Welcome to this week's Dean's List where we think all of Tiger Woods's problems - except those involving advertising - would be solved by watching a few episodes of "Jersey Shore." It's all about perspective. If Tiger thinks he has it bad, he needs to check out Snookie getting punched in the face.
Honor Roll
No one likes Harvard except for the jackasses who have actually attended Harvard. That's a fact. But for once, I'm going to go ahead and give the Crimson a gentle slap on the ass. (Nothing wrong with that, right?) First, Tommy Amaker's boys play UConn close, losing by only six, then they go out and beat Boston College for the second straight season in a row. Point guard Jeremy Lin has blossomed under Coach Amaker's tutelage into an Asian American hoops roll model. Last week, he dropped 30 points on UConn and then scored 25 points in the 74-67 victory over the Eagles. Ivy League favorite Cornell is going to have its hands full with Harvard. Let's just hope Lin doesn't copy Amaker's signature mock turtle neck look. Although, even if he does, I'm sure he'll feel right at home in Cambridge.
Fran Dunphy is the kind of guy who looks like your high school chemistry teacher, the one who used to show up to class with cream in his mustache and coffee stains on his shirt. Okay, so Fran might not know dick about the Bohr model, but he's a damn fine coach and a king of Big 5 basketball. After leading Penn to 10 Ivy League titles, amassing 310 wins in the process, he decides to start a new chapter and take over for the legendary John Chaney at Temple. And the new chapter reads well. Dunphy has lead the Owls to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances and now they're beating Big 5 juggernaut Villanova. Juan Fernandez scored 33 and Temple beat the Wildcats 75-65, their first win in the last four attempts. This is a guy who played at La Salle, started at Penn and is cleaning up at Temple. How many more of those guys do you know?
Speaking of Temple, how about former Temple star and current Binghamton interim coach Mark Macon! These days, it's tough to get a raise, but Macon is bucking the trend. Of course, college basketball coaches generally make more than Macon's assistant coaching salary of $57,651 a year. So calling it a raise is a bit misleading, especially since his predecessor, Kevin Broadus, still makes $230K even though he is currently relegated to ordering uniforms. But hey, a raise is a raise, even if your team is 3-8.
Detention
Roy Williams does not take kindly to negativity. If you are going to visit his arena and watch his team play basketball, you better abide by his rules, and those rules prohibit taunting his players during free throws with such stinging insults as "DON'T MISS!" For evidence, please examine exhibit A. Seems like the ever-tan Williams went overboard in tossing the the offending heckler out, especially since the guy was a Presbyterian fan, which was recently declared an endangered species.
Here's the latest on former UCLA freshman center and current college basketball transfer Drew Gordon. A source told Terrance Harris at AOL Fanhouse, "It was becoming clear the kid didn't want to be there and it wasn't long before his teammates and coaches didn't want him around, either." Who doesn't want to be in Westwood in December?
Anthony Crater's career just went up in smoke. Mere weeks before he was to regain his eligibility, the South Florida guard was suspended until January for failing a second drug test. Crater started his college basketball career at Ohio State, where he claims Thad Matta promised him a starting position, but then transferred to South Florida when he only played sparingly as a freshman in Columbus. He allegedly failed a drug test while at Ohio State and then was immediately busted for marijuana possession at South Florida. Throw in a police investigation of Crater for stealing jewelery from his teammates and it's safe to say the young man needs a better board of advisors.
How did the Portland Pilots celebrate earning their first national ranking since 1959? They went out and lost two games in a row, the first to Portland State and the second to Idaho. So much for becoming the new Gonzaga. It's hard for a perennial underdog to play the role of favorite.
Derrick Caracter returned to college basketball on Sunday for the first time since Rick Pitino cut him loose from Louisville for eating too much. And my how the tables have turned. Louisville has gone from one of the top teams in the country to a squad that can't beat Western Carolina. And Caracter has gone from Pitino's doghouse to the Don Haskins Center where, in his first game, he played 12 minutes, scored two points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists.
