Georgetown

State of '08: District of Columbia

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:58:57 -0700

Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: District of Columbia For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

WASHINGTON D.C.

GEORGETOWN - Perhaps no region has a more distinct hierarchy than our nation's capital. Georgetown, coming off two Top 10 RPI seasons has been rejuvenated under JT3, and the future looks as bright as its been in years.

GEORGE WASHINGTON - Last season was a serious downer considering how well the program had been rolling along under Karl Hobbs. The Colonials had reached three NCAA Tournaments in a row, and also made the NIT in 2004. While you have to expect improvement from last year's dismal 9-17 record, the postseason will probably be out of reach.

AMERICAN - From 1999 to 2001, American won just 22 D1 games combined. But Jeff Jones has quietly built American into a Patriot League contender, and last year's Tourney berth was the culmination of years of work. The Eagles are once again the conference favorites and could improve on last year's 10-4 league record.

HOWARD - In the last five years, Howard has been simply atrocious.. in fact they haven't been above 320 in the RPI in that span. I'm not sure if any other team can match that mark of futility. 2007 actually had promise, but the Bison lost a whole bunch of close games. Fourth year coach Gil Jackson has some work to do if he wants to keep his job.

Last: Connecticut - Next: Florida

State of '08: The Introduction

Poll: Who is the Big East's Top Incoming Freshman?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:39:54 -0700

Rise and Fall: Big East Program Review

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:36:38 -0700

Like civilizations, all great basketball programs eventually fall.. replaced by an upstart newcomer. In this week's Rise & Fall series, we'll take a look at which BCS programs are rising, falling, or merely treading water. Up today, the:

BIG EAST

*Note that the Big East is ridiculously big so commentary for each team will be a bit shorter than other leagues..

CINCINNATI - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

This is a but misleading.. because Cincy was a surprise team last year, and could be even better in 08-09. But still, just a handful of years ago, this was a premier program. The reality is, take away Bob Huggins, and why would a stud prospect (outside of a local kid like Yancy Gates) choose UofC as compared to another Big East school?

CONNECTICUT - STATUS QUO (BARELY)

Similar to Duke in the ACC, UCONN is still chugging along.. but there are definitely signs of slippage. Recent big time recruits either bolted for the pros, haven't panned out, or got into extracurricular troubles. While the Huskies should be a Final Four contender in Detroit, I get the sense that Coach Calhoun's biggest glory days are in the past.

DEPAUL - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

At multiple points in the past decade, it looked like DePaul basketball would get back on the map in a big way, but it just hasn't happened. While there's some hope here, Mac Koshwal has All-Big East potential, sub .500 records are likely the next two seasons.

GEORGETOWN - RISING (QUICKLY)
The Hoyas RPI has risen each of the last 5 years from 142nd in '04 to 7th last year. While a slight step back is expected, the future is still extremely bright. JT3 now has the ability to bring in big time talent, and he's already proven that his system wins games.

LOUISVILLE - STATUS QUO

This was a tough one.. because unlike UCONN above, the Cards still have positive momentum and could reach new heights in coming seasons. What's worrisome is how so many big-name, top-level prospects have fizzled out since committing. For every success, there's been an NBA exit, academic issues, transfers, unhappiness, etc. While this year's group looks like a Final Four contender, not once in the past decade have the Cardinals finished with a Top 10 team (RPI-wise).

NOTRE DAME - RISING (SLOWLY)

Luke Harangody has been a huge find for Mike Brey (who got a 2-year contract extension this morning). His emergence, along with steady improvement in recent seasons has created a good buzz around the Irish, leading quality players like Scott Martin and Ben Hansbrough to join the program. This could be ND's first Top Ten team in years.

MARQUETTE - STATUS QUO

There's a real mix of positive and negative vibes going on in Marquette. On the negative end, the loss of Tom Cream seems like a big downer as does the weak '07 and '08 recruiting hauls. On the positive side though, the team has improved each of the last few years, should be quite good again this year, and there's big names attached to the program in '09.

PITTSBURGH - STATUS QUO

The Panthers great success over the past decade is still unknown to most of the general public. What I'd worry about as a Panther fan though is next season after Fields and Young graduate, and Blair possibly moves on to the pros.

