-
-
Cal Bears Examiner: No pressure for Cal Bears - thanks to the so-called 'expe...
So Saturday morning, in anticipation of the game, I'm driving around getting supplies for the home opener and listening to Fox Sports radio. One of the pundits on the radio continues to annoy me, and I just know this guy has never been anywhere west of the Mississippi. He keeps saying,... So Saturday morning, in anticipation of the game, I'm driving around getting supplies for the home opener and listening to Fox Sp... more
-
Greedy, Why Wait? Why High School Ballers Are Over College
In basketball today, the almighty dollar rules the world. Take young Brandon Jennings for example. One of the top high school players in the country has recently decided to skip college and go straight to the pros. Maybe your saying "Wait a second AROC, I thought high schoolers had to go to at least one year of college before going to the pros." Well you are correct my friend but only in the case of the NBA. This is not the case when it comes to playing professionally in places over seas where no such rules apply. "Ah yes AROC I think I know where you are going with this."
Over the past decade symptoms of foreign interest and involvement in the game of basketball have been growing. Before the year 2000 if I said "international basketball" you'd probably think "Tony Kucoc or Detlef Schremph?". The US has dominated the sport since its inception but now things are changing quickly. Yao Ming, Tony Parker, and Steve Nash are but a few of the foreigners that are among the best players in the league. The fact that the USA basketball team is even being questioned as the consensus pick to win the Olympics should be evidence enough to convince us all that the game is changing.
Back to Brandon Jennings. The NBA's policy is such that a player is not allowed to enter the NBA Draft straight out of high school. At first this seems like a great idea. Better players in the NCAA, more mature players in the NBA and happy fans across the boards. Besides the 1/1000 players that have a career changing injury in that one year of college everybody wins. Right? Problem is that the kids want or in a few cases need the money and don't want to wait it out. In this years NBA draft many players from overseas were questioning whether or not it was worth it to join a team that may not even garauntee them a spot on the roster. Rookie contracts in the NBA are also becoming a factor as non-NBA contracts continue to grow with the popularity of the sport. Some players might be able to find a more lucrative contracts abroad whereas the NBA limits the amount of money a rookie can make.
In the case of high schoolers like Jennings, possibly the best h.s. player in his class, the difference is very significant. A free year of schooling and college hoops at Arizona or hundreds of thousands of dollars and pro basketball overseas. Well Brandon Jennings has made his decision and will become the first player to give up his scholarship. Dorm rooms and textbooks? No Sir. He will likely play ball in Europe for a year, make a bundle of cash (hopefuly Euros for his sake) and watch college hoops from his apartment in Italy.
This will undoubtedly set the precedent for the future and could even lead to others following suit this year. The whole thing wreaks of Maurice Clarett but it does make sense and will probably work out better for the Jennings. The jig is up everyone. If it wasn't going to be Jennings then it was going to be somebody else. What remains to be seen/heard is the reaction from the NBA and NCAA chieftons who'd be smart to start figuring out a way to stop this from happening. If not, there could be two drafts next year and and a bunch of 6'9 kids signing up for Latin. In basketball today, the almighty dollar rules the world. Take young Brandon Jennings for example. One of the top high school players ... more -
O.J.'s Guilty;
No, it's not the other USC Sports star. This one plays basketball. OJ Mayo was a highly recruited freshman guard for the Trojans last year. Now, he's got a lot of explaining to do. It seems that Mayo got paid while playing at USC and even before that time. Early this year, OJ was also in the press for accepting tickets to an NBA basketball game.
Lets face it, players getting money while playing College Sports is an issue that isn't going away soon. For young superstars that play basketball and football there is going to be a lot of temptation but rules are rules. He shouldn't of been involved in this situation. If he's telling the truth and he didn't take any money, great. But he probably did and deserves to punished to the maximum extent of the law.
Former USC basketball player O.J. Mayo, a projected lottery pick in this year's NBA draft, received thousands of dollars in cash, clothes and other benefits in apparent violation of NCAA rules while he was still in high school and during his one year in college, a former Mayo associate told ESPN's "Outside the Lines."
Louis Johnson, who was a part of Mayo's inner circle until recently, said Mayo accepted around $30,000 in cash and gifts during the past four years from Rodney Guillory, a 43-year-old Los Angeles event promoter. In addition to cash, the gifts included a flat-screen television for Mayo's dorm room, cell phone service, a hotel room, clothes, meals and airline tickets for Mayo's friends and a relative, according to Johnson, others with knowledge of the gifts and store receipts. No, it's not the other USC Sports star. This one plays basketball. OJ Mayo was a highly recruited freshman guard for the Trojans ... more -
Love & Collison are going pro
Pac 10 Player of the Year and should be first team All American Kevin Love and star point guard Darren Collison are reportedly going to enter into the upcoming NBA draft. A big relief to 9 Pac 10 teams.
Love's absence combined with the lo-pro bros leaving the trees to go play tarzan with the big boys takes about 20 feet of solid post play out of the Pac 10 for next season. Coming back next year are Washington twins towers (wallace and brockman) and the new best center in the conference Aron Baynes of Washington State. Unless I'm missing something. Let me know.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/news/story?id=3... Pac 10 Player of the Year and should be first team All American Kevin Love and star point guard Darren Collison are reportedly going t... more -
Kevin Love Hitting Chest Pass Shots From DOWNTOWN
Is this guy good or what. Try this at home and I think you'll find that this is pretty hard.
-
WSU Rolls Over Cal Bears/Cub = Bearcubs
Great game and greater win for the Cougars of Washington State. the outmatched Berkeley Bersh never had a chance to beat the Cougs, who, with a win over the trees at su are looking at a fairly decent tournament bid. A quick win against the cards, another W over UW and a decent showing in the Pac-10 tournament could earn this team a solid 4-6 seed going into the tournament. Neh? Great game and greater win for the Cougars of Washington State. the outmatched Berkeley Bersh never had a chance to beat the Cougs, wh... more
-
WSU's Kyle Weaver blocks Russell Westbrook
Great clip. Good editing and sound track
-
Cougars Prowl Down South
The sixth ranked Washington State Cougars will face another tough weekend on the road this week when they face off against Arizona and Arizona St. The biggest matchup of the weekend has to be the game against Arizona State but a win against Arizona shouldn't be a foregone conclusion. Arizona is the kind of team that poses the biggest threat to WSU. They can run up the score with all of their 3-point shooters. It should be a good game but in the end WSU should win this game. Great, now that we have that settled lets talk about ASU...
State vs. State! The Pac 10 game of the weekend. ASU has quickly become the WSU of last year. Picked to finish at the bottom, the Sun Devils have been showing opponents and the rest of the country. Harden and Pendergraft make up a tough combo of offensive force. Derek Glasser does a good job distributing the basketball and they get quality minutes from most of the players in their playing rotation. WSU gets the advantage when it comes to the big men. Cowgill and Baynes should be able to get some easy buckets inside and keep the cougs % at a level that will allow them to rely on their defense to win the game. Should be an awesome two nights of basketball. Can't wait to get down there in that sun and watch some of the Pac 10's finest teams go head to head. The sixth ranked Washington State Cougars will face another tough weekend on the road this week when they face off against Arizona and... more -
Derrick Low
Great article on D Low in the LA Times and this one isn't about the Dodger pitcher. Finally some press for a team and its players that are well deserving. Great article on D Low in the LA Times and this one isn't about the Dodger pitcher. Finally some press for a team and its players... more
-
WSU @ UW
The Cougars won their biggest game of the year and Pac 10 season opener with this win against rival UW. In a very hostile environment both teams proved their worth and played a very intense and physical game. Aron Baynes stepped up huge against Brockman and Wallace and Robbie Cowgill played like a beast under the boards ending up with a team high 3 blocks.
"Our defense really carried us late. Our guys made some big plays," Bennett said. "These guys have played a few Pac-10 games and I think that experience helped."
This experience will be well needed come the end of this week when those brave STATE Cougars take on the USC Trojans (who are unundefeated (aka winless) in Pac 10 play thusfar and the #5 UCLA Bruins in what has to be the GAME OF THE WEEK (future posting coming up) or even year to this point. The Cougars won their biggest game of the year and Pac 10 season opener with this win against rival UW. In a very hostile environment ... more -
Pre-Season NCAA Rankings Put UNC #1
UNC tops out UCLA and Memphis for the #1 spot in the first coaches poll of the season. Here's how the rest of the top 10 went
1. UNC
2. UCLA
3. Memphis
4. Kansas
5. G-town
6. Louisville
7. Tennessee
8. Michigan State
9. Indiana
10. WASHINGTON STATE
Pac 10 filled the poll adding Oregon (13), Arizona (17), USC (18), and Stanford (21). Washington and Cal also recieved votes. Which means that 8 of the 10 teams in the conference could potentially be ranked during the year. What an Insane (with a capital I babey) year it will be in the Pac 10.
Who is your pre-season number 1?
Who do you think will take the Pac 10? UNC tops out UCLA and Memphis for the #1 spot in the first coaches poll of the season. Here's how the rest of the top 10 went ... more -
Hey Trojans - Get Ready to Forfeit Some Wins and a Title!
If investigators find that Bush received improper benefits while playing for the Trojans during the 2004 or 2005 seasons, USC could be forced to forfeit games. The program could face further sanctions if it were proved that coaches or administrators knew or should have known about the alleged benefits.
Bush's status as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner also could be in jeopardy. If investigators find that Bush received improper benefits while playing for the Trojans during the 2004 or 2005 seasons, USC could be... more -
University of Stupid exCuses
The previously #2 Trojans lost to The Tree. At home. So of course there must be something to blame it other than being an overrated bunch of man children. Congrats $tanfurd. Go Bears. The previously #2 Trojans lost to The Tree. At home. So of course there must be something to blame it other than being an overrated ... more
-
related topics
Pac 10
Contributors (21)
Pac 10
