May 25, 2006 - Florida State basketball recruit loses scholarship after drug charges
Four days after he was arrested on drug charges, Jon Kreft's scholarship was rescinded from Florida State on Monday. He's out before even enrolling at FSU.
Athletic Director Dave Hart made the announcement that the 7-foot, 240-pound center will not be welcome. The frontcourt could take another hit in the coming days. Center Alexander Johnson has already begun interviewing agents. He's expected to remain in the NBA Draft, forgoing his final year of eligibility.
KREFT ARRESTED: Charged with felony cocaine possession, other misdemeanors
Kreft's importance to Leonard Hamilton's program spiked when Johnson declared for the draft last month. But Kreft, 19, was arrested by Coral Springs police on Thursday and charged with felony cocaine possession. He also was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession and drug-paraphernalia possession.
"I met with Coach Hamilton today (Monday) and based on the police report and related information available to me at the present time, we are rescinding our basketball scholarship offer to Jonathan Kreft," Hart said in a statement.
Kreft was ranked as the No. 29 prospect by Rivals. He averaged 11.2 points and 10.8 rebounds last season at Douglas High School in Parkland, although he was suspended for violating team rules midway through the year.
Florida State doesn't have many options for reinforcements so close to the 2006-07 school year. And Darris Santee is no longer one of them.
Fort Bend (Texas) Marshall coach Gary Nichols told the Tallahassee Democrat on Monday that the 6-foot-8 power forward is likely bound for junior college after failing to meet NCAA eligibility standards. Santee had been considering Florida State, which will still have two scholarships available for next season even if power forward Ryan Reid is cleared to enroll.
Nichols said Santee is considering Chipola Junior College, Fort Smith (Ark.) and San Jacinto (Texas).
According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, Kreft remained incarcerated at the county's main jail as of Monday night. Bond has been set at $1,000.
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May 4, 2006 - MEN'S BASKETBALL: UND opening draws more applicants
The vacant UND men's basketball coaching position drew eight more applicants Wednesday, including Minnesota State Moorhead coach Stu Engen.
Engen, who also coached at Upper Iowa and Wisconsin-LaCrosse, has been the Dragons' head coach since 2002.
Another applicant is Florida State assistant coach Michael Jaskulski, who also has coached at Miami and Maine. In addition, he was the head coach at Towson State in Maryland and at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.
The UND coaching position opened after Rich Glas stepped down to take the associate head coaching job at Northern Iowa.
Since UND posted the job listing, the school has received 27 applicants. Screening for the position is scheduled to begin May 10.
Sioux athletic director Tom Buning said he would like to have a coach hired by May 20.
Other notable applicants to apply Wednesday included Tom Brown, an assistant at Winona (Minn.) State, which won last season's NCAA Division II national title; Scott Carson, a former assistant at Montana State; Charlie Fenske, an assistant at Texas State University; Arthur Cheers, an assistant at Jackson State University in Mississippi; and Gerald Kassin, head coach at Western Oklahoma State College.
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April 28, 2006 - UW men's basketball: Loopholes may allow game vs. Seminoles
It was a bit of a surprise when Bo Ryan mentioned at a reception Wednesday night that the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team would play Florida State in an ACC/Big Ten Challenge game next season at the Kohl Center.
Florida State's nickname is the Seminoles and there is a school policy preventing UW athletic teams from playing another school out of conference that has a nickname offensive to American Indians.
It turns out there are loopholes that may allow the game to gain approval from the UW Athletic Board and go on as scheduled. But getting the OK from the Athletic Board when it reviews the men's basketball team's schedule at its June meeting could be difficult.
Associate athletic director Vince Sweeney said Board members most likely will give the game a long look before deciding whether to OK it. "There's other NCAA legislation out there that impacts how many games we can play, too," Sweeney said. "So our men's and women's basketball schedules are a work in progress."
The first loophole falls under the auspices of uncontrollable assignments. The Board can allow Wisconsin to play a team with an offensive nickname to American Indians if no school officials are involved in the scheduling of the game.
The Wisconsin-Florida State game was scheduled by administrators from the Big Ten Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference and officials from ESPN. In fact, the game won't be officially announced until May 2 by ESPN, which owns the television rights to the Challenge.
