The Day After--Your Thoughts?

Now that the news was made official--what do you think about Mike Rice as the new head coach at Rutgers? Should Rice and RU hire Kevin Boyle as an assistant? How can Rice make an impact for the 2010-11 season? How many Big East games do you think Rice and co. will win in 2010-11? Anything else you want to add? Who will win the UEFA Champions League final? The World Cup? What will Fred Hill Jr. be doing next season?

Mike Rice--The New Guy on the Banks

Let's be honest, RU's announcement today that Mike Rice is the new head basketball coach is hardly the splash the fan base was hoping for. Rice's Robert Morris team almost beat Villanova in the first round of this year's NCAA Tournament and many believe this near-win earned him the job over former Boston College head coach Al Skinner. I almost dated a super model too.

To me, Rice lacks the cache the RU program needed with its latest hire. Will the state's best talent decide to go to RU now that Rice is the head coach? Hardly. Some may say that Rice can't do any worse than Fred Hill, but he certainly can. Considering the paucity of talent due to take the floor next year, Rice and RU can certainly win less than five Big East games in 2010-11.

I hope I'm wrong. I'd love it if Rice turned this program around, recruited and landed the best local talent, and earned RU and NCAA bid. That'd mean even a wanker like Brendan Prunty would be prophetic. Prunty wrote today, "And now the Big East will get to find out what they’ve [Northeast Conference teams]known for the last three years: that when you play his teams, you better bring it every night." Dude, bringing it against the likes of Monmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson is a little different than bringing it against Syracuse, UConn, West Virginia, etc. on a week-to-week basis. When RU loses and the Star Ledger needs to get critical, it will be Steve Politi to do the dirty job. Prunty is too much of a wimp.

Rice leaves Robert Morris after a three-year stint as head coach where he compiled a 73-31 record. He coached Robert Morris to two Northeast Conference titles and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. He was signed to a five-year deal worth $650,00 per year. Local legend and head coach at St. Patrick, Kevin Boyle is rumored to be a leading candidate to land an assistant position under Rice.

Comedy or Horrow Show? Rutgers Basketball Hits a New Low

Like Ben Stiller's 1996 film "The Cable Guy," Rutgers basketball is equal parts black comedy and horror flick. In what was supposed to be a relief to most RU fans, the school officially cut ties with Fred Hill this week as the two parties reached a settlement on Hill's resignation. Hill went bonkers at a Rutgers baseball game which was enough for RU and Athletic Director Tim Pernetti to bounce Dr. Evil. Unfortunately, RU and Pernetti are the ones coming out of this looking like the bigger fools.

It took two weeks for the school to fire Hill and in the interim, Mike Rosario, the team's top player and leading scorer transferred to Florida. Rosario was likely gone with or without the firing of Hill. Can you blame the St. Anthony graduate and the first McDonald's All-American in school history for leaving RU to play for two-time national champion Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators? Rosario felt his affiliation with RU was hindering his chances of making it to the NBA. He now goes to a school which has produced such NBA talent as David Lee, Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah. Seems like a no-brainer to me. In a weird twist of irony, Rosario joins the Florida team that RU's Jonathan Mitchell left two years ago to transfer to Piscataway. There has to be a good story there.

Last week, there was talk that Pernetti and RU would file tampering charges against USC as RU believed the Trojans contacted Rosario illegally. Pernetti and Rutgers have since apologized.

RU basketball is in complete disarray. Pernetti couldn't even fire Hill with any conviction and now the transfer list under Hill's tenure has reached between 12-13, depending on how you count the players. Prior to Rosario's departure, the team lost its next best player on the 2009-10 roster when Gregory Echenique transferred to Creighton. Patrick Jackson and Brian Okam recently stated their intent to transfer and Gil Birutas, the team's best incoming recruit, has asked to have his statement intent rescinded.

Steve Politi of the Star Ledger rightly stated that Pernetti's handling of the new hiring will probably be his lasting legacy--either a positive or a negative one. Unfortunately, the deck is stacked against Pernetti. As Politi writes, the leading candidates to replace Hill all come with flaws. Additionally, too much damage has probably occurred for any superstar coach to come near this team.

