The True Champions

Recently, the NCAA decided the fate of the USC athletic program. The penalty was harsh and undoubtedly deserved. Southern Cal has been the gold standard for cheating in college sports in this past decade. The NCAA ruled that now New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush's mother stayed in a classy San Diego area home while Bush was a Trojan. The problem was that Bush's mother wasn't paying rent. Memphis Grizzlies guard OJ Mayo went on shopping sprees worth thousands of dollars during his year at USC. The credit card that Mayo used to make those purchases was the credit line of a non-profit charitable organization. Unfortunately, the organization didn't exist and the credit card was given to him by an individual who had already been reprimanded for shady dealings with USC basketball players. This particular bad guy, an agency runner by the name of Rodney Guillory, was a frequent visitor to the USC basketball offices despite the fact that he had already ruined the eligibility of a former Trojan hoops star named Jeff Trepagnier.

There's no other way to put it. The Trojans cheated. It should be time for USC to give back two trophies that they don't deserve.

It was suspected that the Trojans football program would have to vacate their 2004 National Championship season. The BCS is currently debating their decision on the fate of the 2004 championship. If USC is stripped, the BCS will proclaim the title as being vacant. The Associated Press has made the decision to allow the Trojans to keep their title. The decision was made in direct contradiction to a decision made by the AP earlier this year.

When Houston Texans rookie linebacker Brian Cushing tested positive for a banned substance, the AP decided that a re-vote would decide the fate of Cushing's Rookie of the Year award that he had won months prior.

If the AP followed their earlier precedent, a re-vote would have found the Auburn Tigers to be the true national champions of the 2004 season.

To refresh your memory, the 2004 season was the season that the BCS code was finally cracked by a team outside of the power six confidences. Utah finished undefeated by thrashing Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl, and Auburn capped off an undefeated season by knocking off Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Neither of these teams got the chance to play for a title. That right was taken away by USC and their ineligible star player, Reggie Bush. Boise State and Oklahoma also finished the 2004 regular season undefeated, but Boise State lost one of the best bowl games ever to Louisville, and Oklahoma got drilled by USC in the title game.

If the AP had enough backbone to re-vote, the Auburn Tigers would be the new champ for the 2004 season. The Tigers ran through the best conference in the country, and beat a really good team in their bowl game. Retrospectively, that Tigers team even produced a ton of future pros that are still playing on Sundays.

In a perfect world the 2004 national championship would have been awarded to a team that didn't cheat....or at least had the decency not to get caught.

The AP had a chance to crown a true champion...and they blew it.

Conference Shake Up Summary

As it turns out, the NCAA did not undergo any catastrophic changes to its conference alignments. Changes were made however, and there will be more to come. This is a quick rundown of what has happened so far and what still might happen in the next year or two.   

-Realignment proceedings got off to a very unorganized start. It was rumored weeks ago that the Pac-10 would invite the entire Big 12 South division to join their conference, leaving the teams of the Big 12 North to scramble for conference affiliations. When rumors circulated that both Missouri and Nebraska had found a home in the Big Ten, Colorado jumped ship and joined the Pac-10. The move was supposed to be a precursor to Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M all joining the Pac-10. Colorado's acceptance was slated to scratch Baylor's involvement in the expansion plan. Unfortunately, no one joined the Buffs in the Pac-10, leaving them as a member of an eleven team Pac-10 that financially can't compete with a ten team Big 12.   

-Nebraska made a very tactical move by becoming the 12th member of the Big Ten. The Huskers give the Big Ten the opportunity to host a conference championship game, and the logistic ability to expand their groundbreaking Big Ten Network into more households. Wisconsin has already contacted league offices, requesting that they annually play Nebraska at the end of the regular season with the hope of starting a rivalry.

-Shortly after Nebraska made their move, Missouri realized that they would not get an invite from the Big Ten. The Tigers had no choice but to rely on Texas to keep the Big 12 Conference together.

-Boise State made a regrettable move by going from the WAC to the Mountain West. The Broncos could have been patient and landed in either the Big 12 or the Pac-10.  

-Fortunately for Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and previously mentioned Missouri...Texas did decide to save the Big 12. The Longhorns chose to stay put and the rest of the Big 12 South followed suit. As repayment for breathing life back into the conference, Texas will receive an inordinate percentage of the conference's revenue and will be allowed to start their own television network (tentatively named "The Longhorn Network").  

-Texas A&M made the most ego driven move in the past month. In an effort to hide the fact that they planned on following the lead of their arch rival Texas, the Aggies decided to flirt with the idea of joining the SEC and leaving behind it's geographic rival. There was no way that A&M would ever separate itself from Texas, but the ruse was put in place to portray Texas A&M as a school that could make decisions without the consent of Texas. In the end, the Aggies embarrassed themselves by staying with Texas when they had every reason to leave.

-Utah just received an invitation from the Pac-10 to be the conference's 12th member. BYU and (later) Boise State are possible candidates for further Pac-10 expansion.

-Notre Dame is safe for now, but eventually conference expansion will force the Irish to join the Big Ten for all sports. Notre Dame's football program carries too much prestige to play in a Big East football conference that may not even exist in a few years.

-The Big East desperately needs to add football programs. Connecticut West Virginia, Louisville, and South Florida are all destined for either the ACC or the SEC at some point. Even though it makes absolutely no geographical sense, the Big Ten could possibly take away Rutgers and Syracuse. Teams like Marshall and East Carolina are beating down the door to get into the Big East, but the conference would be better off transitioning established winning programs such as FCS National Champ Villanova and perennial FCS power Richmond. Georgetown also has a FCS football program that can be upgraded. The addition of those three teams along with ECU and/or Marshall could possibly be enough to save the Big East football conference.
TCU is an ideal candidate to join the Big 12. They are already bitter rivals with Baylor, and would be a great addition. Right now, the Frogs are a better program than Colorado or Nebraska.

