Each Friday I will write about the sport I love, college basketball.
• How about a salute to Richard Jefferson of the New Jersey Nets. He showed pride in his school and made an impressive financial donation to help build a practice facility for the Arizona athletic program. Jefferson's donation included a pledge of around $3.5 million to be spread out over a 5-6 year span. The facility is expected to be completed in late 2008. Wildcats coach Lute Olson had to be thrilled with this.
• Illinois guard Jamar Smith will be redshirting the upcoming season. He was involved in a car crash that left a teammate seriously injured late last season. Back in May he served a 15-day jail sentence for a DUI. Here is a young man getting his life back in order and I wish him all the best. I believe he can come back for the 2008-09 season and be a contributor to the team. More importantly, he can regain control of his life.
• Tough news for Georgia Tech as big man Ra'Sean Dickey will miss the fall semester due to academic issues. Hopefully he will be able to get back on track and return to the team for the second semester and ACC play. Coach Paul Hewitt did get some good news as guard Lewis Clinch has regained his eligibility and can return to the team. Last season, Clinch was Georgia Tech's top scorer through the first 10 games of the season, reaching double digits in every game and exceeding 50 percent from the floor in all but two. He scored 20 or more four times (Georgia State, UCLA, Penn State, Miami). Overall he played only 14 games last year before being declared ineligible, was averaging better than 17 points, hitting 53 percent of his shots and 47.6 percent of his three-point attempts through his first 10 games. Add in newcomers Gani Lawal, a 6-8 talent, plus guards Moe Miller and Lance Storrs and the Yellow Jackets will be revitalized despite the early loss of Dickey.
• Virginia Tech suffered a blow when diaper dandy Dorenzo Hudson, a 6-4 guard from Charlotte, was not admitted for the fall semester. He is expected to play in December. Coach Seth Greenberg did have a strong recruiting class with 6-7 Jeff Allen, 6-6 Darrion Pellum, 6-6 Terrell Bell and 6-3 Malcolm Delaney.
• St. John's received some bad news too. Sophomore forward Qa'rran Calhoun withdrew from school and announced plans to transfer. Calhoun started 10 games last season for the Red Storm. He averaged almost six points and four rebounds and showed potential down the stretch for Norm Roberts' squad.
• So many schools are taking advantage of the rule that allows international competiton in advance of the season. USC is playing down in Mexico around Labor Day weekend, a great opportunity for O.J. Mayo to get experience and learn to bond with his new teammates. Oklahoma will be playing up in Canada around the same time. Providence is on an exhibition tour in Italy right now.
• Mark this down for New Year's Eve. There's a pretty good match-up as Michael Beasley, Bill Walker and Kansas State will face off with Xavier. The game will be played in Cincinnati.
• Syracuse has used several former players on its coaching staff over the years (Mike Hopkins will eventually take over for Jim Boeheim). Now Boeheim has another former player on his staff as Lazarus Sims has come on board. There was an opening as another former Orange player, Allen Griffin, left to join the staff at St. Francis, New York.
