Oakland joining Horizon League--
ESPN
Oakland accepts invitation into Horizon League--
Press Row's Not Safe
A New Horizon--
OUGrizzlies.com
Board approves Oakland University's move to Horizon League--
The Oakland Press
Oakland accepts invitation to join Horizon League--
The Detroit News
Fans could attend Horizon League Tournament at the O’rena--
Grizzlies Den
Oakland gaining natural rival Detroit through forced Horizon reunification--
Grizzlies Den
Oakland coach Greg Kampe’s ‘scheduling-up’ philosophy could be winding down--
Grizzlies Den
Farewell, Summit League. Oakland Heads to Horizon--
My Summit League
Oakland U. accepts invitation to join Horizon League--
The Detroit Free Press
Morning Five: 05.08.13 Edition--
Rush The Court
From players on the move to programs, two more schools are jumping conferences in the timeless yet endless pursuit of greater glory somewhere up the food chain. Davidson‘s Stephen Curry may own the NBA Playoffs at this point, but he never owned the A-10! At least that’s the logic behind the tiny school’s jump from the SoCon (where it has been a member for the better part of 80 years) to the Atlantic 10 beginning in July 2014. The school has arguably had a move like this on its agenda for a while, because it turned down an invitation to the CAA last year, presumably expecting a bigger and better offer to come soon enough. One of the residual effects of all the football-driven conference realignment nonsense is that there has been a bit of an unanticipated pooling of talented mid-major basketball programs as a result. Along the same lines, Oakland University (remember, it’s in Michigan, not California) announced that it would be joining the Horizon League starting this summer. Even though Butler is now gone from the HL, Oakland brings a solid program to the fold led by Greg Kampe that has been to the NCAA Tournament in two of the last four seasons (2010, 2011).
Oakland to join the Horizon League in July--
CollegeBasketballTalk
Oakland University to join Horizon League in fall of 2013--
Sports Illustrated
Oakland University Board of Trustees vote to join the Horizon League--
Horizon League Hoops
Horizon League adds Oakland--
USA Today
Oakland officially joins the Horizon League, effective July 1--
Eye On College Basketball
Miami Heat’s LeBron James ready if called upon to guard Bulls’ Nate Robinson--
Miami Herald
The days between games in a tight series are always about making the proper adjustments, but Spoelstra bristled when asked a question about his decision to sub out defensive specialist Norris Cole in favor of starter Mario Chalmers with 5:38 left in the game. With Chalmers and Ray Allen guarding the perimeter, Robinson had a hand (points or assists) in 14 of the Bulls’ final 17 points, including a driving, finger-roll layup that put Chicago ahead 90-86 with 45.5 seconds left.
“The guy had [27 points], so he had it going most of the game,” Spoelstra said of Robinson.
Too early for LeBron to lose confidence in shooters--
South Florida Sun Sentinel
LeBron vs. Nate Robinson?
Spoelstra appeared uncomfortable when answering a question about his decision to leave Norris Cole on the bench while Nate Robinson was having a big fourth quarter.
Cole fared much better on Robinson than Mario Chalmers and Ray Allen, who were on the court in the closing moments. Spoelstra said Robinson had his way on offense "most of the game" instead of just the fourth quarter.
Oakland University joining the Horizon League, and Cleveland State Vikings are happy about it--
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Oakland to replace Loyola in Horizon League--
The Chicago Tribune
Three-star recruit joins basketball team--
UIC News
UWGB recruits Botz, Lowe support coach Wardle during investigation--
Fox 11
Oakland joins the Horizon League--
Green Bay Press Gazette
UWGB hoops blog: Oakland joins the Horizon League--
UWGB Hoops Blog
Women's Basketball Plans 2013 Prevea Fore Hoops Golf Classic--
GreenBayPhoenix.com
Ritchie and Sension Help Keep NetScouts Team USA Undefeated--
GreenBayPhoenix.com
High School Varsity Team Shootout Is Sold Out--
uwmpanthers.com
New chapter of VU-Oakland rivalry on Horizon--
The Post-Tribune
Oakland accepts invitation to Horizon League--
The NWI Times
It’s official: Oakland joins Horizon League--
Dayton Daily News
Oakland joining Horizon League--
Youngstown Vindicator
YSU excited about Oakland joining HL--
Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Oakland University to Join Horizon League--
Horizon League Network
Horizon League Roundtable--
YouTube
Oakland U. to join Horizon League on Tuesday?--
The Detroit Free Press
Richardson's take: Bulls 93, Heat 86--
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Grading the Heat
Offense B The Bulls proved their defensive strategy can make even the most dominant teams look out of rhythm. Some of it can be attributed to the Heat having eight days between games, but most of the credit goes to Chicago.