Why Did Texas Save the BIG 12?

Courtesy of ESPN.com

The Amateur Status 2010 NBA Mock Draft (1st Edition: The Rough Draft)

It seems like everybody has a mock draft nowadays...so it's only right that AmStat jumps on board and shares our opinion on the upcoming 2010 NBA Draft.

#1) The Washington Wizards select John Wall, PG - Kentucky
There will be no suspense with this pick. John Wall will probably already be leading this team in jersey sales before draft night.

#2) The Philadelphia 76ers select Wesley Johnson, SF - Syracuse

This would be a surprise pick, but the 76ers need outside shooting, and the consensus number two player Evan Turner does not provide that.

#3) The New Jersey Nets select Derrick Favors, PF/C - Georgia Tech

The Nets get much tougher up front by replacing Yi Jianlian with the more rugged Favors. The front line of Favors (pictured to the right) and Lopez will quickly develop into one of the league's best. 

#4) The Minnesota Timberwolves select DeMarcus Cousins, PF/C - Kentucky

This is partially an insurance pick in case Al Jefferson leaves Minnesota (which he should). Cousins could step into the starting frontcourt with Kevin Love and the Wolves rebuilding project wouldn't miss a beat.

#5) The Sacramento Kings select Evan Turner, SG/SF - Ohio State
Turner finally comes off the board here, as he will replace the scoring role that was left behind by Kevin Martin last year. Turner will join a solid core group of players that includes Tyreke Evans, Jason Thompson, Omri Cassipi, and Spencer Hawes

#6) The Golden State Warriors select Al-Farouq Aminu, SF/PF - Wake Forest
The Warriors get another athletic freak that can run and jump with anyone. Unfortunately he can't do much else. This year's draft had a five man class of elite players...the Warriors pick number six. 

#7) The Detroit Pistons select Greg Monroe, PF - Georgetown
The Pistons need to get physical inside in order to start resembling their championship teams. Monroe will be the first step towards doing so. He doesn't have the mean streak that most Detroit big men have, but he has the same post passing skill set as Chris Webber, which will open up tons of shots for the likes of Ben Gordon, Richard Hamilton, and Rodney Stuckey.

#8) The Los Angeles Clippers select Xavier Henry, SG/SF - Kansas
If Henry is as good as advertised, and can step into the 3-spot for the Clips next season, the Clippers become a dangerous team with the return of Blake Griffin next season. 

#9) The Utah Jazz select Cole Aldrich, C - Kansas

Aldrich has the easiest job in the draft if he goes to Utah. All he has to do is be better than Greg Ostertag, and Salt Lake City will love him forever.

#10) The Indiana Pacers select Donatas Motiejunas, SF/PF/C - Lithuainia

The draft's top foreign born player gives the Pacers size and skill around the basket with a bit of shooting touch away from the basket. Motiejunas (pictured to the right) can play three positions for Indy which will make them a much deeper squad.

#11) The New Orleans Hornets select Patrick Patterson, SF/PF - Kentucky

The Hornets have seemingly swung and missed on 2007 lottery pick Julian Wright. Patterson is a bigger, stronger version of the player that they expected Wright to be.

#12) The Memphis Grizzlies select Ekpe Udoh, PF - Baylor   
Udoh has always been an intimidating shot blocker, but it was the development of his offensive game that has him sneaking into the lottery. The Grizz are in dire need of someone who can score from the four spot, and now Udoh fits the bill along with being one of the best defensive players in the draft. 

#13) The Toronto Raptors select Avery Bradley, SG - Texas

The Raptors organization lacks talent and is on its way towards losing its best player for nothing in return. Their gameplan should be to take the player on the board with the highest ceiling. It looks like that player will be Bradley. He has all the makings of being the type of player who can score 20 per game on a bad team for years to come.

#14) The Houston Rockets select Hassan Whiteside, C - Marshall   

The Rockets have a good team that is built for playoff basketball. The front office owes it to them to have a viable insurance policy at the center position in case Yao is unable to return to all-star form (even though he will probably be an all-star every year until he retires because their are a billion all-star voters in China and half of them vote twice). Whiteside (pictured to the right) can be the insurance policy the Rockets can depend on if Yao can't return.    

#15) The Milwaukee Bucks select James Anderson, SG - Oklahoma State
Anderson is a fitting replacement for Michael Redd. He can flat out score the basketball. He has a rep for disappearing in big games but he won't be the man down the stretch playing with Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut.       
    
#16) The Minnesota Timberwolves select Gordon Heyward, SG/SF - Butler
The Wolves can do no wrong as long as they don't take a point guard in this draft. Heyward gives the team an outside shooter with a high basketball IQ. There is the chance that he may prove to be a defensive liability, but he more than held his own while in college.

#17) The Chicago Bulls select Ed Davis, PF - North Carolina
Second rounder Taj Gibson played way above his head in his rookie season, but the Bulls can't pass on the opportunity to draft a player that would be going in the top five if not for injuries. Chicago is the first team on the board that can take the risk of missing on Davis. Especially, if they land Lebron James in free agency.

#18) The Miami Heat select Larry Sanders, PF - Virginia Commonwealth
The Heat need to impress Dwayne Wade enough for him to stay in South Beach. Unfortunately, there are no players available at #18 that will sway his decision. Regardless, Sanders will still be an upgrade over Udonis Haslem at the 4-spot.

#19) The Boston Celtics select Luke Babbitt, SF - Nevada
Best case scenario: Babbitt is the next Larry Bird. Worst Case Scenario: Babbitt is the next Brian Scalabrine.

#20) The San Antonio Spurs select Kevin Seraphin, PF/C - France
This is a typical international pick for the Spurs. We won't see Seraphin in the States for another year or two most likely, but when we do...he's probably going to be really good.

