A bit of recruiting news, POB, lots of Illini stuff, other college basketball news, and yet more ugly cheating scandals!!

Here's a kid that BU likes...
He has actually grown and is 6-2 and has several Valley schools pursuing him...
...Bradley is recruiting Ja'ln Williams, a 6-2 PG from Wichita East High School.-
http://www.shockernet.net/sn/viewtopic.php?p=340100#340100

http://rivals.yahoo.com/jucojunction/basketball/recruiting/player-Ja'ln-Williams-115577

http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=HMCSELECT&t=c&s=basketball&p=profile&playerID=42435&gametype=REG

He is the 2nd guy from the left here-
http://kcprephoops.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/images-1.jpeg

He is picked as 1st team all Wichita (scroll down about 2/3 of the way to the Wichita city section)-
http://kcprephoops.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/wichita-and-kansas-city-high-school-basketball-pre-season-all-area-teams/

But there's another name from the Wichita area that would be cool for BU to recruit-
http://www2.ljworld.com/photos/2010/jan/22/185358/
Anthony Buffalomeat would definitely make anyone's "all name team".



Patrick O'Bryant is off to China in two days -- and he expects to get tons of playing time. If he isn't used to being the tallest guy in the elevator by now, then not sure what to do....?
http://13pob13.blogspot.com/2010/10/so.html?spref=tw



Kansas' Bill Self appears to know something -- that his 5-Star point guard might not be eligible...
http://twitter.com/#!/xb7/status/27254402576



Here's a really nice writeup for Iowa's new head coach ...contrast this to what we see elsewhere........
http://qctimes.com/sports/football/college/big-10/iowa/article_f4d850f0-d3f0-11df-bf67-001cc4c03286.html



WIU is in this year's Cancun Challenge...and the pairings and brackets are finally set...

They first go on the road for two games at Missouri then Wyoming - a game they might have a shot at although they will be the underdog in both games...
then the rest of the tourney moves to Cancun, where the big name teams compete for the title of one division...

Then the smaller schools compete for the championship of the "Mayan Division"...
So Coach Molinari faces Morgan State in Cancun on Nov. 23, then if they won, they will advance to the title game against the winner of the other semi between North Florida and Prairie View A&M...
I think WIU has an excellent chance to win their bracket and bring home some hardware...so go MO!
http://www.goleathernecks.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12000&ATCLID=205010682



Speaking of Wyoming...the Mountain West Conference selected their preseason picks...in their Media Day yesterday.....
Wyoming was picked 8th in the 9 team conference...

San Diego State was picked as the preseason favorite to win the league...
then after the top spot, came BYU in 2nd, New Mexico in 3rd, UNLV in 4th, then Colorado State, Utah, TCU, Wyoming, and lastly Air Force.

Their preseason All-Conference 1st team consists of BYU's Jimmer Fredette (POY), UNM's Dairise Gary, SDSU's Kawhi Leonard & Malcolm Thomas, and UNLV's Tre'Von Willis.

New Mexico's Drew Gordon was picked as Newcomer of the Year & BYU's Kyle Collingsworth Freshman of the Year.



The Illini had their media day....lots of articles, some of the best coverage is premium...
http://illinois.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1138507
http://illinois.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1138360
http://illinois.rivals.com/photofeature.asp?SID=922&fid=34741

Here are some nice pics...
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/922/F736479.jpg
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/922/F736485.jpg
http://illinois.rivals.com/photofeature.asp?SID=922&fid=34741

Here's a nice long interview with Bill Cole
http://illinois.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1138458

here's a bit of what it says if you can't get it...
"Can you see a difference in the team this year compared to last year?
Bill Cole-Yeah, I see a big one. We are older and more mature now. This team has talent at every position and it has us being much deeper. I really believe that you could go nine or ten deep on this team and you would still be talking about some of the better players in the Big Ten. We look at it that way and we're not going to back down from anybody. This year's team we want to take it to them.

Do you ever talk to guys about buying into a role and not worrying about putting up gaudy stat lines?

Bill Cole-I do. A lot of people, especially the younger ones look at it backwards. They think that if they go out and score 30 points a night then they will be helping their team win. The good players can help their team win in other ways besides just scoring. If you're trying to be something that you are not, then Coach Weber isn't going to let you out on the floor because you aren't going to help the team be successful. It's all about your attitude. What's more important; putting up numbers or winning games?

I know you just talked about playing your role, but are you trying to include more offense in your game this year?

Bill Cole-Definitely. Part of my evolution has been to look a little bit for my three. I started to get comfortable towards the end of last year and I was going to my shot more. I like to look for screens and come off of those firing now. Last year I was mostly a spot up shooter but this year I want to do a little more.

I'm sure you want to get on the court and play, but looking at it as your last season, are you taking it day by day?

Bill Cole-I'm trying to soak up as much as possible. I had a great opportunity to play here and I want to look back and say that I gave it my all. I am getting tired of playing these guys though (laughing). As a competitor, you want to go out there and play the best that there is. I get to play against great guys in practice, but at some point, you want to take on some new players. I can't wait to get going, but I'll make it count."



One of DePaul's key returnees, Eric Wallace , is out for the season..
http://depaul.scout.com/2/1011322.html


Chicago State is making some effort to build their long crumbling program -- trying to get students interested in coming to games!!
Free T-Shirts!!!
http://www.gocsucougars.com/news/2010/10/12/MBB_1012104020.aspx

And if any student thinks they're good enough they can step it up a notch from being a student-fan and they could actually be ON THE TEAM!
http://www.gocsucougars.com/news/2010/10/12/MBB_1012102556.aspx



Yet another grade-changing scandal....and oddly this is one that's yet to get much publicity - but we're always ahead of the curve on breaking the news.....

