Wichita State point guard D.J. Bowles' basketball career could be over after the school announced it won't allow him to play basketball following the discovery of a heart condition.
Bowles collapsed during a workout with coaches and athletic trainers on Sept. 3 at Koch Arena and had to be revived through CPR and the use of a defibrillator, The Wichita Eagle reported. He has since undergone surgery at the Mayo Clinic to have an internal defibrillator implanted.
Wichita State also announced it will honor all four years of Bowles' scholarship, but Bowles has not said publicly whether he will accept the offer and thereby end his basketball career or if he might try to play elsewhere.
"Our main concern is the health and well-being of D.J. for the rest of his life,” athletic director Eric Sexton said in a press release. “He is an outstanding young man from a great family who has had a very traumatic 17 days. We hope that he will stay and complete his education at Wichita State, and have extended the commitment to honor his scholarship to he and his family.”
It's an understandable decision on the part of the school, which is right to put Bowles' health and safety ahead of any impact not having him could have on the basketball program. Considering how much information has been made public about Bowles' condition, it's difficult to see another school taking a chance and allowing him to play.
Indiana freshman Troy Williams is expected to miss a few weeks after hurting his right hand during workouts.
Coach Tom Crean called the injury a minor setback.
The school did not release any additional details or a timeframe for Williams' return.
The 6-foot-7 forward signed with Indiana after playing at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia and is expected to be a key contributor on a team that lost four starters from last season, including NBA draft picks Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller. Indiana has just two seniors and no juniors on this season's roster.
At Oak Hill last season, Williams averaged 16.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks.
Gregg Marshall's coworkers like to joke that he's the mayor of Wichita. He's the most popular man in town, they say, and people are constantly stopping him for autographs and photographs.
Marshall enjoys it. He loves his house on a golf course. He speaks fondly about the people in Wichita, from those in the community to the administration to the players in his program. He's excited about the new video boards and renovated locker rooms at Charles Koch Arena. He's happy, so he hasn't left – even after his Shockers' Final Four run this spring. Wichita State is happy he's stayed, too, and it showed that with a salary bump this week.
Marshall's salary will increase to $1.6 million per year starting Nov. 9, and it will rise to $1.75 million beginning in April 2014, the school announced. Marshall has a seven-year rolling contract, which means that each time he finishes a year, it adds a year. With last season's rollover, Marshall is under contract until 2020. In six seasons with the Shockers, Marshall has gone 139-70. Wichita State's NCAA tournament appearances in 2012 and 2013 mark the first time the program has made back-to-back appearances since 1987 and 1988.
According to contract details provided by the school for 2013, Wichita State paid Marshall $1.03 million, excluding incentive bonuses and $125,000 in deferred compensation.
"We believe this commitment to Coach Marshall through this salary increase for his continued success both through building great young men and his continued commitment to Wichita State that culminated in the Shockers' 2013 Final Four appearance deserves this type of well earned compensation," Wichita State athletic director Eric Sexton said in a statement. "This amendment clearly recognizes Coach Marshall as one of the country's elite coaches, and that Wichita State will continue to belong under his leadership."
As a part of the revised contract agreement, Marshall will have an increased salary pool of $501,000 for his three full-time assistants and Director of Basketball Operations.
"I want to thank our administration for the tremendous commitment they have shown to our entire basketball program," Marshall said in a statement. "From our enhanced amenities in Koch Arena and our renovated locker room to improved compensation to all our coaches, Wichita State University has shown great appreciation for what we do."
Wichita State raises Gregg Marshall's salary to $1.75 million
During Florida Gulf Coast's mesmerizing Sweet 16 run last spring, Dunk City became a mythological place.
It was a land filled with high-flying acrobats, no-look passes and alley-oops, college basketball at its freest and most entertaining. It was a place set up more like a beach resort than a college campus, where basketball players walked out of their apartments and onto the sand. It was the magical setting for the story of the first No. 15 seed to reach the second week of the NCAA tournament, the most Cinderella of all Cinderella teams. In many ways, Dunk City is the stuff of legend. But here on this campus, it is every day reality.
"You come to this school, you can't say no," junior point guard Brett Comer said. "You have a beach on campus. The school looks like a resort. They just opened up this new pool with a full court for basketball. My teammate and I were in there the other day playing five on five. We played full-court basketball in the pool.
"Who does that?"
At one point last March, the city of Fort Myers identified itself as #DunkCity on its official website. Though the city did not officially rename itself for perpetuity, the label has stuck. The school bookstore sells T-shirts with the moniker. "Dunk City" is engraved on some of the Sweet 16 rings.