Defense B One of the early turning points came when the Heat went to full-court pressure in the first half. Norris Cole made things difficult for anyone who was in the Bulls' backcourt, but they had no answer for Butler and Robinson.
Coaching C+ Spoelstra has to find a way neutralize the Bulls' advantage on the boards. It's been a problem when the teams have met in each of the last three seasons. And if he does plan to keep riding the hot point guard, it may be time to play Cole late instead of Mario Chalmers.
Hyde5: Five changes for Heat (Chalmers off Robinson)--
South Florida Sun Sentinel
What has to change?
1. Limit Mario Chalmers having to defend Nate Robinson. Chalmers isn’t much of an on-ball defender, and Robinson is in the league because he’s instant offense. Robinson scored eight points of his game-high 27 points on Chalmers down the stretch. Dwyane Wade was then put on him. Wade, Norris Cole – maybe even LeBron to give Robinson a new look if he threatens to heat up. Maybe this is a series Chalmers has to play limited minutes. It’s stunning to think the Heat will have to game-plan around a 5-6 career journeyman, but give Robinson all the credit.
Interviews for Wardle investigation complete--
Green Bay Press Gazette
Miami Heat’s Norris Cole carves out a role--
Miami Herald
Spoelstra appreciates 'body blow' from his bench--
South Florida Sun Sentinel
While an enduring memory of last season's championship run was Mike Miller making 7 of 8 3-pointers to close out the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the reality was that Spoelstra not only tightened his bench to Norris Cole, Udonis Haslem, James Jones and Miller, but that only Haslem received consistent minutes.
Now Haslem plays as a token starter, Miller barely plays and Jones practically doesn't play at all.
Instead, there is the consistency of Battier and Ray Allen, the energy of Chris Andersen and the newfound poise of Cole.
...
Point-ed approach
In three of the four games against the Bucks, point guards Mario Chalmers and Cole combined to play more than the 48 minutes, spending the time on the court together, as well. In Game 2, they combined to play exactly 48 minutes.
It is a decidedly different approach than a year ago in the playoffs, when some of the minutes at point guard were handled by James or Wade or another wing player.
"We're playing more point-guard basketball than we have in the past," Spoelstra said. "It's been an interesting, subtle change in our game. The reason is those guys have been earning those minutes. And so we have confidence in them.
"I think the bigger thing is their teammates have more confidence in them and that's great to see in the playoffs."
To a degree, Cole outplayed Chalmers in the opening round, particularly defensively.
"It's a credit to his work ethic, the time that he puts in," Spoelstra said. "He earned the minutes to play a bigger role in the last series, in a playoff series. We'll see what happens in the next one."
