The offseason for basketball drags along during the summer months. There are always some unique stories to look into and other activities that help make the time go faster. Summer League basketball is on its way starting this week. Doug McDermott is working out all next week for the chance to represent the USA this summer. Those are just a couple of things I’m looking forward to.
One other fun thing is coming across articles of interest that could have an impact on Creighton fans and items that you may not see every day. A lot has gone on over the past few weeks. So in case you haven’t been paying attention to college basketball, here is your chance to catch up. Enjoy.
Laws of Summer Basketball: Since we are talking about summer and Summer League basketball, here is one take on 14 Laws of Summer Basketball. A lot of common sense things here, but still a nice reminder. The last one is the best–asking your parents to not make fools of themselves at your games. There are a lot of people I know that should heed that advice.
Doug McDermott: As you may know by now, McDermott will start training camp with the Team USA U19 team on Friday in Colorado Springs. He, along with 20 other players, will spend the weekend showing their skills, hoping to be among the final 12 that will make up Team USA on Sunday and ultimately participate in the U19 World Championships. From there, those selected will continue practicing before traveling overseas on June 24th. There will be more scrimmages and practice until the opening of pool play on June 30th. Play will move to the tournament rounds with the championship decided on Sunday, July 10th. Print this schedule out. Hopefully you will get to follow it for the next few weeks and cheer Doug McDermott on.
National Anthem not so patriotic: A small Mennonite college in Indiana has decided not to continue playing the National Anthem before sporting events because some complained the song’s images of war and the military undermined the school’s pacifist message. I’m surprised there wasn’t more made of this especially since it is that same war that lets the Mennonites practice their religion and to play these sporting events. Honoring your country and the freedoms it gives should be a no-brainer. Just wait until those students get out in the real world.
Paying Players: A few weeks ago, there was a proposal brought forward by Big 10 Commissioner, Jim Delany, where student-athletes would be paid more than a full ride scholarship. In addition to their scholarships that cover tuition, fees, room, board and books, this would also allow schools to cover things like transportation, clothing, laundry, entertainment and incidentals. What makes this article even more interesting is Creighton Athletic Director, Bruce Rasmussen, weighing in on the proposal. Also, former state Senator Ernie Chambers shares his thoughts.
APR Scores: The NCAA released the APR scores for the past season. There are a lot of factors that determine these APR scores. But what makes them important is the fact that schools could lose scholarships or eligibility for postseason appearances. Ballin’ is a Habit compiled all of the scores from all of the conferences and ranked them. From a conference standpoint, things look pretty good. The 10-member conference averaged higher than large conferences like the SEC and the Pac-10.
Creighton fit in the middle with a score of 960. If the score is below 925, then schools have to be worried. In the case of Missouri State, they have been below that cutoff for the past couple of years, but will not suffer anymore penalties this year since their 896 is showing improvement.
MVC Musings
Les is More: Usually after coaches get fired at an institution, it sometimes takes a while to find another job. In the case of Jim Les, having a son playing basketballat a school that just happens to need a coach gave him an interesting option. Les was hired as the new head coach of UC-Davis less than two months after getting his packing papers from Bradley. He now gets the luxury of coaching his son like Greg McDermott does here at Creighton.
No alcohol at JQH: Tom Shatel always likes to use the excuse that Creighton draws fans to basketball games because they can drink beer. There are not a lot of people I talk to that go there for that. Who else likes to spend more than $6 per beer instead of going to their local bar for maybe half the price or drink at home for free? Well, Missouri State’s JQH Arena is not in a hurry to sell alcohol at their place and they seem to back up their decision pretty boldly.
Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow: Remember troubled Ryan Hare who was dismissed from Southern Illinois? Now, it is looking like he is going to resurface at Southern Indiana to finish his career. He will get to join his former teammate Nick Evans who transferred to Southern Indiana last year. Or will he? Evans may not be on the team next season due to academics.
Your Fishing Derby Champ: Evansville head coach Marty Simmons knows how to enjoy himself during the offseason: Do some fishing.
Non-Conference Opponent News
Iowa: The Hawkeyes have been trying to get their name back into the basketball spotlight over the past few years. They have struggled a lot since Steve Alford left for New Mexico four seasons ago. Now with Fran McCaffery at the helm, this second season will be a big one. Todd Lickliter only had three seasons before he was forced out. So McCaffery will do almost anything to get Iowa back on track.
That “anything” is Anthony Hubbard, who has spent four years in prison and is now one of the new players coming into the Hawkeye program. He may have turned his life around, but that won’t keep some fan bases from their own heckling when he sets foot on the court. Creighton will face him in Des Moines on November 20th.
Chicago State: Speaking of new players, Chicago State will have almost a new roster when they come to town in early November. Seven new players are slated to join the Cougars. They will have a rude welcome when they visit Iowa and Creighton as part of the Dale Howard Classic.
Chicago Twitter Guide: Creighton will be playing three of the five Chicago metro schools this year. If you want to get ready for those games, the people over at Chicago College Basketball have a Twitter guide to follow the different schools. Very useful once basketball season rolls around.
San Diego State: Creighton will play at San Diego State as a part of this season’s MVC/MWC Challenge. An interesting story in this one would be if the Aztec’s center Brian Carlwell gets a sixth year of eligibility this season. The 6’11”, 300 pounder would put up a good fight with Creighton’s Gregory Echenique. That would be a fun battle to watch. We’re not talking about Sam Singh here. The decision will come in the next few weeks.
Finally, if a 4-year old can sing the White & Blue, so can you: