Both DJ Augustin and AJ Abrams are declaring for the NBA draft, but won't hire agents. They can still withdraw their names by June 16th, unless they sign an agent.
I think this is a great move for DJ, because, honestly, why the hell not? 19.8 ppg in the Big 12 and the winner of the Bob Cousy Award...sounds good to me. He has great moves, can shoot, and has very good court awareness. I predict 1st round and a better rookie season than Acie Law.
AJ, on the other hand should withdraw his name. He just seems too spotty to be NBA calibur. His only real tool is his 3-point shooting. He isn't good at making his own shots, defense, or shooting inside the arc. That spells NBDL all the way.
Showing posts with label college basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college basketball. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
End of season review, Texas Tech fan style.
Well, it wouldn't be a risky reach to say that the Texas Tech basketball season is over, and thank God it is. Now, there might be an NIT appearance in store for the Red Raiders, but that's basically an insult anywhere outside of College Station (oh snap!!1).
It was an entertaining season, to say the most. High expectations at first turned into a slow and steady downward spiral that was momentarily stopped with a win against high-ranked Texas, and ended again with a 2 game losing streak to finally put the Raiders down for the count.
We began the season with The General at the helm, doing his same old song and dance, and ended the year with a glimmer of hope that his son can emulate at least half of what Bobby was able to do in his career. Stumbles against Centenary and Sam Houston State stung the most, even more than the 44 and 58 point losses to Texas A&M and Kansas. At least Kansas and Texas A&M had the personnel and resume to hand over those types of defeats to the oft out-matched group from Lubbock.
The most pleasant surprises were the emergence of the whitest basketball shooter since Brandy Perryman lit up the Erwin Center. Yes, Alan Voskuil, the unsuspecting shooting guard who made quite a name for himself with his accurate shooting and Dawson's Creek-esque looks. Voskuil made good on exactly 50% of his 3-pointers (68-136, including today's game against OSU). Voskuil will have to be a focal point next year, as teams will probably que up on him to limit his production on wide open shots.
Another reason to not walk away with a frowny face is the play of a few newcomers. Freshmen John Roberson and Mike Singletary showed glimpses of All-Conference calibur play, while transfer Trevor Cook was a solid candidate for All-Lubbock. With Roberson taking control of the offense after a good season under his belt, there is hope. He showed great poise in the motion offense, hitting 40% from beyond the arc, and finishing 3rd on the team with 12.2 points per game.
Singletary looked like a third-world PJ Tucker. He could've been a PJ Tucker clone with the right coaching philosophy, but we can't get everything we want. He showed glimpses of offensive goodness (not greatness) with his 7.3 points in varying amounts of playing time. His 2.9 rebounds per game were "good enough" for 4th on the team.
All I can really say about this season is that I'm very sad to see Martin Zeno leaving. He played his heart and soul out for 4 very good years, never complaining and always being ready to play. He is the kind of person that everyone should want on their team. I'm also hoping that, in true Texas Tech fashion, we can truly "wait for next year." We return 3.5 starters (I honestly don't even know who would qualify as starters on this club) and only lose 2.5 players (Rizvic still has half a year of eligibility, Longar.) Pat Knight has also gained commitments from 5 players, 2 in the JuCo ranks, who could contribute immediately or be the next Ricardo De Bem.
So, in closing; this year was subpar. We lost games we shouldn't have and won games we shouldn't have. We almost upset 3 top 10 teams, but could only muster out wins against 2 of them. We lost to 2 schools who are smaller than my high school class, and lost by the largest margin in Tech history, twice, within a week, sandwiched around a win against Texas. The best I can predict next year is that we will be a team that will either run you out of the building, or absolutely crash under the pressure of having to rebound and shoot. Regardless, we will still beat A&M in Lubbock. Wreck 'Em!
Incoming Recruits ... Plus One!
It was an entertaining season, to say the most. High expectations at first turned into a slow and steady downward spiral that was momentarily stopped with a win against high-ranked Texas, and ended again with a 2 game losing streak to finally put the Raiders down for the count.