"The biggest thing we talk about is, we wouldn't be Dunk City if we hadn't won," new coach Joe Dooley said. "Everybody can talk about that, but the reason the highlights were on the TV were because they won." And because of those wins — against Georgetown and San Diego State — much has changed. People now know what FGCU, a school of 12,000 students, stands for and where it's located. The Eagles will enter this season, which begins Friday with the opening of preseason practice, with a target on their backs. They'll be on national TV four times. And there's the biggest change: Dooley is running the show now because Andy Enfield left for USC. The good news is Dunk City isn't going anywhere. Dooley and his new players feel that FGCU's style of play will be aggressive and exciting, just like it was last year. They'll still push the ball up the court and dunk whenever possible. They've got four starters returning and two transfers from high major schools eligible.
Meanwhile, the university's legal counsel is working to copyright the Dunk City name. In the meantime, the athletic department will use the nickname as much as possible, plastering it on the windows of Alico Arena and putting it on all of its men's basketball communications.
"It's nice to have that going for us," Comer said. "Everybody knows Fort Myers is Dunk City."
But what comes after the fairy tale ends? What happens now, six months later, when the bright lights and big headlines are gone — and FGCU is 0-0?
Straddling the line between celebrating last season and starting from scratch again this fall has proven difficult. For a program that has played at the Division I level for just three years, it's vital to maintain relevancy.
"Our goal is to be similar to George Mason, Butler, VCU, Wichita State, to sustain it," athletic director Ken Kavanagh said. "We don't want to be a one-year — really, a two-week — thing." Lehigh coach Brett Reed understands the sentiment better than most. Two years ago, his 15th-seeded Mountain Hawks upset No. 2 Duke in the NCAA tournament. Then, life moved on.
"As we spoke to our team, the biggest message last year was to fight the sense of entitlement, to fight some of the elements of human nature: feeling comfortable, resting on the history," Reed said. "When you're dealing with young men, you can't always dictate where their emotional energy will be. Once you hit a milestone, a marking point like the beginning of practice, it becomes a situation where you're not defending a championship. You're actually in pursuit of another.
"As you pursue that new championship, you cannot just rest on what happened in the past. That really has little to do with what happens in the future."
***
Comer says he'll never forget the tweet.
Three days after FGCU's blur of a run ended, he sat in his dorm room, scrolling through Twitter when something caught his eye. His coach was leaving for USC after two years and a 41-28 record at FGCU.
"We're all like, what's going on here?" Comer said. "It was shocking. I love what's going on here. It's tough. … I didn't really come here for the school. I came to play for Coach Enfield. When (he) leaves, I'm sitting here wondering what I'm doing here."
A team meeting had been called for later that night. The players knew what was coming, and they weren't happy.
"Coming off that emotional high where we'd just came from the Sweet 16, there was so much buzz around campus, and we find out we're losing our coach," senior forward Chase Fieler said. "I was really shocked."
Kavanagh was less so. He knew he'd lose Enfield sooner rather than later, but even he thought maybe he'd get another year out of him. Considering the talent Enfield would have returning, it wasn't unreasonable. But during the week leading up to the Sweet 16, Enfield's name got hotter and hotter as coaching vacancies opened at other more prominent schools. Then USC offered him their head coaching job and a $1 million salary.
"He was floored himself to tell me what he was offered and that he was going to accept it," Kavanagh said. "He said, 'This has nothing to do with FGCU. I can't turn it down.'
"He took advantage of what he earned."
Kavanagh tried one last-ditch effort — did Enfield realize he'd be leaving Florida for a place with state income tax?
They laughed, and Enfield left, leaving Kavanagh to hire a replacement.
Kavanagh felt the FGCU job was appealing. Unlike some of the small-school teams who have made splashes in the NCAA tournament in recent years, last season's Eagles weren't made up of all upperclassmen.
"Some people would shy away from taking over if we had had, like, five senio
Now that Richard Pitino coaches Minnesota, and his father coaches Louisville, Rick Pitino anticipates a more fair fight should the two meet again.
That won't happen this year but could during the 2014-2015 season's Big Ten-ACC Challenge, when U of L starts its inaugural run through the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"I'm hoping that we get matched up them because in terms of a home and home, I'm not playing him," Rick Pitino told reporters earlier this month when he was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
"I think it would be fun. I played him at (Florida International) and he was totally mismatched, and at least we can play on more equal terms. I think it'd be great. If we win I feel bad for him. If we lose I'll feel great for him." Richard served as his father's assistant from 2007-2009 before working under Billy Donovan at Florida for two seasons. He then returned to U of L and helped the Cardinals to the Final Four before taking the FIU job. The Panthers advanced to the Sun Belt Tournament's championship game in his only season there.
Richard is in no hurry to schedule his father's program, however, so soon after Rick's eventual national championship team beat FIU 79-55 last season at the KFC Yum! Center.
He'll look to build on the Gophers' run to the 2013 NCAA tournament's third round under former coach Tubby Smith. "I think he just won the national championship, but he doesn't make those decisions. ESPN does," Richard recently told SNY-com. "We've talked about it. I think we're going to wait and see what the Big Ten-ACC Challenge is all about. I think we both honestly prefer towork together than work against each other."
