So you want rumors...

Well...here's a few I have heard but am unwilling to put on message boards...

--AT Bradley -- there's rumors of several players leaving but I can assure none will if Jim Les stays on as head coach. If Les is not here next fall, then I can assure you at least 5 will be gone.

--AT ISU -- there are rumors of players in trouble and players unhappy...
Kenyon Smith has worked his tail off to finally get to D-I...he sat out his freshman year when he was deemed ineligible after a scandal at Simeon where several players had their grades fraudulently altered and some had their standard tests taken by ringers (Derrick Rose did this and cost Memphis all their wins). Now Kenyon is only playing walk-on level minutes, and is not happy at all. He still has two years left of eligibility but he has no redshirt year so he's in a pickle.
John Wilkins has gone from starter playing 30+ minutes to sub that's barely getting a thing done. I hear various rumors that he's unhappy but others say he is happy at Illinois State and with the departure of Austin Hill & Tony Lewis, a bunch of playing time will open up and JW will likely stay and see if he can get a bunch of that playing time as ISU may have little else to do for shooting guard/small forward.
I also hear Zeke Upshaw is a bit unhappy with the miniscule 3-5 minutes per game he's getting -- given nobody else can score.

-AT Drake -- here's the big rumor in the Valley -- and it was even discussed yesterday on one of the radio talk shows...
Now there are threads on THREE different Valley message boards debating this possibility.
Rice got very little recruiting attention out of high school as most people though that he was unskilled as a shooter and ball handler and was too small to play forward...so he only got a few mid-major offers. BUT -- now apparently several bigger schools have taken notice, especially one quite nearby Drake, that has taken in gobs of other D-I transfers and whose TOP 3 scorers are similar shooting guards - two are seniors and ones a junior...and they will need someone to fill the shoes.
Rice may listen to a few of these other appealing offers as ISU's Marcus Arnold once did.

-AT Creighton -- several players are not happy -- of their ten top players in production and playing time -- six return next year and THREE of them have vaulted right past the others in playing and ALL three of those are thee McDermott recruits...
Just as Lawson dropped well behind Echenique and Little Mac in playing time, Manighat has also zoomed past Josh Jones and Ethan Wragge in playing time.
Just as senior Casey Harriman hung it up early -- there's rumors other Bluejays will too.

-AT SIU -- rumors of a lot of unhappiness among the players...there's already a rumor going on that their one-time best and most valuable player, Gene Teague -- many peoples' pick for the preseason All Conference Team...has already grown way too unhappy and quit the team.
http://www.bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=17841

There's also lots more unrest after several of their players have had arrests and suspensions again this year -- just as they have had the past few years.
Lowery may be out but it's still not a given as he has such a huge salary that must be bought out to do it.
SIU is the league champion for how many players have had serious legal issues and arrests and for how many have bolted the team and gone elsewhere.
None the less...SIU seems to be ready should U of I jettison any of their players such as Joe Bertrand or Tyler Griffey......they seem to be battling ISU as Transfer U.


There's more, but I'll save it for later........



Here's a little discussion on honoring all the best Valley seniors who are playing their final games tonight and tomorrow....
http://www.bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=17844