#21) The Oklahoma City Thunder select Paul George, SF - Fresno State

The Thunder were probably one long range shooter away from upsetting the Lakers in the playoffs this year. George (pictured to the right) can be the gunner they are looking for. At Fresno State, George shot over 40% from three point range and has the height (between 6'7 and 6'9 depending on who you ask) to get his shot off against NBA defenders. He is also very athletic and finishes superbly on the break. He could become Russell Westbrook's best friend.

#22) The Portland Trailblazers select Solomon Alabi, C - Florida State
This is the official waving of the white flag on Greg Oden's career. The Blazers have to make this pick based on the fact that they can't be caught with their pants down if Oden's health continues to resemble the age he looks rather than the age that he is.

#23) The Minnesota Timberwolves select Stanley Robinson, SF/PF - Connecticut
Stanley Robinson is another athletic role player that the Wolves can mold into their system. With five picks in this draft, and the possible return of Ricky Rubio. Minnesota's 2010 draft class could resemble a John Calipari recruiting class...except these players are supposed to get paid. 

#24) The Atlanta Hawks select Eric Bledsoe, PG - Kentucky
This seems like an obvious pick. After passing on Chris Paul and trying to cover up the mistake by picking Acie Law in 2007, the Hawks should be picking a point guard every year until they get it right. If that isn't a good enough reason to take Bledsoe. The Hawks do not have another player on their roster listed as a poing guard besides 32 year old Mike Bibby. They better not screw this up.

#25) The Memphis Grizzlies select Elliot Williams, SG - Memphis
This is a hometown pick for the Grizz, and it would be one of the stories of the draft if Williams would be able to continue to be close to his family. On the basketball side, Memphis gets a long perimeter defender who will play hard and smart for 15-20 minutes a game. That isn't all that easy to find in the NBA these days.

#26) The Oklahoma City Thunder select Daniel Orton, PF/C - Kentucky
The Thunder add another athletic big man to the roster, but this one has enough size to usurp the starting center position from Nenad Krstic in time.

#27) The New Jersey Nets select Devin Ebanks, SF/PF - West Virginia

The Nets can add another very impressive name to their roster with this pick. Ebanks (pictured to the right) would have been a sure lottery pick if he stayed at West Virginia a little longer, but he can definitely thrive in this enviroment. In Jersey, there will be no pressure and plenty of other people making mistakes around him.

#28) The Memphis Grizzlies select Damion James, SF - Texas
Memphis can continue to address their defense in this draft by taking James. It would be in the team's best interest to build the roster in the image of Marc Gasol (tough, gritty, hard working) rather than OJ Mayo (he can score 40, but we still might not win).

#29) The Orlando Magic select Quincy Pondexter, SF - Washington
The Boston Celtics have proven that Vince Carter is not the answer on the wing in Orlando. So why not take a late first round pick and use it on a kid who has never been accused of not working hard and has willed his team to a few victories at Washington. He even dunks every now and then.

#30) The Washington Wizards select Gani Lawal, PF - Georgia Tech
The Wizards traded the two forwards that have been synonomous with their organization for half of the last decade. The Wiz have to take a forward that has enough potential to fill one of those spots left behind by Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison.

Early Entrant Deadline Passes With Little Surprises

Here's a quick look at who's staying in school, and who is turning in their textbooks for good...

• Purdue will return all three of their NBA draft prospects. Forwards Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson and guard E'twaun Moore will all return next year, making the Boilers the class of the Big Ten.
• Center Mike Davis and scoring guard Demetri McCamey will both return to Illinois, giving the Illini a chance to be competitive in what will be a stacked Big Ten next year.
• New Mexico's Darington Hobson and Xavier's Jordan Crawford (pictured to the right) are both bolting for the draft, leaving their schools scrambling to find someone to step up and fill the void of a 20 point per game player.
• Richmond and Temple faired much better than the Lobos and the X. The Spiders will keep guard David Anderson, and the Owls will gladly welcome back Lavoy Allen. Both teams will now compete for the A-10 title once again, as they have avoided a complete rebuilding season.
• Alex Tyus didn't have any business in the draft in the first place. Someone agrees with me, because Tyus will return to Florida...where he will still be a highly skilled role player at best.
• Morehead State forward Kenneth Faried is probably the best small school prospect in college basketball, and he likely would have been a late first round pick. Faried is coming back anyway, and Morehead State is now the favorite in the OVC.
• Sharpshooter Jimmer Fredette will be at BYU for one more year. The return of Fredette and the departure of Hobson may have shifted the power in the MWC.
• Kentucky freshman Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton confirmed that they would be staying in the draft. This is not a surprise; both are considered sure fire first round picks.
• Talor Battle will return to Penn State for his senior season. He will try to recapture the magic that lead the Nittany Lions to an NIT championship in 2009.

The Legend of Worldwide Wes

(Information for this post was taken from a July 2007 GQ Magazine story by Alex French)

When Michael Irvin and the Miami Hurricanes football team won the National Championship, he was there on the sidelines. Heavyweight Title Fight? He’s there with Uncle Luke from 2 Live Crew. When the Cowboys won the Super Bowl, he was with team owner Jerry Jones. He was one of the people on the floor breaking up the Pacers-Pistons fight that spilled into the stands. He was with team president Joe Dumars after the Pistons won the NBA Championship. He has sat next to Jay-Z at the NBA All-Star Game, and with Nike boss Phil Knight at the Final Four. He has even accompanied the U.S. Senior National Basketball team to Japan.

He may sound like the most interesting person in the world, but he is actually William Wesley; the man that the sports world calls “Worldwide Wes”.

His legend begins in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. That’s where a teenaged Wesley worked at a small sneaker store called Pro Shoes. The spot was an 80’s equivalent to New York’s famous Flight Club shoe store. Pro Shoes sneaker selection attracted some of the areas best basketball players. Though several college and professional athletes frequented the store, the two people that would eventually mean the most to Wesley were merely like high school students like him.

