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Post by Raider Country on Aug 28, 2006 22:29:46 GMT -5
We really need to add some size for next year. I'm really regretting that we were not able to keep Dan Penick after Biancardi left. We could have used his size this year.
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Post by Raider Country on Aug 23, 2006 19:25:48 GMT -5
BracketBusters can be boom for those small, hungry schools Aug. 23, 2006 By Gary Parrish Jim Larranaga remembers the first time he heard about the event. He was scanning a newspaper, saw an article and read it. Then he picked up the phone. He wanted in BracketBusters. "I immediately called (Colonial Athletic Association commissioner) Tom Yeager and asked how we could get the CAA involved," recalled Larranaga, the coach at George Mason. "It's a way to move your program into a national venue." ESPN does lots of things. Some are wrong. Some are right. I've made a short list. Three things ESPN does wrong Bonds on Bonds (more like Crap on crap). Coverage of the Little League World Series (just give me the title game, and that's plenty). Cheap Seats (I'd rather suffer through Bonds on Bonds). Three things ESPN does right Pardon the Interruption (if you're watching Kornheiser, this is the place to do it). Poker's card camera (second only to TiVo in television inventions this decade). BracketBusters (I'm with Larranaga on this one). "It's just a great idea," Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon said. "It's been great for college basketball." ESPN announced this week the pool of NCAA Tournament hopefuls taking part in the fifth annual BracketBusters, a made-for-TV event designed to create quality non-league games and give national exposure to teams from conferences that typically have a difficult time getting either. A record 102 schools from 16 non-BCS leagues will participate in 2007. In a world where college athletics is built so the rich get richer while holding the little guys down, BracketBusters presents one of the few instances where the little guys actually get their due. For two days in February, it's all about the little guys, thanks to 61 games -- each of which will be scheduled in January -- between schools that would otherwise never play. Of those 61 games, 13 will pit teams having really good years against other teams having really good years, and those will be on national television for the entire world -- or at least the entire world with access to cable -- to watch and enjoy. One of the featured matchups last season was George Mason at Wichita State. Heading in, the Patriots had yet to play a game on national TV. They were very much an unknown commodity, one sitting squarely on the bubble and in need of a quality win to boost its resume for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. After 40 minutes of basketball, George Mason had a 70-67 victory, and that impressive road triumph propelled the Patriots toward the Big Dance. Then they danced. All the way to the Final Four. But Wichita State did OK, too. The Shockers advanced to the Sweet 16, only to be eliminated by those pesky Patriots again. BracketBusters, indeed. "Because our game last year with George Mason became a Sweet 16 game -- and then (fellow BracketBusters participant) Bradley moved into the Sweet 16, too -- I believe more people around the country will now be in tune to these games knowing that one of these teams will have a chance to make it to a Final Four," Turgeon said. "BracketBusters has helped our league and our program get to where it is today. It's a great concept." As is the case with anything, there are some negatives to this massive event, particularly that the 76 teams that agree to be in the pool but are not rewarded a national TV game essentially get suckered into playing a likely inconvenient non-league contest in February. Of those 76, 38 must travel, meaning a scenario -- an admittedly extreme scenario, though a scenario just the same -- where Manhattan is forced to fly to San Francisco to play a game without the benefit of national exposure could unfold. That's not good. But the good is so good you have to risk the bad. Because if you don't ... "You (can) just write off the idea that you're going to the (NCAA Tournament)," Yeager said, noting that too often non-BCS schools are in need of quality wins to impress the selection committee and that this is the perfect place to get one. "For all the politics that are involved in college basketball and everything else, here's one system where you can take all the doubt out of it by earning your way on and playing. You win some games ... and at the height of college basketball season (you might get the opportunity) to get some tremendous national exposure." In other words, the positives outweigh the negatives. Granted, participation in BracketBusters could produce an inconsequential, ill-timed and costly flight to a place you have no business going to, for a game you have no business playing. But the flipside is that it could serve as a precursor to the Final Four, where you can stand at a podium and laugh at the masses who believe you have no business there, either. "The upside is the opportunity to play on national TV in February and get your team in front of not only a national audience but also the selection committee, where every one of those members is tuned-in and watching closely," Larranaga said. "It's worth the risk." And way better than Cheap Seats. www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/9616153
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Post by Raider Country on Aug 22, 2006 17:48:09 GMT -5
Home: Akron, Boise State, Bucknell, Buffalo, Butler, Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Creighton, Coastal Carolina, Delaware, Drake, Eastern Michigan, Fairfield, Fresno State, George Mason, Georgia State, Hofstra, Idaho, Illinois-Chicago, Illinois State, Indiana State, Long Beach State, Loyola (Illinois), Marist, Missouri State, Montana, Morehead State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Niagara, Northeastern, Northern Arizona, Northern Illinois, Oral Roberts, Rider, Samford, San Francisco, Siena, Southeast Missouri State, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Toledo, UC Santa Barbara, UNC Greensboro, Virginia Commonwealth, Western Michigan, Wichita State, Wright State, Youngstown State