PROVIDENCE - DECLINING (QUICKLY)

The last two seasons have been pretty hideous, and though you have to figure things will improve this season, beyond that is a huge question mark. The program hasn't added a decent recruit since Dwain Williams in '05 and there's nothing exciting on the horizon this season (Bilal Dixon isn't that good) or next.

RUTGERS - RISING (SLOWLY)

Call this the nowhere to go but up category. No one's certain Fred Hill can coach, but with talent like Corey Chandler, Mike Rosario, and Greg Echenique joining the program, things should eventually improve.

ST. JOHN'S - STATUS QUO

Call it the Perfect Storm, but its been one long string of horrendous seasons in NYC. They haven't been above 130th in the RPI for quite some time, and though that plateau might be met this year, I wouldn't expect much more than that.

SETON HALL - STATUS QUO
The problem for the Pirates is that though they're going in a decent direction, the upper half of the league is moving just as quickly. With Harvey, Hazell, and now Jordan Theodore in the mix, the backcourt is set for the next few seasons.. but you can't win without a decent player above 6-5 on the roster.

SOUTH FLORIDA - RISING (VERY SLOWLY)

Similar to Rutgers, the Bulls can only go up. From an RPI low of 236th a couple years back, things have slowly improved, and Dominique Jones was a great catch. But unlike the Knights, USF still has a ways to go to compete for 4 & 5-star prospects.

SYRACUSE - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

This is somewhat misleading, because the Orange are one of my national sleepers this season, and could also be very good next season as well. But just in terms of the overall direction of the program, things aren't coming quite as easily as they used to. The Big East has gotten better and deeper and Top 25 teams are no longer a given for Coach Boeheim.

VILLANOVA - STATUS QUO
Jay Wright's obviously done a great job with the program and helped it get back into Top 25 contention. But I don't see the program breaking out into the stratosphere anytime soon. Thus they remain in the status quo.

WEST VIRGINIA - RISING (QUICKLY)
I'll simply call this the Bob Huggins effect. When he joins your program, things tend to move in the right direction.. just ask Joe Alexander and his newly inked NBA contract.

- up next is the Big 12 -

Siegel's Take: 2008 Center Analysis

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:37:56 -0700

This is the last of five Siegel's Take articles analyzing the 2008 NBA Draft prospects. Today's focus is surprisingly solid set of big men.

As I say every year, its important to note that I'm not as kind as most Draft analysts out there. The reality of the NBA Draft is that only a few guys will be stars, a handful more will be starters, a dozen guys will be career reserves, and the rest will all fizzle into nothingness within a couple of seasons.

On with the fun. Players are ranked by their NBA potential:

1) Brook Lopez - C - Stanford - Lopez was everything Cardinal fans hoped for in his second go-around, scoring with ease and improving on the defensive end. The issue is whether that inside scoring ability will translate to the NBA, where he loses the great size advantage and will be overmatched physically at times. To his credit, Lopez got bigger and stronger last year, and does a great job using his size to finish in the post. Despite the associated assumption of Stanford intelligence, Lopez isn't necessarily the smartest ballplayer or creative ballplayer. Defensively, though Robin gets the plaudits, Lopez shouldn't be a major detriment. While he'll never be an all-star, the sophomore has the best overall package of size, athleticism, rebounding, and scoring ability of any big.

2) Kevin Love - C - UCLA - I'm going to keep it somewhat short on Love, because he's a player that most college basketball fans saw repeatedly. Still, I think he's an underrated talent and that the worries about his lack of athleticism are overdone. It seems though that front-offices are beginning to agree, as he seems to be picking up some good momentum. Outside of Beasley, Mayo, Bayless, and Danilo Gallinari, Love might be the best offensive talent in the Draft.

3) Kosta Koufos - C - Ohio State - In the final weeks of the season, Koufos finally showed signs of stardom after a long string of middling performances. The best word to describe Koufos is finesse as he plays without force. The problem though is that this is not merely a lack of athletic explosion, but a lack of emotional spark or passion. If Aaron Gray can average 10 mpg as a rookie, then Koufos can definitely find his way as a long-time reserve in the league.

4) Alexis Ajinca - C - HTV - Going purely on hearsay, Ajinca intrigues me. He basically seems to be the International version of DeAndre Jordan, a crazy long (7'9" wingspan) and solid athlete that has yet to put it together. Ajinca isn't nearly as strong and thick as Jordan by comparison, but he's longer and more athletic. Honestly, who knows?