ESPN finalizes matchups and broadcasts the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, which started in 1999 and this season features all 12 Big Ten teams and 12 of 15 from the ACC.
Minnesota hosts Florida State in this year's edition. As for next year, the Pitinos will find out in August 2014 when matchups are announced.
Pitinos talk about matching up Louisville, Minnesota
Kentucky says that sophomore center Willie Cauley-Stein will miss 10-14 days with a minor right hand injury sustained during ''basketball activity'' on Friday.
Cauley-Stein played in 29 games last season with 14 starts, most coming after Nerlens Noel's season-ending left knee injury on Feb. 12. He finished the season averaging 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and made the Southeastern Conference's all-rookie team.
The Olathe, Kan., native and forward Alex Poythress passed on the NBA draft to return for their sophomore seasons. They are expected to provide an inside presence and leadership on another talented Wildcats squad featuring eight freshmen including six McDonald's All-Americas.
Kentucky will hold its Big Blue Madness public practice on Oct. 18 with the Blue-White scrimmage scheduled for Oct. 29.
University of Kentucky sophomore Willie Cauley-Stein, an expected starter at forward this season, "suffered a minor right hand injury during basketball activity" on Friday and will miss 10 to 14 days of practice, the athletic department announced Saturday night.
With that timeframe, Cauley-Stein should still play in the Wildcats' Oct. 18 Big Blue Madness season kickoff event as well as the Oct. 29 Blue-White intrasquad scrimmage.
Friday's drills, which came 42 days before UK's season-opener Nov. 8 against UNC Asheville, marked the team's first official practice.
The 7-footer out of Olathe, Kan., played in 29 games and started 14 of them as a true freshman last season. Cauley-Stein averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds while splitting time with eventual No. 6 NBA draft selection Nerlens Noel.
Other than Cauley-Stein, UK isn't dealing with any reported injuries entering a year in which the Wildcats are an anticipated preseason No. 1 team.
Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein out up to two weeks
Miss. — When asked Tuesday if he considered kicking his star player off the team, Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy defended Marshall Henderson.
"As is typical with Marshall things get sensationalized, quite frankly," Kennedy said. "There have been a lot of different speculation and based on his rights and based on respect for those rights, we can't delve into anything. But here's a kid though that has not been arrested, knock on wood, and has certainly owned some of his mistakes. He was suspended for an internal matter. It wasn't something that we had to involve authorities outside of our roof, and we'll deal with it internally." Henderson was suspended on July 10 for what the school classified as a violation of team rules. According to police reports obtained by USA TODAY Sports this summer, Henderson had three run-ins with police in Oxford, Miss., including one stop in which Henderson was found in possession of marijuana and cocaine.
That suspension remains technically ongoing, though Henderson practiced with the team Monday just like he has since classes began in August. What remains unclear is just how many games Henderson will miss once the season starts, though Kennedy's comments suggested that would be the athletic director Ross Bjork's call.
"I think it's ongoing based on how he progresses," Kennedy said. "Honestly, I hate to say this because I'm a parent and I feel like I'm a parent to these 13 guys and as soon as I start bragging about something he may take a step backwards but he's been 100 % compliant as it relates to the things that have been put in place."
Kennedy was the only member of the basketball program that spoke to the media on Tuesday. A decision has not been made when Henderson will submit to an interview for the first time since the team's loss in the NCAA Tournament round of 32.
He said that day that he wanted to be a leader for this team, on which he is the only senior. Henderson said that his troubles (which included a 2009 arrest on forgery charges, and serving jail time in 2012 after testing positive for cocaine, marijuana and alcohol while on probation) were behind him, and he felt that he could now be that type of player for Ole Miss.
"Marshall's play has not changed," Kennedy said. "Again when you see him today he's the same guy from an emotional standpoint, from an energy standpoint. He's taken a leadership role as it relates to he's always going to be the way that he is when it relates to passion and being engaged and being on that edge from a position standpoint. The thing that I've been the most proud about is that he's winning the sprints at the end, he's encouraging the young guys when they make mistakes."
Henderson was named the AP' SEC newcomer of the year and the SEC Tournament MVP after leading the conference in scoring (20.1 points per game) and setting an NCAA record with 394 3-point attempts.
Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy defends Marshall Henderson
Deb Moore, a staffer in the University of Kentucky's athletic media relations office, tweeted Wednesday that as of 9 a.m. CDT, there were more tents at UK's Big Blue Madness campsite than she's ever seen that early in the stakeout.
UK confirmed Moore's observation later by announcing a record 650 tents were up this morning — three days before fans can actually get Big Blue Madness vouchers — leading into a season in which the Wildcats enter with another No. 1 recruiting class and national title expectations.
The previous record was set last year with 595 tents for an event that's grown exponentially since coach John Calipari arrived at UK in 2009.
