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FOXSports.com News for COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has turned down the Cleveland
Cavaliers job — largely due to the uncertainty of whether NBA star
LeBron James will re-sign with the team.

NittanyWhiteOut

If Texas is on the move, the Big Ten is its logical destination

The huge news today, regarding conference expansion, didn’t involve the Big Ten.  No, Rivals reported that the Pac-10 conference, which had largely considered to be patiently waiting to see where the dominoes might fall, sent out invitations to six of the marquee teams from the Big XII.

Citing the standard “multiple sources close to the situation,” as it seems every newspaper, radio station, television outlet or blog has over the past few months, Chip Brown writes:

[I]t appears the Pac-10, which has its meetings in San Francisco starting this weekend, is prepared to make a bold move and invite Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado to join its league…

The six teams from the Big 12 would be in an eight-team division with Arizona and Arizona State. The other eight-team division would consist of USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State.

Now, we’re obviously not going to accept this report on face value. If every unverified column were true, the Big Ten would’ve already added UConn, and also Missouri, Nebraska, Syracuse, Rutgers, and Pittsburgh. Or maybe just Rutgers, Missouri and Nebraska. And maybe Notre Dame.  The Pac-10 would’ve welcomed Utah and Colorado, not the above listed 6.  In short, we’ve seen this movie before, Chip, and we’re going to take some convincing.

The thought is the Big 16 (or whatever they decide for the name) would start its own television network that could command premium subscriber dollars from cable providers on par with the Big Ten Network and pay out upwards of $20 million to each of the 16 schools in TV revenue.

Now, all indications are pointing to this being more than just mere fluff.  Colorado’s AD, Mike Bohn, hinted that this was more a probability than a done deal, but even so, the ramifications throughout the landscape of college football are evident.

Still, Charlie just wrote about the hurdles a potential Pac-10 Network would face, which begs the question: if Texas is going to move, wouldn’t it be to the Big Ten?

The Big Ten already has their Network up and running, and paying out more than $20 million dollars to each school based not just on BTN revenues, but also its hefty contract with ESPN.  If Big Ten expansion hits home runs rather than singles, and adding Texas would be a grand slam, that revenue would skyrocket.  The Pac-10 is hoping to pay out $20 million to each school, the Big Ten already does!  The BTN wasn’t financially successful until Comcast struck a deal with the Network, and that didn’t happen for more than a year.  Even today, not all cable carriers in the state of Pennsylvania carry the network, and I’m sure there’s more demand for Penn State than for Washington State or Arizona in their respective states.  Yes, it has been the trailblazer for future conference-run TV networks, but the fact is that demand isn’t there right now for a Pac-10 Network to be an immediately viable money maker.  And even if there was, the rocky path to a financial windfall would ensure that it would take years before any Pac-10 team could see $20 million from TV revenue.

But for the BTN?  Bringing in a Texas, and a Texas alone would mean at least another 2 million per school.  Considering Texas’ population (approximately 25 million), the school’s overwhelming popularity, and the fact that the Big Ten Network receives 88 cents per subscriber of states within the Big Ten footprint, the conference could stand to bring in over $20 million by adding Texas alone.  Add Rutgers, and you’ve got the New York City market cornered: another $20 million for the conference.  Throw in Nebraska to make things even, and you’ve got a superconference that dwarfs even the new Pac-15, not just in TV revenue, but in talent.

Even before expansion talk hit, conference officials expected Big Ten Network revenues to double over the next decade.  Sure, the Pac-10 might be able to offer $20 million–maybe, in a few years, down the road–but by joining the Big Ten, Texas could be looking at more than $40 a year by 2016!

That’s not even considering the college football fans all across the country who would buy in to the BTN just for the opportunity to watch the titans of the sport play on a weekly basis.  And once you’ve got close to 100 million households nationwide on the BTN, the Big Ten would have the chance to force even more money out of ESPN.  And if you’re ESPN, how could you pass up on the chance to broadcast some epic matchups? Texas-Ohio State is a national championship game, not a 3:30 start.  But in this scenario, it’s happening every week.  Penn State-Nebraska.  Rutgers-Michigan.  My pants just got tight imaging that.  Well, maybe not that last one.