Wesley’s two friends were Leon Rose (name sound familiar? it will later) and Milt Wagner. Rose was just your run of the mill high school point guard, but Wagner was one of the areas best college prospects. When Wagner eventually committed to the University of Louisville, Wesley packed up and moved to Kentucky with his best friend.

Wagner would become a star in college and go on to the NBA; meanwhile Leon Rose toiled away in Law School. As time went on, Wesley continued to build his social circle, helping out players in every way that he knew how until he eventually made the biggest connection of them all. He met Michael Jordan. No one knows for sure when the meeting took place, but the encounter resulted in Wesley eventually becoming close friends with Jordan’s boss at Nike, Phil Knight, and among other people, the President of the United States. To this day, Wesley is still close with both Bill and Hillary Clinton. Wesley and Jordan became friends right before Mike’s reign of terror over the NBA. Six rings later, Jordan was the most lucrative athlete in the world, and Wesley was his best friend.

Fast Forward to the year 2001…

Remember Wesley’s childhood friend Milt Wagner? He now has a son; a son that also happens to be the best high school basketball player in the country. His name is Dajuan Wagner. William Wesley is his Godfather.

Despite the sports world unanimously deeming Wagner ready to jump to the NBA out of high school, it was Wagner’s Godfather who steered him to go to Memphis, where John Calipari was the coach. Memphis was Calipari’s first college coaching job since he had a Final Four appearance stripped from him at UMass. It did not stop Calipari from being very flexible during his recruitment of Wagner. Wesley facilitated two main negotiations between the two parties. The Tigers would also sign a friend of Wagner’s who was having trouble qualifying academically, and Dajuan’s father Milt would become the school’s director of basketball operations. The last stipulation was considerably damning, considering that the eldest Wagner never graduated from college.

Calipari made the concessions anyway, and has continued his working friendship with Wesley. If you see a basketball recruit around William Wesley, there’s a good chance he’s going to play for Coach Cal. It is worth noting that Calipari has been to two Final Fours and both of them have been stripped from his record.

After an impressive freshman year at Memphis, the younger Wagner left the school and declared for the NBA Draft. It was the general consensus that such a phenom would surely sign with one of sport’s premiere sports agencies, but this is when the story starts to come together.

Remember Leon Rose? While Wagner played in the NBA and Wesley became a major mover and shaker behind the scenes of college and professional sports, Leon Rose went to law school – and became a sports agent.

Rose, whose top client had previously been career backup Rick Brunson, was now the primary representation of the most hyped prospect the league had seen in quite some time. The same year, Rose also became Allen Iverson’s agent.

This wasn’t a coincidence. Iverson had long been a close friend of William Wesley. When Iverson clashed with Coach Larry Brown, it was Wesley who supposedly brokered a peace treaty between coach and player. One story goes that Wesley once called Iverson and simply told him, “Quit bitching and go to practice.” Later that year Iverson won the MVP award and the Eastern Conference Championship. Rose also began representing Richard Hamilton. Hamilton and Wesley run a Detroit Based AAU team called “The Family”. As you may expect, it is one of the best and most successful AAU programs in the country.

Oh, but wait. There’s more.

Wesley has always had a tendency to pick up and move, following his most lucrative friends and associates. Something that probably isn’t a big deal for him since he is supposedly a real estate agent. So when Wagner was drafted by Cleveland, Wesley picked up and moved as well.

That’s when “Worldwide Wes” met “The Chosen One”.

Once Wesley heard about the fifteen year old prodigy named Lebron James that was dominating his competition in nearby Akron, he reached out immediately. Wesley, immediately befriended James’ primary father figure Eddie Jackson, but he had to go much further to impress Lebron James. Wesley needed the help of another one of his close friends – rap mogul Jay-Z.

Once Wesley introduced James to his hip-hop idol, he’s had his attention ever since. This wasn’t the only instance in which Wesley used some of his famous friends to get close to a potential star.

Gregory Dole, who worked as a translator for Brazilian Leandro Barbosa, told a similar story about Barbosa encountering Wesley.

According to Dole, Wesley scooped up him and Barbosa in a Mercedes and began to ask Leandro some questions. Who’s your favorite player? Michael Jordan. Wes calls him up on speakerphone, but gets the voicemail. Do you like Hip-Hop? I like Jay-Z. Worldwide Wes calls Jay-Z. Jigga answers the phone. Barbosa starts singing the hook from “Hard Knock Life”. The world’s most famous rapper puts Beyonce on the phone to listen to Barbosa sing. Jay-Z is laughing hysterically. Beyonce finds it similarly funny and keeps telling him to sing the hook again and again.

Personally, If Beyonce’s on the phone…I’m going to sing whatever song she asks me to.

Surprisingly, despite Wesley’s relationship with the prince that would later become king, James did not employ Leon Rose as his agent upon entering the NBA. Wesley responded by deciding to get even closer to James. In 2003, Worldwide Wes became “Uncle Wes down the hall”. Wesley moved into the same apartment building as James.

Within two years, James fired his agent…and hired Leon Rose, turning Wesley's high school acquaintance into a sports management power player. 

Now the cycle is complete.

With a little help from his friends, Wesley has cornered the market in the area of influence.

William Wesley has a familial relationship with the greatest basketball player ever, the next greatest basketball player ever, the greatest living rapper of all time, the man who founded Nike, a former president of the United States, and one of college basketball’s premiere coaches.

Need a shoe deal? He can call Knight. Need a record deal? He can call Jigga. Want to be a politician? He can call Bill…or Hillary if you prefer. Need a place to masquerade as a college student for a year or two? He can call Calipari.

The point is that if you know William “Worldwide” Wesley – the world is at your fingertips.

Another Episode of "If I Ruled the NCAA" (The Conference Re-Alignment Episode)

In case you didn't know, the Big Ten may be triggering a nationwide conference realignment by adding as many as five teams to the currently 11 team conference. The addition of so many schools would cause a domino effect to commence around the country. The ACC, Pacific 10, and Big 12 would look to add teams in order to compete, while the Big East would struggle to keep their football conference functional. The result could be complete and utter madness.

