Concordia Coach Suspended After Players Hospitalized Following Intense Workout

After five players from the Concordia Cougars Division III basketball team were hospitalized following a high-intensity workout on the 31st of December, the university’s athletic director, Pete Gnan, sent a letter to families stating that the intensity of the practice was a consequence of players breaking curfew while on a late December trip to California.

The five players were hospitalized between the 2nd and 4th of January and the last one, Jacob Collicott, was released on the 6th. His father, Ryan Collicott, told WBBM that Jacob was dehydrated and his muscles had broken down and gotten into his bloodstream.

Due to this incident, the Cougars postponed their games last Tuesday and Saturday, and the coach has since been suspended. Ryan Collicott said that, as a parent, he does not feel the coach should be fired, but is instead more concerned for him now that Jacob is safe.

Top 10 Coaching Salaries in UNC System

The current top 10 list of salaries (excluding total compensation) is available via the UNC System database. Although the big “name” sports are at the top the actual list may surprise you:

  1. David Doeren Head Coach Football NC State $1,625,000
  2. Kevin Keatts Head Coach Men’s Basketball NC State $1,350,000
  3. William Brown Head Football Coach Ath Football Office UNC $750,000
  4. Clyde Bateman Assistant Football Coach Ath Football Office UNC $600,000
  5. Philip Longo Assistant Football Coach Ath Football Office UNC $600,000
  6. Roy Williams Head Men’s Basketball Coach Ath Basketball Office UNC $541,778
  7. Michael Houston Head Coach Football Football ECU $500,000
  8. Tommy Thigpen Assistant Football Coach Ath Football Office UNC $500,000
  9. Louis Kitchings Asst Coach Football NC State $492,500
  10. George Mcdonald Asst Coach Football NC State $492,500

Find more information and search the database at BizJournals.

Emory & Henry Starts Ben Thompson Era With Win

EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Men’s Basketball Team (1-0) got the 2019-20 season and the Ben Thompson era of coaching started with a 101-76 win over Keystone College (0-1) Saturday at home.

The Basics
FINAL SCORE
 – Emory & Henry 101, Keystone 76
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (1-0, 0-0 ODAC); Keystone (0-1, 0-0 CSAC)

How It Happened
– The Giants opened up a 45-36 lead at the half as they took advantage of poor shooting by the Wasps.
– After the break, E&H’s offense caught fire in all aspects of the game, shooting 68.6 percent (24-for-35) from the floor and making 7-of-10 three-point attempts. Emory & Henry outscored Keystone by a 65-31 margin in the final 20 minutes on its way to the 101-76 victory.

Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
– Transfer sophomore guard Micah Banks (Simpsonville, S.C.) made a statement in his debut as he went for 21 points and eight rebounds, shooting 8-for-11 from the field.
– Transfer senior Robert Holliday, Jr. (Kansas City, Kan.) had a double-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds and five assists while senior guard Colin Molden (Apex, N.C.) notched 14 points and five assists.
– Sophomore guard Anthony Williams (Lynchburg, Va.) tacked on 12 points, five rebounds and two steals off the bench.

Keystone Individual Leaders
– Jeremy Jordan led the Giants with 17 points and seven rebounds while Ray Mills notched 16 points off the bench.
– Tone Cockrell registered 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

 A Deeper Look
– Emory & Henry shots 51.9 percent (40-for-77) from the field and hit 10 three-pointers while Keystone managed just a 28-for-75 (37.3%) performance on the game with four triples.
– The Wasps out-rebounded the Giants, 55-27, and led 22-12 on second-chance points.
– E&H had 21 assists on 40 made baskets while KC finished the game with just 10 assists.

Next Up
– Emory & Henry will be back in action next Friday when it visits Transylvania University at 5:00 p.m.

By James Blackburn

Game Scouted: Virginia Tech vs Northeastern (Charleston Classic)

Vasa Pusica, PG, 6-5, RS SR

Strengths

PG with good size who can handle it well with either hand. Pressure doesnt bother him at all. Terrific shooter off the catch and off the dribble- quick release. Shoots the 3 ball with great efficiency.

Cerebral player who understands the game, doesnt get rattled. Poised. High IQ guy. Pretty good in the low/mid post where he can score it and shoot it over double teams.

