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Texas A&M Hires Mark Turgeon As Head Coach

Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon is expected to be introduced Tuesday as Texas A&M's basketball coach, according to a person close to the program who requested anonymity because the hiring hadn't been announced.

Texas A&M called a news conference for Tuesday afternoon to announce a replacement for Billy Gillispie, who left the Aggies for Kentucky last week. Sports information director Alan Cannon declined to give any additional details about the news conference.

Sturgeon toured the Texas A&M campus on Monday and then returned to Wichita State, where he was to meet with his team late Monday night.

The expected hiring of Sturgeon had previously been reported by other media.

The Houston Chronicle, citing three people with knowledge of the deal, said the school had reached an agreement with Turgeon.

The scoreboard inside Reed Arena at Texas A&M on Monday flashed "Welcome to Aggieland Mark and Ann Turgeon," according to the Bryan-College Station Eagle and the San Antonio Express-News.

Wichita State senior Matt Braeuer told The Wichita Eagle before the meeting with the coach that he and teammates were under the impression that Turgeon is leaving.

"That's basically what I've heard," Braeuer said. "No coaches have told us anything. (But) from a few other sources, from what I've heard, it's a done deal."

The 42-year-old Turgeon has been at Wichita State for seven seasons, leading the Shockers to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament in 2006 as a No. 7 seed.

Turgeon is 128-90 since arriving at Wichita State in 1999. The Shockers finished 17-14 and sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference this past season. Turgeon also has served as an assistant coach at Kansas under Larry Brown and Roy Williams.

Gillispie turned Texas A&M into a Big 12 power in just three seasons. He went 70-26 with a team that was 7-21 the season before he arrived, including 0-16 in the conference play.

He was offered a new contract and raise to stay with the Aggies, but turned it down to replace Tubby Smith at Kentucky.

Source: Sports Illustrated

Kansas Forward Julian Wright Declares for NBA Draft

Julian Wright, the versatile but inconsistent power forward who helped Kansas win two straight Big 12 titles, is skipping his last two years to go into the NBA draft.

The 6-foot-8 Chicago native, who insisted all year long he would be back for his junior season, said at a news conference Monday that money was not the deciding issue.

"Money has never been my motivation," he said. "It's not my family's (motivation). Mostly, just playing and feeling like I'm able to advance my game to the next level. It's not about the money. I'm just happy and grateful to have the opportunity."

Often inconsistent but at times spectacular with his long wing span and rare athletic gifts, Wright averaged 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in helping the Jayhawks win their second straight Big 12 Tournament title. In the regular season, he averaged 12 points and 8.1 rebounds.

His best scoring game was a 33-point salvo at Missouri. But, showing his bad side one night at home, he went up for a spectacular, uncontested dunk but lost control of the ball and his body and landed in an embarrassed heap beneath the basket. Coach Bill Self was so disgusted, he jerked him out of the game.

"Julian is a versatile, fabulous athlete who can do a lot of things very, very well," said Self, who joined his star player at the news conference.

"I feel like I'm in a position now where I can develop," he said. "I'm not saying I'm going to be the next LeBron James or an impact player right away. I know it's a long work in process."

By declaring for the draft, Wright becomes eligible to participate in the NBA Pre-Draft camp and try out for NBA teams. If he does not hire an agent, Wright can withdraw from the June 28 draft and return to school provided he does so by June 18.

He becomes the first Jayhawk to declare for this year's draft, although 6-foot-6 sophomore guard Brandon Rush is widely thought to be leaning toward turning pro. Kansas had no seniors last season and would otherwise return the entire lineup that reached the round of eight in the NCAA tournament.

Source: Sports Illustrated

Durant To Enter NBA Draft

Texas freshman Kevin Durant will declare for the NBA draft, the Dallas Morning News reports, citing two unnamed sources close to the Longhorns basketball program.

A news conference has been scheduled for 5 p.m. ET in Austin, Texas, ESPN.com's Andy Katz reports. Durant plans on finishing the spring semester rather than withdrawing from the university, Katz reports.

The Houston Chronicle reported that Durant is expected to make a decision by the middle of this week.

Durant and his family did not talk to reporters after the team banquet Monday night in Austin, Texas. Barnes said he expects Durant will make an announcement soon.

"I think he'll make a quick decision," Barnes said, noting that Durant's family would remain in town with him for another day or so. "Now it's a matter of [Durant and his family] deciding and putting it together."

Barnes said Durant has not yet told him what he'll do.