We began the season with The General at the helm, doing his same old song and dance, and ended the year with a glimmer of hope that his son can emulate at least half of what Bobby was able to do in his career. Stumbles against Centenary and Sam Houston State stung the most, even more than the 44 and 58 point losses to Texas A&M and Kansas. At least Kansas and Texas A&M had the personnel and resume to hand over those types of defeats to the oft out-matched group from Lubbock.
The most pleasant surprises were the emergence of the whitest basketball shooter since Brandy Perryman lit up the Erwin Center. Yes, Alan Voskuil, the unsuspecting shooting guard who made quite a name for himself with his accurate shooting and Dawson's Creek-esque looks. Voskuil made good on exactly 50% of his 3-pointers (68-136, including today's game against OSU). Voskuil will have to be a focal point next year, as teams will probably que up on him to limit his production on wide open shots.
Another reason to not walk away with a frowny face is the play of a few newcomers. Freshmen John Roberson and Mike Singletary showed glimpses of All-Conference calibur play, while transfer Trevor Cook was a solid candidate for All-Lubbock. With Roberson taking control of the offense after a good season under his belt, there is hope. He showed great poise in the motion offense, hitting 40% from beyond the arc, and finishing 3rd on the team with 12.2 points per game.
Singletary looked like a third-world PJ Tucker. He could've been a PJ Tucker clone with the right coaching philosophy, but we can't get everything we want. He showed glimpses of offensive goodness (not greatness) with his 7.3 points in varying amounts of playing time. His 2.9 rebounds per game were "good enough" for 4th on the team.
All I can really say about this season is that I'm very sad to see Martin Zeno leaving. He played his heart and soul out for 4 very good years, never complaining and always being ready to play. He is the kind of person that everyone should want on their team. I'm also hoping that, in true Texas Tech fashion, we can truly "wait for next year." We return 3.5 starters (I honestly don't even know who would qualify as starters on this club) and only lose 2.5 players (Rizvic still has half a year of eligibility, Longar.) Pat Knight has also gained commitments from 5 players, 2 in the JuCo ranks, who could contribute immediately or be the next Ricardo De Bem.
So, in closing; this year was subpar. We lost games we shouldn't have and won games we shouldn't have. We almost upset 3 top 10 teams, but could only muster out wins against 2 of them. We lost to 2 schools who are smaller than my high school class, and lost by the largest margin in Tech history, twice, within a week, sandwiched around a win against Texas. The best I can predict next year is that we will be a team that will either run you out of the building, or absolutely crash under the pressure of having to rebound and shoot. Regardless, we will still beat A&M in Lubbock. Wreck 'Em!
Incoming Recruits ... Plus One!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
DJ Augustin named to Academic All-American First Team
For the second time in school history, Texas has an Academic All-American in basketball. DJ Augustin was picked by ESPN The Magazine as a first team selection on this year's squad. To even be a nominee for the award, you have to be a starter or significant bench player, have a career GPA of 3.20 and be a sophomore or higher. Augustin easily fit all 3 categories, thanks to his 3.64 GPA (4.0 in the Fall 07).
DJ is also the only player on the first team that I've heard of. The others hail from Drake, Belmont, Coastal Carolina and North Dakota State. Congrats to DJ.
TexasSports.com
DJ is also the only player on the first team that I've heard of. The others hail from Drake, Belmont, Coastal Carolina and North Dakota State. Congrats to DJ.
TexasSports.com
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Crank that Voskuil?
He went from "Little Brother" to "Mr. 30 Points" in only 3 short years. Alan Voskuil helped the unranked Red Raiders claim the first victory for new coach Pat Knight on Wednesday night against the 18th ranked Kansas State Wildcats, 84-75. The win moves Pat Knight to 1-2, while the Red Raiders improve to 13-10 (4-5). Kansas State drops to 17-6 (7-2) after the lose.
Voskuil could not miss from outside during the first half. His 4-4 from beyond the arc spurred the Red Raiders to a 12 point halftime lead. For the game, Voskuil finished 9-14 with a 5-6 3 point night. His 7 rebounds led the Red Raiders, who were once again outrebounded 33-26.