"Each time, I've thought the previous year's tent-count record would be tough to beat," wrote UK athletics' Guy Ramsey, who for three years has counted tents at the campouts. "It's time to stop doubting Kentucky fans."
A rush for spots outside the ticket window at Memorial Coliseum happened under pitch-black skies and at 5 a.m. Prime real estate ensures campers will receive a control card at 2 p.m. Friday, which is worth as many as four free tickets per person when the vouchers are issued at 7 a.m. Saturday.
Big Blue Madness represents the first chance for the general public to check out this year's UK men's and women's basketball teams. Calipari's squad features incoming five-star recruits Julius Randle, James Young, Dakari Johnson and twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison.
The event starts at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18. For those without a schedule open enough to camp all week, television information will be released at a later date.
UK's athletic compliance officials asked a few favors of those who did make it camping this week through the office's Facebook page.
First, "If a student-athlete indicates to you that they cannot stop for a picture or an autograph, please honor that and do not continue to ask them to do so. They have been told that they cannot use the campers as an excuse for being late to any of their responsibilities."
And also, "Please do not stop or delay a student-athlete in any way if they are doing any of the following: Heading towards campus to go to class; headed into the CATS center to meet with a tutor or to study; or headed to Memorial Coliseum or the Joe Craft Center for workouts."
It's commonplace for UK's basketball players to mingle with fans, and already, UK women's basketball freshman Makayla Epps was circulating a flyer advertising a one-on-one game between Young and a fan. Response was mixed, especially after eventual sixth-overall draft pick Nerlens Noel dunked over a young camper and took a tumble while showing off at last year's campout.
"The mood around 'Tent City' on Wednesday morning was calm, as campers had been up since the wee hours to be ready for the official setup time of 5 a.m," UK's Ramsey wrote. "As the days pass, the atmosphere figures to become more festive, particularly as fans await the visits from various UK teams that have become tradition."
Kentucky's John Calipari has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind.
The national championship-winning coach was asked on Kentucky Sports Television about the current state of the NCAA's infrastructure and had a strong opinion — referencing the player lawsuits against EA Sports and the NCAA and providing a bold comparison. "I hate to say it. It's kind of like our government right now," Calipari said in the interview. "It's not working. And for our government, it's not working for the people. For the NCAA, you're not working for the kids. The suit that was won, or paid off by EA Sports, the next one's gonna be ridiculous. And those are all players that are suing the NCAA, and they're gonna win.
"There's all kind of things we can do to make this a better environment for these players, that isn't like, 'You're making them different than the other students.' I would say they are. Players first. How do you do right by them, and then let's make this work without losing our minds."
Calipari also discussed the possibility of a fourth division in the NCAA in the next few years. Calipari, who promotes himself as a "player's coach," went on to criticize the NCAA further, suggesting players should be compensated and questioning the NCAA's definition of "extra benefits."
He referenced former player Brandon Knight's family not having the financial funds for a trip to New Jersey to witness him hitting the game-winning shot against Ohio State.
"Why would we not let the parents come with us (to the NCAA tournament) so they can see their child," Calipari argued.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim vehemently disagreed with the idea of paying student-athletes in an interview earlier this week, labeling it "the most idiotic suggestion of all time."
Kentucky's John Calipari compares NCAA to the government
Indiana freshman guard Stanford Robinson will be out indefinitely after injuring his right knee during Friday night's practice at Assembly Hall.
The team issued a statement Saturday saying he is beginning treatment for the undisclosed injury and will undergo daily evaluation. He did participate in the team activities before Saturday afternoon's football game, and the statement said he was dressed at Saturday's practice.
Robinson is the third Indiana freshman to sustain an injury since mid-September.
Forward Troy Williams injured his right hand and center Luke Fischer hurt his left shoulder. Both were expected to miss a ''couple of weeks,'' though neither participated in Friday night's festivities.
Indiana's freshmen class was ranked among the nation's best.
Indiana freshman guard Stanford Robinson, who left Friday night's Hoosier Hysteria scrimmage after injuring his right knee, will be out indefinitely, according to a news release from the school.
He started treatment Saturday and will undergo daily evaluation. He did participate in the team activities before Saturday afternoon's football game, and the statement said he was dressed at Saturday's practice.
"Stanford is a very unique, unorthodox type of player," coach Tom Crean said earlier in the week. "He can do a lot of different things. He can handle the ball. He is as good of a downhill player as we have right now outside of Yogi (Ferrell) when it comes to playing the game and going straight line straight downhill."
Two other Hoosiers freshmen, Luke Fischer and Troy Williams, suffered injuries and are expected to miss a few weeks. Williams injured his right hand and center Fischer hurt his left shoulder. Neither participated in Friday night's festivities.
One of North Carolina's long-time athletics tutors stepped down Friday and voiced his displeasure with the school's handling of junior guard P.J. Hairston in the process.
