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.
Do the Jazz think Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams will be available at No. 3? Is Utah looking for a point guard to groom? Are any of this workout's attendees — Norris Cole, JaJuan Johnson, Dallas Lauderdale, Shelvin Mack, Markieff Morris or Jeremy Tyler — in the No. 12 range?
10. Norris Cole, Cleveland St.: Strong athlete put up eye-popping numbers in the Horizon League thanks to a motor that never stops, but probably too raw to excel at this level, even as a strong perimeter defender.
Lighty said he has been training in Atlanta for the past month with former Cleveland State player Norris Cole and under the supervision of former NBA player Sedric Toney.
Andy Katz of ESPN also has some interesting suggestions on his relatively long list. In addition to Chambers and Dunphy, Katz mentions some other current head coaches including Milwaukee's Rob Jeter, Drexel's Bruiser Flint, Marshall's Tom Herrion and Duquesne's Ron Everhart as potential candidates. He also names Ohio State assistant Jeff Boals as a possibility as well as former head coaches Dino Gaudio and Al Skinner.
Jeter took Milwaukee to the verge of the NCAA Tournament this past season. His Panthers fell to Butler in the Horizon League championship game to miss out on a bid. He hasn't earned a bid in his six years there, however, and has had some up and down seasons. Probably not a home run hire.
Ultimately, you want a schedule with some chest hair, and that is exactly what we have. There are plenty of solid teams on this slate that will prepare us for the Big Ten schedule. It is also challenging enough that we should have a good idea of our NCAA chances well before we play a Big Ten game. These are the wins that build our profile and provide that schedule strength needed for seeding. For example, our trip to Valparaiso last season ended up being a solid road win that bordered on the top 50 for most of the year. ... Depending on the draw for the Puerto Rico Tournament, we could have as many as six wins over teams that could make the NCAA Tournament as an at large team. Xavier is a fixture in March and a solid road game. I like having at least one true road game against a potential NCAA team in the non-conference. Miami is definitely a team that can make the tournament if they figure things out in the ACC. Butler has played in the last two national title games and even though they lose a lot, they are still going to be a damn good team. It's almost not a neutral court game since we're playing them at Conseco Fieldhouse.
5. Whither Butler?: The Bulldogs backed up an incredible 2010 march to the national title game by doing it again in 2011 -- defying both logic and historical precedent. It's one of the great feats in college basketball history.
But now what?
Butler has now lost two players to NBA draft early entry in two years, with Shelvin Mack following Gordon Hayward. Its most inspirational player, Matt Howard, has graduated. It's time for a new nucleus to form and see whether it can keep the program on an elite plane.
Having the brilliant Brad Stevens as coach certainly helps.
A team can leapfrog from 14th — where Houston has a 0.5 percent chance — to first, second or third. But teams cannot fall more than three places, and that would only happen if three teams behind them win the first three spots.
That burned the Jazz in 2005. However, last year Utah remained in the No. 9 spot with New York's pick, which the Jazz used to pick up Gordon Hayward.
The Jazz had a lottery pick last year, and they selected Gordon Hayward with that No. 9 selection that came from the New York Knicks.
But this will be the highest the team has picked since O'Connor pulled off a trade with Portland to move up from sixth to third, where the Jazz grabbed Williams over Chris Paul in 2005.
Kris Humphries, Williams and Ronnie Brewer have moved on, leaving only Gordon Hayward as a previous Jazz lottery pick. Jazz fans also have to sit and watch former first-rounders DeShawn Stevenson, Eric Maynor and Brewer compete in the conference finals this month.
Now, the rebuilding Jazz hold the Nos. 3 and 12 picks in the draft, and have the opportunity to pair the selections with young stars Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors. O’Connor dealt Williams with an eye on the future. After rocketing from sixth to third and defying the odds, the GM can suddenly see it.
Six years later, the stakes have significantly changed for Utah. The Jazz are at a crossroads with no clear direction and no star to build around. Former lottery picks Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors provide hope, but both have much to prove before they approach All-Star consideration. Utah is front-loaded in the frontcourt, yet Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson and Favors have no guarantee they will be starting together next season. Meanwhile, the Jazz lack consistent perimeter shooters, as point guard Devin Harris struggles to finish at the basket and is injury-prone, and weak team defense defined 2010-2011. ... “Those guys usually come out and continue to compete because they have something to prove,” said Corbin, who references Hayward’s work ethic as an ideal.
“They have a chip on their shoulder, and they believe in themselves. And they don’t usually feel sorry for themselves and just say, ‘You’re holding me back,’ and they stop working. They want to prove they belong.”
2. Later today Valparaiso is expected to name Bryce Drew as the successor to his father Homer Drew as the next coach of the program that he helped make famous. This is not the first time that Homer has stepped aside to let his son take over the program. In 2002, Homer stepped aside to let Scott Drew take over as coach at VU, but he stayed there just one year before leaving to take over at Baylor following the Dave Bliss era. Homer stepped back into his previous position where he has remained despite failing to make the NCAA Tournament for the past seven seasons. Bryce has served as an assistant at the school since 2005, but is best known for his miraculous shot against Mississippi in the 1st round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament and leading them to the school to its only Sweet 16 appearance.
