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By James Blackburn

After covering the Big South Tournament, my next stop took me to Birmingham, Al to watch the highly competitive Conference USA Tournament. Most college basketball experts have agreed that the C-USA would be a 1 bid league so a lot was on the line for these games. I was really impressed with Western Kentucky, who came in with a record barely over 500. This team was way better than their record indicated however, and ended up getting 2 of their players on my All-Tournament team. Old Dominion made a great run (including knocking off #1 seed UAB)  before eventually falling to the number 2 seed Middle Tenn in a close championship game. Below I have given my All-Tournament team, honorable mentions, and my defensive player of the tournament. As before, this is based solely on tournament play and not their play during the year.

 

Basketball Elite All- Tournament Team

Justin Johnson, F, SO, 6-7 (WKU)

Nigel Snipes, F, SR, 6-6 (WKU)

Trey Freeman, G, SR, 6-2 (ODU)

Robert Brown, G, SR, 6-5 (UAB)

Reggie Upshaw, F, JR, 6-7 (MTSU)

 

Reports

 

Justin Johnson (WKU)

Strong player who plays hard and is highly efficient around the basket. Big time rebounder on both ends. Not afraid to get physical.

 

Nigel Snipes (WKU)

Best pure shooter I saw in Alabama. Good size for the 2 or the 3 spot. Puts in effort on both ends of the floor.

 

Trey Freeman (ODU)

Best player in the tournament in my opinion. One of the top midrange shooters in the country. Scorers in bunches.

 

Robert Brown (UAB)

Versatile scorer who can score off the dribble and with the pull-up shot. Smart player who plays with in the system.

 

Reggie Upshaw (MTSU)

Was consistent every game scoring inside and rebounding the ball. Helped lead team to win the championship. Solid is the word for him.

Honorable Mention

Eric Katenda, F, GR, 6-9 (North Texas)- Skilled big who can score and score 15’ and in

Marcus Evans, G, FR, 6-2 (Rice)- Athletic guard who can break down the defense.

Aaron Bacote, G, SR, 6-4 (ODU)- True combo guard who can score from outside/inside

Denzell Taylor, F, JR, 6-7 (ODU)- Big time rebounder w/ a high motor

Earvin Mooris, G, 6’4″, SR (UTEP)- Versatile scorer who can shoot it- solid defender

Defensive Player

Brandan Stith, F, SO, 6-7 (ODU)- Best rim protector I saw in the tournament. Great rebounder as well.

 

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Big South All Tournament Teams

By James Blackburn

For the third straight year I had the privilege of covering the Big South Conference Tournament, held this year at the beautiful facility of Campbell University (The tournament had been held at Coastal Carolina). There were a few upsets along the way this year. Gardner-Webb made a good push as the 6 seed and was able to knock off the 3 seed Coastal Carolina to advance to the semi-finals. The Winthrop Eagles advanced to the championship game for the third year in a row. But it was the 4 seeded Asheville who punched its ticket to the Big Dance, coming back from a 9 point halftime deficit to knock off Winthrop 77-68. Below I have put together my All-Tournament teams, based solely on their play at the tournament. These were my top 5 players (I didnt worry about having to put different positions on it). I gave Dwayne Sutton, a freshman from UNC Asheville, the MVP award. He was terrific all tournament, but was sensational when it mattered most, scoring 25 points and grabbing 18 boards in the championship game.

 

Basketball Elite Big South All-Tournament Team

MVP: Dwayne Sutton (Asheville)

Tyrell Nelson, F, 6’7”, JR (Gardner- Webb)

Shaquille Johnson, F, 6’5”, SR  (Longwood)

Ahmad Thomas, F, 6’4”, SO  (Asheville)

Miles Bowman, F, 6’6”, JR (High Point)

Xavier Cooks, F, 6’8”, SO (Winthrop)

 

Reports

Tyrell Nelson (Gardner-Webb)

Strong and physical. Tremendous rebounder. Efficient scorer around the basket and also showed he could hit the midrange. Draws contact at a high rate. Underrated athlete.  Was named 1st Team All Conference for a reason. Single handedly led Gardner-Webb to first 2 wins.

 

Shaquille Johnson (Longwood)

After having an OK showing in game 1, Johnson exploded in game 2 for 28 points. Possibly the best overall athlete in the conference whose name isn’t John Brown. Good rebounder. Unselfish player who can score off the dribble.