5) Marreese Speights - PF/C - Florida - Speights has been generating some good buzz in recent weeks due to some good workouts and measurements. The one measurement that worries you is his height, because his size is more suited to being a power forward. But I've lumped him into the Center ranking because it matches his offensive skill set. After blossoming in his sophomore season, Speights showed off decent post moves and an ever-improving jumper. The success of Al Horford, with the Gator pedigree and similar frame, will only add to his growing rep.

6) DeAndre Jordan - PF/C - Texas A&M - Its amazing Jordan is still considered to be a Top 20 pick considering just how useless his freshman season was. While he showed some promise against lesser competition, he was virtually nonexistent in Big 12 play. While the offensive woes aren't terribly surprising, its worrisome that he's not a good one on one defender yet. If you're overmatched by Oklahoma, I'm not sure how you'll cut it as a pro. Like Ajinca, he has the length of an airplane, as well as a mature frame, but it will take a couple years for him to develop.

7) Robin Lopez - C - Stanford - The less talented Lopez is either underrated or overrated depending on who you ask. Some feel that his defensive prowess is overrated, and that he's hopelessly inept on the offensive end. Others see him as a raw talent akin to the European prospects, who improved substantially in the past year and would be more highly rated if not for his older brother's shadows. I tend to fall in the latter camp, who can't help but be intrigued by a mobile 7-footer with length, that can block shots, and has improved every year.

8) Roy Hibbert - C - Georgetown - I've never been a huge fan of Hibbert, and nothing changed after a solid but unspectacular senior season. There will no doubt be a place on the end of someone's bench for a sure-handed good guy with a 7'2" frame, but I never see him being anything more than a career reserve. For the 8th best center that's not a bad thing, but he lacks the starting potential of other guys higher on this list.

9) Joey Dorsey - PF/C - Memphis - You never hear much about Dorsey in Draft circles, because he's ancient (24), undersized (6'9"), and has virtually no offensive game. Still, he's a presence blocking shots, especially from the weak side, and could find a place in the league now that zone has taken over.

10) DeVon Hardin - PF/C - California - Last year, I had Hardin 8th in my Center rankings before he withdrew. A year later, and there's been virtually no improvement on his part. He's basically the same intriguing body and athlete that he was then, just a year older. If Hardin was 18 or 19, he'd be a legit top 20 pick, but now there's little reason to think he'd be a productive pro.

Summary: I don't see any future all-stars in this group, and its conceivable that not one of these guys ever even makes it as a long-time starter. Still, there's also a lot of solid reserves and role players in this mix and Hardin is a better prospect than the #10's at other positions.

Last Year's Siegel's Take - SF Ranking
1) Greg Oden
2) Spencer Hawes
3) Tiago Splitter
4) Ante Tomic
5) Sean Williams
6) Aaron Gray
7) Marc Gasol
8) DeVon Hardin
9) Stanko Barac
10) Kyle Visser

Poll: Who is the Draft's Top Center Prospect?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:24:58 -0700

Early 2008-09 All-Freshman Projections

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:42:30 -0700

Following my 2009 Field of 65 & Projected All-Americans, here is an early look at the 2008-09 All-Freshman Team.

First Team
G - Jrue Holiday - UCLA
G - Brandon Jennings - Arizona
G - Tyreke Evans - Memphis
F - Greg Monroe - Georgetown
F - Samardo Samuels - Louisville

Second Team
G - Demar DeRozan - USC
G - J'Covan Brown - Texas
F - Tony Mitchell - Alabama
F - Drew Gordon - UCLA
C - BJ Mullens - Ohio State

Third Team
G - William Buford - Ohio State
G - Willie Warren - Oklahoma
G - Scotty Hopson - Tennessee
F - Devin Ebanks - ?
C - J'Mison Morgan - LSU

Fourth Team
G - Chris Singleton - Florida State
F - Al-Farouq Aminu - Wake Forest
F - Luke Babbitt - Nevada
F - David Lobeau - Texas A&M
C - Jeff Withey - Arizona

2008-09: McDonald's All-American College Lineups

Jon Teitel — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:19:44 -0700

36 teams will feature at least one McDonald's All-American next year. Some programs like Duke feature a starting five full of high school superstars, while others like Rutgers and FSU are welcoming their first Big Mac Maestros. Here are projected starting lineups for all 36 teams with an All-American.

