Uncategorized

You are currently browsing the archive for the Uncategorized category.

Watch Abdul Gaddy Rep the Red, White and Blue This Weekend

June 25, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 16 comments

Gaddy USAby Craig Yamada – Staff Writer

Saturday, June 26th will hopefully mark the turning of the corner for Abdul Gaddy. As previously noted by Percy Allen, Abdul Gaddy has been selected to the U18 roster for the USA Basketball team that’ll be playing this summer.

He will be representing his country as he competes in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship tournament in San Antonio, TX. For those wanting to witness Abdul aka “Young Gaddy” get his swagger back, all games will be streamed online at: http://www.fibaamericas.com/.

For those of you that followed recruiting with a microscope this year, this will be a great opportunity to watch some of the top 2010 commits and future 2011 commits show their stuff. Gaddy headlines this roster as the only player with NCAA experience. Joining him in San Antonio are some of the more prominent names in the 2010 class:

  • Kyrie Irving (PG, Duke Commit)
  • Vander Blue (SG, Marquette Commit)
  • Josh Hairston (PF, Duke Commit)
  • Patric Young (PF, Florida Commit)
  • Tony Mitchell (PF. Missouri Commit)

The battle between Irving and Gaddy for the starting PG position will be a fun battle to watch this weekend. Irving is arguably the best PG in the 2010 class (Sorry Josh Selby) and is destined to be Coach K’s best weapon this year. I expect this battle to be key in Gaddy’s maturation process as he competes with one of the nation’s best.

Early reports coming out of San Antonio is that Gaddy is the most vocal player on the team. Given that he has been to the Sweet 16 with UW already, he has much leadership and experience to bring to the table. Playing under Oklahoma Coach Jeff Capel, Gaddy will have an opportunity to reclaim his McDonald’s All American swag this weekend.

And, having worked with Ryan Appleby this summer, his shot has vastly improved already. UW players have twittered that Gaddy was “shooting as well as Wilcox” in summer scrimmages this year. If that holds true, Gaddy will have a bright sophomore campaign and will look to fulfill his five-star advertisement.

The remaining roster showcases some of 2011’s top prospects:

  • Austin Rivers (SG, Uncommitted)
  • Quincy Miller (PF, Uncommitted)
  • Trevor Cooney (SG, Syracuse Verbal Commit)
  • LeBryan Nash (SF, Uncommitted)
  • Amir Williams (C, Uncommitted)

The most notable name on this list that UW should be paying attention to is Austin Rivers. Rivers is the #2 rated player in the ESPN 2011 recruiting class. There have been rumblings that he may take a visit to UW this year. He is already being heavily recruited by Duke, Florida, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA. Although the son of Coach Doc Rivers may be a long shot for UW at this point, this is a player we should continue to keep our eyes on this year.  If Romar can pull a rabbit out of his hat with this kid, he would headline a potential top-10 recruiting class for UW in 2011. Here is Austin’s highlight reel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upU9gZCzygM

On a side note, Desmond Simmons was also invited to the tryouts for this roster, but unfortunately did not make the cut. Gaddy said that Desmond “did well” and said Simmons could make an immediate contribution to UW’s defense this year. From the looks of things, we could have Justin Holiday’s successor in D-Simmons. Having been invited to try out for the USA team is an honor in itself. His offensive skills have been said to be a bit more on the raw side, but as we all know, Romar will turn him into a more complete player once his UW career is complete.

All for now. Enjoy the games.

Thanks for coming!

Tags:

With the 26th pick, the Zombie Sonics Select…

June 25, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 7 comments

qpon romarby Craig Yamada – Staff Writer

Quincy Pondexter from the University of Washington.

But wait… just kidding. The destination of the great Q-PON was short lived as the OKC Thunder traded Quincy to play alongside CP3  and the New Orleans Hornets. Many Sonic fans are definitely happy Q-Pon did not remain in OKC for obvious reasons. We look forward to seeing what he can do at the next level in New Orleans. Coach Romar, we salute you for Q-Pon’s development and getting him to this level.