Recall the Chicago Public Schools and the grade changing that benefitted Derrick Rose and three other teammates...
and of course there was the scandal where Kansas' Darrell Arthur's grades were altered by the Dallas school people in order for him to be eligible....
and also there was the recent Eric Bledsoe grade-changing scandal involving people in Birmingham, AL.

Well, here's the latest, and it may involve many, many current college athletes!!!
It involves massive scandal and grade & test score fraud by people in the Atlanta schools.

Now before we go any further.....
this scandal involved 2008 and 2009 grades and test scores..and ...
NO player on Bradley's roster attended Atlanta area high schools in that interval...
Notable basketball players like Al-Farouq Aminu, Wesley Witherspoon, Derrick Favors, Glen Rice, Jr., Wichita State's Jerome Hamilton, Northwestern's Jershon Cobb, Tennessee's Jordan McRae, Kevin Ware, and Trae Golden all did.......as well as many football athletes and athletes in other sports.

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/atlanta-public-schools-investigated-in-standardized-test-cheating-scandal/19670981

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/feds-probe-atlanta-schools-633239.html

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/24670682/detail.html

Strangely, this scandal has yet to make the news to the degree the others did, but it may be the biggest one yet!!!
The grade changing was done without the knowledge of or involvement of any students but obviously some student athletes might have benefitted.

It was done in an organized fashion by administrative personnel at the schools in order to get higher overall GPA's and test results and thus boosted federal and state funding that would accompany better performance levels..
In other words....monetary greed!!!

The school officials went to extremes and cheated in order to...
"earn those schools additional federal money, which principals can spend for almost anything they wish."
Let's see if the NCAA realy cares...probably not unless some kid at a mid-major school beacomes a star, then they'll start digging fast.



Speaking of cheating and sleaze.....
Baylor is being investigated by the NCAA.
Baylor might be in trouble for recruiting violations with Hanner Perea
http://www.insidethehall.com/2010/10/12/baylor-in-hot-water-over-perea-recruitment/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+insidethehall+%28Inside+the+Hall+%7C+An+Indiana+Hoosiers+basketball+blog%29&utm_content=Twitter

There have been numerous other reports of Baylor and their sleazy recruiting tactics...
it only goes to show no matter how good of a guy you are like Drew...that if you have to compete toe to toe with sleazy guys like Self, Sampson, etc...then you'll ultimately stoop to their tactics..

Here are lots of articles on Drew's slimy recruiting and actions..
http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/ncb/columns/story?columnist=caplan_jeff&id=4979714
http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/barnes-has-stern-words-for-baylor/
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/solomon/6922078.html
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/13039577/drew-baylor-just-win-and-bear-it-despite-the-aspersions

I think we have answered the oft asked question of how did Baylor get so good so fast and land so many top players...
it's because they cheat and use the sleaziest methods.



More cheating topics......
Kentucky's John Calipari says he "screwed up" and "overscheduled" such that he thinks he is going to "lose early" and not be as successful as last year's team
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/39641454/ns/sports-college_basketball/
(any discussion of John Calipari is tied in with cheating)

And -- Even more revelations of Tim Floyd's sleaziness while he was at USC...
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/New-book-paints-unflattering-picture-of-UTEP-coa?urn=ncaab-276506&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

This guy was already one of the top 3 or 4 sleaze guys in all of college basketball -- even before this stuff!



As for all the cheating going on at the BCS schools, now some of the very guys who gave the players money are stepping forward and spilling the beans!
This is more football than basketball related but relevant nonetheless...
Here's what an agent says -- and he freely admits paying plenty of college players..
(and Charles Barkley confirms basketball players have been paid as well)
...and of the dozens and dozens of players this guy admit and says he paid...many have been asked and interviewed and not one actually comes right out and denies those facts...NOT ONE!! Some confirm it - but the only thing close to a denial is when someone's current agent speaks for them to give a vague denial of sorts..
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/magazine/10/12/agent/

Now sure how the NCAA can keep ignoring all these facts proving all the BCS schools have been cheating on a massive scale and letting these guys remain eligible even though they are being paid as professionals....for decades...but for the most part they're still ignoring it all and only going after select violators.....maybe it's a manpower shortage?



Warning -- the next segment might be construed to be political but is not...

Is journalism descending to even lower levels of integrity??
--In the latest push to drag broadcast journalism down to the lowest level imaginable...
Chris Matthews, who wouldn't have a job if he'd apply at a real news network, and who gets all tingly-legged when certain people speak, says...
.. he thinks Nazi uniforms are homoerotic...and hints that anyone who has interest in history, re-enactments, or the uniforms of Nazi's must be gay...
http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/10/12/chris-matthews-wonders-if-rich-iotts-nazi-reenactment-was-homoe/
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/matthews-on-nazi-re-enactment-is-this-some-homoerotic-thing/

BTW -- the designer of the Nazi uniforms was well-known fashion designer Hugo Boss, whose worldwide retail empire sells billions of dollars in clothing....so just curious -- why don't we go after him and his sales empire and blacklist them??
http://www.no1-in-beauty.com/Articles/hugo_boss.htm