Texas had been talking of starting up their own network–Longhorn TV–long before this revelation, because even though they’d earned the lions’ share of television revenue from the Big XII in its weighted sharing system, it still amounts to just over $10 million dollars.  Why go through the hassle when you’ve got the BTN waiting for you?  The same conundrum arises with this proposed Pac-10 Network–there’s a lot of heavy lifting to be done, and, should things fall through, the members of the conference are only making between $8 and $10 million on their current TV deals.  Sure, adding all these teams would provide a boost, but not one as influential to any school’s bottom line as joining the Big Ten.

So what would Texas even have to lose?  Sure, they’re a team that likes to schedule soft, and since they’d undoubtedly want to keep their rivalries going with Oklahoma and Texas A&M, it would mean sacrificing two out-of-conference matchups to keep the Red River Shootout a yearly tradition.  It’s also possible that the Big Ten would be forced, by the state of Texas, to bring A&M along for the ride.  Either way, Texas still comes out ahead by joining the Big Ten.

Or maybe Texas would just have to lose a rivalry–it happens.  I hate to bring up the example, but Penn State hasn’t played Pitt in a decade, and the world has gone on.  In the above article, it was suggested that Texas A&M had been approached by the SEC, which would, in effect, force Texas into the exact same boat they’d be in by joining the Big Ten.  So if you want to make the case that Texas would sacrifice the opportunity to be in the Big Ten because it would mean losing their in-state rivals, I wouldn’t be so sure.

Texas has always dodged SEC rumors by claiming the importance of academics. The US News and World Review ranks UT-Austin 47th, tied with our humble college in that regard.  While the Pac-10 boasts some solid institutions, in Stanford, as well as Cal, UCLA, and USC, the fact is that no other athletic conference operates such a powerful academic consortium as the Big Ten.  The Committee on Institutional Cooperation not only includes the Big Ten, with such prestigious universities as Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin, but the University of Chicago as well, and the ability to share resources would open up Texas to even greater research opportunities.

Now, this rumor may well have legs.  The Big XII Commissioner, Dan Beebe, canceled his scheduled press conference at this week’s conference meeting,  probably so that he can verify these rumors before taking questions about them.  The Pac-10 may well have made the first move in conference expansion, and there’s no doubt they came out swinging.  They wanted to “revolutionize college athletics” and should this punch land, they’ll have done just that.   And we’d see the Big Ten picking at the remnants–Missouri, Nebraska, rather than devouring the Big East whole.

But when it comes to Texas, well, they’re just as likely to whiff.  If Texas is going anywhere, it should be North, not West.

Related Posts:

1. Adding Texas: The Texas Tech Dilemma
2. Nebraska to Join the Big Ten: Alea Iacta Est
3. Now, an Accelerated Timetable for the Big Ten

NittanyWhiteOut

Penn State’s first commit back last autumn for the upcoming class of 2011, Trey Burke from Columbus (OH) Northland High School has officially re-opened his recruitment. His father Alfonso “Benji” Burke confirmed the news yesterday.

“Yes, he opened it up yesterday. He wanted to finish out his last summer uncommitted.”

The potential loss of the 5′11″, 160 lb point guard from the same home town as Jamelle Cornley is a huge blow to Ed DeChellis’ program that has already seen 2 defections earlier this offseason by Chris Babb and Bill Edwards.

The reasons given by his father however, Alfonso is more scathing to the DeChellis program than any winless records he will ever set.

“Of course, we want to win, play at a Big Ten level, and get a great education. Trey felt he had all but one of those at Penn State.”

Now even the casual observe has to know exactly which one aspect was missing from the three his father listed.

According to Alfonso, he just wasn’t sure either that Penn State can win or that his prime recruiter, assistant Lewis Preston will be around when Burke arrived in the Fall of 2011.

“To be honest with you, I love Penn State and I wanted him to stick it out,” said Mr. Burke. ”I think, the way he’s playing, he can go in and play right away and be better than [PSU point guard] Talor Battle. And get a great education.

“On the flip side, he was concerned if the staff would be there when he arrives. And then, the ability of getting some guys to come in there with him.

“It was really tough to tell those guys he was re-opening his recruitment. But he did it.”

Penn State originally beat out 2010 national runner-up Butler, Akron, and Stephen F. Austin among other MAC and Horizon League schools for his verbal. But with a year and a half to go before he would actually join a team by the time of his commitment, big time programs still had plenty of time to offer the #117 ranked player in the Class of 2010 a scholarship.