 

Ahmad Thomas (Asheville)

Powerful and fearless player who showed he could score inside against the big boys. Terrific rebounder who can lead the break with the dribble after rebounding the ball. This tournaments Draymond Green. If he is hitting his 3, watch out.

 

Miles Bowman (High Point)

Good rebounder and rim protector who is a terrific finisher. Solid pick and pop guy who can hit the 3 with consistency.  Plays with a competitive spirit and puts it all on the line. Winner.

 

Xavier Cooks (Winthrop)

Originally from Australia, Cooks had a terrific tournament, helping to lead his team to the championship. He is highly skilled and is an underrated passer/unselfish too. Terrific from the high post. Can put the ball on the floor and change directions with the dribble. Has a high arc on his 3 which he can hit with his feet set and has great touch.

 

Honorable Mention Team

 

Armel Potter, PG, 6’1”, FR (Charleston Southern) *PG w/ good vision, can hit the 3, and play the P/R game

Dwayne Sutton, G, 6’5”, FR (Asheville) *Great rebounding guard who can really defend- plays hard

Jimmy Gavin,G, 6’3”, SR (Winthrop) *Athletic scoring guard who can really shoot it.

Dylan Smith, G/F, 6’5”, FR (Asheville) *Versatile wing w/ good length. Can hit the 3 and has a decent handle.

DeSean Murray, F, 6’5”, SO (Presbyterian) *Undersized forward who plays hard. Strong. Good rebounder.

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By James Blackburn

Andrien White ,G, 6’3″

Jon Davis, PG, 6’2″

 

Ive been fortunate enough to be able to see both White and Davis play live numerous times this year and come away each time more and more impressed. Coming into Charlotte’s last home game vs UTEP, White was averaging 11 ppg while leading the team in steals with 44 on the season. Davis leads the team in assists while also scoring 11.6 ppg. These two players have a great chemistry with one another and the future looks very bright for 49er fans with Davis running the show and White shooting on the perimeter.

Scouting Reports

Andrien White

Terrific shooter who is excellent in catch and shoot situations. Has deep range on his 3 and is more then likely the best pure shooter on the team- release is a bit slow but shot is pure. Plays with a high motor on the defensive end, defends the passing lanes, and has great instincts on the defensive end of the floor, which is rare for a freshman. Terrific athlete who can finish above the rim. Needs to continue to improve his midrange game- good slasher but over penetrates at times.

Jon Davis

True PG and floor general who is a solid passer and also makes plays for teammates. Solid on the defensive end as well and is 2nd on the team in steals.  Is pretty quick and is dangerous in transition. Does an excellent job of probing the defense with the dribble and getting to the lane. Needs to improve shot selection and his range.  Tends to over-dribble at times and still makes some freshman mistakes.

Sleeper Report
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By James Blackburn

Game Scouted: Richmond vs Northern Iowa

Richmond Wins 82-67

Terry Allen (6’8″, F, SR)

Stats- 35 min, 8-13 FG, 4-5 3 pt, 1-3 FT, 7 reb, 2 assists, 5 steals, 4 TO’s, 21 TP

Strengths

Versatile player who can score the ball in a variety of ways. Reliable 3 pt shooter who can hit open 3’s- has solid arc on his shot especially for a player of his size. Capable of putting the ball on the floor for straight line drives and can push the ball on the break after a rebound. Pretty good passer who is highly unselfish. Good rebounder who will grab the ball in traffic. Has really active hands defensively and can defend multiple positions. Moves his feet pretty quickly on perimeter for a player his size. Solid post game- has a go-to move where he spins baseline and a terrific right hook shot. Has a strong frame and can finish with contact. 

 

Weaknesses

Allen was hitting his 3 tonight, but I dont know how well he will be able to get it off at the next level- slow release. Loose handle and is a bit TO prone. Is not the most athletic or explosive player and doesnt show a high motor at all times. Needs to hustle back defensively better. Solid college player, but is a tweener between a 3 and a 4– not quick enough to guard a 3 and not big enough to be a 4. Needs to improve his left hand.

 

Overview

Allen is leading the team in ppg with over 20 and had a huge game against nationally ranked Cal while playing in a Thanksgiving tournament in Las Vegas last week. Versatile do it all type player, who isn’t necessarily great at one thing but is capable of doing many things well and filling up the stat sheet. If he keeps up this pace of play all season, he should definitely be an A-10 1st Conference guy and be heavily favored to attend the PIT. Would be a serviceable D-League rotation player in my opinion and a real steal for many clubs in Europe.