The true meaning of conference competition has been diminshed over the years. Historic rivalries and geographically sound matchups have taken a back seat to the monetary value of all programs involved in a conference lineup. St. Louis (MO) University playing in the Atlantic 10 would be the most disturbing example of this trend. The Billikens moved to the A-10 instead of joining the ironically named Missouri Valley Conference. Instead of squaring off against geographic rivals like Missouri State, SLU plays conference games against the likes of Charlotte, which of course is located in North Carolina.

The Big Ten plans on expanding on this recent trend of ridiculousness. It is rumored that the Midwestern based conference will consider inviting teams such as Texas, Rutgers, and Connecticut to their revamped conference. Conferences were once meant to cut down on travel and missed class time, now they are all about breaking into new media markets.

If I ruled the NCAA, I would be sympathetic to my conferences' need for expansion, but I could not allow such nonsense to pollute college sports. Here's my take on realignment. I promise it will satisfy the conference's urge to expand, but it will keep the integrity of what conference play should be.

Let's get started -- this may take awhile, so bare with me.

New conference members will be annotated with an (*)
Teams that would have to move their football program to the FBS will be annotated with a (#)

The New Big Ten (14 teams)
WEST - Iowa, *Iowa State, *Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Northwestern
EAST - Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana, *Notre Dame, Penn State, Purdue,
(Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN)

The new conference adds three teams, including the biggest prize in all of college sports, the Notre Dame football program. Missouri is added to team up with rival Illinois, and Iowa State joins Iowa in the West. All of the conference's rivalries are kept intact despite the split into two divisions.

The New Big 12 (12 teams)
NORTH - Nebraska, *Colorado State, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Kansas State
SOUTH - Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, *Arkansas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M
(Big 12 Championship at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX)

The Big 12 won't be able to expand in this scenario, but they do get a major prize by adding Arkansas who is a historical rival of Texas and Oklahoma in the old Southwestern Conference. Colorado State's addition makes the Rocky Mountain Showdown a conference game for the Rams and the Buffs, and Wyoming makes geographical sense for the conference.

The New Pacific 10 (14 teams)
NORTH - Washington, Washington State, Stanford, Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, *Boise State
SOUTH - USC, UCLA, Utah, BYU, Arizona, Arizona State, Hawaii
(Pac-10 Championship at the Hula Bowl in Honolulu, HI)

The new Pac-10 turns out perfectly. They get the biggest west coast expansion prize, Boise State football. The addition of Utah and BYU brings in two top 25 programs and one of college footballs best rivalries. Unlike the Big 12, the Pac-10 also adds three very strong basketball programs. This may be the conference that benefits from the expansion the most. Lastly, Hawaii is added because the other Pac-10 schools can monopolize the island's recruiting soil.

The New SEC (12 teams)
EAST - Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, *Georgia Tech
WEST - LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Memphis, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
(SEC Championship at The Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA)

The SEC adds a big time program in Tech and also acquires one of college footballs best rivalries. The SEC is the first conference that has to make a slight geographical concession. Tennessee would play in the West despite being farther east than both Georgia and Georgia Tech. The distance wasn't enough to separate the Vols from in-state opponents Memphis and Vanderbilt. Kentucky and Tennessee unfortunately are split up for football.

The New ACC (12 teams)
NORTH - North Carolina, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech
SOUTH - *South Carolina, Miami FL, *USF, Clemson, *UCF, Florida State
(ACC Championship at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, FL)

The ACC gets South Carolina to matchup with Clemson, and also adds two high potential Florida programs in USF and UCF. The ACC takes on a very Southern feel under this format as Boston College and Maryland find other homes.

The New Big East (12 teams)
EAST - Connecticut, Boston College, Syracuse, *Buffalo, *Maryland, Rutgers
WEST - #Villanova, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Louisville, *Temple, Cincinnati
(Big East Championship at The New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ)

The Big East steals Maryland from the ACC, and gets former member Temple from the MAC. Buffalo also comes from the MAC to be a geographical rival for Syracuse. Under this scenario, the Big East drops all of their non-football schools, leading to the formation of....

Generic Fictional Conference for Private Schools That Don't Play Football 
Georgetown, St. John's, Seton Hall, DePaul, St. Joseph's, Xavier, Marquette
Providence, St. Bonaventure, LaSalle, Fordham, Dayton, St. Louis

This Catholic school conference turns out to be a fusion of the Big East and the A-10. In time it will be one of the country's best basketball leagues. Georgetown, Marquette, Dayton, and Xavier give the league immediate credibility.

The New Mountain West (9 teams)
Baylor, TCU, UTEP, Houston, New Mexico,
Fresno State, Nevada, UNLV, San Diego State

TCU is the biggest loser in expansion as Arkansas takes the spot in the Big 12 South that the Frogs probably would have expected to receive. They will have to settle for being the class of a much stronger Mt. West
Conference football. Baylor is no longer in above their heads on the football field and will dominant the MWC basketball league.

The New WAC (9 teams)
San Jose State, Idaho, New Mexico State, Utah State, Rice,
North Texas, #Montana, SMU, Air Force, Tulsa

The New Conference USA (14 teams)
EAST - Army, Navy, East Carolina, FIU, FAU, Marshall, Western Kentucky, Middle Tenn. State
WEST - Southern Miss, Tulane, UAB, Troy, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana, UL Monroe
(CUSA Championship at Superdome in New Orleans, LA) 

The biggest development that comes from the formation of this mid-major super conference is that...

The New Sun Belt no longer will have an FBS football league


The New MAC will stay the same with the exclusion of Temple


So that's my solution, my apologies to the Sun Belt, but in a perfect world...who needs the Sun Belt?!

