Summer in the Pac- 12

It's been 24 days since the NCAA National Championship game ended in a dud, and it's been too many days to count since I've updated this blog. I miss college hoops and I miss writing, so here we go.

I'll start by taking a shot at the Big East.

Big 6 conferences in order of total # of draft picks over last 10 drafts:

........total picked.....lottery pick.....1st rounder(not lotto).....2nd rounder

1-ACC- ....71...................21........................21..........................29

2-Pac 10-...66...................18........................15..........................33

3-big east-..62...................19........................15..........................28

4-big 12-....48...................14........................14..........................20

5-SEC-......44...................12.........................8...........................24

6-big 10-....33....................9.........................12..........................12

Despite having 6 fewer teams, (4 starting this season) the Pac-12 has four more NBA draft picks over the past 10 seasons and a whopping 33 more than the Big 10. I'm not saying the Pac-12 has the most talented players every season, NBA general managers are saying it.

Links

Arizona

Arizona basketball is still in the Top 20 in attendance.

Attendance actually dropped from last season, 13,815 in 2010 to 13,680 in 2011. Arizona ranked 1st in the Pac-10, but the Pac-10 ranked 7th among conferences, even behind the Mountain West.

Daniel Bejarano is officially transferring, as expected, making Arizona only 1 player over the scholarship limit for next year, meaning they still need lose 1 player scholarship before the season starts.

2011-12 (Limit of 12 because of NCAA sanctions)

Gone: Jamelle Horne, Derrick Williams

Off scholarship: Dondre Wise

Seniors

1. Kyle Fogg

2. Brendon Lavender

3. Jesse Perry

4. Alex Jacobson

Juniors

5. Solomon Hill

6. MoMo Jones

7. Kyryl Natyazhko

8. Kevin Parrom

Sophomores

9. Jordin Mayes

Freshmen

10. Sidiki Johnson

11. Nick Johnson

12. Josiah Turner

13. Angelo Chol

My thought is Alex Jacobsen, a 5th year senior will either transfer or choose to pay his own way, but with 6 guards, all of whom can really play, we may see a transfer. Lavender may be the 6th man in the guard rotation, so he may be the one who's out.

Arizona St.

ASU's basketball program is a sinking ship right now and Herb Sendek's job may be on the line after this season, but Sun Devils fans can turn on the NBA playoffs for some ASU hoops nostalgia.

James Harden is getting plenty of quality minutes after the Jeff Green trade, Eddie House can be seen making wide open jumpers for the Heat, and former Sun Devil Lionel Hollins is coaching the Grizzlies to potentially one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history.

Cal

This happened a while ago, but it's worth noting. De'End Parker de-committed from Cal and is going to UCLA. Important because Parker is one of the top JUCO transfers in the country, and UCLA last juco transfer, Lazeric Jones became their starting point guard last season.

Colorado

After going to the NIT, Colorado loses a ton, including lottery pick Alec Burks, but they do gain Carlon Brown, a transfer from Utah, who threw down this sick, ridiculous dunk a few years back.

Oregon

Oregon's recruiting class is ranked No. 19 by scout.com, so there's some hope for next season in Eugene. Jabari Brown, a guard who played in the Jordan Brand Classic is the gem.

Remember Michael Dunigan, a former prized Oregon recruit who left the Ducks to play pro ball in Israel, and then Estonia, that's right, a rival of Latvia. Well, he's eligible for the draft this year. Chad Ford says he's got a lot to prove to be considered for the 2nd round.

Oregon St.

Speaking of Europe, Oregon State went to the land of meatballs and Abba to sign a point guard for next season.

I'll get to the second half of the Pac-12 tomorrow, hope this whet the appetite.

Wow!

Aside from "Wow!" what more can you really say. Here it is if if you haven't seen it.

gatosalvajech (2:42:22 AM): theres no words for that

gatosalvajech (2:42:40 AM): i ve never even seen that ...

gatosalvajech (2:42:48 AM): after someone made a crucial mistake

gatosalvajech (2:42:51 AM): you repeat it

gatosalvajech (2:42:56 AM): with less the a second left

gatosalvajech (2:43:01 AM): and momentum into OT

romoballa (2:43:29 AM): if u want to see the dumbest loss in the history of sports
just tune into today's arizona game

gatosalvajech (2:43:35 AM): thats like Jalen Rose calling time out after webber already made that one famous mistake

And that's what it comes down to. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me -- you can't get fooled again.