"From our standpoint we have no say who we get," said Wisconsin assistant coach Greg Gard.
Gard said the UW coaching staff learned that the Badgers were scheduled to play Florida State earlier this week. Ryan then mentioned it informally at a reception for his team at the Kohl Center Wednesday night.
Another possible loophole regards how the policy allows Wisconsin teams to play schools like Illinois (Illini) and North Dakota (Fighting Sioux) because they are conference foes as well as traditonal rivals. "Even though Florida State is not a traditional rival, it can be argued that the ACC-Big Ten Challenge is a traditional rivalry," said Sweeney.
Finally, the UW could follow in the footsteps of the NCAA and grant the game a special waiver. The NCAA granted Florida State a waiver from its recent legislation forcing schools with nicknames offensive to American Indians to ban their mascots and cover any offending references on their uniforms at its championship events. The waiver also lifted the school from being banned from hosting any future championship events.
A review by the NCAA noted the unique relationship between the university and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, according to NCAA senior vice president Bernard Franklin. "The decision of a namesake sovereign tribe, regarding when and how its name and imagery can be used, must be respected even when others may not agree," he wrote in a statement released by the NCAA.
Sweeney said, "how the NCAA views things will have a bearing on how the Athletic Board views things." But he added that the UW has its own policy and it must follow that policy.
As for the UW football team's Sept. 16 game against San Diego State, which is nicknamed the Aztecs, Sweeney said the Athletic Board approved the game several years ago after some debate.
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April 12, 2006 - Barnes happy to be at Texas
Barnes isn't going anywhere.
Speculation aside that N.C. State would lure him, the Hickory native reaffirmed his intent to stay on as coach of the Texas men's basketball team Tuesday.
"During the regional, I was asked about it, and I said I think I have truly one of the great jobs in the country," Barnes said at a joint appearance in Conover with Texas football coach Mack Brown.
"And I have no desire to go anywhere else. And that's how I've felt."
It doesn't hurt that the Longhorns are raising his salary from last season's reported $1.3 million after leading Texas to the Atlanta regional final.
"I don't know if it's `official,' but it's official," Barnes said, drawing laughs among the black-tie gathering of the Hickory Sportsman's Club at Rock Barn Golf and Spa.
Brown wasn't surprised that N.C. State wanted Barnes or that Texas is ready to pay him more.
The raise "was based on being the best, and when you're in the group of the top four or five coaches now in America ... that's what he's being paid by," said Brown, who knows something about leading a top-shelf Division I program and has his own ties to North Carolina; he coached at Appalachian State and North Carolina.
He said the state has always struggled to keep recruits from heading for states with stronger football traditions.
"We had to do a tremendous job of evaluating (recruits), and we felt like when we were here in North Carolina, you just got to get all the guys to stay," Brown said, adding praise for the Tar Heels and their coach, John Bunting.
"They improved so much this year on defense," Brown said. "They beat Miami; they beat Florida State, so I really think they're close to getting (the program) back where they want."
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April 10, 2006 - Boyd fund makes a difference for former FSU player
Aubry Boyd's decision to sign with the Florida State men's basketball team nearly 20 years ago delighted Pat Kennedy.
In his first season at Oklahoma State, Leonard Hamilton wasn't so thrilled. ''I thought he made a good decision,'' said Hamilton, who recently completed his fourth season at FSU. ''I try not to make him feel bad even though I was disappointed.''
Boyd was impressed by Hamilton's recruitment.
''He was genuine,'' Boyd said of Hamilton. ''But at the time, I was close to (FSU). Coach (David Zimroth) and coach Kennedy were on the recruitment from the start. And at the time, Michael Hunt was a grad assistant here, and he's from my hometown.''
It was back in Macon, Ga., where Boyd fractured his fourth vertebrae during a pickup football game in 1995. The former guard who helped the Seminoles make three appearances in the NCAA tournament was paralyzed from the neck down. He regained movement in parts of his upper body following surgery but remains bound to his wheelchair.
Soon after the accident, Kennedy established the Aubry Boyd Fund to help the first player he signed with the Seminoles. A portion of the proceeds from the Tallahassee Democrat's Newspaper in Education Golden Apple Golf Tournament on April 17 will go toward the fund.
