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.
• The Heat committed just seven turnovers in Game 3. Since 2011, the Heat is 15-4 in the postseason when committing 10 or fewer turnovers in games, according to Elias.
“We understand that stat,” point guard Norris Cole said. “We know that stat. We love that stat.”
Norris Cole had 13 points off the bench to cap a strong first-round series, and starting point guard Mario Chalmers finished with 10 points. James Jones, who emerged during the series as an unlikely rotation player, had three three-pointers for nine points.
Chalmers is expected to play, but if the Heat’s trainers and coaches hold him out as a precaution, then either guards Norris Cole or Toney Douglas will be inserted into the starting rotation.
With Cole entrenched as the second unit’s point guard, it’s likely Douglas would be the first option off the bench to replace Chalmers. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made it a point during the regular season to keep his second unit intact.
“We’re a key to the team’s success,” Cole said of the second unit off the bench. “Making sure that that next wave that comes in the game is consistent and gives us a boost.”
-- Spoelstra, on why he has gone to more of Norris Cole-Chalmers in tandem this series, "I think Dwyane can play at an extremely high level at these minutes right now."
-- Cole's 3-pointer at the end of the third period allowed for a Heat exhale, especially with Kemba having some of that UConn look.
The Heat went into the fourth quarter up 84-71 after backup point guard Norris Cole converted a 3-pointer from the right corner at the third-quarter buzzer.
Cole closed with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2 of 3 on 3-pointers.
"Offensively, he made strides this series," Spoelstra said. "I just liked how he managed the game from the point guard position."
Richard Solomon, Cal
Ronald Roberts Jr., St. Joseph's
Augustine Rubit, South Alabama
Cameron Clark, Oklahoma Travis Bader, Oakland
Mark McLaughlin, Central Washington
Eric Atkins, Notre Dame
Trevor Releford, Alabama
...
Mike Duman Auto Sales
Killian Larson, Grand Canyon
Josh Davis, San Diego State
Sam Dower, Gonzaga
Jamil Wilson, Marquette
Davion Berry, Weber State
Kareem Jamar, Montana
Jason Brickman, Long Island Kendrick Perry, Youngstown State
Juwan Howard Jr. made some serious noise when he nailed a game-winner from downtown with just 5.7 seconds left on the clock to take down Valpo 59-57 in a back and forth affair. Howard finished the night with 19 points in the big win.
Trying to dissect box scores of games you didn't watch with teams named after landscaping services is exhausting. I think I did an admiral job yesterday but today you're just getting the breakdown of how your favorite mid-major players performed:
On the offensive end, Douglas chipped in by scoring 14 points in 35 minutes in addition to three assists. The Florida State product could provide a counterbalance to Norris Cole, whose offense has suffered in the last month of the season.
Ben McLemore had 31 points and five assists, both career highs, for the Kings, who lost for the sixth time in seven games while playing starters Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas limited minutes. Travis Outlaw had 15 points and Ray McCallum 13.
It was a busy day at St. John’s yesterday. Former St. John’s guard Max Hooper announced that he will be transferring to Oakland. This will be Hooper’s second transfer as he started his college career at Harvard and he will be eligible to play next year (with two years of eligibility remaining) as he is expected to graduate in May. Hooper is a three-point specialist and even though some are suggesting he could replace Travis Bader we don’t see that happening since Hooper only averaged 3.2 points per game. In more favorable news for St. John’s fans it appears that Chris Obekpa had a change of heart and is looking to return to St. John’s. This does not necessarily mean that Obekpa will be welcomed back by Steve Lavin, but it does place Lavin in an interesting predicament. Our guess is that he will give Obekpa some internal punishment that the other players in the program will know about just to show them that he is still committed to their program.
The Portsmouth Invitational is over and once again some mid-major stars may have bolstered their stock a bit with their performances in the Tidewater region of Virginia. Six mid-major players were named to the all-tournament team and have likely enticed some pro prospects.
Travis Bader, Oakland: If the Golden Grizzlies' sharpshooter has NBA hopes then it has to be as a three point specialist like former Creighton standout Kyle Korver. Bader averaged 19.7 points per game in three outing in Portsmouth and was 11-for-23 beyond the arc. He certainly played well but you have to wonder if scouts were expecting a more impressive showing from downtown? (But 47% certainly isn't bad)
Two players from the Oakland University men’s basketball team were named Academic All-Horizon League last week. The team’s former three-point star, Travis Bader, and current center, Corey Petros were honored for their strong GPAs. Petros is currently working on his MBA while Bader is finishing up his masters in communication. The two join Evan Bruinsma and Ugochukwu Njoku of Detroit, Kendrick Perry of Youngstown State, and Matt Vest of Wright State on the list.
