College basketball news: Bradley, plus more from around the Valley and the nation...

Next Bradley Braves event is the Red-White scrimmage next Sunday!!

National recruiting and college basketball expert Justin Young says he really likes this Bradley team!!
He even gives Coach Les a very nice compliment -- not one of his other comments about other teams is this positive!!
http://twitter.com/#!/JustinDYoung/status/27462592288



Evansville has their Hoopfest - version of Hoopla on Thursday of this week...
http://gopurpleaces.com//news/2010/10/17/MBB_1017105732.aspx?path=mbball



USC really restrictive on who can view practice...read this...
you have to fill out an application, submit a resume, and testify you are not an agent and never will be!!
http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/101410aab.html?source=rss_teams_Southern_California_Trojans



A little update on Jim Molinari's WIU Leathernecks and his son Billy who is playing this season......
http://www.goleathernecks.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12000&ATCLID=205013948



The guy doing the mid-major countdown of the BEST mid-major programs ** has counted all the way down to #13...and Bradley is still yet to come!!
He had ISU at #46
Drake at #39
Missouri State at #21
Creighton at #20
Wichita State at #15
and today SIU at #14 is revealed...

Only BU and UNI from the Valley are still left to be revealed, so that means Bradley is being rated even by this guy who seems to have little respect for Bradley..
...as one of the TOP TWO programs in the Valley, a mid-major that obviously ranks inside the TOP 10-15 non-BCS schools in regards to their "legacy", and a team that obviously deserves a whole lot more respect than some people seem to be giving...

If they are better than 250 of the 263 mid-major programs that are being considered, then I'd say it's time to put the anti-BU stuff to rest!
** He is considering just the facts and criteria "based on their performance over the course of" the last six years....pretty much the Jim Les era...
'Nuff said........



Surprise, the writer doing the review of Jay Leno at the Bradley homecoming seems to have had a whole lot more negative to say than positive...



Conflicting opinions...after Purdue's loss of Robbie Hummel for the season...
FoxSports' Jeff Goodman says Purdue is in SHAMBLES without Hummel..
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/robbie-hummel-purdue-boilermakers-season-ending-injury?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxsports%2Frss%2Fcbk+%28FOXSports.com+News+for+COLLEGE+BASKETBALL%29

But here they say they have at least TEN reasons why Hummel's loss won't doom them..
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/493006-robbie-hummel-10-reasons-his-injury-wont-doom-purdues-season?source=rss_teams_Purdue_Boilermakers

Here's a guy calling for some of the top dogs at Purdue, even the AD to be fired because of this!!
http://www.purdue.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=52&tid=148880019&mid=148880019&sid=892&style=2

Hummel is planning to redshirt and not even try to come back this year...
but sad truth is that exceedingly few athletes have ever come back from TWO ACL reconstruction surgeries...
http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/basketball/college/purdue-university/article_af8f5bdd-bdc8-5d27-b848-b21a0ba2760f.html



BYU player predicts an undefeated season!!
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Jackson-Emery-predicts-BYU-will-be-undefeated-th;_ylt=AsYz1ZRZDkyvaFgdO.yMqCvevbYF?urn=ncaab-277497



Here's an interesting topic....the state of Virginia publishes all the salaries of the people who are drawing salary from the state and receiving taxpayer money as their salaries...
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2010/oct/17/payy17-ar-567956/

Two thoughts -- this is just another nail in the coffin of those who say the enormous salaries of their coaches at the public, taxpayer funded institutions are covered by private funds! How many times do we hear someone claiming their state university pays all their athletic department costs including coaches' salaries with either private funds or with money that constitutes "self-support".
Again, I say baloney -- if the money came from private sources, then it wouldn't be in this report...and if you read you find that is indeed the case...
some comes from private sources, but the private amounts are the extreme small minority!!

But the biggest mind-blower -- is how the HEYYYY can anyone expect the government to balance their budget and be responsible with spending like this!!
"College and university staff and administration are by far the highest earners on the state payroll...
..men's football and basketball coaches..

Gov. Bob McDonnell is tied with others for 711th on the list, with a salary of $175,000..
..more than 4,800 state employees (of 92,924 total state employees) ..earned $100,000 or more in base salary in 2010.."

Roughly one out of every 18 state employees therefore is hauling down over $100K!!
and this doesn't even consider all the highly paid coaches, since some are considered "local employees" such as the $2.1 million paid to Virginia Tech's football coach!

but Jim Larranaga's salary at state school George Mason University, all $525,000 comes directly from state coffers and out of the taxpayers' pockets!!



Here's some photos --
AT wearing the new BU black jersey..he's got the Harley pose..
http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs349.snc4/41531_617727037_3659970_n.jpg

Dyricus dunking at Hoopla...
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=167385749940349&set=t.1004441301

Recent pic of BU recruit Remy Abell..
http://www.facebook.com/abellremy?ref=sgm#!/photo.php?fbid=1289622939335&set=a.1256275425668.33239.1793084685

TB dancing..
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=440556970779&set=a.424786985779.207284.536690779

Here's a pic of ISU's John Wilkins dunking during ISU's Hoopfest
http://www.facebook.com/PrettyBoyFrenchie?v=photos#!/photo.php?fbid=1597058443104&set=a.1548201021699.120204.1135278445

Lastly, at least Wilkins' dunk wasn't a bit exaggerated...here's a picture of Indiana freshman Victor Oladipo's dunk that's billed as jumping over 8 people..
I guess it's partially true except all eight are grade schoolers, they're all ducking down and kinda really huddled as if they're trying to be only one person!
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/942/1007428.jpg

Illinois' Meyers Leonard was just as impressive..
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/922/1006077.jpg

Here's a photo feature of other Illinois highlights..Joseph Bertrand won the dunk contest!
(he also won the 3-pt and knockout contests!)
http://illinois.rivals.com/photofeature.asp?SID=922&fid=34764

Here's photos of the recruits at Illinois including Richwoods' Preston Wells..
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/922/F737195.jpg
http://illinois.rivals.com/photofeature.asp?SID=922&fid=34768

The accompanying articles credit Jerrance Howard for all these recruits being there..
also...Chasson Randle could decide at any time...


One final note, I've been told someone is posting under the name "Tornado" on the ISU board..just another obvious juvenile attempt to turn their hatred towards fans of another team...but then, that's fine, it simply discredits them and takes away from any support they could be giving their own team. It certainly has never bothered me before to see those kinds of immature actions, and I am so thankful Bradley fans are so much classier...
...it's about as grown up as "buck fradley"..