Hamilton pledged additional support.
''We are planning a really big fund-raiser for Aubry to assist him with his challenges,'' Hamilton said. ''However, I am pleased that a portion of the proceeds for this event will go to assist Aubrey with his situation.''
Boyd, who lives at the GIBB Mabry Village assisted-living complex, said the fund helps with expenses that aren't covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
''My goals change daily,'' Boyd said. ''I might wake up in the morning and feel like I want a job. And then you get out there and they don't have an ample facility or I can't get to it because I don't have a driver. My days consist of getting up and making the best of that day.''
Boyd was highly rated out of powerful Southwest High School. He picked FSU over Georgia and Iowa in the end. He started his final two seasons at FSU and helped the Seminoles win a pair of regular-season titles in the Metro Conference and exit the league with the tournament title in 1991.
Boyd has remained close to the program. He can be spotted near the FSU bench at the Civic Center.
''As long as we keep improving, we're going to get there,'' Boyd said.
Boyd made three trips to the NCAA tournament and then watched as Sam Cassell, Doug Edwards, Charlie Ward and Bob Sura brought FSU to the brink of the Final Four in 1993. Boyd said he believes the Seminoles, who finished 20-10 this past season but had to settle for the NIT, could be poised for another special run in 2006-07 provided they avoid attrition to the NBA. Alexander Johnson and Al Thornton have yet to announce their plans.
''I wish everybody would quit talking about the league,'' Boyd said. ''The league is going to be the league. I think all of them should come back. It can only help you. Look what it did for Charlie, Sam and Doug.''
Boyd will be behind them again next season.
''I'm doing great. I can't complain,'' Boyd said. ''I'm in a good area close to campus. I'm usually at all the football and basketball home games. I just like being around the program.''
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April 7, 2006 - Mobley - Springing forward
In making mincemeat of their respective opponents in the NIT and NCAA Final Fours, Carolina and Florida bore a strong resemblance to each other. Both won convincingly using their quickness and athleticism, taking care of the ball and exploiting a different kind of inside post presence with star players Renaldo Balkman and Joakim Noah. It was clear that the Gamecocks and Gators were playing their best basketball at the end of the season. Unfortunately for Carolina, Florida was the only one that also played pretty darn well in January, which afforded them the opportunity to peak on a much bigger stage.
Now the Gamecocks find themselves in a very familiar position, and fans can be forgiven for being somewhat less enthusiastic this time around at the prospect of returning most of a team that won the NIT. I've already made known my feelings about coach Dave Odom, but despite a season that could be called a failure, there's something to be said for program stability. Perhaps this time around Carolina can build on the championship and "find themselves" next season before it's too late.
(Madison Square) Garden Variety Impressions
I got some funny looks from a few folks when I told them that my first impression of seeing the game at The Garden was how visually stunning it was. The garnet and maize jerseys of the combatants provided a great contrast, especially the way the arena was lit. With one team almost always wearing white, it was a refreshing and stimulating change that made the game enjoyable to watch, though it didn't do much for my amateur digital photos.
I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice this, but this year's NIT offered the Gamecocks a chance to accomplish something they couldn't do throughout the 1980s, and that is to win the Metro Conference Championship. Ancient brethren of old Florida State, Cincinnati and Louisville lined up for a reunion that recalled names like Barry Manning and Pervis Ellison. These teams have now been scattered, but if you throw in the Memphis Tigers, the old Metro could still be a pretty good conference.
Aside from the "name" quality of the teams Carolina beat on the way to the title, there is a strong case that this year's accomplishment is more impressive than last year's. For one thing, the new selection and seeding process meant that the Gamecocks got only one home game, and that against a Western Kentucky team that some said was the last left out of the NCAA tournament. With suspensions and injuries in the post, I was frankly shocked that Carolina was able to go into Tallahassee and Cincinnati and win. Their reward was to play Louisville and Michigan in New York, which meant that they got to the title by beating all three No. 1 seeds they could have faced, plus a No. 2. One could argue that this was the deepest NIT field in years, and the Gamecocks left little doubt that they were the class of it.
