Some Valley player followups..and a non-sports story sure to ruffle feathers..

In case anyone was wondering how Kevin Dillard and all the kids from the great 2007-2008 SIU recruiting class are doing...here's a little followup.......


As most know, Kevin Dillard came to Southern Illinois and head coach Chris Lowery as perhaps the most highly touted recruit and most highly decorated recruit in many years.
He was Illinois' Mr. Basketball, and ranked among the best in a strong class in Illinois.
There were predictions that he'd be a starter from day one, and along with the others in his very strong recruiting class at SIU, would lead the Salukis to their next level of national prominence.

Dillard played two years at SIU, 2008-2009 and 2009-2010, and is now gone and transferred to Dayton.
In those two years, SIU went 13-18 and 15-15 - unimpressive despite KD acting as team leader....and Dillard amassed 734 points, and 275 assists.
Just for a stat comparison..... -- Sam Maniscalco totaled 746 career points and 224 assists in his first two seasons at Bradley.

When Dillard first left SIU and went to Dayton, he said he wouldn't talk about the reasons he left..
"I don’t really want to talk about what happened. I just want to move forward."
http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/daytonflyers/entries/2010/05/24/_kevin_dillard_a_former.html

But he did give some hints--
"I got to sit in on one of their workouts and saw how hard they work and how dedicated they are to the game. That impressed me"

He also commented several times in interviews how he "connected" with Dayton coach Brian Gregory.
"BG was No. 1 in that category. BG is a person you can talk to off the court. He knows the game and he’s well-established at the college level. With the work I’m willing to put in, he can really help me to excel."

But outside observers commented on how Dillard was actually run out of SIU for poor work ethics.
Just read what FoxSports' Jeff Goodman had to say -- that Chris Lowery simply couldn't win with the lazy prima donnas he had and he far preferred to have lesser talented kids who worked harder and had a "chip on their shoulder".
http://community.foxsports.com/goodmanonfox/blog/2010/05/24/lowery,_siu_going_back_to_old-school_ways

So obviously Dillard must have heard those comments and taken them personally, because he then went BACK on his word not to talk about the reasons he left SIU and he gave an interview telling a lot more...
Even though he is NOT playing, he's talking to the press...waiting for his turn... but one of Dayton's best players, freshman sensation Juwan Staten, is a lock to be point guard the next couple years and to cut significantly into Dillard's chances at playing time.
"I wish I could play.
I want to play, but at the same time, I’m happy for my team.
We work hard all week in practice.

Asked how the Flyers look compared to Missouri Valley Conference teams, Dillard said: “The guys here, they work a lot harder. I wouldn’t say there’s more competition or less competition. But the drive to get better is there. I can see it every day in practice. And on game days ... the atmosphere here is crazy."
http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/university-of-dayton-flyers/transfer-dillard-eager-to-be-on-the-court-for-flyers-1013669.html

So -- if you read between the lines, he's saying that they maybe didn't work all that hard in practice at SIU and didn't have that drive to get better.
Really?? This was the team at SIU under Lowery that MSU's Barry Hinson said practices by rubbing raw meat all over their arms then bringing in a pack of junk yard dogs and police dogs!!
And remember -- the guy who played ahead of Dillard as a freshman was Bryan Mullins, and one of the assistants was Tony Young -- two of the absolute toughest and hardest working guards ever to see playing time in the Missouri Valley.
So if KD is hinting that SIU practices were soft, he loses all credibility.

So I think Dillard is just spinning what is, in reality, a situation at SIU that exposes the lousy work ethic that he has.
Despite talk of how hard he is now working at Dayton, you gotta wonder....we just don't have the jury in yet....

Remember -- even before they got Dillard, Dayton had the talent that some thought could and WOULD win the Atlantic-10!
Dayton was picked 1st in their conference Preseason Poll last October (2009),
and they were picked to win by a rather LARGE margin!!
Dayton in 2010 is coming off a 27-8 season in which they had grabbed 33 of 57 1st place votes in the A-10 Preseason Poll.
So this year, 2010, they also were getting 1st place votes, and were very close to the top vote getter Temple..

But has Dayton gotten better this year?? The jury is still out....
It's hard to know...they have played a very weak schedule so far...
they are 8-3 with wins over Mt. St. Mary's, Akron, Ole Miss, Savannah State, Florida A&M, Miami, Central Connecticut, and Western Carolina. There have also been losses to East Tennessee State, ODU, and an incredibly embarrassing loss to Cincinnati in which Dayton scored only 34 total points, and lost by a whopping 34 points, 68-43.

Currently Dayton has an RPI of 114, 8th best in the A-10, but a SOS of 189...
Both SIU and KD are starting over, so we'll see how each will do without the other.
Dayton fans are, at times grumbling, and thinki9ng with the talent they have and the weakness of the schedule played to this point, that they should be doing better -- certainly not getting humbled by 34 points, and allowed to score only 34 points against in-state rival Cincy!

One last thought -- Dayton coach Brian Gregory is one of the top guys coaching in the mid-majors. His name comes up a lot as a great coach and a possibility to move up the ranks. Now remember that when you look at how many wins he's had over the past 5 years -- he's had fine players, including some top kids left over from the Oliver Purnell era, and he's got a higher profile ability to recruit there in Dayton and has NOT had to deal with the numerous injury issues that Jim Les has had to deal with...
so surely he must have won TWICE as many games there at Dayton as Jim Les has, right??