That's a little George W. Bush for you. It fits with the stupidity of Arizona basketball.

I understand Kyle Fogg's mistake. He's a freshman who just scored his first two points of the game and was too excited to remember that his bucket tied the game. It was in the heat of the moment as the cliche goes.

But Jamelle Horne, the same guy I blasted in my last post about Arizona basketball for gloating in an exhibition game, fouling to lose the game after a timeout?

Wow. Wow. Wow.

The phrase I've never seen that before is overused but it applies in this case. It would be like Jose Canseco having the ball go off his head and over the wall on two consecutive fly balls.

I just want to know what Horne was thinking. What was said in the timeout. How could you not discuss what you do if the shot is missed? Or was Horne really just spacing out?

“I saw the guy with the ball going 94 feet and the last thing I wanted to do was give him an uncontested shot,” Horne said. “And I saw him in front of me so I tried to foul him and the ref called what. … I don’t know what he called it.”

Now that's a very Bush like quote.

What did the referee call? He called an intentional foul. It's what happens when you grab a guy's jersey from behind and hold on to it to stop him from shooting. In the sport of basketball, that's an illegal move. Who has Horne been talking to lately, Donovan McNabb?

On the bright side, if there actually is one since I've had to watch the Sportscenter anchors incredulously describe the sequence of events while shaking their heads in disbelief, maybe this will teach Horne about some humility. I'm starting to sound like a fan of a bad team. I'm somehow trying to grasp onto a positive side of this tragedy.

I'd just like to say that the actions of November 18, 2008 by two of Arizona's basketball players in no way, shape, or form represent the University of Arizona and it's alumni.

The other phrase I've heard a lot recently is "it's gonna be a long season."

1. In terms of how frustrating it will be to watch Arizona play, I agree.

2. In relation to how Arizona is going to fare this season, I disagree. The Pac-10 is really bad aside from UCLA. Oregon already lost to Oakland, Cal State Northridge hung in with Stanford for the majority of the game, and Oregon State had the court rushed on them against Howard.
Plus, after this game, it can't get any worse, right? Right?

See, I'm trying to stay positive.


Of course it had to happen when I moved to the East coast.

There will be no Laker games on tape delay this year. KCAL will now show games played in the Eastern time zone live.

That could have been my biggest television pet peeve. But since I no longer live in LA, I don't even get to enjoy the change.

And finally, even USA today has an article on how ugly the last year or so has been for Arizona basketball.

Euro Trip

The high top fade decided that "hash brownies man" and making some cash ASAP, are more important than blonde coeds and college basketball glory.

Brandon Jennings is headed for Europe, regardless of the results of his third SAT score.
This of course, is a hit, if you will, to Arizona's chances of extending their NCAA tournament streak of 24 consecutive seasons.

Aside from Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill, the Wildcats have a very thin roster. Nic Wise showed signs of being capable last season and will most likely be the third option. But then what? Jamelle Horne and Fendi Onobun are your next two best players. Freshman center Jeff Withey is a complete unknown. Zane Johnson would be a 13th man on UCLA.

Had Budinger known Jennings was Euro-bound, you think he would have stayed? Probably not.
"I would like to thank the University of Arizona for their interest and support through this process," Jennings said in a statement from his agent.

I'm sure the fine folks in the Arizona program were thinking of a few choice words for Jennings, starting in F and ending in you.

According to this True Hoop blog, Jennings may be overestimating how much he'll make playing overseas.

"He's not strong enough and he's not experienced enough to run an elite club. He has a world of talent, and he'll be unbelievable down the road, but experience trumps athleticism and talent every day European basketball," explained Jonathan Givony. "I'd be very surprised if a top team offered him more than $100,000, at most, but stranger things have happened.

NBA Draft.net's Aran Smith thinks going to Europe will actually hurt his stock as well. Smith dropped Jennings to No. 11 in the 2009 draft.

The loss of the No. 1 point guard in the country obviously hurts Arizona, and I figured this would be the year their tournament run ends. But then I looked deeper at the Pac-10 and reevaluated the original assessment.