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Rutgers Close to Selecting Their Next Basketball Coach

Rutgers has narrowed down the search for their next head basketball coach to three candidates.

Fran Fraschilla, former head coach at St. John's, New Mexico, and Manhattan would be leaving a commentary gig at ESPN to take over at Rutgers. However, Fran has proven that he can succeed in the Tri-State area. He took both St. John's and Manhattan to the NCAAs as the head man.

Boston College fired head coach Al Skinner after more than a decade with the program, now Skinner is a finalist for the Rutgers job. Skinner has a recruiting base established in the Northeast, and would be able to assume the same recruiting practices that he established at BC.

Robert Morris head coach Mike Fox (pictured to the right) is the up and coming candidate, but is also the front runner to get the job. Fox's salary request would be no where near the amount that Rutgers would have to pay more established coaches Skinner and Franschilla. As school's make budget cuts across the country, Fox would be the ideal cost effective candidate. His stock sky-rocketed this season when RMU ran through the Northeast Conference, and scared the hell out of Villanova in the first round of the tournament. Fox was also a candidate for the Seton Hall job. It was said that the Pirates may have backed off of Fox because of his fiery personality on the sidelines. The Hall fired previous coach Bobby Gonzalez, partially, due to his conduct and attitude.

Big Time Talent Arriving to Small Time Campuses

Some of the country's top high school players will be playing their college basketball in some very interesting places next year.

This group in particular will be making a lot of noise during their freshman year...just not where you would expect them to.

[#17 ESPNU100] Ray McCallum Jr., Guard (Committed to Detroit) - McCallum's decision to play for a middle of the road Horizon League team makes a lot more sense when you consider that his father is the head coach at Detroit-Mercy. McCallum (pictured to the right) considered big time programs, but ultimately decided to become the first McDonald's All-American to ever sign with the Titans. McCallum will be judged by his performance against one team -- the Butler Bulldogs.  

[#33 ESPNU100] Trey Zeigler, Guard (Committed to Central Michigan) - When the Mount Pleasant, MI combo guard decided that he wanted to stay close to home, Michigan and Michigan State had to be considered the front runners to sign Zeigler. Unfortunately for the Wolves and for Sparty, they couldn't win the location battle with Central Michigan, which is located in (you guessed it...) Mt. Pleasant, MI. It also helps that like McCallum, Ziegler's dad is the coach at CMU.

[#58 ESPNU100] Dominique Ferguson (Committed to FIU) - When Isiah Thomas became the coach at FIU, he hoped to bring recruits like Ferguson to FIU. Ferguson is clearly enamored with Thomas' NBA pedigree and his influence at the next level. Zeke's glittering professional record was enough to get Ferguson on board, when he could have went on to bigger and better things besides the Sun Belt Conference.

[#71 ESPNU100] Juwan Staten (Committed to Dayton) - Super recruiter Thad Matta can't sign everyone to play at Ohio State. That's how a top 100 prospect who wants to stay local slips to Dayton. The defending NIT champs will be glad to have another impact player joining their push to make the big tournament in 2011.

[#100 ESPNU100] Alex Kirk (Committed to New Mexico) - When the Lobos managed to keep Steve Alford on campus for another year, they ensured that they would be welcoming a top ten position prospect at center. Kirk will be asked to come in and provide the Lobos with a legitimate post presence, as Alford tries to keep the Lobos competitive after losing all-league player Darrington Hobson to the NBA Draft.

NCAA Names A New President

ESPN has confirmed that the NCAA has named University of Washington President Mark A. Emmert as their next president.

Why is this important? 

Emmert has been said to be a strong proponent of bringing a playoff system to college football, which makes him a possible messiah to college football fans who have clamored for an end to the current BCS system.

The BCS has a long term contract with the NCAA, so no changes are emminent, but their will be genuine buzz surrounding this topic all summer.

Stay tuned for additional information about Emmert and the potential changes that could arise from his hiring.

Trading Places: NCAA Basketball Edition

The college basketball carousel has been spinning for quite a while. Rutgers remains as the only large conference program without a coach. However, perennial Missouri Valley contender Creighton made be the best job opening.

Here's a look at Who's in and Who's out for the 2010-2011 season...

Auburn - Tony Barbee parlayed a CUSA regualar season championship at UTEP into a well paying dead end job in the SEC. Let's face it. No one will ever care about basketball at Auburn, but it's Barbee's job to make some noise from the kids table. He may want to ask former coach Jeff Lebo how difficult that is.

Boise State - The Broncos are the WAC's sleeping giant, and hiring Gonzaga assistant Greg Graham may be exactly what is needed to release the Kraken in Boise. Graham has spent the past decade recruiting the Pacific Northwest's finest talent. If he could bring that same influence to Boise State, things may start looking up out of the blue.

Boston College - The Eagles fired a solid coach in Al Skinner to snatch one of the hot names on the coaching market this off-season, former Cornell head coach Steve Donahue. Donahue (pictured to the right) found players good enough to play in the Sweet 16 and smart enough to play at Cornell at his last stop. At BC, the recruiting pool becomes significantly larger, but so do the expectations.

Central Arkansas - The Bears made a great coaching hire when they gave the job to probably the most notable basketball player in the history of the state. The Big Nasty won a ring in college with the Razorbacks and in the pros ('05 Pistons), he will be able to connect with recruits and field a competitive squad very quickly.

DePaul - One of the country's most underachieving programs just hired one of the country's most underachieving coaches, former Clemson coach Oliver Purnell. I don't see the Demons leaving the Big East basement anytime soon.

East Carolina - Jeff Lebo can't catch a break. He goes from football crazy Auburn, to maybe even more football crazy ECU. Lebo needs to fire his agent. 

Fordham - Tom Pecora is taking over an A-10 program that plays in DIII facilities. Pecora's only advantage is a cell phone contact list of the most important basketball people in New York City. One that he used to lure plenty of the city's best talent to Hofstra. 