Further evidence of the strength of Carolina's tournament opponents comes in the form of Jeff Sagarin's unbiased mathematical ratings. (No, I don't call them "computer" rankings, and if you don't like Sagarin, just skip this paragraph.) At the conclusion of the season, The Gamecocks ranked No. 20 on Sagarin's list, the highest ranking of any team that didn't make the NCAAs. Missouri State was next at No. 28. Of the next five left out, Carolina defeated four: Michigan (32), Cincinnati (33), FSU (41) and Louisville (45). That's not a bad group of notches on the pole.
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April 4, 2006 - NCAA Campionship
Two other state schools have reached the final game of the season. Artis Gilmore's Jacksonville team fell to UCLA in 1970. The Bruins also defeated Florida State two years later.
So a Florida victory tonight against UCLA would seem only fitting.
Everybody wants to win a championship, and to win the first one would be great,? Florida forward Chris Richard said. ?It's a milestone. Nobody else has done it so (we would) be remembered forever for that.?
The Gators were 75-1 underdogs to win a title in the preseason, but Florida has managed to avenge five consecutive early tournament exits and excel this March despite the youth of its roster.
And if the Gators sophomore quartet stays together, this could be the beginning of a basketball era at Florida.
I think to have that tradition that we want, to be recognized as one of the best, you have to have a few of those (championship) banners up there, Foley said. That's what Kentucky has, Indiana has, North Carolina, Duke.
But for now, the Gators would be more than satisfied with a single banner.
People ask me if I feel like I'm a cloud right now,? Noah said. No, I don't. The mission is not complete yet. When I see that ring on my finger, then I'll feel like it's complete.
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March 31, 2006 - 'Noles nucleus should return for next season
While intrastate rival Florida has reached the NCAA's Final Four, Florida State feels it's gained some respectability.
The Seminoles bounced back from a disappointing 12-19 season in 2004-05 to finish 20-10 this year, including its best Atlantic Coast Conference finish since the heyday of first-round NBA picks Sam Cassell, Doug Edwards, Bob Sura and Charlie Ward 13 seasons past when they finished 12-4 in league play.
In addition to this season's 9-7 league record highlighted by a 79-74 win over top-ranked Duke, the Seminoles didn't lose to an inferior nonconference opponent for the first time in several seasons although a couple of late-season losses to lesser ACC teams cost them an NCAA berth.
And while Leonard Hamilton was tight-lipped publicly about what the school and many of its fans saw as a slight, the coach was troubled that a winning record in the ACC wasn't enough for the selection committee.
He doesn't plan to let the situation repeat itself.
"We intend to have a good basketball team next year and I feel confident that we will," Hamilton said as he wrapped up preparations for his Wednesday departure to the Final Four at Indianapolis. "We've developed the unity and spirit it's going to take to move the program to the next level."
And he's upped the talent level considerably since replacing Steve Robinson in 2002.
Hamilton also dumped his deliberative style of play this season, leading to an improvement on offense that helped propel the turnaround.
Six-ten Alexander Johnson and 6-8 Al Thornton gave the Seminoles one of the best inside tandems in the league, both producing a number of double doubles in scoring and rebounding.
Despite a late-season slump, Thornton led the team in scoring with a 16.1 average while Johnson added 13.2 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds a game.
Barring a surprising decision to enter the NBA draft, both will return for their senior season.
Veteran point guard Todd Galloway is the only starter who graduates along with reserves Diego Romero and Andrew Wilson, the only player to ever have had six years eligibility in the ACC.
"We'll miss those guys more than people want to accept," Hamilton said. "They gave us a lot of good leadership."
MIAMI:
Guard Guillermo Diaz will skip his senior season and enter the NBA draft after leading the Hurricanes in scoring the last two years.
Diaz, a two-time second-team All-ACC selection, signed Wednesday with agent Jason Levien, meaning he cannot change his mind and return for his final year.
Diaz averaged 17.2 points this year and finished with 1,477 points in 93 games - the 10th-highest total in Miami history. He also set a school record this season by playing 1,196 minutes.
The Hurricanes have two starters returning next season - forward Anthony King and guard Denis Clemente.
UNC:
Tyler Hansbrough - the ACC rookie of the year and an All-American - will return to North Carolina next season instead of entering the NBA draft.
