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)