Jack Halperin, who served as an athletics academic tutor at North Carolina for 23 years, called the school and coach Roy Williams' decision to allow Hairston to remain with the basketball team "disgraceful" in a letter to The Daily Tar Heel.
Hairston was suspended indefinitely on July 28 after being cited for speeding and careless and reckless driving. On July 5, Hairston was arrested on charges of possessing marijuana and driving without a license, though the charges were dismissed two weeks later.
Hairston returned to practice in September, though Williams said the Tar Heels' leading scorer last season would miss a to-be-determined number of games.
Below is Halperin's letter to The Daily Tar Heel in its entirety:
TO THE EDITOR:
Roy, after 23 years as an academic tutor, and after going through the devastating football scandal, I am resigning in protest of your disgraceful decision to allow P.J. Hairston to remain on the team.
If I were arrested driving with no license, illegal drugs and a gun in a felon's car, my employment at this University would end immediately.
Hairston's DTH headline quote was, "I will play this season." Since when does the criminal decide his fate?
UNC tutor resigns in protest of P.J. Hairston decision
All these years later, Norm Stewart considers himself fortunate to have survived.
The longtime Missouri coach collapsed on a team plane bound for Oklahoma in 1989, and was diagnosed with colon cancer. He missed the final 14 games that season, at a time when so little was known about cancer that ''there was a lot of guesswork going on,'' Stewart said.
''People guessed right at my deal,'' he said, ''and so I'm a lucky survivor.''
There have been plenty of advances made in the fight against cancer since then, and many of them have been made with the assistance of Coaches vs Cancer, the organization that Stewart and his wife, Virginia, helped to found 20 years ago.
What started as a way to raise money at Missouri has grown into a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and has already raised more than $100 million to support the mission to eradicate cancer.
''The thing about it is I'd lost my mother to cancer, and I was just recovering from cancer, so it was kind of a no-brainer,'' Stewart said in an interview Tuesday. ''But no one I think had any idea the magnitude of what it's become, and it's only going to become bigger. It's pleasing, and the main thing is we're raising money, and we're making advances on cancer.''
Stewart was the guest of honor at Coaches vs Cancer's annual tipoff event at Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium on Tuesday night, and was joined by plenty of dignitaries.
Among those who attended the fundraising dinner, auction and celebration were Kansas coach Bill Self, current Missouri coach Frank Haith, Kansas State coach Bruce Weber, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall and new Missouri-Kansas City coach Kareem Richardson.
''Obviously he's the guy who really got this going, Coaches vs Cancer, and he enjoys being around the coaches, being around the game still,'' Weber said. ''It's great that all the coaches can come together. The cause brings everybody together, so it's a positive thing.
''Plus, it's the start of basketball,'' Weber said. ''It's right around the corner.''
Indeed, one of the early season tournaments is the Coaches vs Cancer Classic at the Barclay's Center in New York. Other tournaments have benefited the organization, but last year's was the first edition of the tournament bearing its name. Among the schools scheduled to participate this year are Michigan State, Oklahoma, Seton Hall and Virginia Tech.
Another spinoff of Coaches vs Cancer is the annual Sneakers Weekend, when college coaches wear sneakers with their regular game attire to draw more awareness to the fight against cancer.
''When you have a pulpit as a coach, a voice, people listen,'' Marshall said. ''Cancer is a terrible foe, and if we can all come together, we can a lot of positive things. This is vitally important, being able to solve and eradicate this horrible disease.''
Self has been involved with Coaches vs Cancer dating to his days at Illinois.
''Everybody has been touched by it, directly or indirectly, in some form or fashion,'' he said, "so anything we can do to bring awareness or add to a possibility of beating this disease in the future is something well worth everyone's while.''
Stewart said that Coaches vs Cancer recently teamed up with CEOs Against Cancer, a similar organization from the business world. He said that 400 chief executives from across the country have already participated, and that number could grow to 1,000 by the end of the year.
The hope, Stewart said, is to raise $50 million annually for cancer research within five years.
''My vintage, when somebody said cancer, you had your papers in order and you folded your arms,'' he said, ''and young people today, they don't have that thought. They know they'll be tested, and you do your testing whether it's a mammogram or a colonoscopy, you can catch the disease.''
There have been CSU basketball fans who've told coach Larry Eustachy expectations for his second year will be greater than what the Rams accomplished in 2012-13.
They must have been high.
When asked at Mountain West media days Wednesday about his expectations for Colorado State University this season, Eustachy joked some of the buzz around the program must be due to the state's marijuana laws.
"I think people still think we're going to be better than last year and I'm coaching them going, 'they did legalize weed here.' It is legal, because I'm going, 'I don't know—' it must be strong weed, too," Eustachy said with a smirk. "We're guardedly optimistic. Last year, I don't know if we'll ever do that again. I think we will, for sure. We have loftier goals than we did last year, but it's just going to take time."