The 6-foot-9 forward became the first player in school history to lead his team in scoring (18.9 points), rebounding (7.8 rebounds), shooting percentage (57 percent) and steals (38).
OLE MISS:
New coach Andy Kennedy will retain assistants Tracy Dildy and Michael White from ex-coach Rod Barnes' staff, the school announced.
Both men have been at Ole Miss for two seasons.
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March 20, 2006 - Men?s basketball finishes season after NIT loss to FSU
As many Butler students migrated to warmer weather for Spring Break, so did the men?s basketball team as they traveled to Tallahassee, Fla. for the First Round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). But it was not all fun in the sun for the Bulldogs as their season came to an end with a 67-63 loss to Florida State. Butler finished the season with a 20-13 record.
This was Butler?s 8th ever trip to the NIT while Florida State?s appearance marked its 5th after not making this year?s NCAA Tournament despite a win over Duke on March 1 when the Bluedevils were still ranked No. 1 in the country. But Butler?s four-point loss on Friday showed many skeptics that the Bulldogs were well-equipped to play this Florida State team.
?They?ve always shown something,? Butler head coach Todd Lickliter said of his team?s performance. ?I thought we were really competing. This team has enjoyed challenges. I thought it was going to be a rough night, but we came in. I was pleased.?
Senior Brandon Polk led the Bulldogs with 21 points and seven rebounds. The other seniors, Bruce Horan and Avery Sheets, posted 12 points, four assists and five points, four steals respectively. Junior Brandon Crone also added 12 points and four steals for the Bulldogs.
Despite some great defensive efforts, the story of the night for the Bulldogs was shooting. Butler caused 15 FSU turnovers and had nine steals, but the Bulldogs shot only 33.8 percent on the night. Butler, the No. 4 ranked team in the NCAA in three-pointers made went only 8-37 from behind the arc.
?They guarded us,? Lickliter said of the Bulldogs shooting. ?You are talking about guys that are bigger and stronger. We just didn?t get good looks. I just think we couldn?t get comfortable.?
The Bulldogs did not look comfortable, getting off to a slow start and only having 2 points until a Brandon Polk free throw at 14:22 in the first half made the score 11-3. By the end of the first half, the Bulldogs had bounced back, only trailing the Seminoles by three at the break. Polk scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half off of 6-9 shooting from the field.
Even though FSU held Polk to only five points in the second half, Horan and Crone stepped up for the Bulldogs, scoring nine points a piece in the second half. Crone also provided tough defense for the Bulldogs before fouling out with two minutes left on a disputed charge call that sent him to the ground with an elbow to the head.
Butler took its only lead of the game off of a Julian Betko three-pointer with 2:22 left. The Bulldogs held the lead until a jumper by Alexander Johnson at 0:53 but FSU up for the final time. The jumper came after an Avery Sheets turnover, overthrowing as pass to teammate Bruce Horan.
Despite the loss, the Bulldogs are happy with how well they were able to compete with Florida State.
?They are one of those teams that could be playing in any tournament there is. Florida State is a really, really nice team,? Lickliter said. ?Just nothing was easy. You?d try to run a rotation and they?d be there. I thought our guys competed hard.?
The Bulldogs will loose seniors Horan, Sheets and Polk for next season. This season, Horan moved into second place on the Horizon League all-time three-point field goals list and improved his school record to 314 career threes. Horan was also 6th in the NCAA in three-pointers made this season. Sheets moved into 4th place on Butler?s all-time three-point field goal list and into 5th place on Butler?s all-time assist chart. Sheets also led the Horizon League in assist-to-turnover ratio for the second straight year. Polk was named Horizon League Player of the Year. Both Horan and Sheets collected their 1000th career points this season wile Polk collected 975 points in just two years at Butler and stands 8th on Butler?s single-season scoring chart with 593 points this season.
After the game, senior Bruce Horan told the bus of fans, band members and cheerleaders that traveled to the game that he appreciated their support throughout the season and his Butler career.
?I just want to thank you all for coming and for your support. You have made my four years at Butler great. I have been blessed,? Horan said.
The Bulldogs finish the season 20-13 with eight losses decided by five points or less. The Bulldogs also played four teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, falling to Ohio State and Indiana, defeating Bradley and going 1-2 against Horizon League champs, UW-Milwaukee.
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