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Cole Huff Creighton basketball

By James Blackburn

Game Scouted: Creighton vs UMass (Men Who Speak Up Championship Game)
Creighton wins 97-76
Stats- 26 min, 3-6 FG, 3-5 FT, 3 reb, 12 TP

Strengths
Terrific perimeter shooter. He has a high release, gets great arc on the ball, and good rotation. He is not shy about shooting the ball and his confidence is growing. His misses are good misses and every time he shoots it, it looks like its going in. His corner 3 is automatic. He showed he could shoot the 1-footed Dirk shot from the midpost as well. Hands in his face dont bother him. Terrific perimeter footwork.

Huff is active on the glass and rebounds outside his area. He doesnt mind diving on the floor for loose balls either. He has good length and a solid frame that will add muscle.

Smart player. Uses his IQ on the defensive end. Good team defender.  Has a good attitude on the floor.

Weaknesses
Poor athleticism and is slow laterally. Not a great one on one defender. Needs to improve ability to handle the ball- looked uncomfortable just putting it down in straight line drives.
Needs to become more of a 3…..plays the 4 primarily now.

Overview
Game has improved every year since he has been in college. Huff is a name that NBA scouts should definitely add to their watch list and is someone who I believe could be worth a 2nd round pick next year. He needs to continue to improve in his weak areas, and I believe he will. Is definitely a summer league/training camp guy at the least.

NCAANCAA basketballsports business

PN analysts — Jay Williams and Cory Alexander (ACC), Sean Farnham (SEC men) and Nell Fortner and Carolyn Peck (SEC women).

  • Coaches Clicker: Head coaches break down game film with Greenberg and Gaudio (SEC/ACC men) and Debbie Antonelli (SEC women) providing insight into the X’s and O’s of the game.
  • Fast Break: Head coaches answer rapid fire questions on college basketball and their personality.
  • Rules of the Game: Newly appointed NCAA national coordinator of men’s officiating,  J.D. Collins will provide guidance on some of the most important and new rules in college basketball.

On ESPNU, Greenberg and Gaudio will be in-studio for both, with Katz (SEC) and Schick (ACC) anchoring.

SEC Tip Off on SEC Network
SEC Network will also provide coverage of SEC Tip Off, the conference’s men’s and women’s media day events on its flagship program SEC Now – men’s (Oct. 21 at 10 p.m.) and women’s (Oct. 22 at 9 p.m.)  In addition to segments with coaches and players referenced above, SEC Now will also televise segments of the roundtables hosted by Nowkhah and Taylor.

ESPN3
ESPN3 will provide coverage of four additional conference media days: Horizon and Mountain West (October 14), MAAC (Oct. 21), Big South (Oct. 26) and Atlantic Sun (Nov. 4). The network will also cover ACC women’s (Oct. 21) and men’s media day as well.

Date Time (ET) Conference
Wed, Oct. 14 2 p.m. Horizon (men’s and women’s)
3 p.m. Mountain West (men’s and women’s)
Wed, Oct. 21 9:30 a.m. ACC (women’s)
7:30 p.m. (women’s)*
8:15 p.m. (men’s)*		 MAAC
Mon, Oct. 26 9:30 a.m. Big South
Wed, Oct 28 9 a.m. ACC (men’s)
Wed, Nov. 4 7 p.m. (women’s)*
7:30 p.m. (men’s)*		 Atlantic Sun

*Season previews

 

College Basketball Live on ESPNU (October Schedule)

Date Time (ET) Conference Commentators
Thu, Oct. 15 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. College Basketball Live

Conferences with media days: Big Ten and Pac-12 		 Studio: Andy Katz, Dino Gaudio

From Chicago: Jeff Goodman and Sean Harrington

From San Francisco: Roxy Bernstein and Corey Williams
Tue, Oct. 20 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. College Basketball Live 

Conference with media day: Big 12 

 Studio: Andy Katz, Seth Greenberg

From Kansas City: Fran Fraschilla and Miles Simon
Wed, Oct. 21 1 p.m.  – 3 p.m. College Basketball Live 

Conference with media day: SEC

 Andy Katz, Seth Greenberg, Dino Gaudio, Sean Farnham, Dari Nowkhah
Tue, Oct. 27 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. College Basketball Live 