As much as Eustachy said he appreciates the support, he's worried about what could happen should CSU—which finished 26-9 last season, falling to eventual national champion Louisville in the NCAA tournament—lose a few games before conference play begins Jan. 1, 2014. CSU lost all five starters from last season to graduation, including honorable mention All-American Colton Iverson, who was drafted by the Indiana Pacers.
If CSU doesn't win its nationally-televised game at Gonzaga on Nov. 11 and couples that with a loss in one of its 11 home nonconference games, will last year's record-setting attendance at Moby Arena start to taper off? "If we go to Gonzaga, and let's say it doesn't work out, and we lose one at home that we should have won early, what we don't want is this momentum doing that," said Eustachy, moving his hand in a downward angle. "People are excited about basketball. You schedule to your team and we have, I think, 10 straight home games, but four of them are against teams picked to go to the NCAA tournament.
"We don't want that to happen. We want to create the buzz, we want to continue the buzz. We want to go in there and have the students show up."
Colorado State coach jokes about marijuana laws, expectations
One thing is certain when Florida's basketball team, which has reached the Elite Eight the past three seasons, opens practice Friday. There's a lot of uncertainty.
Scottie Wilbekin, who is expected to be suspended when the season starts because of two offseason undisclosed team violations, will be allowed to start practice with the team. He had been suspended indefinitely in June, a second suspension in seven months after missing the start of the 2012-13 season. Eli Carter, who transferred from Rutgers after averaging 14.9 points a game in two years amid the reports of since-fired coach Mike Rice's treatment of players and was given immediate eligibility by the NCAA, is still coming back from a fractured fibula in his right leg suffered late last season and said at the Gators' Media Day on Wednesday he has no set plan for getting on the court.
"I'm getting better than I was when I first came in, I'm just taking it day-by-day," Carter said. "It's just tight sometimes. It's getting the strength back, that's basically just it. I have no timetable, I'm just hoping to get back real soon."
Will Yeguete, who had two knee surgeries and is still trying to come back, also won't start practice with the team but Billy Donovan said he's less concerned about the senior forward from Florida Air than Carter.
Yeguete (5.5 points, 5.8 rebounds last season) vowed, "I should be ready for the start of the season." But will he be completely back to form?
Add in the uncertain future of recruit Chris Walker, who is trying to get eligible by the start of SEC play in January, and whether Donovan is satisfied that Wilbekin has worked his way completely back in the team's good graces in a few weeks and there's a lot of questions to be answered.
"There's just a lot of unknowns right now how this is all going to come together," Donovan said of the coming weeks, if not months.
Transfers Dorian Finney-Smith (Virginia Tech) and Damontre Harris (South Carolina) are expected to help Patric Young (10.1, 6.3) in the middle, and Casey Prather (6.2, 3.7) is a senior swing player who made big steps last year.
Kasey Hill, like Walker a McDonald's All-American, will run the point at least until Wilbekin earns his spot back and Mike Frazier (5.6, 3.1) will take over more of a scoring role at the shooting guard as a sophomore.
He said Wilbekin, who led the team with 5.0 assists last season and averaged 9.1 points, has "got to get himself reconnected" with the team.
Donovan said Hill is an "unknown" in how he will respond to running the offense.
"That's what I expected when I made the decision to come here," Hill said of being thrown into the fire right away. "That's why I came here."
The Gators open the regular season on Nov. 8 against UNF. Early tough tests include a Dec. 2 game at UConn and a home contest with Kansas on Dec. 10 in the Big 12-SEC Challenge.
In the afterglow of Louisville's national championship last April, Russ Smith should have been soaking up the adulation and enjoying the accomplishments. But chances for reflection vanished quickly.
"It was probably one of the toughest times of my life," Smith said Saturday afternoon.
We knew Smith faced the presumably difficult choice of whether to stay or go. But that, it turns out, was not actually the tough part.
Even though Smith loved Louisville as much as you could possibly love a city, he was ready to chase his NBA dream. The tough part was hearing that NBA teams weren't necessarily ready to make it a reality, at least not yet. For Russ Smith, it was back to the start.
"When you look at guys that put up numbers the way I did in the tournament and the whole season and just everything I've done here," Smith said, "I thought there should be no reason why I shouldn't go in the first round."
But then U of L coach Rick Pitino told him otherwise, and the truth hurt. Smith said Pitino told him he would probably go in the draft's mid-to-late second round. He told him if he wanted to be a first-round pick, he needed to become more polished, more poised.
"As I watched film and looked at myself, and Coach P talked to me about what certain teams want and what certain people want from me, I got to see it for myself," Smith said. "And it was really humbling."
But the thing about Russ Smith is he doesn't really dwell on what could have been. He stays trained on the present and the possible. And when he realized his best option would be to return to Louisville for his senior season, he also realized that's really not a bad option at all.
Then, finally, he could exhale. He could enjoy a slice of summer. He went to the ESPY Awards and met comedian Chris Tucker and Good Morning America host Robin Roberts.