Quincy was the only Pac-10 Player selected in the first round of the 2010 Draft.

On behalf of Dawg Nation and Montlake Madness, we wanted to wish Q-Pon congratulations and wish you a long and prosperous career in the NBA! And we also wanted to thank you for your hard work and dedication everyday on Montlake for all four years of your great UW career. You will be missed.

Which Dawg will be next to reach NBA glory? Send us your thoughts.

Thanks for coming!

Tags:

MBA Summer Report: London Tea Bag Party

June 23, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 16 comments

MBA in UKMontlake Madness is getting ready to ramp up again for the upcoming season. You’ll see some changes, including plenty more from our team of writers. But more on that soon. Check back later this week for the first of a series of recruiting profiles. Might as well get to know the guys we’re going to be obsessing over for the next year, right?

Here’s a look at MBA’s summer vacation dunkation so far. . .

by Craig Yamada – Staff Writer

22-8-2.

No, that is not my old IMA locker combination. Those are MBA’s average stat lines after three games in the International Future Challenge in Lille, France. To summarize, MBA has been, for the lack of a better word, dominant in his first three outings this summer with the Great Britain under-23 team.

TANGENT: Yes, this will be the only British bloak I will be cheering on this summer. I still will yell USA, USA, USA when watching “futbol” this summer. Sorry MBA.

OK, back to hoops. To be exact, he is averaging 22.3 points/7.7 Rebounds/2.3 Blocks/2.3 Steals over his three games against France, Belgium and Luxembourg.  And what’s even more remarkable, he is shooting over 53% from the field in his last two games. From the articles I have read on Hoopsfix.com, every notable highlight is capped with some kind of emphatic slam by none other than MBA. He is leading his team in scoring and is dominating the glass.

MBA started the tourney with a matchup against France. A controversial call by a ref at the end of the game proved to be the difference in the game as Great Britain fell, 80-79. MBA finished that game with 16 points and six rebounds. The highlights of that game featured MBA beasting two French defenders for a thunderous stuff. He also had a reverse jam and a highlight reel worthy swat off the glass.

Game 2 was against Belgium where MBA looked to rebound after the heartbreaking loss to France. And boy did he respond. He finished with 26 points, 9 rebounds, 7 steals and 2 blocks to lead Great Britain to a 83-68 victory. The GB coach is sending Coach Romar a bag of crumpets to thank him for MBA’s defensive prowess. He also shot 48% (12 for 25) from the field and led all scorers for the second straight game.

And game 3 against Luxembourg was an all-out route as GB cruised 90-61. MBA had another strong performance shooting 61% (11 for 18) from the field netting 25 points and grabbing 8 boards. Highlight of the game was a one handed alley-oop which I can only imagine was as painful to watch as the tea bag against Stanford during the Pac-10 Tourney. There was actually a live feed of the Luxembourg game which can be seen here (poor quality): http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7785647

Are we really that surprised about these stellar performances? I think not. Abdul Gaddy told Percy Allen this summer about regaining his “swag”. Well, if MBA’s SWAG was a car, that car has been doing 90 in a 25mph zone since his first game against Stanford last year.

Entering into his senior year, MBA finally has gained the confidence needed to succeed at the college level. Now the question remains, can he elevate it to the next? If history has taught us anything, UW players are notorious for slow starts and turning their game up during their late junior year into their senior year.  Bobby Jones, Justin Dentmon, and Quincy Pondexter were the best examples of that.

And Q-Pon proved that an offseason with national competition was key to his growth as a player and a leader. Let’s just hope that MBA and Gaddy can follow suit with their international competition this summer. There are already rumblings that he will be playing alongside Ben Gordon and Luol Deng for GB in the 2012 Olympics in London. That could be an interesting team to watch.