Conference with media day: American

 Studio: Andy Katz, Seth Greenberg

From Orlando: Tim Welsh & Brooke Weisbrod
Wed, Oct. 28 1 – 4 p.m. College Basketball Live 

Conference with media day: ACC

 Matt Schick, Jay Bilas, Jay Williams, Seth Greenberg, Dino Gaudio, andCory Alexander

 

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John Calipari Kentucky

A special Kentucky Men’s Basketball Practice will air on Sunday, October 11, at 7 p.m. ET from the Joe Craft Center in Lexington, Ky., featuring a two-hour look at ESPN.com’s preseason No. 3 ranked team. ESPN NBA and college basketball’s Doris Burke, college basketball analysts Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg and college basketball reporter Andy Katz will anchor the coverage, which will showcase the Wildcats participating in individual drills, 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 scrimmages.

The 2015-2016 Wildcats, coming off back-to-back Final Four appearances, have six players in the top 60 of ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Top 100 2016 NBA Draft prospects:

Top 100 Rank Player Position Year
2 Skal Labissiere C Freshman
5 Jamal Murray PG Freshman
19 Isaiah Briscoe PG Freshman
49 Marcus Lee PF Junior
55 Tyler Ulis PG Sophomore
57 Alex Poythress SF Senior

NBA scouts will be in attendance and fans can join the conversation by tagging their tweets with #UKPractice.

No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic on ESPN

No. 3 Kentucky will take on No. 6 Duke (7:30 p.m. on ESPN) in the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from the United Center in Chicago. The double-header from Chicago concludes ESPN’s eighth annual college hoops tip-off marathon. Both team rankings are per ESPN.com.

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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – Virginia’s Tony Bennett is the 2014-15 recipient of the Henry Iba Award, presented annually to the national coach of the year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. The award, voted on by the entire membership of the USBWA, is based on regular-season performance.

Bennett will be formally presented with the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award on Tuesday, April 14, at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards gala in Oklahoma City.


Bennett

The Oscar Robertson Trophy will also be presented that evening. The winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy as the national player of the year will be announced on Friday, April 3, at a 10:15 a.m. ET news conference in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium in conjunction with the NCAA Final Four.

In his sixth season at Virginia, Bennett, 45, led the Cavaliers to a 30-4 record, which tied the school record for wins in a season set last season and in 1982-83. For the second straight season, Virginia won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title. Bennett’s career mark at Virginia is a stellar 136-64 (.680 winning percentage).

Bennett, the Henry Iba Award winner in the 2006-07 at Washington State, is the ninth coach to earn the award more than once and the second to win it at two different schools. Roy Williams has won the award at Kansas (1990) and North Carolina (2006). The legendary John Wooden was named the USBWA National Coach of the Year six times, joinining five other coaches to win it twice (Lou Carnesecca of St. John’s, John Chaney of Temple, Gene Keady of Purdue, Bob Knight of Indiana, Ray Meyer of DePaul and Fred Taylor of Ohio State).

The USBWA District III Coach of the Year and the ACC Coach of the Year guided the Cavaliers to a national ranking as high as No. 2 and the No. 2 seed in the East Region before being eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Michigan State.

“Tony Bennett is no longer a rising star in the coaching ranks; he is an established winner,” said USBWA President Dana O’Neil of ESPN.com. “This year he led the Cavaliers to their second consecutive ACC regular-season title, earning the top spot in the league despite playing for a long stretch without one of his best players. On behalf of the USBWA, it is my pleasure and privilege to honor Tony Bennett.”

Including this season, the Clintonville, Wis., native now boasts a 205-97 (.679 winning percentage) overall career record in nine seasons as a college head coach. Prior to coming to Virginia, Bennett was 69-33 in three seasons at Washington State, including two NCAA Tournament appearances.

The Henry Iba Award is named in honor of the legendary Oklahoma State coach who won 655 games and two national championships in 36 seasons in Stillwater. The award is voted on by all members of the USBWA at the conclusion of the regular season. The USBWA has presented a National Coach of the Year Award each year since the 1958-59 season.

Tickets and sponsorship information for the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards are available at collegebasketballawards.com or by contacting Scott Hill (405-640-0406, scott.hill@access-sports.net). The April 14 banquet will also honor Duke center Jahlil Okafor with the Integris Wayman Tisdale Awardas the national freshman of the year.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. Today, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.

