We are physically incapable of catching a damn break.
Academics: Here’s the good news: Will Wagner got his GPA up to a respectable 2.39 and was reinstated. Here’s the bad news: Kiwane Jefferson’s now ineligible with a 1.75 GPA. We have one true guard left. ONE. This is unbelievable. Mills destroyed the phone in his office after hearing the news. It’s the most frustrated I’ve seen him since he arrived on campus. Granted, that was only six months ago, but still. “I lose my best outside shooter and the fourth-best free throw shooter in the country and get back a guy who’s barely good enough to play D-I ball. Fabulous. Just fucking fabulous.”
Injuries: Here’s the worst news: Clyde Miller needed a hernia operation and is now expected to miss two months. That projects to him coming back for the last week or so of the regular season and the conference tournament. He was our leading scorer, and his absence showed against Pittsburgh. If we get Noel Scott back from his torn Achilles, it’ll be about the same time, but we’re not counting on that.
Polls: Florida is STILL No. 1. The Gators are 15-0, including a 90-75 win over then No. 5 and now No. 8 Michigan State. Remember that Albany team we beat three weeks ago? Well, they went into Georgia and beat the Bulldogs last Monday, 89-82. D.A. Martin had 21 points in that game. Then the Bulldogs barely beat Maryland-Eastern Shore on Sunday, 77-75. They dropped to 14th.
Recruiting: No big news this week other than the final college eligibility scores coming out. No one we’re targeting was ruled ineligible. Aquil Cooper committed to Kansas State but we weren’t all that high on him anyway. Minnesota’s dropped out of the Winkfield derby, but Youngstown State’s jumped in. We’re still pursuing Morrison aggressively as well. Only two of the top 40 players haven’t made decisions yet.
RV’s Ronny Largent committed to George Washington after getting their offer last week. Go A-10. *thumbs up* It’s a good spot for him, as the Colonials need young frontcourt players. Sadly, interest in teammate Chris Simpson has dried up.
Awards:
Horizon League Player of the Week: PG #31 Paul Marvel, 6’2” senior, Wright State (29.5 ppg, 6 apg)
Horizon League Freshman of the Week: Guess. C’mon! All right, I’ll tell you: SF #24 Andy Hayes, 6’4” freshman, Wright State (19 ppg, 5 apg; fourth week in a row, fifth time overall, and I could have sworn he was 6’5” last week)
National Player of the Week: SG Dusty Dix, 6’4” senior, University of San Diego (34 ppg, 6 rpg, 6 apg, 3 spg)
National Freshman of the Week: SG Alex Vitas, 6’2” freshman, Wisconsin (21.5 ppg, 10 apg, 5.5 spg)
Horizon League Outlook: Going into conference play, a few things stand out. Our assist-to-turnover ratio as a team is barely over 1, second-worst in the conference only to Wisconsin-Milwaukee. We’re the worst rebounding team in the conference, averaging 30.7 per game. We’re also dead last in shooting percentage allowed (50.5% from the floor; 44.5% from behind the arc), shot blocks, and steals. On the other hand, despite all of that, we’re somehow No. 2 in scoring defense, allowing 73.8 points per game. We’re also the conference’s best shooting team from the field (49.7%) and the free throw line (75%).
Right now Detroit (8-4) looks like the best team in the conference. All five starters average double-figures in scoring, and they play good defense and aren’t missing any key players, unlike Cleveland State (8-4). Another team to watch is Youngstown State — despite their 4-8 record, the Penguins beat Duke in Durham and only lost by 10 to Michigan State on a neutral court. C Ramon Richardson had 39 in the season opener, and swingman Bobby Coursey can go off at any time — he almost single-handedly beat the Blue Devils. It’s really hard to say how we’ll do in the conference with all the injuries and not having people. I think at full strength, we’d probably be good for a second or third-place finish. Now? Who knows. We could end up anywhere from second to eighth. (I’m pretty sure we’re better than Wisconsin-Milwaukee.)
Have some stats! First, for the Flames:
Scoring: Clyde Miller (12.3), Danny Jones (11.2), Kiwane Jefferson (9.2)
Rebounding: Glendon White (7.3), Damon Williams (5.6), Miller (4.5)
Assists: Rashun Cooper (5), Miller (3.4), Noel Scott (2.3)
3-pointers: Jefferson (.474), Miller (.450), Jones (.406)
Now some national stats:
Scoring: Josh Johnson, Alabama (23.8); Aurumias Vitas, Tenn. Tech (22.3); Brandon Henderson, Long Beach St. (22.2); Riley Perdue, Cal St.-Northridge (22); Julian Welch, South Alabama (21.5)
Rebounding: Errick Sherill, Utah (14.8); James Bibby, USC (14.2); Jamal Glover, Nebraska (14), Gabriel Ichaki, Butler (13.9); Ray Claxton, Michigan State, and Ed Asbury, North Carolina (13.8)
Assists: Calvin Fox, Holy Cross (10.7); Perry Hancock, Tulane (10.5); DeMarcus Simmons, Alabama (10.4); Rodney Schwab, Bradley, and Xavier McKie, UC Santa Barbara (10.2)
FG%: Andreas Durkin, Tennessee (80.4%); Kenyatta Nunn, Illinois (79.4%); Doug Green, Mount St. Mary’s (77.5%); Doylan Edwards, San Diego State (75.9%); John Diamond, Western Michigan (75.8%)
Blocks: Brian Cox, Appalachian St. (4.9); Asbury, North Carolina (4.4); Sherrill, Utah (4.3); David Moore, Temple (4.2); Derek Tyler, Michigan (4.1)
Steals: Jason Murray, Oklahoma (3.7); Keith Wilson, Virginia (3.6); Donald Griffith, Fordham (3.4); five tied with 3.3
3-point shooting: Derek Stokes, Rutgers (.880); Mike Floyd, Oklahoma (.765) John Jefferson, Texas-Arlington (.750); Johnson, Alabama (.735); Marques Shipp, Villanova (.731)
The Value of Team Play: Top-ranked Florida has only one player in the top 30 in the nation in any major statistical category: Jermaine Wyatt is shooting 93.9% from the foul line, good for eighth nationally.
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