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Memphis’ 2009 Men’s Basketball Recruiting Class

Memphis Head Coach Pastner

***Edited to reflect current events, 6/11

Wheh, its been a hectic last few months if you are a Memphis Tigers fan. I have to admit, until I moved to the area a little over two years ago, my only trip to Memphis had been in High School we we came in from out of state to get spanked by Penny Hardaway’s High School team by from what I remember, at least 30 points…Hardaway played about a quarter+ and scored his 30, so we made it semi-respectable against the waterboy and freshman team. That being said, I’m always a fan of the local college basketball team (especially when they’re a UT rival!). The Tiger’s have lost their coach, and 90% of the original recruiting class for next season. But…Memphis has ended up with one of the best young coaches in the college ranks in Josh Pasnter. Coach Pasnter is the perfect follow-up to a coach like John Calipari for Memphis. He’s young, motivated, and guess what? He’s landed or kept two big time prospects for next season in Latavious Williams and Will Coleman…and he just might surprise everyone with not only winning Conference USA again, but also taking the Tigers deep into the NCAA tournament. There’s nothing better to motivate the talented young men that he’s bringing to the 2009-10 season than the fact that NO ONE is picking the Tigers to accomplish much next season. Only time will tell, and we know Pastner isn’t quite done putting the team together for next season, but his 2009 recruiting class is highlighted as well as what the potential starting lineup could look like next season.

#1 Memphis Basketball Prospect – PF – Latavious Williams
Rivals.com - #17
Scout.com- 4 Star
Ht: 6′8″
Wt: 205 lbs Read the rest of this entry »

Pauley Pavillion

Ben Howland quietly put together the number 1 PAC-10 2009 NCAA Men’s basketball recruiting class and the 8th best nationally this year. The Bruin’s have a very John Calipari-like tall recruiting class with no player measuring less than 6′7″ this year. Tyler Honeycutt is the headline, 5 Star prospect of the class at Small Forward with Mike Moser not being far behind at the small forward position. The other three highly touted prospects, Brendan Lane, Reeves Nelson, and Anthony Stover, could all become PAC-10 powerhouses. Lane brings a big-man’s body with a nice outside shot, while Nelson is a beast of a rebounder. Stover is the type of big man than could develop into an NBA draft pick after a few years of strength conditioning and skillset improvement. With this year’s class, Howland has ensured that the Bruins are going to remain on top of the PAC-10 and be a NCAA tournament contender for the next several years.

UCLA’s 2009 Men’s Basketball Recruiting Class

#1 UCLA Basketball Prospect – SF -Tyler Honeycutt
Rivals.com - #28
Scout.com- #3
Ht: 6′7″
Wt: 185 lbs Read the rest of this entry »

Former Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie

Former Kentucky Wildcats Basketball coach, Billy Gillispie still just doesn’t get it. It was announced late yesterday that the former coach is suing the University of Kentucky for $6 million+ for monies he is owed for being fired without ’cause. Despite the fact that the University was still negotiating a settlement with the former coach, he has surprisingly chosen to air his case in open court vice through private moderation. Most of the conventional wisdom floating around is why potentially harm your prospects at future employment through a public trial that is likely to further embarrass yourself? That’s not how Gillispie has chosen to approach the situation, however, so it should prove to be entertaining to see how much of his oft-publicized night life and publicity mistakes come into the mix at trial. Although Gillispie filed his suit in Texas, Kentucky has counter-sued him in Franklin Circuit court today making the case that he never had a valid contract.

How Did Billy Gillispie Get Fired?

In case the Billy Gillispie saga has not been in your realm of ‘caring about it,’ the coach was fired this past spring by Kentucky Athletic Director, Mitch Barnhart. Barnhart’s reasoning provided to the press was that “This is not just another coaching job…He’s a good basketball coach…sometimes it’s just not the right fit and that’s my responsibility.” So why did Barnhart say those things? Well, here are Gillispie’s highlights from his 2 years at Kentucky.

Top 10 Billy Gillispie Kentucky Coaching Highlights Read the rest of this entry »