Cleveland State basketball tries to schedule amidst Horizon League changes--
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Birt, Three-Star Recruit from Texas, Joins UIC Basketball Program--
uicflames.com
By what criteria will Wardle be judged?--
Fox 11
Men's basketball: Wardle investigation report could come by next week--
Green Bay Press Gazette
UWGB to play in Great Alaska Shootout next season--
UWGB Hoops Blog
Ex-UWGB women's coach Bollant offers support for Wardle--
UWGB Hoops Blog
Green Bay to Play in 2013 Great Alaska Shootout--
GreenBayPhoenix.com
Bring the Norse north--
PantherU
OP/ED: Year of Valparaiso University sports reviewed--
The Torch
YSU basketball coach sees recruits as Horizon League ready--
Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Men’s Basketball Adds Forward Kyle Steward During Late Signing Period--
ysusports.com
Milwaukee's Harris Moves from Basketball Court to Football Field--
Horizon League Network
Jackson to participate in Knicks, Heat Summer Camps--
Cleveland State Hoops
Cleveland State to play in Keightley Classic--
Cleveland State Hoops
2013 NBA Draft: Looking at the Mid-Major Early Entries--
Mid-Major Madness
2. Ray McCallum, Detroit: McCallum seems to have made the right decision, even though he looks like a second-round pick. The Titan program has a lot of issues buzzing around related to the alleged affair between an assistant coach and the former AD, and how it may have affected the job status of another assistant coach. Now Ray still has his father as his head coach and Big Ray isn't going anywhere, not if Detroit keeps competing for Horizon League titles. But a Player of the Year win for the point guard, and his apparent erasure of many of the knocks against him other than height -- he was noticeably stronger this season and his ability to control the game much improved -- should help push him up a number of boards. The Titans will also not be the team they were this season with the loss of its strong frontcourt. All around, this is a good move.
Cordero Barkley Speaks Out About Coach Wardle's Investigation--
NBC26
Press Row’s Not Safe Podcast: Jimmy Lemke: 4/29--
Press Row's Not Safe
I’ve noticed a lot of Oakland fans still skeptical about the news that the Golden Grizzlies will be jumping to the Horizon League in the immediate future. PantherU.com’s Jimmy Lemke, who has confirmed the news again and also broke other re-alignment news regarding the conference, joined me for a podcast today to relieve fans of their curiosity.
We also discussed the strengths of some of the other Horizon League sports as it pertains to Oakland, whether the jump will happen for the 2013-2014 academic year or not, and what other schools might the league be looking to add (an addition of Oakland puts the league at nine).
Punched In: Signing off on Oakland-to-Horizon, UFC 159, Westbrook and more--
Press Row's Not Safe
Consistency issues a thing of the past for Mario Chalmers--
South Florida Sun Sentinel
"If you're going to talk about the Heat, you're always going to talk about the Big Three," Chalmers said. "What we do, me, UD [Udonis Haslem], [Norris] Cole and everybody else, we just fly under the radar and do what we can for the team."
...
The maturation in Chalmers is shown in his reaction to second-year guard Norris Cole's emergence in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks. Cole played well enough to earn most of the fourth-quarter minutes.
The old Chalmers might have taken it as a threat to his playing time. The new Chalmers looks at it as preparing Cole if the team needs him during the playoff run.
"It's not motivation to me," Chalmers said. "I'm motivated through myself. It's a collective thing. It's all about the team. If [Cole] is playing good, that makes our team better. There's no pressure on me. You know me, I never show it even if I'm under pressure. I'm excited that he's playing good."
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he will base the point guard minutes in the second round on a game-by-game basis. Having options is the reason they drafted Cole, adding him as a complement to Chalmers.