"The funniest guy I met was the Allstate guy," Smith said. "…To see him there was pretty cool."
He went to Estonia and played in the Four Nations Cup.
"That was cool," Smith said. "We used to go to this one burger place, Hesburgers. It was good."
He went back to Brooklyn to see his family, a trip that provided perhaps the most revealing moment of his summer.
"I couldn't take it," Smith said. "I left. It wasn't like Louisville. It wasn't like the Midwest. I'm used to out here now, and I like it, so I just came back here."
Louisville, Smith decided, was home. In his rush to find a place in the NBA, he hadn't stopped to consider he'd also be leaving his new home behind.
So now he's soaking up every moment.
He's interning at WHAS-TV, working local high school football games on some Friday nights. He's campaigning to become U of L's homecoming king. And he's also a preseason All-American and a co-captain of the defending national champions.
Smith wants to show NBA scouts what they have glossed over. But Pitino doesn't want him to focus too much on what's next, because that could affect what's now.
"What he's doing to himself, at times, is putting stress on himself," Pitino said. "And stress is the enemy."
Smith said it will be difficult not to think about his future, because he knows this time there will be no other choice. There will be no second home waiting to catch him if he falls. But he said thoughts of the NBA will not cloud his ability to thrive with the Cardinals.
"I'm just trying to do everything I can and make (my last year) a good one," Smith said. "It'd be nice if we could win it again; that'd be the best present."
One more year in Louisville looking good for Russ Smith
University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari held court Tuesday at the Wildcats' media day. He covered it all, including several revelations through the team's first 10 practices. Here are a few:
"Marcus Lee is better than I thought. Derek Willis is better than I thought. … Everybody that comes in our building, the guy that they're saying is the standout is James Young. Every day. We've had NBA scouts in there every day and they're saying it every day."
What makes Young so special? "He is really fast," Calipari said. "He's now not settling for jump shots, so you're seeing a young man get his head and shoulders by people, take contact and make baskets … if he's ahead, you throw him the ball and something good will happen. And he has a chance to be a terrific defender."
Sophomore center Willie Cauley-Stein, who was out with a hand injury, returned to practice for the first time Monday and "changed the practice." Sophomore forward Alex Poythress, who's had a nagging hamstring injury, also had his first full-speed practice Monday.
"Hard to lead, hard to make the club in the tub," said Calipari, who also noted: "I don't think it's gonna happen, but we could start five freshmen."
The Cats haven't put in much of their offense yet and aren't even talking defense, but Calipari said, "what I like is the instincts of the players; their instincts are normally right. They're not thinking. They're instinctive, and that makes it fun."
As for all that undefeated talk: "I've said before I retire, I would love to coach a team that goes 40-0. I've said it for 8-10 years. Will that happen? I don't know. … We don't talk about it as a team. It's not like, 'Oh, we're going 40-0.' We don't. The way we do this is a process. … I've had three teams almost did it (and) you may not go 40-0, but you're doing special things."
Taking experience out of the equation, is this Calipari's most talented team? He took a long pause before answering that the 2012 national championship squad was pretty darn good and "um, boy, that first team I had here was really talented."
But: "I'd like this to play out a little bit and look back. I will tell you this team is deeper" than the others.
Calipari said star freshman Julius Randle, who he called an "alpha beast" this summer and is expected to challenge for the No. 1 spot in the next NBA draft, has lost some confidence early in practice because the Cats are teaching the 6-9, 250-pounder to play away from the basket.
So is he still a National Player of the Year type of talent? "Yeah. He's good. But we've got guys on our team playing better right now," Calipari said. "But he is that good."
Calipari said he found Randle in the gym at 10:30 Monday night and back there Tuesday morning – with an afternoon practice looming. "So when you ask me, does he have a chance at that? Yes, he does, because of that." The last guy he had that worked like that, Calipari said, was Brandon Knight.
John Calipari talks about his freshmen, going 40-0
Saint Mary's men's basketball coach Randy Bennett must serve a five-game suspension and won't be allowed to recruit off campus this season as the NCAA has upheld penalties against the successful West Coast Conference program for recruiting violations.
In making the announcement Monday from the NCAA's infractions appeals committee, the athletics governing body denied Bennett's appeal that included the claim of a procedural error involved. The school said Bennett's penalty would begin Dec. 30 at midnight for five games, including one non-conference contest.
In March, the NCAA put Saint Mary's on four years of probation for a "failure to monitor its men's basketball program," reducing scholarships by two for the 2014-15 and '15-16 seasons.
"While the College is disappointed with the decision, we respect the NCAA appeals process and will comply fully with the penalties given to our athletics program," the school said. "Saint Mary's remains committed to excellence in its athletic programs, compliance with NCAA rules and the college's proud tradition of providing our students with positive, life-changing experiences. We look forward to the upcoming men's basketball season and continuing the important work of educating and developing our talented student-athletes."
