Primarily a collection of news links about all 11 Horizon League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
This is one coach I spoke with whom I didn't pepper with questions about his team. I was more curious as to why Drew, who will turn 66 in September and is about to begin his 42nd year in coaching, is still spending his summer chasing high school kids around the country. "I really don't enjoy this aspect of the job, to be honest," Drew told me. "You're away from home, you watch so many games, you've done it for 40 years. I tell [my son and assistant coach] Bryce, 'Just get me to the parents.' "
Still, it is always inspirational, not to mention great fun, to spend time visiting with Homer Drew. He is funny and pleasant and exudes such a genuine joie de vivre. Despite his distaste for recruiting (and he's hardly alone among his peers in that regard), he still loves his work and has no plans to retire soon. "I'm still a kid at heart. I enjoy the teaching part of it," he said. "One nice thing about it is, young people keep you young."
My advice to all Hoop Thinkers is to take some time if you get a chance to chat with Homer Drew about everything and nothing. And if you ever spot him in a Las Vegas casino, shake his hand right before you play craps. Trust me on that one.
5. Middling mid-majors— Everyone wondered heading into the spring whether Butler's advance to the national championship game would change the recruiting paradigm. If players begin to believe that they can earn more immediate playing time yet still compete for college basketball's grand prize, will more blue-chip prospects choose schools in mid-major conferences?
The answer to that question thus far — and again, a lot of decisions remain outstanding — is no, and the likely explanation resides above. Because the major conferences have closer ties to national television, and television exposure is linked to NBA exposure, high-majors still hold a clear advantage. As we saw during the conference expansion hullabaloo earlier this summer, television dictates terms at an institutional level, much less recruiting.
The Legends Classic announced the match-ups and locations for the regional match-ups of its early season tournament with Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Michigan, and UTEP hosting a bunch of sacrificial lambs–Albany, Bowling Green, Detroit, Gardner-Webb, Mercer, Niagara, Western Carolina, and William & Mary.
The CBE Classic (not Tournament) has announced that Duke, Kansas State, Gonzaga, and Marquette will host the regional games against Princeton and Miami (OH); James Madison and Presbyterian; Bucknell and Wisconsin-Green Bay; and IUPUI and San Diego State, respectively. The hosts will automatically advance to the semifinals in Kansas City regardless of whether they win or lose the regional games.
Mystery #3 - Who is going to play in Loyola's holiday tournament? - I guess this question really should be, "Is there going to be a Loyola holiday tournament?", but it seemed like this question was much more appropriate. The Ramblers have already agreed to play a home-and-home series with DePaul. This is a great first step, but now there are just a few home dates left. I haven't seen an official count yet, but my guess is that playing in a holiday tournament offers Jim Whitesell's club the best opportunity available to play meaningful games at the beginning of the season without compromising their non-conference schedule completely.
Keep your eye on Loyola. Already that Ramblers have been one of the most active Chicago teams during the off season and there may be more news yet to come.