Related link:
• Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award

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ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association will present the 2015 Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award to Duke center Jahlil Okafor. The award – a statuette designed by nationally-recognized sculptor Shan Gray – will be presented to Okafor at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards on Tues., April 14 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

As the national freshman of the year, Okafor has led the Blue Devils to a 29-4 record and the No. 1 seed in the South Regional of the upcoming NCAA Tournament. He is the second consecutive winner from Duke, following Jabari Parker a year ago.

In addition, the Oscar Robertson Trophy – given to the USBWA’s national player of the year – and the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award will be presented at the banquet to be held annually the week following the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

Okafor

Okafor, a 6-11, 270-pound true freshman from Chicago, is the USBWA’s District III Player of the Year and the first freshman to be named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Player of the Year. He leads the Blue Devils and ranks among the top five in the ACC in scoring (17.7), rebounds (9.0) and field goal percentage (.669) as he attempts to become the first freshman to lead Duke in all three categories.

Okafor has recorded 11 double-doubles and 12 20-point games this season. His 28 straight double-digit scoring games, achieved earlier this season, is a freshman conference record. Eight times this season Okafor was named ACC Rookie of the Week and the weeks of Dec. 14, 2014, and Jan. 4, Okafor was named the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week by the USBWA.

In addition to selecting Okafor as the national freshman of the year, the USBWA chose four other first-year standouts for its 2015 Freshman All-America Team. This is the third season that the USBWA has chosen a Freshman All-America Team. Okafor and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell were also selected to the USBWA’s All-America First Team. Following is the complete team, all of whom were finalists for the Wayman Tisdale Award:

2014-15 USBWA FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA TEAM
Pos. No. Player, School Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown
F 5 Stanley Johnson, Arizona 6-7 245 Fr. Fullerton, Calif.
C 15 Jahlil Okafor, Duke 6-11 270 Fr. Chicago, Ill.
G 0 D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State 6-5 180 Fr. Louisville, Ky.
F 12 Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky 6-11 250 Fr. Piscataway, N.J.
G 2 Melo Trimble, Maryland 6-3 190 Fr. Upper Marlboro, Md.

The USBWA has chosen a national freshman of the year since the 1988-89 season when LSU’s Chris Jackson was the recipient. The award was named for Wayman Tisdale in 2011 and other notable winners of the national freshman of the year award include Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd and Chris Webber.

The late Wayman Tisdale was a three-time USBWA All-American at the University of Oklahoma and in 1983 was the first freshman ever to be named a first-team All-American by the USBWA. Following a stint on the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team, he played 12 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 1997 to focus on a blossoming jazz music career. In March 2007, he was diagnosed with cancer and, following a courageous and difficult battle that included the amputation of his right leg in 2008, he passed away in May 2009.

The Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award is produced by Access Sports, an Oklahoma City-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit foundation responsible for creating the Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award. Access Sports produces all events associated with the award, including the annual awards dinner. Proceeds from the activities affiliated with the award are used to support various worthy charitable causes, including providing opportunities for disadvantaged youth to participate in basketball leagues, clinics, and training throughout the state. In addition, Access Sports supports the Wayman L. Tisdale Foundation which helps fund prosthetics for those who cannot afford the cost on their own and may not be covered by insurance.

Tickets and sponsorship information for the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards are available atcollegebasketballawards.com or by contacting Scott Hill (405-640-0406, scott.hill@access-sports.net).

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.

ALL-TIME USBWA NATIONAL FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR
1989 Chris Jackson, LSU
1990 Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech
1991 Rodney Rogers, Wake Forest
1992 Chris Webber, Michigan
1993 Jason Kidd, California
1994 Joe Smith, Maryland
1995 None selected
1996 None selected
1997 None selected
1998 Larry Hughes, Saint Louis
1999 Quentin Richardson, DePaul
2000 Jason Gardner, Arizona
2001 Eddie Griffin, Seton Hall
2002 T.J. Ford, Texas		 2003 Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
2004 Luol Deng, Duke
2005 Marvin Williams, North Carolina
2006 Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
2007 Kevin Durant, Texas
2008 Michael Beasley, Kansas State
2009 Tyreke Evans, Memphis
2010 John Wall, Kentucky
2011 Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
2012 Anthony Davis, Kentucky
2013 Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State
2014 Jabari Parker, Duke
2015 Jahlil Okafor, Duke

Related links:
• Integris Wayman Tisdale Award | More from Integris
• Freshman All-America Teams: 2014 | 2013