And now with Burke officially re-opening his recruitment, the sharks are circling.

According to Mr. Burke and Northland High coach Satch Sullinger, high-majors such as Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Arizona and Wake Forest are beginning to show serious interest. Mr Burke said: “Butler just e-mailed me and said they would love to get him back down there.”

You really can’t blame a kid who wants to not only play, but win at the highest level to be weary of Ed DeChellis and his Penn State program. But if a 16 year old kid and his dad can see the obvious deficiencies of the DeChellis program, what will it take for Tim Curley to notice it too.

We wish Trey Burke the best in his endeavors. He will actually be in Los Angeles this weekend with his All-Ohio Red teammates for the third leg of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.

Related Posts:

1. Houston, We Have a [basketball] Recruit: Trey Burke
2. Tim Curley Could Learn From DePaul
3. Ed DeChellis Signs Contract Extension

NittanyWhiteOut

It seems as if the BCS has a contingency plan to deal with the USC scandal all along. While the NCAA dragged their feet for 6 years uncovering what took Yahoo! Sports 8 months to discover, the BCS actually met back in 2007 and drew up a a policy calling for teams’ BCS appearances and BCS titles to be vacated when major rules violations subsequently are discovered and the institutions are sanctioned by the NCAA. Current BCS executive director Bill Hancock confirmed the provision Wednesday to USA Today.

This might be the only legitimate college football championship ring from 2004

The actual policy reads:

“When the NCAA or a conference makes a finding of violations … and imposes a sanction of forfeiture or vacation of contests in which an ineligible student-athlete participated, we will presume that vacation of participation in a BCS bowl game is warranted.”

There is simply no doubt if the NCAA finds Bush in violation of NCAA rules, the Trojan’s 2004 national championship would be forfeited under such a policy considering the pivotal role Bush played during that season.

Keep in mind that the NCAA probe in fact centers not only on Reggie Bush and the football program, but the OJ Mayo scandal and the basketball program as well. But if the resignation of the head basketball coach Tim Floyd and self-imposed penalties including forfeiting 21 wins doesn’t imply guilt, then I don’t know what does.

The evidence against the football program and Reggie Bush is equally damning.

Originally written back in a 2008 article:

In 1987, Southern Methodist University, a WAC conference team was handed the NCAA ‘death penalty’ because 21 players received approximately $61,000 in cash payments from a booster while they were on probation for another violation. The penalty was downright shocking. A loss of 55 new scholarships over 4 years, loss of 3 coaching positions for 2 years, cancellation of the 1987 season and a limit of only 7 games (all on the road) for the 88? season, and a 2 year bowl, TV ban. The consequences of the penalty was so severe that the school voluntarily canceled the 88? season as a lost cause.

Now fast forward to 2010. 23 years after the dreaded SMU ‘death penalty’, the NCAA is faced with yet another possible headache. After an eight month investigation by Yahoo! Sports, it has been revealed that USC Heisman winning running back Reggie Bush has been receiving improper benefits during the 2 years he attended the university, 1 of which when they won the national championship. This was not one isolated incident where Reggie Bush was given money, but a 2 year long history of improper benefits for Reggie as well as his immediate family members. Documented records show:

• $595.20 in round-trip airfare from San Diego to Oakland in November 2005 for Bush’s stepfather, LaMar Griffin, his mother, Denise Griffin and younger brother to attend the USC-California game at Berkeley. The fees were charged to the credit card of Jamie Fritz, an employee of Ornstein. The document detailing the charges was provided by Lee Pfeifer, an estranged business associate of Ornstein’s.
• $250.65 for limousine transportation from the Oakland airport to the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco that November weekend for the Bush family, charged to Fritz, according to a document. Ornstein acknowledged both he and Bush’s family stayed at the luxury hotel.
• Suits for Bush’s stepfather and brother to wear during the Dec. 10, 2005 Heisman ceremony in New York, a makeover for his mother for the event and limousine transportation;
• Weekly payments of at least $1,500 to the Bush family.
• $623.63 for a hotel stay by Bush at the Venetian Resort & Casino in Las Vegas from March 11-13, 2005, charged to Michaels, according to a document signed by Bush.
• $1,574.86 for a stay by Bush at the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego from March 4-6, 2005, paid for by Michaels, according to a hotel document, a hotel employee and a source.
• Approximately $13,000 to Bush from New Era to purchase and modify a car, three sources said.
• As reported by Yahoo! Sports in April, $54,000 in rent-free living for a year at Michaels’ $757,500 home in Spring Valley, Calif., according to Michaels and San Diego attorney Brian Watkins.
• Also from previous Yahoo! reports, $28,000 from Michaels to help Bush’s family settle pre-existing debt, according to Michaels and Watkins.
• Thousands of dollars in spending money to both Bush and his family from the prospective agents, according to multiple sources.