Cleveland State to Play at Kentucky on Nov. 25--
csuvikings.com
UDM's Ray McCallum will leave father's team to enter NBA draft--
The Detroit Free Press
Ex-Green Bay player details ugly accusations against coach Brian Wardle--
CollegeBasketballTalk
UW-Green Bay center Alec Brown: ‘A lot of the stuff [that's been] said is not true’--
CollegeBasketballTalk
Ex-Green Bay forward Brennan Cougill supports teammate’s allegations--
CollegeBasketballTalk
If accusations against Brian Wardle are true, then his job should be in jeopardy--
The Dagger
Wisconsin Green Bay Player Accuses Coach Of Making Him Poop His Pants--
Black Sports Online
Complaints against UWGB coach go public--
College Basketball Nation Blog
Players defend UWGB coach on radio--
College Basketball Nation Blog
UWGB players argue over accusations--
College Basketball Nation Blog
3-point shot: UWGB learns from Rutgers--
College Basketball Nation Blog
Former Wis.-Green Bay player details abuse allegations--
USA Today
Green Bay players offer differing views on allegations--
USA Today
Two Green Bay players insist claims against Wardle are untrue--
Eye On College Basketball
Cougill supports former teammate's allegations against Wardle--
FOX 11 Sports
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay basketball coach accused of player abuse--
The Other Paper
UWGB Hoops Coach Brian Wardle Will Make You Run Until You Poop--
Deadspin
Men's basketball: Teammate backs player's allegation against UWGB coach--
Green Bay Press Gazette
Allegations against UWGB coach Wardle could have impact on recruiting--
Green Bay Press Gazette
Ritchie, Sension to play in China--
UWGB Fourth Estate
Division I College Basketball Players Are Incredible Athletes; Not Even The Mighty NFL Can Deny It--
Rush The Court
Panthers open talks about U.S. Cellular Arena--
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Brown, Perry Speeches Highlight Scholar-Athlete Banquet--
ysusports.com
Miami Heat’s reserves take on role as closers--
Miami Herald
The additions of Ray Allen and Chris Andersen, and the further development of backup point guard Norris Cole, have bolstered the Heat’s depth to a degree not even the architects of the roster could have anticipated. In the 2012 playoffs, reserve Shane Battier turned out to be the key player who made the Heat’s offense click. Battier shot 29.4 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three-point range in the first round, and it hardly mattered.
...
With his hawkish court vision, James has three distinct options when he blows past a defender. He can either (a) drive to the basket, (b) toss it to Andersen, who is rolling toward the hoop or (c) kick it out to Allen, Battier, Cole or Mario Chalmers. Someone is always open and, more often than not, James finds his man.
Winners and losers now that the NBA draft early-entry deadline has passed--
The Dagger
EARLY-ENTRY DEADLINE LOSERS:
...
6. Detroit: Ray McCallum faced a very similar decision to Doug McDermott, but the Detroit point guard made the opposite choice. Instead of returning for his senior season to play one more year for his father, the Detroit point guard opted to take his chances as a potential second-round pick in the NBA draft. McCallum, the Horizon League player of the year this past season, leaves a void that it will be very hard for the Titans to fill. He averaged 18.9 points, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals as a junior as Detroit vied with Valparaiso for the Horizon League crown.
3-point shot: Baylor's focus on point guard--
College Basketball Nation Blog
3. Ray McCallum Jr. announced his decision to declare for the NBA draft last week but it got lost amid other headline names making the tough call to stay or go. But don't dismiss the Detroit guard as an afterthought. McCallum Jr. could have easily gone to UCLA but chose to play for his father Ray at Detroit. McCallum will be an intriguing prospect to monitor throughout the team workouts and in Chicago over the next two months. Each decision is personal and that's why to guess what direction a player would go in this process is extremely difficult. McCallum chose to leave his dad's team and head to the NBA. Doug McDermott decided to stay and play for his dad at Creighton for one more year. McCallum, though, could very well end up being a higher pick in a draft that needs quality ball handlers.
Third Annual Titan Club Basketball Camp For Special Needs Players Set For June 28--
detroittitans.com
UIC gets commitment from Texas high school senior--
The Chicago Tribune
Members Of Loyola's 1963 NCAA Champs Team Honored By Chicago Cubs--
LoyolaRamblers.com
Abuse accusations grow against UWGB's Wardle--
The Chicago Tribune
Men's basketball: Bross outlines complaints against UWGB's Wardle--
Green Bay Press Gazette
Teammate backs player's allegation against UWGB coach--
Green Bay Press Gazette
Wisconsin-Milwaukee forward Demetrius Harris signs with the Chiefs--
CollegeBasketballTalk
UWM’s Demetrius Harris to play for Kansas City Chiefs--
UWM Post
Harris Will Start NFL Career With Kansas City Chiefs--
uwmpanthers.com
Seniors reflect on career--
The Jambar
26th Annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet Set for Tuesday Evening--
ysusports.com
Ursuline’s Davidson among YSU hires--
Youngstown Vindicator
Barnes Announces Three Additions to Coaching Staff--
ysusports.com