Incoming 2008 All-Americans In Bold (All-American Year In Parentheses)

Underclassmen Who Have Declared For Draft In Italics

TRANSFERS IN UPPERCASE

DUKE (8)

G: Greg Paulus (2005)

G: Jon Scheyer (2006)

F: Gerald Henderson (2006)

F: Kyle Singler (2007)

F: Lance Thomas (2006)

Bench: Elliot Williams (2008), Taylor King (2007), Nolan Smith (2007)

LOSSES: DeMarcus Nelson (2004)

NORTH CAROLINA (8)

G: Ty Lawson (2006)

G: Wayne Ellington (2006)

G: Marcus Ginyard

F: Tyler Hansbrough (2005)

F: Deon Thompson

Bench: Larry Drew II (2008), Ed Davis (2008), Tyler Zeller (2008), Bobby Frasor (2005), Danny Green (2005)

LOSSES: None

GEORGETOWN (4)

G: Austin Freeman (2007)

G: Chris Wright (2007)

F: DaJuan Summers

F: Vernon Macklin (2006)

F: Greg Monroe (2008)

LOSSES: Roy Hibbert, Jonathan Wallace

UCLA (3)

G: Darren Collison

G: Jrue Holiday (2008)

G: Malcolm Lee (2008)

F: Josh Shipp

F: James Keefe (2006)

LOSSES: Kevin Love (2007), Russell Westbrook

KANSAS (3)

G: Sherron Collins (2006)

G: Mario Chalmers (2005)

G: Conner Teahan

F: Matt Kleinmann

C: Cole Aldrich (2007)

LOSSES: F: Darrell Arthur (2006), Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, Darnell Jackson

OHIO STATE (3)

G: William Buford (2008)

G: David Lighty

F: Evan Turner

F: Kosta Koufos (2007)

C: BJ Mullens (2008)

LOSSES: Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter

SYRACUSE (2)

G: Jonny Flynn (2007)

G: Eric Devendorf (2005)

G: Scoop Jardine

F: Paul Harris

F: Arinze Onuaku

LOSSES: Donte Greene (2007)

VILLANOVA (2)

G: Scottie Reynolds (2006)

G: Corey Fisher

F: Dante Cunningham

F: Shane Clark

F: Antonio Pena

Bench: Corey Stokes (2007)

LOSSES: None

ARIZONA STATE (2)

G: James Harden (2007)

G: Ty Abbott

G: Derek Glasser

F: Jeff Pendergraph

C: Eric Boateng (2005)

LOSSES: CHRISTIAN POLK

GEORGIA TECH (2)

G: Iman Shumpert (2008)

G: Lewis Clinch

G: Maurice Miller

F: D’Andre Bell

F: Gani Lawal (2007)

LOSSES: Anthony Morrow, Jeremis Smith

FLORIDA (2)

G: Nick Calathes (2007)

G: Jai Lucas (2007)

G: Walter Hodge

F: Dan Werner

F: Chandler Parsons

LOSSES: Marreese Speights

OKLAHOMA (2)

G: Willie Warren (2008)

G: Tony Crocker

G: Austin Johnson

F: Blake Griffin (2007)

F: Taylor Griffin

LOSSES: David Godbold, Longar Longar

OKLAHOMA STATE (2)

G: Byron Eaton (2005)

G: Terrel Harris

G: Obi Muonelo

F: James Anderson (2007)

C: Ibrahima Thomas

LOSSES: Marcus Dove

USC (1)

G: Daniel Hackett

G: Dwight Lewis

F: DeMar DeRozan (2008)

F: Taj Gibson

F: Davon Jefferson

LOSSES: O.J. Mayo (2007)

ARIZONA (1)

G: Nic Wise

G: Brandon Jennings (2008)

F: Fendi Onobun

F: Jamelle Horne

F: Jordan Hill

LOSSES: Jawann McClellan (2004), Jerryd Bayless (2007), Chase Budinger (2006)

LOUISVILLE (1)

G Edgar Sosa

G: Jerry Smith

G Andre McGee

F: Terrence Williams

F: Samardo Samuels (2008)

LOSSES: David Padgett (2003), Earl Clark (2006), Derrick Caracter, Juan Palacios

ALABAMA (1)

G: Brandon Hollinger

G: Senario Hillman

F: JaMychal Green (2008)

F: Alonzo Gee

F: Demetrius Jemison

LOSSES: RICO PICKETT, Richard Hendrix (2005), Ronald Steele, Mykal Riley

KENTUCKY (1)