MBA’s production is going to be vital for UW to rise back to the Pac 10 conference crown in 2010-11. If Aziz N’Diaye can start garnering more attention in the post, MBA will have plenty of opportunities to dominate at the 4 spot. I for one think that he could have a good chance for Pac 10 first team if all the right chips fall.

Is November here yet?

Tags: ,

The Hangover: UW Style

May 30, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 35 comments

Hangoverby Craig Yamada – Staff Writer

More than a week has passed since the news of “What’s his name” committing to UK. I would be lying if I told you that I got over it quickly. However, after a week to absorb everything and listening to Romar in his interviews, I think I am starting to get over the TJ Hangover.

Many would turn to alcohol to get over something like this. Others would turn to prayer. Instead, I turned to my piano and played my sorrows away. And as I started playing, I began to sing. You may recognize the tune. It sounds a little like The DOUG SONG:

What does Coach Cal dream of… when he takes a little wildcat snooze?

Does he dream of stealing TJ… or John Wall in his Avatar suit?

Don’t you worry your greasy little head,

Mark Emmert will get you sanctioned all over again

And in Maui TJ will be begging for a SUB

Because MBA just tea-bagged him for snubbing the DUB

Dub, Duuuub, oh Duuuub, Duuub, Dub, Dubbie, Dubbie, Dub

But if you if you jump ship for the Cleveland Cavaliers…..

Well then UK’s s^&t outta luck

I feel better, don’t you?

As Griffin noted in the previous article, a UK/UW showdown seems imminent under the sunny skies of Maui in November.  There has been no word of where each team will be seeded, however the fans of UW are all praying for a game against the UK (NBA AAA) squad. Does UW have a newfound rivalry in the SEC? If IT’s Twitter has anything to say about it, I would have to say most likely”

“I hope we play KENTUCKY nxt yr n the Maui classic. All I gotta say is ITS BOUT TO GO DOWN A BARK over a meow ne day.”

Romar, being the class act that he is, has dismissed the notion that there is any kind of grudge between him and Calipari. Romar’s loyal fans have seemingly taken the fight into their own hands after bearing witness to last Wednesday’s news. As a result, a non-stop blogging war has been sparked between UW and UK fans as they continue to argue as to why each school is better. Article quotes from Kentucky Sports Radio that particularly tickled my interest were:

“Washington fans seem mad about something.”

“Washington is completely oblivious to how the game works. Know your role, Huskies. You have officially become UK’s wingman. Accept it.”

“Perhaps UW will become this JV team that Cal has talked about?”

Yes, it’s ON.

Romar even went on to say in an ESPN Radio interview that it would be “a competitive game” between UK and UW if they did meet up. I for one think Romar was being modest in his prediction as I can see a UW victory by 15. And this is why:

Matchups:

(UW/UK)

PG: Abdul Gaddy / Brandon Knight

These McDonald’s five-star All-Americans have gone head to head before and it has been said that Gaddy came out on the winning end. With Gaddy’s USA Basketball experience this summer, I expect him to play to his potential this year. Edge: UW

SG : Isaiah Thomas/ Doron Lamb

IT is likely going to be a likely candidate for Pac-10 Player of the Year this year. IT has proven himself to be a lock-down defender and will be able to shut down Doron Lamb’s long-range game. IT will be able to blow by Lamb on offense and create opportunities for his teammates.  Edge: UW

SF: Justin Holiday/Terrence Jones

As talented as TJ is, he has never played against a shutdown defender like Justin Holiday before. I expect our senior to render TJ useless as he will keep him off the boards and will force him to shoot his outside shot. Edge: UW

PF: MBA/Eloy Vargas

After playing a summer for the UK (United Kingdom) Men’s national team, I can foresee MBA being a beast for any opposing forward to face in the post. If you add in MBA’s shotblocking ability and UW’s defensive pressure, Eloy Vargas will have trouble getting his game into gear. Edge: UW