Stanford, Oregon State, and potentially Cal, who lost Devon Hardin and Ryan Anderson, are on the downturn, and will battle for spots 8-10 in the Pac-10.

The Cardinal lost the Lopez twins who accounted for both its offensive and defensive strengths. It's now left with Lawrence Hill as its best player and a ton of bad guards led by Mitch Johnson. Oregon State has been horrible for the past decade and that won't change this year.

The next tier includes the rest of the Pac-10 except for UCLA, who's head and shoulders above everyone else.

USC lost Davon Jefferson and OJ Mayo, but gain Demar Derozan, who will team with Taj Gibson for well coached Tim Floyd squad. Oregon lost Maarty Leunen, Bryce Taylor, and Malik Hairston. Washington State lost Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver, and Robbie Cowgill.
Washington has pretty much everyone back but it finished 7-11 last season.

As crazy as it sounds, I would vote for ASU to finish second in the Pac-10. The Sun Devils showed a lot of signs last year and finished tied for fifth with a 9-9 record. They return every key contributor including stud sophomore James Harden. It will be Herb Sendek's third season so the players are really starting to become comfortable with the system, and they come off a disappointment at the end of last season when they didn't make the NCAA tournament, which should serve as motivation.

With ASU as the favorite to finish second, at least by my calculations, it goes to show you that the Pac-10 isn't nearly as strong as it was last year. That means Arizona has a chance to finish anywhere from second to seventh.

Barring an injury to Hill or Budinger, this should be another first round exit team. But at least the tournament streak will be alive.

Hot Sauce to Canada
Hassan Adams signed a two year deal with the Toronto Raptors.
The article calls him a tenacious defender, a statement at which I seriously lol. The only thing tenacious about Adams, who played in Italy last season, is his dancing in the huddle.

Turiaf signs offer sheet with Warriors

According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Ronny Turiaf signed a four-year, $17 million deal with Golden State. The Lakers have seven days to match the offer for the restricted free agent. My Turiaf jersey and I, as well as those who love to watch his bench antics and appearance in Kobe commercials, are hoping they do.

Can "The Hit Man" teach the Dodgers to hit?
According to an L.A. Times report, Don Mattingly will take over as the Dodgers hitting coach.
Unless he's bringing metal bats with him, that will be a tough task, but maybe a change in leadership will give the Dodgers a spark.

Calming down in the desert

Arizona actually looks kind of good for a change. The Wildcats were No. 25 in the preseason rankings on CBS Sportsline, and just received a commitment from 2009 center/power forward Greg Smith, a real big man.

He's already 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, and look at those actual muscles in the picture, but why is it no surprise that he has academic issues. Despite being a four star recruit and supposedly being recruited by big name programs, it came down to Fresno State and Arizona. Not exactly competing with UCLA or Duke, but anytime a bulky high school kid comes to Arizona, it's a good thing. It's too bad he still doesn't have a big man coach to develop him.

With Chase Budinger's shocking announcement that he is returning to school, and the optimism that Brandon Jennings doesn't go play in Europe (hope he passed that third standardized test),
Arizona's lineup could look like this:

PG: Jennings
SG: Nic Wise
SF: Budinger
PF: Jordan Hill
C: Jeff Withey

Bench:
Fendi Onobun
Zane Johnson
Jamelle Horne
Alex Jacobsen
Brandon Lavender
Kyle Fogg

It's obvious that depth will once again be a huge problem.
Jacobsen is nowhere near ready to play in a Pac-10 game, Lavender and Fogg are more mid-major players than power conference guys, and Johnson looked out of place a lot last season. Which leaves just Horne, who should develop into a top notch defender and good rebounder at least, and Onobun, who's solid when he has his confidence and is out of Olson's doghouse.
That's slim pickings if anyone gets hurt, especially along the front line. Once again, Arizona's is going to have to go small a lot.

It figures that one of the Dodgers in this embarrassing situation was the Dodgers first round pick.

I like the message of the 50 million pound challenge. However, for every one involved with losing the 50 million, I'll bet there's more people out there gaining it right back, plus another 50 million.
America is fat as fuck. Just look at Bartolo Colon.

Name Change

Pacman to Adam, from Thug to Jew.

I do actually have a full time job: Check out my story on Olympian Mike Day.

Look out
for my annual Mock Draft, coming soon.