So why the hold up? This has been in the news and even redocumented in the book ‘Tarnished Heisman’ in even greater detail and Reggie Bush still cannot be forced to talk. The NCAA isn’t exactly a beacon of consistency when it comes to handing out sanctions for similar crimes which is also why the outcry of anger from fans across the country alleging bias by the NCAA towards USC and protecting their modern dynasty. Such allegations may actually be based on some truth.

In 1989, Oklahoma State was levied with a 2 year TV ban, 3 year bowl ban, and loss of 5 new scholarships for 3 years for 1 athlete receiving cash payments and a sports car at no cost during his first 2 years with the team.

Then in 1996, Florida State was given no sanctions when players were taken by prospective agents on a documented $6000 shopping spree at Foot Locker including dinner outings and small cash payments. The difference? The NCAA found little evidence of the school’s knowledge or participation during the violations.

Well that makes sense, Florida State knew nothing of the violations when they happened if they found no evidence of it many of you will say. Well, in USC’s case, it is well known that sports agents wander Heritage Hall where USC’s athletics offices are located:

according to a Los Angeles Times story that documented the rampant presence of agents at USC during the 2005 season.In January, according to the Times, USC offensive line coach Pat Ruel surveyed the lobby outside the football offices and saw more than a dozen unfamiliar faces.

Furthermore, sources told Yahoo! Sports that representatives of a fledging marketing firm from which Bush and his family allegedly received improper benefits were allowed in the USC locker room during the 2005 season.

Sources also said USC running backs coach Todd McNair knew of Bush’s involvement with the marketing firm before last season’s national championship game against Texas.

So once again I ask. WHAT’s THE HOLDUP?

NCAA by-law 12.3.1.2 states that an athlete shall be deemed ineligible if he or she accepts benefits from agents or marketing representatives. The rule further states that student-athletes, their family or friends cannot receive benefits or loans from agents. Additionally, NCAA by-law 12.1.2.1.6 states that athletes cannot receive preferential treatment, benefits or services because of the individual’s athletics reputation or skill or pay-back potential as a professional athlete, unless such treatment, benefits or services are specifically permitted under NCAA legislation.

The rules are clear, there is obviously financial records available if Yahoo! Sports can find them, how is the NCAA unable to find sufficient evidence of wrongdoing? I am not rooting for the death penalty (though because they are not already under probation, it does not apply), but I am asking for a fair sanction, any sanction to be handed down. Why should anyone be bent up over something that happened a few years ago? Because while everyone had to win by the rules, USC reaped the benefits of an athlete being pampered and basically paid during his years at USC. He may single handedly be the reason why they won some of the games they did, Fresno State 05?, Notre Dame 05?, etc. So while everyone was running the marathon in their standard sneakers, USC took a taxi to the finish line. So you better bet that I’m pissed and want blood.

The stalling tactic employed by the NCAA is embarrassing. It seems as if everyone has seen this coming for years now, including the BCS. When both the football and basketball programs are allowed to deteriorate to the point of being investigated for 2 major NCAA violations, one has to wonder how the NCAA defines ‘lack of institutional control’. The fallout has already cost Tim Floyd his job, and 21 vacated wins, all before the NCAA even concluded their investigation.

At this point anything but dropping the hammer on the Trojan program would undermine the credibility of the NCAA organization itself.

Related Posts:

1. Why stop at 96, NCAA tournament might as well expand to 344 teams
2. The Penn State All-Decade Team: Running Backs
3. Talor Battle is Going to Serbia!

NittanyWhiteOut

Jonathan Graham commmited to Penn State Thursday

Yes, these are indeed strange times in Penn State.  While Joe Paterno and his staff are yet to secure a single commitment in next year’s class, for the second time in a matter of weeks, Ed DeChellis and crew have added a player as part of the late signing period, according to the Baltimore Sun.

