in college. I?believe I?have been able to practice here smarter and more effectively, even if the total minutes might be the same as at VU."

Haanpaa admits he misses the atmosphere of American college basketball -- though he did make an unlikely connection after a recent game, when a 2008 VU graduate traveling abroad went to a random basketball game and was stunned to see a familiar face on the court. The two had never met, but talked for a while after the game.

"Especially after playing at a basketball school like VU, it is difficult to find the same kind of atmosphere here," Haanpaa says. "I never had a chance to thank the fans in Valpo, but they did an amazing job. It was always fun to play home games, knowing the sixth man is not a myth."

In both Italy and France, soccer is far more popular than basketball, so his sport is constantly struggling for media coverage and fans. Still, in Italy, Haanpaa described the fans as "aggressive and fanatic."

France has been markedly different.

"My Italian team played in a higher level, so everything was on a bigger scale," he says. "Players were followed even in their private lives and people noticed you everywhere you went. Things are well in France, but everything is less professional than in Italy.?For example, there have been times I've lacked either hot water or an Internet connection."

Nice as a hot shower is after a practice, the latter might be worse, given the fact that he's a Finnish native and an American collegian living in France. Haanpaa regularly talks online with his former teammates, particularly Benjamin Fumey, with whom he was supposed to room this season. He keeps tabs on all his old teams, from?Finland to Valparaiso, and checks the local papers online after each VU game.

He's especially excited that conference play has begun, so he can watch all the games on the Horizon League Network.

So he's been watching?VU basketball, he's been reading VU basketball, and he's been talking VU basketball. He knows the deal.

So the obvious question is, would things have been different for the Crusaders this season had Haanpaa stayed?

"It would be good to be able to help the team, but I?believe one player cannot make such a huge difference. At the end, it is still a team sport."

Regardless, VU's deficiencies and Haanpaa's difficulties have not caused him to second-guess his decision to turn pro after just two years. Even when a VU?guard bricks a 3-pointer, even when there's no hot water in whatever remote corner of France he finds himself in, Haanpaa knows he made the right call.

"I believe the time was right for me to make that decision," he says. "There is really no room for regrets. Even though the team folded, I?have been able to get better as a basketball player and that is what matters at this point in my career."

www.post-trib.com/sports/1367625,haanpaa.article