Nope -- 5 year win totals are nearly identical!!
Gregory has won 108 games in the past 5 seasons, while Jim Les has won 102!
And Gregory went 8-8 last year in the A-10 despite being picked to WIN the league with the best talent...at the same time BU also won 9 games in the equally tough MVC, and some fans at BU were disappointed....just like some at Dayton are expressing dismay.



Moving on to others.....
SIU's Anthony Booker, once rated inside the top 30 nationally, left Carbondale and transferred to Iowa State, part of a huge group of transfers Iowa State will have next year.

Booker is reportedly getting rave reviews as part of the Iowa State scout team..playing in practices against the regulars..
http://www.clonechronicles.com/2010/12/18/1884518/finals-are-over-time-for-first-semester-grades

More
http://is.gd/j5kgZ

Looks like Iowa State's transfer guys sitting out are pummeling the guys they have eligible!
"Iowa State’s 75-72 win over Iowa made up for the loss the Cyclones suffered in a recent intrasquad scrimmage to the players sitting out as transfers.

“The day before the Iowa game,’’ coach Fred Hoiberg said, “they kicked our guys’ butts.’’
Among those in wait are Minnesota transfer Royce White, a 6-8 forward who was a national Top 30 recruit; Michigan State transfer Chris Allen, a 6-3 guard who started 27 games on the Spartans’ Final Four team last year; and Southern Illinois transfer Anthony Booker, a 6-9 forward voted to the Missouri Valley all-bench team last year.

“They have really embraced the role of getting our team prepared,’’ Hoiberg said. “The future is really bright for our basketball team.’’
http://is.gd/j5kzQ


More on Nick Evans
Finally settled his court issues at SIU, then was activated at USI..and has found his niche..
USI now ranked #20 in D-I is 7-1 and Nick Evans has played in 7 games, averages 12 minutes per game off the bench, 4 ppg, 3 rpg, and a 6/17 A/T ratio!
he was doing considerbly better at SIU (16 mpg, 5.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and now his playing time and production has fallen off the charts...


Torres Roundtree ..booted kinda early his freshman year -- bounced around and got booted a few other places (CSI, SWIC..) and other jucos, has finally settled at a place called State Fair Community College (11-3)...
..a junior college in Sedalia, Missouri...finally showing he does have D-I talent!
He's doing OK when he plays, and has appeared in only 8 of their 14 games (not sure if he missed due to injury or other reasons), averaging 18.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 4.5 apg, but only 24% from 3-pt.
On Nov. 30, Torres had a fine game just missing a triple double with 23 pts, 9 rebounds, 9 assists.


Ryan Hare as we all know was booted at SIU but has since been booted from his juco team this year as well -- having never even gotten into a game.
he has reportedly returned to Chicago to take care of "personal problems".
Nothing on him recently to know what his future plans are...


Sharpshooter Josh Bone wasn't part of the same recruiting class as the others, but was tied intimately into their recruiting class.
Bone was a guaranteed starter and was starting on their Canadian tour in 2008, when he objected to getting subbed by Dillard...and presto -- Bone was gone and Dillard became the starter...and the rest was downhill for Chris Lowery -- who should have tried harder to keep Josh Bone.
Bone eventually walked on at Tennessee -- played a key off-the-bench role in making it to the Elite Eight last year, and is currently a senior at Tennessee, embroiled in turmoil as they are, this year.

So of the six top young kids at SIU in 2008, Dillard, Booker, Hare, Evans, Roundtree, and Bone -- not ONE is currently playing D-I ball! Who'da thunk it!!

In addition, only a couple, Dillard & Booker, and maybe Roundtree if he gets picked up by anyone at the D-I level -- even have a chance of ever contributing at the D-I level!




Here's a non-sports story and no matter where you stand politically, you'll have to admit there's a certain irony to this story......

It involves relatively poor people in Macon Georgia who are unable to afford heating bills this winter.
Obviously it doesn't get as cold in Georgia as a lot of places but Macon has a system where people can appeal and local agencies give them help with their heating bills.
Hundreds are even turned away when the amounts of support run out...
http://is.gd/j5mX7

BUT -- here's the irony -- just as you start to feel a little sympathy for folks in this situation, they run this story...
http://is.gd/j5nj2

and look especially close at this picture...
http://is.gd/j5nEQ

..which shows a woman claiming that she can only afford to heat ONE ROOM in her home...
So what's the irony?? The irony is that she is standing in her home right in front of a 65-inch plasma screen TV and an XBox-360..
The approximate value of those two items alone would easily pay the women's heating bills for at least a year - even here in the midwest -- so likely they'd pay her bills for several years in Macon, GA!
So I would argue it is clearly a matter of priorities....
I personally still watch the same old color TV that I bought in 1986...and nobody in my household has ever wasted money on an XBox or anything of the like.
I know I am going to insult some people with this point of view, but I would love to hear the spin on this, that she's entitled to spend $4000-$5000 on frivolous electronic gadgetry for pure entertainment and pleasure, but expects others to pay for her basic needs, which she states she is not willing to nor "able" to pay for herself.
Like I say -- someone please let me hear your spin!