I guess you can actually promise these guys immediate playing time when there are only 8 scholarship players held over from last year’s team, only one of whom has actually distinguished himself as a legitimate starter.

Jonathan Graham is a 6′8, 215-pound power forward who should immediately challenge rising sophomores Sasa Borovnjak and Billy Oliver for the role of backup forward to Jeff Brooks and Andrew Jones.  Scout gives 3 stars, and ranks him the #40 power forward in the nation.  Rivals offers three stars, and ESPN’s Scouts, Inc. grades Graham an 86, grading out the same as Tre Bowman, Penn State’s other late-period signee.

Though the recruiting services roughly agree on his skillset, they are very inconsistent in listing the other offers Graham received.  Scout cites scholarships from VCU and Seton Hall, Rivals lists “interest” from such schools as Florida State and Davidson, and ESPN reported that among Graham’s top choices were Rhode Island, Wright State, and UAB.  Meanwhile, the Sun article claimed that Graham selected Penn State over, primarily, Duquesne.

So here’s what we know about the Baltimore, Maryland native:

His father is something of a legend at Maryland, so he may have some mixed emotions when Penn State takes the floor against the Terps this fall.  He failed to gain the same notoriety as his father did, as Ernie Graham was a high school wunderkind before moving on to the college game.  Still, he was the standout performer on a 21-7 team that won the Baltimore Catholic League championship, averaging 17 points and 9.9 rebounds a game in his senior season.  Perhaps most importantly for the Penn State team he’s set to join in the fall, Graham averaged 3.4 blocks per game, which is, shall we say, a smidge more than the .5 blocks per game that Jeff Brooks had to pace the Lions in the 2009-10 campaign.

Here’s a nice read about Graham, from ESPN. Admittedly, it comes from a biased source (his high school coach), but it should at least describe the kind of kid we’re getting:

“Schools are concerned with his lateral movement, but they love his demeanor and attitude,” coach John Bauersfeld says of the 6-8, 225-pound forward.

Graham, a late bloomer, could push out an additional 2 inches, Bauersfeld says. Graham also is fundamentally sound, can put the ball on the floor, can defend the post and shoots a hook shot with both hands.

The article went on to list interest from such schools as St. Joseph’s, Temple, South Florida, and the aforementioned Maryland, each of whom was taking their time before offering a scholarship.

Those skills are similar strengths to those described by Scout, who offers up such positives as “post play,” “rebounding,” and “low post scorer,” while taking points off for his “explosiveness” and for “playing below the rim.”

Named an all-league performer in a league that has graduated such standouts as Juan Dixon, Rudy Gay and Donte Green, Graham is a good get for Penn State.  Sure, he wasn’t the coaching staff’s top choice, but he has the potential to be a starting big man on a competitive team, which is more than you can say about some of the forwards on Penn State’s roster over the past few years.

Earlier today, Eric over at BattleDoesItAgain laid out a recruiting update, and until today, things hadn’t been pretty for Ed DeChellis this offseason.  For him to pick up a player in Graham is a significant acheivement.  Sure, Seton Hall might not be a powerhouse, and it may just be baby steps, but over the past few months, we’ve seen players spurn Penn State for such schools as TCU, Central Florida, and Iowa State.  Graham was a player who received some significant attention in the recruiting game, and who will almost assuredly see playing time as a true freshman.

For now, I’ll save the Ed-bashing.  Graham isn’t a player who will take Penn State to the next level on his own, but given the constraints of 4 transferring players, with little notice, the coaching staff has done a solid job identifying and securing players who can do more than fill out a roster.

Welcome to Penn State, Jonathan. Good luck.

Related Posts:

1. When it Rains it Pours (but in a good way): Dominique Easley Commits to Penn State
2. Nation Top Fullback Zach Zwinak Commits to Penn State
3. Penn State basketball picks up Tre Bowman

College Sports: Rivals.com Headlines

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Michigan State’s winning streak at home against nonconference teams was in jeopardy, Tuesday, when Raymar Morgan, Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers helped will the Spartans to a somewhat sloppy but gutty victory over Gonzaga

College Sports: Rivals.com Headlines

Indiana head coach Tom Crean had his first opportunity last night to talk in
depth about the 2009-10 team as he gave a speech to students at the IU
Auditorium. One of the highlights was his detailed thoughts on the six new
freshmen that will wear the crimson uniform for the first time this fall