Honor Roll
No one likes Harvard except for the jackasses who have actually attended Harvard. That's a fact. But for once, I'm going to go ahead and give the Crimson a gentle slap on the ass. (Nothing wrong with that, right?) First, Tommy Amaker's boys play UConn close, losing by only six, then they go out and beat Boston College for the second straight season in a row. Point guard Jeremy Lin has blossomed under Coach Amaker's tutelage into an Asian American hoops roll model. Last week, he dropped 30 points on UConn and then scored 25 points in the 74-67 victory over the Eagles. Ivy League favorite Cornell is going to have its hands full with Harvard. Let's just hope Lin doesn't copy Amaker's signature mock turtle neck look. Although, even if he does, I'm sure he'll feel right at home in Cambridge.Fran Dunphy is the kind of guy who looks like your high school chemistry teacher, the one who used to show up to class with cream in his mustache and coffee stains on his shirt. Okay, so Fran might not know dick about the Bohr model, but he's a damn fine coach and a king of Big 5 basketball. After leading Penn to 10 Ivy League titles, amassing 310 wins in the process, he decides to start a new chapter and take over for the legendary John Chaney at Temple. And the new chapter reads well. Dunphy has lead the Owls to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances and now they're beating Big 5 juggernaut Villanova. Juan Fernandez scored 33 and Temple beat the Wildcats 75-65, their first win in the last four attempts. This is a guy who played at La Salle, started at Penn and is cleaning up at Temple. How many more of those guys do you know?Speaking of Temple, how about former Temple star and current Binghamton interim coach Mark Macon! These days, it's tough to get a raise, but Macon is bucking the trend. Of course, college basketball coaches generally make more than Macon's assistant coaching salary of $57,651 a year. So calling it a raise is a bit misleading, especially since his predecessor, Kevin Broadus, still makes $230K even though he is currently relegated to ordering uniforms. But hey, a raise is a raise, even if your team is 3-8.Detention
Roy Williams does not take kindly to negativity. If you are going to visit his arena and watch his team play basketball, you better abide by his rules, and those rules prohibit taunting his players during free throws with such stinging insults as "DON'T MISS!" For evidence, please examine exhibit A. Seems like the ever-tan Williams went overboard in tossing the the offending heckler out, especially since the guy was a Presbyterian fan, which was recently declared an endangered species.Here's the latest on former UCLA freshman center and current college basketball transfer Drew Gordon. A source told Terrance Harris at AOL Fanhouse, "It was becoming clear the kid didn't want to be there and it wasn't long before his teammates and coaches didn't want him around, either." Who doesn't want to be in Westwood in December?
Anthony Crater's career just went up in smoke. Mere weeks before he was to regain his eligibility, the South Florida guard was suspended until January for failing a second drug test. Crater started his college basketball career at Ohio State, where he claims Thad Matta promised him a starting position, but then transferred to South Florida when he only played sparingly as a freshman in Columbus. He allegedly failed a drug test while at Ohio State and then was immediately busted for marijuana possession at South Florida. Throw in a police investigation of Crater for stealing jewelery from his teammates and it's safe to say the young man needs a better board of advisors. How did the Portland Pilots celebrate earning their first national ranking since 1959? They went out and lost two games in a row, the first to Portland State and the second to Idaho. So much for becoming the new Gonzaga. It's hard for a perennial underdog to play the role of favorite.
Derrick Caracter returned to college basketball on Sunday for the first time since Rick Pitino cut him loose from Louisville for eating too much. And my how the tables have turned. Louisville has gone from one of the top teams in the country to a squad that can't beat Western Carolina. And Caracter has gone from Pitino's doghouse to the Don Haskins Center where, in his first game, he played 12 minutes, scored two points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists.
Keep up the good work. Your article is really great and I truly enjoyed reading it.Waiting for some more great articles like this from you in the coming days.
Coffee tables have a funny type of pricing. Although they are one of the smaller pieces of furniture in the house. Pound per pound they cost the most for a similar weight of wood. An indian anomaly :-)