Battier has gone from starter to playing in the second unit to now being replaced in the regular rotation by Rashard Lewis. The Heat’s second unit against the Hawks also included Norris Cole, Ray Allen and Chris Andersen. Toney Douglas also played in the second quarter as a defensive stopper against Hawks point guard Jeff Teague.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee will not be repeating its surprise run to the NCAA Tournament next year. In fact, they won’t even be able to defend their Horizon League Tournament crown after receiving a one-year post-season ban for its low APR score. This clearly is not as high-profile as Connecticut’s one-year ban in 2013 and we don’t expect to see a player (sorry student-athlete) standing next to Rob Jeter talking about being banned, but it is a significant blow to the program. At this point, we have to place blame the program particularly when they have known about these APR guidelines for years.
Green Bay certainly felt like they had a case for an at-large bid this season. And considering the way that the Selection Committee thinks (rewarding tough non-conference schedules) they had to be in the mix. Instead, they somehow only got a 4 seed in the NIT, where they got rolled by a Belmont team that appeared much more motivated (Keifer Sykes being out was a factor as well). In all it wasn't a particularly successful postseason for the Horizon League. Milwaukee stole the Horizon League auto bid (including an overtime victory over Green Bay), but they could only get a 15 seed and were crushed by Villanova. Cleveland State, Valparaiso and Wright State all went to the CIT, where none got further than the second round.
Green Bay was powered by the inside-outside duo of Keifer Sykes and 7'1" Alec Brown. Brown is gone (with a real chance to be drafted by the NBA), but Horizon League Player of the Year Sykes should be back for one more season. Green Bay returns their top four minute earners after those two as well, led by the interior duo of 6'9" Greg Mays and 6'7" Jordan Fouse. One player to look for next season is 6'7" Kenneth Lowe, who was effective in limited minutes as a true freshman. They don't have any prominent transfers or recruits, though, so if Green Bay is going to get back near where they were this last season, several of their bench players will need to get significantly better.
Cleveland State finished the season strong, winning 10 of their final 11 regular season games before being stunned by Wright State in the Horizon League tournament. Their offense was awfully good, and their three-point shooting (40.2%) was third best in the nation. They only lose one regular from their rotation, Jon Harris. They return their best outside shooter (Bryan Forbes), their point guard (5'8" Charlie Lee) and their most important big man (Anton Grady). They will hope to have shooting guard Sebastian Douglas back fully healthy after he missed about half of the games in January, February and March, and who ended up having knee surgery after the season ended. They add 6'0" Andre Yates, who played sparingly as a freshman at Creighton in 2012-13. They will also get back 6'9" Aaron Scales, who didn't play much as a freshman and took a redshirt season in 2013-14 to improve his game. It's very likely that Cleveland State will be the media's preseason Horizon League favorite heading into next season.
The automatic bid, of course, was won by Milwaukee, but that run was pretty fluky. They lost four of their final five regular season games, so it's not like there was much evidence of improvement from a team that was actually 8th (out of 9) in the conference in efficiency margin. On top of that they lose two starters (their top two scorers, in fact) as well as a key bench piece. Their top returner is probably swing forward Austin Arians. Their top addition is probably transfer Akeem Springs, who averaged 7.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as a freshman at Northern Illinois in 2012-13. Wright State is a team hit even harder by graduation, losing five of their top six minute earners. Their only real proven returner is 5'9" point guard Reggie Arceneaux.
A team that might be down next season but has a nice core for the futre is Valparaiso. They lose four players from their ten man regular rotation, but four more were only freshmen. The two biggest losses are clearly leading-scorer Lavonte Dority and 7'0" defensive presence Moussa Gueye. Their top two rising-sophomore returners are point guard Lexus Williams and 6'8" Alec Peters, who scored 12.7 points per game with a 56.1 eFG% as a true freshman. The most important non-freshman returner is 6'10" Yashil Fernandez. Their most important addition is 6'7" E. Victor Nickerson, who averaged 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Charlotte in 2012-13. And if the success Bryce Drew had with a not-particularly-highly-rated 2013 recruiting class is a sign for the future, look for a couple of these 2014 recruits to be significant factors as well.
If there's a sleeper team to finish near the top of the Horizon League next season, I think it's Detroit. They only went 6-10 in conference play, but they only lose two players from their regular rotation. Those two losses (Evan Bruinsma and Ugochukwu Njoku) were their top two rebounders, so they are going to need some size. 6'8" Patrick Onwenu is the one proven returner. They add 6'11" Patrick Ackerman, who played sparingly in two seasons at Penn State, and also add a 2014 recruit in 6'6", 250 pound Jaleel Hogan. But while the front court is a bit of a question mark, they return everybody else, led by swing forward (and leading-scorer) Juwan Howard, Jr. Their top returner aside from Howard is probably shooting guard Jarod Williams, who was one steal behind Evan Bruinsma for the team lead in significantly fewer minutes. They need a point guard, but Detroit is in the mix for a few different high school and Juco recruits who could fill the void, so you have to expect that Ray McCallum will land somebody to fill that spot.
In the end, here's how I see the top half of the Horizon League playing out:
1. Cleveland State
2. Green Bay
3. Detroit
4. Valparaiso
5. Milwaukee
Key returners: Bryn Forbes, Trey Lewis, Anton Grady, Charlie Lee, Sebastian Douglas, Marlin Mason
Key additions: None
Cleveland State finished the 2013-14 season on a tear before losing in the Horizon League Tournament. And now the Vikings return four starters from a team that won 21 games.
The Vikings won’t have the best guard in the conference because of Keifer Sykes at Green Bay, but overall they will have the best backcourt. Bryn Forbes led the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game and 81 3-pointers. Trey Lewis and Charlie Lee combined for 22.9 points and 7.5 assists per game, and both were also great 3-point shooters. Lewis shot 36.9% while Lee led the team, in terms of percentage, at 43.3% from deep.
Cleveland State will not have much depth in its frontcourt, but it has a great forward in Anton Grady and another solid one in Marlin Mason. Grady averaged 10.4 points and 6.8 rebounds last season while Mason posted 5.9 points per contest on 55.0% shooting and also grabbed 4.2 boards.
...
19. Green Bay
Green Bay may have some struggles with Alec Brown departing, but the Phoenix still return five of their top six players. That includes Horizon League Player of the Year Keifer Sykes.
Sykes will once again be the best player in the Horizon League, and he also has a very solid supporting cast. Carrington Love, who averaged 7.9 points and 2.5 assists, joins him in the backcourt while Greg Mays, Jordan Fouse and Kenneth Lowe will man the frontcourt.
A lean-in jumper from 20 feet by James gave the Heat a five-point lead with 20 seconds left in the third quarter, but the Grizzlies amazingly reeled off five points in the final second of the quarter to tie it. Following a layup by Gasol with one second remaining, Heat reserve point guard Norris Cole committed a turnover in the open court. Memphis guard Tony Allen inbounded the final possession to Courtney Lee, who somehow got off a running one-handed three-pointer before the buzzer. Officials initially ruled the shot came after the buzzer, but overturned the ruling after a video review. Lee finished with 18 points.
James started the fourth quarter on the bench, with Spoelstra going with the limited firepower of a lineup of Chris Andersen, Lewis, Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen and Norris Cole.
But off a Norris Cole turnover with seven-tenths of a second left in the third period, Courtney Lee converted a running 3-pointer to tie it 80-80 heading into the fourth, with James having played 31 of 36 minutes to that point.
The Kings had a chance to win but were unable to execute their final play as drawn up, and rookie Ray McCallum missed a 21-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds to play.
...
McCallum said he liked his final shot.
“I thought I got a good look,” he said. “It’s just a shot that I’ve got to make and knock it down.”
The Kings dropped to 3-32 when scoring fewer than 100 points.
“It’s an area that we’ve got to improve on, being able to close out games,” McCallum said. “… It’s just something for me to build on and learn from, learning how to close a game out. And as a team we’ve got to get some stops and execute down at the end.”
Said Malone: “We didn’t have great execution on that last play but great opportunity for Ray to try and make a play at the end. But it was a little bit short.”
Cousins finished with a game-high 30 points with 12 rebounds. McCallum had 23 points and eight assists.
Tough assignments – Kings rookie Ray McCallum is learning there are no easy nights playing point guard in the NBA.
In the final three games, the Kings play perhaps the NBA’s best point guard (Chris Paul of the Clippers), one of the league’s best passing guards (Ricky Rubio of the Timberwolves) and Phoenix’s dual attack of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe.
McCallum held his own against Portland All-Star Damian Lillard with 23 points, eight assists and no turnovers.
“I love the opportunity to play against the best,” McCallum said. “It’s going to be a huge challenge for myself, but I’m up to it. Go out there and compete and kind of see where I stack up and all the things in my game that I need to work on.”
Senior Oakland University basketball star Travis Bader finished in second place in the Quicken Loans college 3-point competition Thursday. The event was held at SMU’s Moody Coliseum. Bader was only edged out by Brady Heslip of Baylor, who managed to outscore Bader 18-14 in the final round. Erik Kangas also finished second in this event in 2009 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Sykes, the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, averaged 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He may be small at 5’11″, but he’s got some amazing hops.
Cleveland State Vikings: Cleveland State finished the regular season on a 10-1 run before getting bounced from the Horizon League Tournament courtesy of Wright State. Gary Waters probably can't wait for next year after the Vikings CIT appearance, as Anton Grady, Trey Lewis and Bryn Forbes all have two years left in the green and gold.
The Heat gave itself life with three seconds remaining when Bosh made a three-pointer. Following a timeout and a quick foul by Norris Cole with 2.3 seconds left, Pacers point guard George Hill missed two free throws to give the Heat one last chance, but Bosh’s attempt never reached the rim.
...
Wade left the game with 1:59 to play and his team leading 80-79. The Heat’s starting shooting guard grabbed at his left hamstring away from the ball and quickly motioned at the Heat’s bench for a substitution. Cole finished the game in place of Wade.
Travis Bader was named to the Lou Henson mid-major All-American team for the second straight season. Bader is also eligible for the mid-major player of the year. Two other Horizon players were named to the list, Green Bay’s Alec Brown and Kiefer Sykes.
Bader was also named to the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Team for the third straight year. Bader earned his undergraduate degree in communications and will graduate with a master's degree this May. Bader currently boasts a 3.51 grade point average in the communications graduate program.