Hawaii - The good news is that Gib Arnold is moving to Hawaii, the bad news is that he has to coach the basketball team. The depleted roster is especially hard to replenish due to the job's geographical disadvantages, but Arnold must try to find a gem in southern California to make Hawaii a WAC contender again.

Hofstra - The Pride would have probably taken new coach Tim Welsh in a trade straight up for former coach Tom Pecora. Hofstra may have regretted it too. Especially, since Welsh is currently suspended and may face DWI charges.

Houston - James Dickey is facing mission impossible, replacing the legendary Tommy Penders fresh off a miracle tourney bid. I'm going to give Dickey three years before he lands elsewhere.

Iona - The Gaels went the DII route to tab Tim Cluess from perennially successful CW Post.

Iowa - The Hawkeyes may have hit a home run with the smooth and likable Fran McCaffery. McCaffery turned Siena into a NCAA tournament mainstay and has some big wins on record. If he gets his players in the system early on, the Hawkeyes could show some very immediate improvement.  

St. John's - After the Red Storm beat Louisville at MSG this season, a fan screamed "Fire Norm (Roberts) Anyway!" Eventually, AD Chris Monasch did, in fact, pull the trigger on Roberts and then landed Steve Lavin as his next coach. Lavin (pictured to the right) is a glitzy Hollywood type (formerly the coach at UCLA) that will embrace the challenge of bringing back the Red Storm. 

Seton Hall - Former Iona coach Kevin Willard is the new coach at The Hall, and quite frankly...I'm still trying to figure out why.

UTEP - Tim Floyd always lands on his feet, no matter what. This time UTEP snatched him up, knowing that he will be able to continue what Tony Barbee started until a big program forgives his evil deeds and gives him a power conference job.

Wake Forest - It's good to see Jeff Bzdelik coaching meaningful basketball again after being exiled in Boulder, Colorado for a spell. The Deacs will make dramatic strides behind the former Denver Nuggets head man.

Clemson - The Tigers may have made out like bandits when they lost Oliver Purnell to DePaul, and replaced him with Brad Brownell. While Purnell struggled to win with elite talent, Brownell has been at Wright St. battling Butler to the final week of the season every year with totally inferior talent. 

Oregon - After striking out on a Hall of Fame caliber coach, the Ducks made an underrated hire by luring Dana Altman from Creighton. Something should be said for a coach that just wins 20 games every year no matter what. 

What Were They Thinking?! (NBA Draft Edition)

Eighty college basketball players entered their name into the NBA draft as early entrants, forfeiting their remaining NCAA eligibility with the hope of fulfilling their dream of playing in the best basketball league in the world.

Unfortunately, over half of these early entrants will not be selected in the draft, and some will not even be considered. These are some of the few players that got some bad advice on their way off campus and into the real world.

*This list will only include players that have signed with an agent and may not return to the college game.

Derrick Caracter (PF), UTEP - The troubled big man did do very well for himself this past year in El Paso, but him finally fulfilling a small fraction of his college potential doesn't change the fact that he is undersized, out of shape, and overweight by NBA standards. It is very unlikely that he is drafted.

Paul Davis (F), Winston Salem State - Excuse me sir, but who are you (Look right and thank Google image search), and what makes you think you have the right to play in the NBA?

Courtney Fortson (PG), Arkansas - The right move would have been to transfer to a different school, the wrong move was to enter the draft. There's no way Fortson gets drafted despite being very talented with the ball in his hands.

Tiny Gallon (PF), Oklahoma - The bad decision to enter the draft was pre-empted by the previous bad decision to except money from a Florida based financial advisor. Gallon has to atleast give the draft a shot.

Manny Harris (G), Michigan - Harris is a great college player who doesn't have a game that translates to the pros. Big Ten fans would probably compare him to former conference player of the year AJ Guyton from Indiana. Unfortunately, Harris' discontent with his coach forced his hand. Off pure scoring ability, he has a shot, but you wish he could have stuck it out one more year and got his degree. He may need to use it one day.

Tommy Mason-Griffin (PG), Oklahoma - Mason-Griffin joins his roommate and fellow freshman Tiny Gallon on this list. Unfortunately, Tommy doesn't have a good excuse to walk out on a program that could make him better. Especially since he is no where close to being a pro. His lack of size, and failure to lead his Oklahoma team this past year will kill his draft chances.

Lance Stephenson (G/F), Cincinnati - Lance may have been "Born Ready" for the Rucker, but the league is something different. Stephenson wasn't even "Born Ready" for the Big East at times last year. Stephenson will get drafted, but it's a shame that a potential lottery pick in 2012 is settling to be a 2nd round pick in 2010.

Terrence & Terrence Sign With the Washington Huskies

The 2010-2011 Washington Huskies basketball team just got a whole lot better.

Head coach Lorenzo Romar recently signed two of the country's top 30 players in the class of 2010

Forwards Terrence Jones (#9 ESPNU100) and Terrence Ross (#30 ESPNU100), teammates at Portland's (OR) Jefferson High School have chosen to be college teammates as well. The two Terrences will join the Huskies' dynamite junior point guard Isaiah Thomas and senior leader Venoy Overton to make UW a contender in the Pacific 10 next season. Jones (6'9) and Ross (6'6) will add a missing dimension of size and athleticism to a team that already features a weatlh of guard-play. 

Here's Terrence Jones in action...

...and here is his teammate Terrence Ross (playing his senior season at Montrose Academy in Maryland)

Summer, Summer, Summer Time! AmStat IS BACK (for good this time)

The school year is winding down. The NCAA's two main spring sports Lacrosse and Baseball/Softball are heading towards the home stretch, and the summer is finally looming. Though things on campus may be winding down. Amateur Status College Sports will finally be heating back up. Hopefully you didn't miss the blog too much. A series of issues caused another sabbatical, but AmStat is definitely back for good this time.