"He's made history. No one's done what he did this year. He swept every major award as a freshman. It's a year we may not ever see again by anybody. It's remarkable," Barnes said.

Durant still has plenty of time to think about his decision. Players have until April 29 to declare for the NBA draft, which takes place June 28 in New York.

"Right now, I don't even know," the 6-foot-9 swingman, a sure bet to be one of the first players picked should he decide to go pro, said Saturday in Los Angeles when he picked up the John. R. Wooden Award.

"I'm just enjoying the moment, having fun," Durant said Saturday. "When the time comes, I'll make the right decision."

Durant is considered a lock to be one of the first two players chosen in the draft and a likely candidate to be the first overall pick. He averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game as the Longhorns went 25-10 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Barnes says he has advised Durant to follow his heart.

"The one thing I do know he's going to do is finish school," Barnes said, according to the Dallas Morning News. "That's one thing I don't worry about. He's going to do that part of it."

Source: ESPN

Aaron Afflalo To Turn Pro

UCLA All-American Arron Afflalo is passing up his senior year to enter the NBA draft.

Afflalo, who averaged 16.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists and led the Bruins to consecutive Final Fours, announced his decision Tuesday at a news conference on campus.

The 21-year-old junior from Compton declared for the NBA draft last year, but withdrew his name and returned to school after attending evaluation camps. A player who declares a second time isn't allowed to return to school.

Afflalo said it was time to move on.

"The decision wasn't easy," he said. "I did this for my personal growth, my happiness and where I felt I should be as an individual, what can get me to compete and be the best basketball player I can be."

Afflalo averaged 10.8 points while starting each of UCLA's 29 games as a freshman, and a team-leading 15.8 points as a sophomore, when the Bruins (32-7) reached the NCAA championship game before losing to Florida 73-57.

UCLA (30-6) was eliminated by the Gators for a second straight year on March 31, losing 76-66 in the national semifinals. Florida beat Ohio State 84-75 in the title game.

The Bruins were known for their outstanding defense this season, and the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Afflalo was one of the main reasons. He and sophomore Darren Collison made up one of the nation's best backcourts at both ends of the floor.

Afflalo was the Pac-10 player of the year this season and finished sixth in the voting for the John R. Wooden award, given to college basketball's outstanding player.

Afflalo said he was disappointed to leave UCLA without winning an NCAA title.

"My intent was to come here and win a championship. That was what I was recruited for," he said. "I compete to win, I don't compete to participate ... so I was very disappointed."

Bruins coach Ben Howland said he was certain Afflalo will be a first-round pick in this summer's draft.

"I've done a lot of research and talking to NBA GM's over the last week. There's a lot of people excited about Arron," Howland said.

Afflalo planned to drop his classes Wednesday to prepare for the draft, and said he intends to complete some 10 remaining classes in the future obtain his college diploma.

"I will be graduating," he said.

He declined to comment on which NBA team he would like to play for.

"I just want to play, become part of a family, part of a team," he said.

Source: ESPN

UNC's Hansbrough and Lawson To Come Back

Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson will return to North Carolina next season instead of entering the NBA draft early.

"I've definitely decided that I will be back [for] my junior year," Hansbrough said Tuesday night after the team's annual awards ceremony. "Personally, I'm not ready for the next step of the NBA.

"Playing [another] year with coach [Roy] Williams will help me improve my game individually. There's also some team things that I want to accomplish. College is a great experience for me, and I'd like to be here another year."

Lawson, who had the best assist-turnover ratio in the Atlantic Coast Conference, announced he would return for his sophomore season by deadpanning a joke during the ceremony at the Dean Smith Center.

"I just like being a college basketball player," Lawson said after the ceremony.

They became the third Tar Heels this week to announce they would return for another season, joining shooting guard Wayne Ellington.

School spokesman Steve Kirschner said ACC rookie of the year Brandan Wright has not made his decision and would have no immediate comment. The early-entry deadline is April 29.

The return of Hansbrough and Lawson wasn't a huge surprise -- both players had said they were leaning toward coming back next season.

Hansbrough was the ACC's fourth-leading scorer, its second-best rebounder and a consensus all-conference selection -- one of only four players in school history to be unanimously named all-ACC.

Lawson ranked fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.2 points, and his assist-turnover ratio of 2.57 was the best ever by a North Carolina freshman.

Lawson's announcement was notable for its comic timing -- it came during his acceptance speech after he was honored for leading the team in assists.