Unless the school gives Pernetti the ducats to hire the best coach money can buy, entering a Rutgers basketball team in the Big East is a bad joke. I just wish the men's soccer team was good again--there's little hope the hoopsters will win more than two conference games next year and this man just can't get into football. Any sport that requires that much equipment on one's person is just too whack for me.

Hill Ousted and Rosario to Transfer

Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti will make the official announcement tomorrow that head basketball coach Fred Hill is gone. Just weeks after learning he would be back for the final year on his contract, Hill was let go for misconduct at a Pitt-Rutgers baseball game. Hill was caught directing profanities at the Pitt coaching staff and evidently didn't keep away from RU baseball games as ordered by Pernetti. Despite another losing season and compiling a 47-77 record in four seasons on the banks, Hill retained his job for the 2010-11 season because of the $1.8 million owed to him if Rutgers cut the cord. A buyout is supposedly in the works, but it certainly won't be close to the 1.8 mil.

Other area bloggers, including Adam Zagoria's ZagsBlog, are also reporting the imminent transfer of Mike Rosario. Rosario's decision to leave RU will probably be made within the next week or so. A St. Anthony's graduate and McDonald's All-American, the first in RU history, Rosario led the Scarlet Knights with just under 17 points per game this season. Apparently, Rosario's decision to bounce isn't contingent on Hill's status. Reports have Rosario interested in USC, Michigan State, and Florida. Earlier this month, St. Benedict's Gilvydas Birutas asked to be released from his commitment. Birutas was regarded as the best incoming recruit. In what proved to be Hill's final season on the banks, fans saw the departures of Gregory Echenique, Patrick Jackson, Mike Rosario, and promising recruit Birutas. Hill's dismissal is well-deserved, but offers little consolation to fans of a sunken ship.

Reports have the following coaches on RU's short-list of possible replacements:
Fran Fraschilla, Jim Baron, Jim O’Brien, Dino Gaudio and Fran Dunphy. Gaudio was recently sacked from Wake Forest after leading the Deacon Demons to a winning season and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Dunphy's Temple Owls are projected to be a preseason top 10 team. Fraschilla is likely the top candidate for the job.

At this point, anybody is better than Hill, but this list isn't exactly replete with the big names that will have fans lining up for season tickets. I hope this is just a tentative list of candidates. I think we can do better.

Crazy Times on the Banks--Hill's Job in Jeopardy Once Again

The month of April is off to a busy start for the Rutgers University basketball team. Head coach Fred Hill, just weeks after learning he's coming back for another year behaved badly at a RU-Pitt baseball game. Apparently Hill, the son of long-time baseball coach Fred Hill Sr., got into verbal shouting match with members of the Pitt coaching staff and his profanity-laced conduct has him in hot water and potentially out of a job. Athletic Director Tim Pernetti is investigating the matter.

While the potential dismissal of Hill has many fans excited, the news comes with with more than a few not-so-pleasant gems as well. The team's top recruit, Gilvydas Birutas has asked to be released from his Letter of Intent, and Patrick Jackson announced he's transferring and won't be back with the team next season. If that wasn't bad enough, the team's leading scorer Mike Rosario is rumored to be transferring as well. Twitter reports have Rosario already leaving or waiting to see how the Hill situation ends. Stay tuned for what should be an interesting April.

NJ Ballers in the 2010 Big Dance

Now that I've finished crying over the fact that not one NJ college team is dancing this March, I've compiled what I think is a comprehensive list of guys either from Jersey or with high school ties to Jersey playing in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. I'm not going to say, "imagine if these cats went to Rutgers," but you can go there if you want. A student of mine asked me just the other day, "where would you go on a basketball scholarship--Rutgers or Duke?" The sad truth is that I'm loyal to my home state, but not an idiot.

Although us Jersey-heads can't root for Rutgers, Seton Hall (NIT), Princeton, Monmouth, St. Peter's, or Rider at this year's tournament, we can still find plenty of homegrown talent to cheer for this month and even some dudes who made Jersey a pit-stop on the road to college ball. Check out my story for Greater Media Publishing on Metuchen's favorite son, Marqus Blakely. Blakely and the rest of the No. 16 Vermont Catamounts take on No. 1 Syracuse in the West Region Thursday night.