G: Jodie Meeks

G: Michael Porter

F: Patrick Patterson (2007)

F: Ramon Harris

F: Perry Stevenson

LOSSES: Joe Crawford (2004), Ramel Bradley

N.C. STATE (1)

G: Courtney Fells

G: Farnold Degand

G: Javier Gonzalez

F: Brandon Costner (2005)

F: Ben McCauley

LOSSES: J.J. Hickson (2007), Gavin Grant

NOTRE DAME (1)

G: Kyle McAlarney

G: Tory Jackson

F: Ryan Ayers

F: Luke Harangody

C: Luke Zeller (2005)

LOSSES: Rob Kurz

BAYLOR (1)

G: Curtis Jerrells

G: Henry Dugat

G: LaceDarius Dunn

F: Kevin Rogers

C: Josh Lomers

Bench: Tweety Carter (2006)

LOSSES: Aaron Bruce

LSU (1)

G: Terry Martin

G: Garrett Temple

G: Marcus Thornton

F: Tasmin Mitchell (2005)

C: Chris Johnson

LOSSES: Anthony Randolph

TEXAS (1)

G: D.J. Augustin (2006)

G: A.J. Abrams

G: Justin Mason

F: Damion James

C: Connor Atchley

LOSSES: None

AUBURN (1)

G: Rasheem Barrett

G: Quantez Robertson

G: DeWayne Reed

F: Korvotney Barber (2005)

C: Josh Dollard

LOSSES: Frank Tolbert, Quan Prowell

CINCINNATI (1)

G: Deonta Vaughn

G: Larry Davis

F: Mike Williams (2004)

F: Rashad Bishop

C: Anthony McClain

LOSSES: John Williamson, Jamual Warren, Adam Hyrcaniuk

GONZAGA (1)

G: Matt Bouldin

G: Steven Gray

F: Micah Downs (2005)

F: Josh Heytvelt

F: Austin Daye

LOSSES: Jeremy Pargo, Abdullahi Kuso, David Pendergraft

MEMPHIS (1)

G: Tyreke Evans (2008)

G: Chris Douglas-Roberts

G: Antonio Anderson

F: Shawn Taggart

F: Robert Dozier

LOSSES: Derrick Rose (2007), Joey Dorsey

WASHINGTON (1)

G: Justin Dentmon

G: Venoy Overton

G: Joel Smith

F: Quincy Pondexter

F: Jon Brockman (2005)

LOSSES: Ryan Appleby, Tim Morris

OREGON (1)

G: Tajuan Porter

G: Kamyron Brown

G: LeKendric Longmire

F: Joevan Catron

C: Michael Dunigan (2008)

LOSSES: Malik Hairston (2004), Maarty Leunen, Bryce Taylor

WAKE FOREST (1)

G: Jeff Teague

G: LD Williams

G: Ishmael Smith

F: James Johnson

C: Chas McFarland

Bench: Al-Farouq Aminu (2008)

LOSSES: None

CONNECTICUT (1)

G: AJ Price

G: Jerome Dyson

F: Stanley Robinson

F: Jeff Adrien

C: Hasheem Thabeet

Bench: Kemba Walker (2008)

LOSSES: None

FLORIDA STATE (1)

G: Toney Douglas

G: Brian Hoff

F: Chris Singleton (2008)

F: Uche Echefu

F: Ryan Reid

LOSSES: Isaiah Swann, Ralph Mims, Jason Rich

VIRGINIA (1)

G: Sylven Landesberg (2008)

G: Jeff Jones

G: Calvin Baker

F: Mamadi Diane

F: Mike Scott

LOSSES: Sean Singletary, Adrian Joseph

RUTGERS (1)

G: Corey Chandler

G: Anthony Farmer

G: Mike Coburn

F: JR Inman

F: Jaron Griffin

Bench: Michael Rosario (2008)

LOSSES: None

NEVADA (1)

G: Brandon Fields

G: Armon Johnson

G: Lyndale Burleson

F: Luke Babbitt (2008)

F Malik Cooke

LOSSES: JaVale McGee, Demarshay Johnson, Marcelus Kemp

TENNESSEE (1)

G: Ramar Smith

G: JP Prince

F: Scotty Hopson (2008)

F: Tyler Smith

F: Wayne Chism

LOSSES: Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith