Prognosis: Great hire, given circumstances of Frank Haith leaving. Older coach, but good hire.
Mark Turgeon
Old Stomping Ground: Texas A+M
New Stomping Ground: Maryland
Prognosis: Good coach whose job just got a lot more pressure. If I was a Maryland fan, I would have liked to have seen them try for Jay Wright though.
Mark Gottfried
Old Stomping Ground: Color commentary, by way of Alabama
New Stomping Ground: NC State
Prognosis: On the plus side, the team seems to be playing harder and buying in. Plus, Gottfried is a good coach. On the negative side, State fans will probably have him run out of town if he doesn’t go Sweet 16 in the next 3 years.
The past few years have been down years for ACC basketball overall. Got me to thinking, I wonder what year each team in the conference last won a game in the NCAA Tournament. The answers may surprise you. Jump on to peep.
Many Carolina fans refer to this game as “The Comeback”. Number 3 and Number 15 (I think) facing off in a battle for the top spot at the time in the ACC. The Heels were down 21 with just over 9 minutes to play in the second half. Watch the comeback transpire above (commercials, timeouts, etc have all been cut out). That FSU team was no joke either, with Bob Sura, Sam Cassell, and Charlie Ward.
Even though The Monster is a die-hard Heels fan, that doesn’t mean that in the ACC I don’t come across other players I admire. These 3 guys all fit that bill. All 3 of the below players carried their teams and came to play every night. No attitude either. All big time scorers, and guys I’d take on my team any night of the week. Check out where they are at now.
Sean Singletary – Virginia
Selected in the 2008 NBA Draft, Singletary has bounced from the Kings, to the Suns, to even a brief stint with the Bobcats. He played in some NBA games, and some NBDL games, but currently as of November 10th signed a contract with Saski Baskonia of the Spanish League.
Tyrese Rice – Boston College
Undrafted in the 2009 draft (wtf?), Tyrese signed with Greek team Panionios.
Jack McClinton – Miami
I love McClinton’s jump shot. He also needs less space than anyone I’ve ever seen to get it off. The dude can flat out shoot the rock! He was drafted in the 2009 Draft late in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs. Not sure what team, but he is currently playing basketball in Turkey.
So, the College Basketball season is almost 1/3 underway. Most teams are starting conference play this week, which means teams have gotten their identity’s pretty much figured out. I’ve decided to list some of my thoughts and predictions on the season so far. Agree if you’d like, disagree if you’d like, but below is what the Monster has seen and noticed thus far.
GREG MONROE IS A BEAST AND A HALF
The Hoyas have something special in their starting center, Freshman Greg Monroe. He fits perfectly into the Georgetown system, and he’s already big, with a point-forward mindset. He posseses extreme patience in the post, something that sometimes doesn’t even come with age or experience (sad to say, but this is a fault in Hansbrough’s game). He’s got some good footwork with his back to the basket, but what makes him so dangerous is his ability to pop out and hit that 17 footer consistently. Monroe is also great at driving to the basket after facing up. Georgetown fans should be really happy to have him. The best part about Monroe is that he will probably be around a couple more years. Check out some of his highlights from the UConn win below.
THE BIG EAST IS GOOD NOW……BUT IT COULD HURT THEM LATER
Last year, all we heard about here in ACC country was how much better the Big East was than us, and how it was a down year for the ACC. While it was a down year for the ACC, I didn’t believe last year that the Big East was that much better. This year could be a different story. With so many Top 25 teams in the conference, there’s rarely a break in the schedule. While I agree with most of the Big East team rankings (not sure ‘Cuse is Top 10, and I think Marquette is better than their ranking…) I think that it is going to take a toll on the players throughout the season. Most seem to think that this schedule prepares you for March, and in a way it does. However, that many physical and close games will take a toll on player’s legs and conditioning at the end of the season (Think dook the last couple years). In order to go deep in the Tourney, these Big East teams will have to play deep during the regular season, something that thin bench teams like Georgetown should be worried about.
I predict no more than 1 Big East team in the Final Four this year. No more than 2 in the Elite Eight.
OKLAHOMA IS OVERRATED
Yeah, Yeah, I know all about Blake Griffin and his double-doubles. I know all about Blake Griffin being a Top 5 pick in next year’s (very weak I might add) NBA Draft. However, how this team made it up to the Top 5 for a while is beyond me. Willie Warren is a great talent, and a superb Freshman. Night in and night out though, he proves that is exactly what he is….a Freshman. He will put up 35 one night, and then 4 the next. Way too inconsistent. This is one of the more overrated teams in the nation in my opinion. While Griffin is good, he hasn’t really played anyone big enough to bang with him yet, and that will come in Big 12 play no doubt. Expect decent things in Big 12 play out of Oklahoma, but when the Tournament comes around, it’s Sweet 16 for the Sooners.
WILL GRAVES WILL BE BETTER THAN REYSHAWN TERRY
Most fans reading this might not know who either of these guys is, but since I’m a big UNC fan, I have to include something about our squad. I’ve chosen to focus on reserve Will Graves, aka “The Gravy Train”. The NC High School Player Of the Year 3 years ago, he redshirted his first year for the Heels, so is technically a Sophomore this year. Getting some quality minutes, Graves has proved that he can be a good outside shooter. This year, he’s improved his game to be able to take it to the basket more. He’s even had some high quality dunks. I look for him to be a lot like former Heel Reyshawn Terry, and to really blossom next year as a Junior.
TYRESE RICE IS ONE OF THE BEST LEADERS IN THE NATION
This guy is incredible. He can score all of Boston College’s points if he wants, or sit back and just dish. His ball control is amazing and he is a true competitor. He’s the only Senior on a team that starts 4 Sophomore’s and has them ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in a while after defeating the Heels in Chapel Hill. I’ve always been impressed with him, but especially this year. He could have easily come in and tried to drop 50 a game and help his draft stock, but instead he is focused on helping his team get better. His scoring is down, but his assists are up. And so is BC in the rankings. Not a coincidence.
LUKE HARANGODY IS THE BIGGEST WHINER IN THE NATION
Okay, yes, I will give you that Luke Harangody is probably an All-American. He puts up big numbers, I won’t dispute that. But after watching the Notre Dame-Georgetown game last night, I am DISGUSTED at this guy. Watching him play just pisses me off. Dude complained literally about every foul call against him. Bilas even called him out on it. I mean he’s jumping up and down, flailing hands over his first foul like 2 minutes into the game. He continued this on every single foul called on him. I also noticed that on 2 out of 3 missed shots, he complained on a “no call” to the official, one time costing his team a basket at the other end. But complaining on fouls against him or on him is not enough for Luke. He also likes to complain about foul calls on his teammates….pretty much every one. And if that wasn’t enough, he also threw up the number 1 in the sky on 3 straight baskets he scored.
Say what you want about Hansbrough, but if Psycho T complains, its during a dead ball situation so as not to cost his team. He also doesn’t do it every foul. I also don’t think I’ve ever seen Hansbrough celebrate an individual basket unless it was a game winner, or an “and-one,” which are both team-oriented.
My message to Harangody – Dude, you are pretty good, but you’d be a lot better if you stopped acting like a douche all the time.
the gravy train will be a force in years to come.