Players in bold-face are homegrown talents.

EAST REGION

West Virginia (27-6)—No. 2
Da’Sean Butler (Bloomfield Tech/Newark, NJ)—All-Big East First Team, averages 17.5 ppg and 6.3 rpg. Butler made game-winning shots in both Big East Tournament semifinals and finals to lead the Mountaineers to first ever Big East Tourney title and earn him Tournament MVP honors.

Wellington Smith (Summit HS/The Blair Academy/Summit, NJ)—Smith averages 23.5 minutes, 6.8 ppg and 4.3 rpg for Mountaineers.

Temple (28-5)—No. 5
T.J. DiLeo (Cinnaminson HS/Cinnaminson, NJ)—DiLeo Averages 1.2 ppg in 6.3 minutes per game for Owls.

Marquette (22-11)—No. 6
David Cubillan (St Benedict’s/Maracaibo, Venezuela)—Starter who averages over 31 minutes per game for the Golden Eagles. Cubillan heads into the tournament averaging 6.6 ppg.

Texas (24-9)—No. 8
Alexis Wangmene (Blair Academy/Marou,Cameroon)—Averages about two points and two rebounds in eight minutes per game.

Morgan State (27-9)—No. 15
Adam Braswell (Notre Dame Prep/Burlington, NJ)—A freshman, Braswell played a total of 19 minutes this season for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champions.

WEST REGION

Pitt (24-8)—No. 3
Ashton Gibbs (Seton Hall Prep./Scotch Plains, NJ)—Named Big East Conference Most Improved Player for 2009-10 and All-Big East 2nd Team. Gibbs averages 15.9 points per game and is shooting 44% from beyond the three-point arc.

Lamar Patterson (S. Benedict’s/Lancaster, PA)—Averages 9.7 minutes and 2.7 points in freshman season.

Travon Woodall (St. Anthony’s/Brooklyn, NY)—Redshirt freshman who averages 3.7 ppg in 16.3 minutes per contest.

Vanderbilt (24-8)—No. 4
Lance Goulbourne (The Hun School Princeton/Brooklyn, NY)—Averages 13 minutes, 3.3 points, and two rebounds per game.

Florida (21-12)—No. 10
Dan Werner (Christian Brothers Academy/Middletown, NJ)—Averages 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per game. Werner is second on the Gators with 42 steals.


UTEP (26-6)—No. 12
Derrick Caracter (Notre Dame Prep/Fanwood, NJ)—Transfer from Louisville, Caracter leads the Miners with 8 rebounds per game and is second in scoring with 13.8ppg.

Vermont (25-9)—No. 16
Marqus Blakely (Metuchen HS/Metuchen, NJ)—Led the Catamounts with 24 points and 18 rebounds in the 2010 American East Championship Game. Blakely was named the Reggie Lewis Most Outstanding Player and leads Vermont with 17.4 ppg and 9.4 rpg. He is also the America East Defensive Player of the Year. He was the American East MVP for 2007-08 and 2008-09.

Nick Vier (Bergen Catholic/Franklin Lakes, NJ)—Averages 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds for Vermont. Vier scored 15 points in the Catamounts 83-70 win over Boston University in the American East title game.

SOUTH REGION

Duke (27-5)—No. 1
Casey Peters (Red Bank Regional/Red Bank, NJ)—Peters saw eight minutes of action this season.

Lance Thomas (St. Benedict’s/Scotch Plains, NJ)—Thomas averages just under five points and five rebounds per game. Has one sick tattoo of Jersey on his arm.

Brian Zoubek (Haddonfield Memorial/Haddonfield, NJ)—Zoubek leads the Blue Devils with 7.3 rebounds per game. Scores 5.3 points per game and is exactly what you think of when you picture a white guy on Duke.

Jordan Davidson (Blair Academy/Melbourne, AK)—Scored just six points in 48 minutes this season.


Villanova (24-7)—No. 2
Dominic Cheek (St. Anthony’s/Jersey City, NJ)-Cheek averages 13.5 minutes per game. True freshman averages 5.1 ppg and 2.5 rpg.