Away: Albany, Appalachian State, Austin Peay, Ball State, Bowling Green, Bradley, Cal State Fullerton, Canisius, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Colgate, Detroit, Drexel, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Washington, Elon, Evansville, Hawaii, Holy Cross, Iona, Jacksonville State, James Madison, Kent State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Loyola (Maryland), Maine, Manhattan, Miami (Ohio), Murray State, Northern Iowa, Northwestern State, Ohio, Old Dominion, Pacific, Portland State, Saint Peter's, Sam Houston State, San Jose State, Southern Illinois, Towson, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UNC Wilmington, Utah State, Valparaiso, William & Mary, Winthrop, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wisconsin-Milwaukee
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Post by Raider Country on Aug 22, 2006 17:46:55 GMT -5
Updated: Aug. 22, 2006 Teams announced for February Bracket BustersESPN.com news services Even more teams will get the chance to prove they can be just like George Mason. The field of teams eligible to participate in the fifth annual BracketBusters event was announced Tuesday, with the pool of NCAA Tournament hopefuls expanding to 102. Growing by two teams from 2006, the event will feature 13 nationally televised games between Feb. 16-17. The field will feature 12 teams from the Mid-American Conference and Colonial Athletic; 11 from the Ohio Valley Conference; 10 from the Missouri Valley and Metro Atlantic Athletic; nine from the Western Athletic Conference and Horizon League; eight from the Big West; four the Big Sky and Southern; three from the Big South and Patriot; two from the America East, Mid-Continent and Southland; and San Francisco from the West Coast Conference. Included in the pool are all 19 teams that qualified for the NCAAs after participating in this event last season. The most notable team from that group is George Mason, which upset Connecticut -- the top seed from the Washington, D.C. Region -- en route to a surprising trip to its first Final Four. The Patriots were the first No. 11 seed to reach the Final Four since Louisiana State in 1986 and first mid-major since Indiana State in 1979. Also in the group is Wichita State, who upset second seed Tennessee to reach the regional semifinals for the first time since 1981. All 13 of the BracketBusters home teams, as well as the remaining 38 home squads, will play a "return" game at their opponents' home facilities in November or December of the following season. This year's BracketBusters pool features teams with 70 appearances in the last five NCAA Tournaments, including a team in the Final Four (George Mason, 2006); one in the Elite Eight (Kent State, 2002); and six Sweet 16 squads (Bradley and Wichita State, 2006; Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2005; Nevada, 2004; Butler, 2003; and Southern Illinois, 2002). For the second consecutive year, the event will feature five BracketBusters games exclusively on ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, and two on ESPN360, ESPN's customized broadband service. ESPN2 will televise six contests. The matchups for the event will be announced Jan. 29. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2557619
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Post by Raider Country on Aug 4, 2006 8:57:30 GMT -5
I would have predicted us ahead of Butler.
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Post by Raider Country on Aug 4, 2006 8:56:15 GMT -5
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Post by Raider Country on Aug 22, 2006 17:42:34 GMT -5
Spencer sees opportunity to showcase talent at SCSUBy THOMAS GRANT JR., T&D Senior Sports Writer Tuesday, August 22, 2006 COLUMBUS, OH -- Comfortable surroundings and a better opportunity to excel were reasons enough for junior guard/forward Everett Spencer II to leave the Wright University men's basketball program. The former first-team high school All-American has apparently found a place which will provide those wishes in South Carolina State University. Spencer confirmed Sunday in a telephone interview from his Columbus, Ohio home his plans to accept a scholarship offer from new head coach Jamal Brown and will begin classes at the historically black college on Wednesday. "SCSU has what I'm looking for as far as playing style," he said. "I just feel real comfortable as far as providing a family atmosphere." Born in Inglewood, Calif., the 6-5, 185-pound Spencer started all 30 games as a freshman for the Raiders, averaging 5.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. This past season, however, Spencer's playing times was significantly cut as he played in 22 games, averaging only 8.1 minutes, 2.9 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. A frustrated Spencer nearly quit the reason last season. Despite Wright State hiring a new head coach after Paul Biancardi was fired for his involvement at Ohio State with NCAA infractions committed when he was an assistant under former head coach Jim O'Brien, Spencer requested his release from the program. In SCSU, Spencer sees a chance to display the talents which helped lead Brookhaven High School to the Ohio state championship in 2002 and New Creations Christian to the 2004 National Association of Christian Athletes Division II National Championship of Prep Schools where he averaged 26.5 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists a game to earn All-American honors. "As a basketball player, I just really want to win and help Coach Brown take this program to a level where it's use to which is championship-caliber. I'll try to do as everything I can to bring versatility to the basketball team." Spencer is the second recruit Brown has signed from Columbus, Ohio. In June, he signed three-point specialist Marcus McCants of Olney Central Junior College in Illinois. Unlike McCants, Spencer will have to sit out this season and will have two years of eligibility when he suits up for the Bulldogs starting in the 2007-08 season. www.timesanddemocrat.com/articles/2006/08/22/sports/doc44ea6089a1c71508442442.txt
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Post by Raider Country on Aug 2, 2006 6:22:06 GMT -5
This solidifies that next year is going to be a rebuilding year. I had hoped that Spencer was finally going to live up to his potential under Brownell, but I honestly didn't think he would be able to handle the complexity of a motion offense. Craft is the bigger loss in my book. He would have played major minutes backing up Burelson and Pleiman. We were already thin in the post. Now all we have is Scottie Wilson to back them up.