"After thinking about things, talking to my parents, I think it would be best if I took my skills to the NBA. I'm sorry," Lawson said.

Dead silence.

"I'm just playing -- I'll be back next year," Lawson quipped, drawing cheers from the crowd of about 1,000.

Hansbrough seemed to tip his hand by also cracking a joke during the ceremony.

"I cut a deal with coach [Roy] Williams before the banquet that I'd be back for my junior year only if he fired [assistant coach Joe] Holladay," Hansbrough joked, drawing laughter and applause from the crowd.

The Tar Heels (31-7) shared their ACC regular-season championship, won their first conference tournament since 1998 and were seeded No. 1 in the East Regional.

Their season ended in the East Regional finals -- blowing an 11-point lead to Georgetown.

Lawson said he will return "probably just to get better and go deeper in the NCAA tournament, live out the memories that we had this year."

Source: ESPN

Georgetown's Green, Hibbert To Enter NBA Draft

Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the juniors who led Georgetown to the school's first Final Four appearance in 22 years, will submit their names for the NBA draft.

Neither player will sign with an agent before the early withdrawal date, the Hoyas said Friday, which means they will retain NCAA eligibility should either or both decide to return to college.

"Both young men have worked extremely hard to position themselves for this opportunity," coach John Thompson III said. "They have begun a process of information gathering which is necessary for them to make educated decisions."

The early withdrawal date is June 18. The draft will be held June 28.

Both players would likely be lottery picks. Thompson said earlier this week that Green and Hibbert wanted to get an idea as to how high they would be picked before deciding whether to turn pro.

Green was the player of the year in the Big East and most outstanding player of the NCAA East Regional this season, and his versatility would make him a coveted player in the NBA. The 6-foot-9 forward led the Hoyas in scoring (14.3 points) and was second in both rebounding (6.4) and assists (3.2).

Hibbert, a 7-2 center, could become a strong post player in the NBA but still needs to polish his game. He led the Hoyas in rebounds (6.9) and averaged 12.9 points. He also blocked 90 shots.

Source: Sports Illustrated

Father Says Greg Oden Will Enter NBA Draft

Ohio State star Greg Oden will enter the NBA draft, his father told The Indianapolis Star in a story on its Web site Friday night.

The 7-foot center is widely considered a possible No. 1 draft pick, and Greg Oden Sr. said he was he was comfortable with his son's decision.

"He's the kind of kid that, even though he'll have a lot of money, he needs to do more than just basketball," Greg Oden Sr. said. "They had an exciting season, but why take the chance on him getting hurt?"

Oden and Buckeyes point guard Mike Conley Jr. led Lawrence North of Indianapolis to three straight Indiana high school basketball titles. As freshmen, they led Ohio State to a No. 1 ranking and the NCAA championship game.

Oden's mother, Zoe, told the Star, "Greg told me he wasn't ready to talk about it just yet."

The elder Oden said Conley and fellow Ohio State freshman Daequan Cook also were expected to put their names in the draft.

The players have until midnight on April 29 to declare whether they intend to make themselves available for the NBA draft.

Mike Conley Sr., the former director of elite athlete services for USA Track and Field, has been certified as an NBA agent and is opening a representation firm. The elder Oden said Conley Sr. would represent his son.

Source: ESPN

From an article by by Gary Parrish, CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer:

I'm reminded of a story Bob Knight told last fall.

"I spoke to the National Press Club in Washington a couple of years ago, and I took the NCAA guide and dropped it on a table, and it sounded like a rocket it was so heavy," Knight said. "And then from beneath the podium, I took out the Constitution of the United States. I think it had four pages, you know.

"And I said, 'I'm a history major and I ought to know this exactly, but I think this has been amended 28 times since 1783, and it's provided millions and millions of people with the best lifestyle that has ever existed in the world.' And I said, 'But this son of a bitch over here has been amended 28 times since noon yesterday, and nobody still has any idea what the hell is in it.'"




Bobby Knight is the shit!

LMFAO...Great post BM...

Lil' Romeo Wants To Play for USC

Lil' Romeo says he's bound for Southern California, where if all goes according to plan he could be Romeo Miller, Trojans basketball player.

The teen hip-hop star has committed to playing basketball for the Trojans' class of 2008, Dave Lindsay, a spokesman for Lil' Romeo's online label, UrbanDigital Records, said Friday.

USC spokesman Dave Tuttle declined to confirm or deny the report but said the university hasn't received a signed letter of intent from the rapper, who is just a high school junior.

Source: ESPN