Good court vision, keeps head up at all times. Has good size that allows him to see over the defense. Unselfish- good passer. Makes right reads on PnR plays.

Can create his own offense and offense for others- good playmaker. Showed good ability to create his own shot off the dribble. Has a great crossover move.

Excellent touch on floater/ shooting. Good footwork.

Weaknesses

Underwhelming physically and athletically. This tends to hurt him more on the defensive end than offensively. Does struggle to finish in traffic. Length and athleticism give him trouble. Doesnt have elite speed to get by defenders. 

Overall

From Serbia where he is a member of the National Team. Was Northeastern’s top scorer last season and leads them in scoring so far this year with over 20 ppg. 

With his passport, he could play high level Europe right away. Will get some NBA interest and should be a PIT guy. 

SUNRISE, Fla. — Junior guard Marcquise Reed scored 22 points and reached a milestone on Saturday afternoon, leading Clemson to a 71-69 upset win over 22nd-ranked Florida in the annual Orange Bowl Classic at the BB&T Center. … more month. … Clemson plays host to rival South Carolina on Tuesday. While Clemson has missed the NCAA Tournament six straight years, South Carolina reached the 2017 Final Four. … Florida plays James… Continue reading “Clemson topples No. 22 Florida”

Duke basketball is considered one of the “blue bloods” of college basketball and a lot of that is thanks to Coach K. He’s accumulated over 1,000 wins with the vast majority of them coming at Duke and that means a lot of weeks spent as the No. 1 team in the AP Poll. Continue reading “Duke matches historic record after latest AP Poll is released”

LiAngelo Ball

LiAngelo Ball’s collegiate career at UCLA has ended without ever stepping foot on the court for a regular-season game. His father, LaVar, told ESPN that he will remove LiAngelo from the Bruins’ basketball team and the university as a whole on the heels of his son receiving an indefinite suspension for shoplifting in China last month. Continue reading “LaVar Ball removes son LiAngelo from UCLA”

Game Scouted: Richmond @ Wake Forest

Wake Forest wins 82-53

Doral Moore, C, 7’1″, JR

Stats

25 min, 6-7 FG, 3-6 FT, 8 reb, 4 blocks, 1 assist, 1 TO, 15 TP

Strengths

You can see a big improvement in all areas from the last two years to this year for Moore from his confidence level to his offense and everything in between.  Starting with his body and conditioning, Moore has added muscle and strength. This extra weight has allowed him to hold his post position, finish inside, and hold rebounding position. He has great length and athleticism and can really finish above the rim. He has solid hands and can catch alley-oop passes from multiple angles and distances. Solid rebounder who will get a couple of pro level/above the rim rebounds a game.

Offensively, Moore is showing much more confidence and it seems to be growing by the game. He has good touch around the rim and has a nice turn around jump shot which is becoming his go-to post move. He also has a nice sweeping right nook which is impossible to guard. Richmond actually sent a double a couple of times when he caught it with his back to the basket and he didnt turn it over and made the cross court pass to the open man. He keeps the ball high on offense rebounds and finishes inside. Moore gets the majority of his baskets in the PnR or with his back to the basket on post ups.

Defensively, Moore uses his length and size to disrupt in the paint and is a presence. Good shot blocker and has gotten better staying straight up and not fouling.

Weaknesses

Needs to continue to improve conditioning and his ability to run the floor- it has gotten better but could improve. Defensively he tends to be out of position too much. His lateral speed and ability to rotate across the lane is concerning especially when it comes to projecting him for the next level (Defending the screen and roll/ Defensive 3 seconds rule).

Overall

If he can make the same improvement level jump next summer as he did this summer then I see Moore being drafted. I would project him as an early to mid 2nd round pick at this stage depending on how much more he improves. Has the size, length, and athleticism that makes him attractive to the pro game. I see him being a backup 5 in the NBA where he can give some rim protection and finish efficiently.

By James Blackburn

Rick Pitino Louisville

Former Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino sued the university’s Athletic Association for $37.6 million, claiming his contract was breached and that he was fired with no justified cause. The school dismissed Pitino in October in wake of the FBI investigation into bribery and fraud in college basketball Continue reading “Pay up: Pitino sues Louisville for millions after ouster”