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Post by Raider Country on Jul 26, 2006 18:23:47 GMT -5
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Post by Raider Country on Aug 25, 2006 18:45:48 GMT -5
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Post by Raider Country on Aug 25, 2006 18:44:19 GMT -5
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Post by Raider Country on Aug 23, 2006 19:21:42 GMT -5
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Post by Raider Country on Jul 3, 2006 14:38:40 GMT -5
One name that no one is going to mention is Tyson Freeman, but he is still one of my all-time favorite Raiders. When he came to wright state he wasn't much of a player. He busted his hump and became very solid in every aspect of the game by the time he graduated. If you check in the cracks of the arena floor you can probably still find evidence of Tyson's blood in it. The kid spent more time diving after loose balls than anyone I can remember. Every team needs a kid with Freeman's heart on it.
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Post by Raider Country on Sept 13, 2006 19:39:36 GMT -5
9/13/2006 An Expedited Arrival In The Big 12? There is a juicy follow-up to yesterday's Kansas State post: O.J. Mayo's former sidekick, Bill Walker, a five-star small forward from Cincinnati whom Bob Huggins has coveted since his days in the Queen City, could end up in Manhattan as early as this season. Walker, of Cincy's North College Hill High School, has always been included as a member of the Class of 2007 -- he's ranked No. 6 overall by rivals.com and No. 8 by scout.com -- but the Ohio High School Activities Association ruled this summer his eligibility was exhausted. While Mayo (who is eligible) transferred home to Huntington, W.V., Walker remains at NCH as a fifth-year senior who, after winning two consecutive Division III state titles, isn't allowed to play basketball. Now, according to reports on rivals.com and scout.com, Walker is attempting to graduate ASAP, take his SAT, pass the NCAA clearinghouse, and enroll in college as soon as December. That college? Presumably Kansas State. Connect the dots: Huggins met with Walker's family for an in-home visit this past weekend. Walker is scheduled to visit K-State on Sept. 23. And when Walker needed a lawyer to appeal his eligibility case in August, he used Richard Katz ... who also happens to be Huggins' lawyer. Walker was unavailable for comment Wednesday (his people said Bill had gone "offline"), but it looks like the Wildcats are a near lock. The real question mark is if Walker can pull off this triple crown of accelerated academia -- graduation, SAT, NCAA -- in three and a half months. sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/basketball/ncaa/
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Post by Raider Country on Jul 26, 2006 18:21:46 GMT -5
July 26, 2006 Ohio prep star Walker challenging ineligible rulingAssociated Press CINCINNATI -- Bill Walker, one of the nation's top prep basketball stars, is challenging a ruling by Ohio's sanctioning body for high school sports that would bar him from playing his senior season for suburban North College Hill High School. Walker is widely considered second only to teammate O.J. Mayo among the nation's best incoming seniors. The Ohio High School Athletic Association ruled earlier this month that Walker has used all of his high school eligibility because he played at Rose Hill Christian School in Ashland, Ky., in the 2002-03 school year before playing for North College Hill the past three seasons. "We're appealing the decision to the commissioner," Richard Katz, the Walker family's attorney, said Wednesday. "We have a difference of opinion as to their ruling and as to why they ruled the way they did." Katz said he will present evidence at an OHSAA hearing on Aug. 10. A spokesman for the OHSAA did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Walker, a 6-foot-6 forward, averaged 21.7 points and 10.1 rebounds last season as he and Mayo led North College Hill to a second consecutive Division III state championship. After the OHSAA's ruling, there had been speculation that Walker might transfer to a private prep school. Katz said Walker is committed to staying put. "His plan is to complete his education and get his high school diploma from North College Hill," Katz said. "Obviously, he wants to play basketball his senior year and he's disappointed that they've ruled that he can't. Be that as it may, he would like to finish his high school career there." sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/news/story?id=2530397
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