Here’s a quick recap of all the major NBA decisions from the past week. The NCAA’s deadline for early entrants to remain eligible required players to decide by May 8 if they wanted to remain in the NBA Draft or return to school. Remaining in the draft: ... * Butler’s Shelvin Mack ... Speaking of Izzo, the Spartans’ coach might be getting some much-needed backcourt help in Valparaiso transfer Brandon Wood, according to the Associated Press.. The Horizon League’s No. 3 scorer is transferring to Michigan State after completing his undergraduate degree. Because of NCAA rules for graduate transfers, Wood might be eligible to play immediately for a team losing Kalin Lucas to graduation.
Butler. The transition for Brad Stevens was already going to be tough with the losses of national runner-up starters Matt Howard and Shawn Vanzant, but the early entry departure of star Shelvin Mack ensures that Butler will necessarily drop back a couple of steps. Nothing would surprise us with the ability of Brad Stevens to get the most from his talent, but Mack’s decision means the most successful group in Bulldog history has now moved on. Next generation stars such as Andrew Smith, Khyle Marshall and Roosevelt Jones have some gargantuan shoes to fill in Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Butler: Its tough to say anything negative about Butler in this situation. Shelvin Mack was instrumental in getting the Bulldogs into back to back national title games. Keeping him around for three seasons is a win in this day and age. That said, losing him for next season will hurt. Matt Howard, Shawn Vanzant, and Zack Hahn are also gone, which means that the Bulldogs will be left with a lot of young players. It will be interesting to see how guys like Chase Stigall and Chrishawn Hopkins develop in the back court. If Khyle Marshall lives up to his potential next season, Butler should once again compete for the Horizon league title.
The league's coaches honored forward Derrick Favors with a spot on the NBA's All-Rookie second team. And while he didn't make either the first or second squad, Jazz rookie Gordon Hayward received the 14th-most votes among first-year players. ... The 21-year-old Hayward played particularly well late in the season. The 6-8 guard was especially impressive in a 22-point outing in a road win against the Los Angeles Lakers and a year-ending 34-point explosion in a victory over Denver.
Hayward, the No. 9 pick from Butler, averaged 5.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He also shot a team-best 47.3 percent (35-74) from 3-point territory.
Jazz forward Derrick Favors was named Wednesday to the 2010-11 NBA All-Rookie second team, receiving 18 points and one first-team recommendation. Utah forward Gordon Hayward received seven points but was not selected to either team. Voting was conducted by all 30 league coaches. ... Hayward was the No. 9 pick in the 2010 draft. The 21-year-old from Butler averaged 5.4 points, 2 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor and 47.3 percent behind the 3-point line during 72 games (17 starts).
While the Jazz fell apart during the final three months of the season, the rookie’s confidence soared and his overall game significantly improved. Hayward averaged 17.8 points, 3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his last five contests, shooting 62.7 percent from the field and 56.3 percent beyond the arc. He scored a season-high 34 points on 12-of-17 shooting and knocked down five of six 3s on April 13 during a home win against Denver that marked Utah’s season finale.
Utah center Mehmet Okur has returned to Turkey and continues to make progress during his rehabilitation. Meanwhile, the Jazz’s Paul Millsap, Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors have started offseason workouts.
From what I can gather, NBA decision-makers expect the following players to return to school, regardless of what occurs the rest of this week or over the weekend:
Olu Ashaolu, Louisiana Tech Laurence Bowers, Missouri Kim English, Missouri Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh Jeremy Green, Stanford Tu Holloway, Xavier Terrence Jennings, Louisville* Orlando Johnson, UC Santa Barbara Reggie Johnson, Miami Kevin Jones, West Virginia DeAndre Liggins, Kentucky David Loubeau, Texas A&M Darius Morris, Michigan Carleton Scott, Notre Dame John Shurna, Northwestern Hollis Thompson, Georgetown Brandon Wood, Valparaiso** *announced shortly after this was posted that he will sign with an agent and remain in the draft **expected to graduate and then transfer as a graduate student, possibly to Michigan State ... On Tuesday afternoon, Georgia Tech announced that Iman Shumpert would remain in the draft. He was one of the players whose decision was considered a bit of a mystery heading into these final few days. Here are the others:
Troy Gillenwater, New Mexico State Scotty Hopson, Tennessee Cory Joseph, Texas Shelvin Mack, Butler Cameron Moore, UAB Ralph Sampson III, Minnesota ... The biggest loss in this group would be Mack. Butler surely can't repeat consecutive national title game appearances without him or the graduated Matt Howard. Mack came in with Ronald Nored. The two are teammates, roommates and good friends -- and they no doubt wouldn't mind exiting together. Mack is likely a second-round pick this season in a guard-heavy draft but could possibly move up to first-round status in 2012 if he were to return. The possibility of a lockout and not playing until the winter will weigh on him as well. Of this group, Mack has the toughest call to make.