Saint Mary's will still be allowed to participate in the league tournament and the NCAA tournament but can't play in preseason or in-season tournaments not already contractually obligated to attend.
The Gaels, seeded 11th, lost 54-52 to sixth-seeded Memphis in the 2013 NCAA tournament and finished the season 28-7.
Florida big man Patric Young isn't dazzled by all the hype surrounding Kentucky's latest crop of hotshot NBA prospects.
The Wildcats are the favorites to win the Southeastern Conference with eight signees, including six McDonald's All-Americans. The freshmen will have to earn the brawny Young's respect - and all those projected victories.
''I hope they think they can just walk on the court and they're going to beat everybody,'' Young said Thursday at SEC media days. ''I hope that's what they think.
''As soon as they play a real top team, they're going to see it's not just a walk in the park. One and done is not for everybody.''
The defending SEC champion Gators might have the best shot at challenging the Wildcats for the title after three consecutive trips to the regional finals in the NCAA tournament.
They have seven players returning from a 29-8 team, including currently suspended guard Scottie Wilbekin, who will miss some games to start the season.
They've also added transfer forwards Damontre Harris (South Carolina) and Dorian Finney-Smith (Virginia Tech), though four players are not currently practicing because of injuries or illness.
Despite all that, it's the Wildcats and all those newcomers with fabulous high school pedigrees who are getting much of the attention. Freshman forward Julius Randle is the league's preseason player of the year.
All those expectations are just fine with Kentucky coach John Calipari. He said 40 NBA scouts have already visited Lexington the past couple of weeks.
''Look, we've got a talented group of young kids that wanted to be there together,'' Calipari said. ''One of the scouts said, 'How do you get them to buy in?' Because you can see they're buying in already. Part of it is they know each other, they like each other, they wanted to play together. The other part of it is they trust us as a staff and me as the head coach, 'I've got your back.'''
Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy, whose team won at Rupp Arena last season, is especially familiar with Texas products Randle and brothers Aaron and Andrew Harrison.
''John's team this year is going to be probably the best team I've ever coached against,'' said Kennedy, whose Murray State team played national runner-up Butler a few years ago. ''They have that ability. Now, they're not there yet, and they'll tell you that. I know the three Texas kids, and I love them. They're really good players.''
Florida coach Billy Donovan raves about Randle, who he coached to a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 tournament over the summer. Donovan called him ''one of the nicest kids I've ever been around.''
Not to mention the basketball skills that have him regarded as a potential NBA lottery pick.
''Oh, I love him,'' Donovan said. ''First, he's got a really, really high basketball IQ. I think he's a pass-first guy. He's very unselfish. I think maybe the best skill that he's got is passing the basketball. He's got great vision.
''I think the other thing for him is his size. He's as quick of a 6-9, 240 guy as I've ever seen with the ball in his hands. He's got great handling and passing skills. I think his jump shot has gotten better. I think his whole post game has gotten better. But he is an incredible player on his feet.''
Still, SEC coaches say it's quite a challenge for Calipari to build a championship team around so many newcomers, along with returnees Alex Poythress and 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein.
''He doesn't have an easy task, because you've got all those different personalities,'' Missouri's Frank Haith said. ''You're grooming a team from scratch every year but they're super-talented. I guess we sort of did that last year, huh? But maybe not as talented as this team. It's not an easy task, I tell you that. I applaud what he's doing and they're going to be a talented ball club. I think all the teams in this league understand that.''
Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin said he isn't paying much attention to the outside expectations for either his team or Kentucky. The Volunteers are picked to finish third behind Kentucky and Florida and have guard Jordan McRae and forward Jarnell Stokes back.
''I don't consume myself with that,'' Martin said. ''We recruit, we develop basketball players, we win games. Congratulations to Kentucky for recruiting those guys, but at the end of the day you have to win games. That's the most important thing. The game has to be played at some point.''
Bowles collapsed during a workout with coaches and athletic trainers on Sept. 3 at Koch Arena and had to be revived through CPR and the use of a defibrillator, The Wichita Eagle reported. He has since undergone surgery at the Mayo Clinic to have an internal defibrillator implanted.
Wichita State also announced it will honor all four years of Bowles' scholarship, but Bowles has not said publicly whether he will accept the offer and thereby end his basketball career or if he might try to play elsewhere.
"Our main concern is the health and well-being of D.J. for the rest of his life,” athletic director Eric Sexton said in a press release. “He is an outstanding young man from a great family who has had a very traumatic 17 days. We hope that he will stay and complete his education at Wichita State, and have extended the commitment to honor his scholarship to he and his family.”
It's an understandable decision on the part of the school, which is right to put Bowles' health and safety ahead of any impact not having him could have on the basketball program. Considering how much information has been made public about Bowles' condition, it's difficult to see another school taking a chance and allowing him to play.
Y! SPORTS