Here's what AmStat will be covering this summer...

THE NBA DRAFT
Mock drafts, player rankings, and all the inside information you need to know who's going where in the NBA draft.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEWS
AmStat originated from a college football preview. This is what gave the blog its start. There isn't a blog online that covers college football closer than AmStat.

AAU BASKETBALL
The summer circuit has replaced high school hoops as the place to get noticed by college basketball's elite. AmStat will make sure you know everything that is going on at the biggest AAU events in the country.

RECRUITING NEWS
If a difference making prospect signs a letter of intent, you will know about it. That's an AmStat promise.

THE NBA SUMMER LEAGUE
The college basketball stars of yesterday make their final auditions at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. AmStat will make sure you  know which college star is making the case to steal a roster spot.

**** Also, watch out for AmStat's new look...we'll be making some cosmetic changes to the site at some point during the Summer.

College Basketball Top 25

The last time a college basketball Top 25 was posted, it was of the pre-season variety. Now some teams are as much as 20 games into their season already. This Top 25 will be based more on the results and not the names on the front and back of jerseys.

(Full Disclosure: I think college basketball polls are the most meaningless things in sports. There is a 64-team tournament that decides who the number one team in college hoops will be. Therefore, I don't care who USA Today thinks is the number one team in the country.)

1. Kentucky Wildcats
2. Kansas Jayhawks
3. Texas Longhorns
4. Syracuse Orange
5. Villanova Wildcats
6. Kansas State Wildcats
7. Pittsburgh Panthers
8. Tennessee Volunteers
9. Duke Blue Devils
10. Michigan State Spartans
11. Baylor Bears
12. West Virginia Mountaineers
13. Georgetown Hoyas
14. Purdue Boilermakers
15. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
16. BYU Cougars
17. Northern Iowa Panthers
18. Gonzaga Bulldogs
19. Temple Owls
20. Clemson Tigers
21. Vanderbilt Commodores22. Marshall Thundering Herd
23. UAB Blazers
24. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
25. Rhode Island Rams

K-State Proves to Be the Real Deal Against #1 Texas

It's that time of year in college basketball when the cream is supposed to rise. However, sometimes as college basketball fans we are surprised by what we find at the top. This year's best example is the Kansas State Wildcats. Frank Martin's team has looked like a misprint in the top15 for the last month, but after last night's eye opening win against top ranked Texas, the question about K-State has changed from "How long can they last?" to "How far can they go?"

The Cats are led by guards Jacob Pullen and Denny Clemente, a duo that has teamed with Uconn transfer Curtis Kelly to form a core that is capable of beating any team in the country.

Yet, until last night, the average college basketball fan would struggle to name a single player from K-State's roster. That's because the Wildcats have been the surprise of the college basketball season. All of their early wins against solid mid-majors (Dayton, Xavier, #17 UNLV) and middling power conference teams (Washington State, Alabama, and Texas A&M) culminated last night to give them the biggest win this season short of Tennessee beating top ranked Kansas with half a team and three walk-ons.

So how good is K-State?

They are definitely a Top 10 team right now, and may be one for years to come. Despite losing Clemente after this season, the team will return three double digit scorers for next year (Pullen, Kelly, and forward Jamar Samuels) and already have two of the country's most talented freshmen in forward Wally Judge and Rodney McGruder. Highly touted prospect Shane Southwell (Rice HS/Bronx, NY) has already signed on for next year as well.

Looking ahead, the Wildcats have tough road games against Baylor and Oklahoma, a second meeting with a Missouri team that beat them last week, and two monumental meetings with in-state rival Kansas. Winning three of those five games along with managing the rest of their Big 12 schedule could see the Wildcats looking at one of the Top 16 overall seeds come Selection Sunday.

The Cats take the floor next this Saturday at home against Oklahoma State.  

     

Are You Into New York High School Sports?

Amateur Status isn't the only place to find me (Christopher Godfrey) on the web. Search "Christopher Godfrey" at newyorkpost.com to read my stories about New York City high school sports. 

Even if you're not from New York City or the surrounding area, keeping up with the area's high school athletics is worth the time it takes to click. The tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut is a hotbed for young talent in all sports. One of the players being covered by The Post today could easily end up at a school near you tomorrow.

The Return...

It has been two long months since I've updated the blog. Personal issues, family emergencies, final exams, and a hectic work schedule all contributed to the layoff. But now im back, and so is Amateur Status College Sports, just in time for the 15 to 20 game sprint towards the NCAA Tournament in March. During the next three months you will be reading plenty about college basketball, high school recruiting and the NFL Draft. This will all lead up to extensive coverage of both March Madness and the NFL Draft in April. I hope your on board for one of the year's most exciting periods for college sports.

THIS IS AMATEUR STATUS COLLEGE SPORTS

10 Consecutive Hours of College Hoops Today!

Well, it ain't a 24 hour marathon, but ESPN is giving college hoops fans another full slate of games to further introduce the 2009-2010 season. Here's the lineup...

1pm - Puerto Rico Tip-Off
(19)Georgia Tech vs George Mason [ESPNU]
3pm - Puerto Rico Tip-Off 
(6)Villanova vs (21)Dayton [ESPNU]
5pm - 2K Sports Coaches vs Cancer Classic 
(12)California vs (15)Ohio State [ESPN2] 
7pm - 2K Sports Coaches vs Cancer Classic 
(4)North Carolina vs (24)Syracuse [ESPN2]
8:30pm - Puerto Rico Tip-Off 
Ole Miss vs Kansas State [ESPNU]

OK, so technically it is nine and a half hours of college hoops, but you get the point. ESPN has put together a great day of college hoops action that features seven ranked teams. The only game of the day that doesn't feature a ranked team is the finale between K-State and Ole Miss, but that game will feature one of the country's top freshman (K-State's Wally Judge) and one of the NBA's top sophomore prospects (Terico White from Ole Miss).