Corey Stokes (St. Benedict’s/Bayonne,NJ)—A senior, Stokes averages 9.5 ppg and 4 rebounds per game.

Corey Fisher (St. Patrick’s/Bronx,NY)—Leads the Wildcats with 4 assists per game and second in scoring with 13.7 a game.

Notre Dame (23-11)—No. 6
Tim Andree (Christian Brothers Academy/Colts Neck, NJ)—Andree scored four points in 14 minutes for the Irish this season.


Louisville (20-12)—No. 9
Samardo Samuels (St. Benedict’s/Trelawny, Jamaica)—Named to All-Big East 3rd Team. Samuels leads the Cardinals with 15.3 ppg and 7 rpg.

Siena (27-6)—No. 13
Clarence Jackson (Cherokee HS/Marlton, NJ)—Jackson is fourth on the team in scoring with 13.6 ppg and second in steals with 1.7 per game.

Robert Morris (23-11)—No. 15
Karon Abraham (Harp Academy/Paterson, NJ)—Freshman guard leads the Colonials with 13.4 ppg. Abraham comes into the tournament shooting 44% from three-point range.

Gary Wallace (Seton Hall Prep/Montclair, NJ)—Wallace averages 19 minutes a game and scores 5.8 ppg.

MIDWEST REGION

Kansas (32-2)—No. 1
Tyshawn Taylor (St. Anthony’s/Hoboken, NJ)—Taylor averages 23 minutes for Jayhawks and 7.4 ppg.

Markieff Morris (APEX Academy/Philadelphia, PA)—Averages 6.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg.

Marcus Morris (APEX Academy/Philadelphia, PA)—Averages 12.3 ppg and 6.1 rpg.

Maryland (23-8)—No. 4
Gary Williams (Collingwood, NJ)—Terrapins head coach since 1989 and team’s all-time winningest coach and winner of the 2002 National Championship. Williams won a New Jersey state title in 1971 coaching Camden’s Woodrow Wilson High to a 27-0 season.

New Mexico State (22-11)—No. 12
Hamidu Rahman (Franklin HS/Somerset, NJ)—Rahman averages 26.4 minutes a game and nearly a double-double with 10.4 ppg and 8.1 rpg.

Houston (19-15)—No. 13
Desmond Wade (Linden HS/Linden, NJ)—Averages 26.8 minutes and 5.9 points. Wade leads the Cougars with 4.8 assists per game.

Kahmell Broughton (Edison Academy/Carteret, NJ)—Broughton averages a point and a rebound in about seven minutes of work per contest.

Lehigh(22-10)—No. 16
Justin Maneri (Saddle Brook HS/Saddle Brook, NJ)—Maneri averages 8.4 minutes a game and 2.5 points.

First Annual BIG EAST Blogger Awards

A bunch of the Big East bloggers got together to cast our votes for Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and 1st and 2nd team All-Big East. Big thanks goes out to USF blogger Ken DeCelles, the man behind VooDoo 5, for putting this thing together. You can see the results here.

The Big East semifinals are set with No. 5 Marquette facing No. 8 Georgetown in the first game tonight at 7:00 p.m. The second game sees No. 3 West Virginia square off against No. 7 Notre Dame. Yesterday's action proved once again why the Big East is the best basketball conference in the country. Three of the four teams with the double-bye lost as No. 1 Syracuse, No. 2 Pittsburgh, and No. 3 Villanova all went down after just one game.

Anything can happen tonight, but just for the fun of it I will offer my picks for the rest of the way. Marquette beats Georgetown in a thriller that comes down to the final possession. Jimmy Butler finishes with a double-double, but Lazar Hayward and Greg Monroe battle it out in epic fashion and are the stars of the game. Monroe plays a great game, but Chris Wright is ineffective for the Hoyas and Marquette advances.

In the nightcap, Notre Dame's stall-ball finally peters out and West Virginia wins convincingly. New Jersey's own DaSean Butler goes bonkers for the Mountaineers.

I'm going with Marquette over West Virginia in the finals with Hayward being named the Tournament MVP.

Photo from New York Times