Day #200 and it's still not true, Bruce Pearl out??, some other Valley & Illini news, and an autographed basketball sells for a record amount!

Today is day #200 since the "announcement" (actually, just a false rumor) that Head Coach Jim Les had been bought out & fired...and somehow he still survives as head coach of Bradley University!!

It's also day #208 since it was "reported" that John Wilkins had verballed to Iowa State, yet the last time I checked, he was still at Illinois State.

BUT -- when it comes to rumors of departing coaches, there's a brand new one this morning...

It is being rumored heavily all throughout Tennessee that some time later this morning Bruce Pearl will step down and so will the Tennessee athletic director...
There is nothing official but....plenty of talk regarding Bruce Pearl resigning,
including a 32 page thread on one Tennessee board!!!
http://www.volnation.com/forum/tennessee-vols-basketball/112257-rumor-bruce-pearl-resigning-monday-oct.html
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=7&f=1398&t=6511327
http://forums.the-ozone.net/messages/742192.html

It's been rumored for a while that Bruce Pearl's house is up for sale
http://www.volnation.com/forum/tennessee-vols-basketball/110967-pearls-house-up-sale.html

But even if Pearl steps down or is fired, he'll resurface. Just as soon as Southern Mississippi tires of bad years playing numerous NAIA schools, they'll look to replace Larry Eustachy with Pearl. Or if Steve Alford jumps to the big time and becomes Tom Crean's replacement, then New Mexico will go right for Pearl to replace Alford.



Then, a bunch of U of I stuff.....

Here's a great story on Illinois sophomore Tyler Griffey -- hopefully some day we'll get reports like this!!
http://illinihq.com/news/mens_basketball/2010/10/10/whiz_kid_tyler_griffey/

Chasson Randle, an ex-BU recruit -- is down to Illinois, Purdue, Stanford..
He just visited Stanford..and I have to think he's gonna like the educational opportunity there, as Randle is an A-student...but he will also like the lure of playing for Illinois...so I think that leaves Purdue out, and he'll decide between Illinois & Stanford.

Trent Meacham going to play in Germany
http://www.illinoisloyalty.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=12807

If you are looking for a job -- and if you know U of I sports -- the Illni scout site need a writer
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=169&f=2616&t=6510501

Yet another raw 7-footer that Indiana was recruiting commits elsewhere -- Western Kentucky
http://rivals.yahoo.com/indiana/basketball/recruiting/player-Deng-Leek-92443

As good of a college player as he was -- John Scheyer just isn't NBA caliber
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/10/09/clippers-cut-jake-voskuhl-and-jon-scheyer/



Osiris Eldridge had a good weekend playing in Turkey....
OE scored 27, 7 rebs was MVP..
His team, Pinar Karsiyaka beat Antalya BSB 81-74

More details of the UConn cheating...
UConn admits their former team manager gave $14,000 to a recruit!
...and how ridiculously soft their self-imposed penalties are..
http://www.bnd.com/2010/10/09/1431987/coach-jim-calhoun-is-in-charge.html



Here's a little followup on the story of Renardo Sydney -- the kid that even sleazy USC passed on because he was so crooked...and the details of the story confirm it even more, that he's as crooked as a supposedly amateur-kid can be...
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news;_ylt=Ap_RocWJddPgluXdKhEd76LevbYF?slug=jn-sidney101110



So..... what's the largest amount a signed or autographed basketball has ever gone for and whose signnature was it??

Not Michael Jordan or even George Mikan...
nope, by far the most anyone has ever paid for a signed basketball was for one signed by pop singer Michael Jackson.. nearly $300,000!!
http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2010/10/11/two-michaels-and-a-294000-basketball/

In the same auction, the Michal Jordan basketball sold for only $800!