Despite the troubles on the boards, Texas Tech did everything they needed to grasp the W. They shot .509 from the field and hit 25 of their 36 free throws. The defense held Michael Beasley in check as much as they could. Beasley finished the night with 22 points and 15 rebounds, but only managed to make 6 of his 20 shots.
Voskuil wasn't the only one who helped the Raiders to victory. The Freshman duo of John Roberson and Mike Singletary both put up 11 points. Roberson's 6 assists definitely helped the winning cause. Martin Zeno, Tech's leading scorer on the season finished the game with 16 points. Trevor Cook played a huge role off the bench, scoring 8 points and blocking 2 key shots in the second half in only 13 minutes of play.
Kansas State was led by 2nd leading scorer Bill Walker, who scored 27 points before fouling out. That, combined with Beasley's 22 and Jacob Pullen's 16 amounted for 87% of the Wildcats' point total.
KSU's Blake "Lil' Wayne" Young finished with only 4 points, after trying to prove how "hard" he was after a scrape with Tech big man Esmir Rizvic. Both players received a technical foul on the play, but Young should have been removed from the game for making an apparent threat to Rizvic with his fist. The NCAA should better define the terms of "throwing a punch" to include cocking your fist back and threatening another player (editor's opinion).
Voskuil could not miss from outside during the first half. His 4-4 from beyond the arc spurred the Red Raiders to a 12 point halftime lead. For the game, Voskuil finished 9-14 with a 5-6 3 point night. His 7 rebounds led the Red Raiders, who were once again outrebounded 33-26.
Despite the troubles on the boards, Texas Tech did everything they needed to grasp the W. They shot .509 from the field and hit 25 of their 36 free throws. The defense held Michael Beasley in check as much as they could. Beasley finished the night with 22 points and 15 rebounds, but only managed to make 6 of his 20 shots.
Voskuil wasn't the only one who helped the Raiders to victory. The Freshman duo of John Roberson and Mike Singletary both put up 11 points. Roberson's 6 assists definitely helped the winning cause. Martin Zeno, Tech's leading scorer on the season finished the game with 16 points. Trevor Cook played a huge role off the bench, scoring 8 points and blocking 2 key shots in the second half in only 13 minutes of play.
Kansas State was led by 2nd leading scorer Bill Walker, who scored 27 points before fouling out. That, combined with Beasley's 22 and Jacob Pullen's 16 amounted for 87% of the Wildcats' point total.
KSU's Blake "Lil' Wayne" Young finished with only 4 points, after trying to prove how "hard" he was after a scrape with Tech big man Esmir Rizvic. Both players received a technical foul on the play, but Young should have been removed from the game for making an apparent threat to Rizvic with his fist. The NCAA should better define the terms of "throwing a punch" to include cocking your fist back and threatening another player (editor's opinion).
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Same old song and dance for IU's Sampson
There is a reason why nobody likes Kelvin Sampson. It's not just because he put together some really good, and dirty (editor opinion) teams at Oklahoma, but rather the fact that he is constantly breaking NCAA rules. To Sampson, ethics is just some silly word that people throw around when he beats them out for a recruit (see Eric Gordon's recruitment). The violations started out with Ol' Blue Shirt making illegal (per NCAA) calls to potential recruits. It wasn't a couple or even a dozen, but 577. The NCAA decided that Sampson was restricted from making any calls to recruits, but was allowed to receive calls. It was soon discovered that he participated in a number of conference calls with potential players. Now, he's in big trouble. Sampson did it AGAIN, but this time he lied about it. The NCAA caught him, again.
This is a big blow to the Indiana program. Under former Head Coach Bob Knight, Indiana faced much scrutiny for his actions, none of which including NCAA violations. It seems that Indiana traded that spotlight for Sampson's aura of cheating. Sampson has already cost himself $500,000 and one scholarship, both sanctions brought on by the university, but with this new round, the NCAA will hopefully step up and punish Kelvin with major sanctions. If Indiana were smart, they'd start a new search for a head coach that doesn't have a knack for blatantly breaking the rules. They gambled bringing in a coach with a winning record on the court, but a losing record off the court, when they lured him away from Oklahoma. Now they need to go find a coach who won't break the rules, even if it means sacrificing a few victories each year. They are now looking like total fools for letting Mike Davis and Bobby Knight leave.
Davis took over for Knight in the 2000-2001 season, and led Indiana to the NCAA Finals in his 2nd season at the helm. After a series of non-Indiana like years, Davis resigned and took over the UAB program. Hall of Famer Knight brought 3 national championships to Bloomington during his 29 years, and 11 Big Ten titles. He was fired after a career marred by on and off the court shenanigans (not cheeky or fun shenanigans).
Indiana needs a new start. They have some great players at their disposal (assuming they return) and are a huge name in collegiate basketball. All they are missing is a coach that makes the news by winning, not through scandal.
Link
This is a big blow to the Indiana program. Under former Head Coach Bob Knight, Indiana faced much scrutiny for his actions, none of which including NCAA violations. It seems that Indiana traded that spotlight for Sampson's aura of cheating. Sampson has already cost himself $500,000 and one scholarship, both sanctions brought on by the university, but with this new round, the NCAA will hopefully step up and punish Kelvin with major sanctions. If Indiana were smart, they'd start a new search for a head coach that doesn't have a knack for blatantly breaking the rules. They gambled bringing in a coach with a winning record on the court, but a losing record off the court, when they lured him away from Oklahoma. Now they need to go find a coach who won't break the rules, even if it means sacrificing a few victories each year. They are now looking like total fools for letting Mike Davis and Bobby Knight leave.
Davis took over for Knight in the 2000-2001 season, and led Indiana to the NCAA Finals in his 2nd season at the helm. After a series of non-Indiana like years, Davis resigned and took over the UAB program. Hall of Famer Knight brought 3 national championships to Bloomington during his 29 years, and 11 Big Ten titles. He was fired after a career marred by on and off the court shenanigans (not cheeky or fun shenanigans).
Indiana needs a new start. They have some great players at their disposal (assuming they return) and are a huge name in collegiate basketball. All they are missing is a coach that makes the news by winning, not through scandal.
Link
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
It's almost PAT KNIGHT DAY!!
Lubbock Mayor David Miller is making an attempt to regain some citizen's trust (note editor opinion) by proclaiming Wednesday, February 13, 2008 as Pat Knight Day to officially welcome the new coach to his position. The son of The General is officially 0-2 in his short tenure as the head man for the Red Raiders, both games coming on the road. Wednesday will mark his first coaching gig in Lubbock when the Wildcats of Kansas State trek down from their perch in Manhattan.
Kansas State, 17-5 (7-1), features Fr. phenom Michael Beasley, a forward averaging a paltry 25 points and 12 rebounds a game, both tops in the Big 12. So. forward Bill Walker ranks 6th and 9th, respectively, with 15.8 and 6.8, helping the Wildcats form a formidable combo on the inside.
Texas Tech enters the contest at 12-10 (3-5), and on a 2-game losing streak. Leading scorer, Sr. Martin Zeno is also the teams leading rebounder with 16 and 4.5. Fr. guard John Roberson is 2nd with 12.5 pts. while Jr. Alan Voskuil averages 12.1 per game.
The key to Wednesday night's game will be Tech's ability to neutralize the offense and defense of Michael Beasley. Basically, Tech must keep Beasley from playing his style. That, coupled with a strong shooting game should propel the Red Raiders to victory. In essence, this should be an easy win in Lubbock for Kansas State, something no visitor has achieved in 2007-2008.
Kansas State, 17-5 (7-1), features Fr. phenom Michael Beasley, a forward averaging a paltry 25 points and 12 rebounds a game, both tops in the Big 12. So. forward Bill Walker ranks 6th and 9th, respectively, with 15.8 and 6.8, helping the Wildcats form a formidable combo on the inside.
Texas Tech enters the contest at 12-10 (3-5), and on a 2-game losing streak. Leading scorer, Sr. Martin Zeno is also the teams leading rebounder with 16 and 4.5. Fr. guard John Roberson is 2nd with 12.5 pts. while Jr. Alan Voskuil averages 12.1 per game.
The key to Wednesday night's game will be Tech's ability to neutralize the offense and defense of Michael Beasley. Basically, Tech must keep Beasley from playing his style. That, coupled with a strong shooting game should propel the Red Raiders to victory. In essence, this should be an easy win in Lubbock for Kansas State, something no visitor has achieved in 2007-2008.
Monday, February 11, 2008
#11 Texas upsets #3 Kansas in Austin
Wow, what a game for the Longhorns tonight, a 72-69 win over another top 5 team. It took a great first half from Connor Atchley and an amazing second half from Damion James and Justin Mason to seal the deal. The MVP of the game, in my opinion, was Justin Mason. Mason went from being a scapegoat for bad shooting to an all-hustle playmaker when the Longhorns needed him the most. His extra effort to grab offensive rebounds and get timely putbacks propelled the Longhorns just enough to overcome DJ Augustin's 1-13 performance.
The Jayhawks dominated the transition game for much of the contest, but could not overcome the grittiness of Texas. Kansas was led offensively by So. Darrell Arthur's 22 points.
Connor Atchley was a perfect 6-6 from the field for 16 points, including 4-4 from beyond the arc, and added 4 key blocks. Damion James scored 14, while grabbing 13 rebounds, most of them coming in the closing half. Justin Mason scored only 9 points, but grabbed 8 rebounds, 5 on the offensive side.
Box Score
The Jayhawks dominated the transition game for much of the contest, but could not overcome the grittiness of Texas. Kansas was led offensively by So. Darrell Arthur's 22 points.
Connor Atchley was a perfect 6-6 from the field for 16 points, including 4-4 from beyond the arc, and added 4 key blocks. Damion James scored 14, while grabbing 13 rebounds, most of them coming in the closing half. Justin Mason scored only 9 points, but grabbed 8 rebounds, 5 on the offensive side.
Box Score
Monday, February 4, 2008
Bob Knight retires
Bob Knight unexpectedly retired Monday afternoon from his post at Texas Tech University. Knight's son, Pat Knight, is set to take over the team for the season's remaining ten games. Knight finished his 6+ seasons at Tech with an overall record of 138-82, giving him the highest win percentage of any Red Raider coach. His career record of 902-371 gives him the most victories in NCAA Men's Basketball history.
At Tech, Knight led the Red Raiders to 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Sweet Sixteen in 2005. He won 3 NCAA titles during his tenure at Indiana, including a perfect 32-0 season in 1973.
As much as people will remember him for his 3 titles, 902 wins and countless antics, I will most remember him for his donations towards education and his role in coaching student-athletes rather than just athletes.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal story
In my staunch opinion, I am glad that Coach Knight has decided to hand over the program. It was hard seeing him this season, with his teams inability to play up to his name's lofty standards. It just seemed like the game had really passed him by, especially with the influx of a higher quality of players on opposing teams, due to the NBA's new requirements on drafting age. It will be a long time until somebody with his flare and intensity comes to the sport of basketball.
Farewell, Coach Knight!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Down Goes Kansas!
#22 Kansas State pulled off the upset of the day today when they beat the #2 Jayhawks in Manhattan, 84-75. It marked the first time in TWENTY FOUR years that Kansas had lost a game on their rival's home court. Michael Beasley and Bill Walker led the Wildcats with 25 and 22 points. Kansas managed to out-shoot their in-state rivals .481 to .429, but the 12 made 3 pointers by KSU proved to be too much in the end.
This marked the first loss of the year for Kansas, leaving #1 Memphis as the only remaining unbeaten team.
In College Station, Texas lost to A&M. A&M was helped out by the refs, and Texas' inability to shoot the ball. It sucked, but proved the Texas Triangle right once again. Tech beats A&M, Texas beats Tech, A&M beats Texas. It's a vicious cycle.
This marked the first loss of the year for Kansas, leaving #1 Memphis as the only remaining unbeaten team.
In College Station, Texas lost to A&M. A&M was helped out by the refs, and Texas' inability to shoot the ball. It sucked, but proved the Texas Triangle right once again. Tech beats A&M, Texas beats Tech, A&M beats Texas. It's a vicious cycle.
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