C: Aziz N’Diaye/Enes Kanter

It’s hard not to be excited about Aziz after seeing his stats against Demarcus Cousins in the 2009 Nike Basketball Summit. Aziz was able to keep Demarcus in check with countless blocked shots on his stat sheet. However, Enes Kanter is a beast of his own and is the most “Pro-ready” player on UK’s team. He may win this battle, but UK will lose the war. Edge: UK

Bench: UW vs. UK

Our bench speaks for itself as we literally can sub in a fresh set of players with minimal drop off from the first team. With Venoy, Wilcox, Ross, Suggs, Simmons, Gant and Breshers waiting in the wings for playing time, I don’t see how UK will contend with our depth. And yes, even Brenden Sherrer will play in the game when all is said and done. I can dream can’t I?

Even with bias aside, the experience and team chemistry UW has returning will be a tough matchup for any team to deal with, let alone a team that lost their entire starting five from last year.  With the depth that UW has coming off the bench, any team would be foolish to say that they can dominate us.

Final game score: 96 – 81 UW over UK.

And with that, I leave you with one final future UW moment. I have been thinking about how excited our three new recruits will be when they touch down in Maui. I have a funny feeling Desmond Simmons will be stepping to the forefront as a key contributor this year. Not only on the floor, but off the floor as well. I have prepared his pre-game speech here in efforts to fire up our team the night before the game:

“Hey Guys. How about that flight in? I guess that’s why they call it Maui Fever.. ha ha. You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one man Dawg pack. Though when Romar got Aziz and Terrence to sign with UW, I knew they were two of my own. And my Dawg pack, grew by two. So there were three of us… there were three of us in the Dawg pack. I was alone first in the pack, and then Aziz and Terrence joined later. And six months ago when Romar introduced me to you guys, I thought “wait a second could it be?” and now I know for sure I just added ten more guys to my Dawg pack. Thirteen of us Dawgs, running around the beaches together in Maui, looking for a championship and Kahlua pork. So tonight, I make a toast.”

Thanks for coming!

Tags:

The Ballad of Terrence Jones

May 21, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 12 comments

Staff Writer, Griffin Bennett, takes a look at the #&@* show that end with yesterday’s sad news of Terrence Jones committing to Kentucky.

Husky Nation was just punched it the gut by a 5-star All-American. After going toe-to-toe with Kentucky and John Calipari, the Huskies were just knocked out by 6’9’’ recruit Terrence Jones. Wednesday night he signed a financial aid agreement with Kentucky instead of U-Dub while most reports were predicting the opposite all week.

This is just the latest blow delivered by Coach Calipari in the last few years as five-star caliber players like Enes Kanter and DeMarcus Cousins have also chosen the Kentucky coach over Coach Romar. Jones’ decision has left Husky Nation in a state of shock. What did we do wrong? Why did he change his mind? Where does this leave the team for next year?

My Take:

First, I’ll give my opinion on the matter and then I’ll try to get into some useful analysis on how this affects the Husky team for next year. First and foremost, this just makes me disgusted at the college recruiting system. There is something insanely wrong with the way that we allow this system to function with no repercussions.

Ten years ago, the Terrence Jones Saga would not have happened. The blog/Twitter/Facebook era has allowed the recruitment process to balloon into a creature that can’t be stopped. Every rumor, no matter how small, will now be analyzed and dissected until the next one emerges. Ten year ago, Terrence Jones would have made a soft verbal to UW and then surprisingly changed his decision three weeks later with limited fanfare. If I was in Terrence’s position I would have milked every opportunity for the spotlight that I could get too.

Call me a drama queen if you want, but I love being the center of attention. If 25 thousand people tuned in to watch you pick up a hat, would that not make you feel like a celebrity? Don’t lie — you would think your farts smell like roses too!

Unfortunately, it’s 2010 and college recruitment has grown into a multi-million dollar business where coaches are now hired for their recruiting ability over their actual basketball coaching skill. Let’s not kid ourselves, John Calipari is the best recruiter in the nation.

College basketball has been forever changed by Coach Cal and it will, most likely, never be the same again. The “one and done” rule from the NBA has turned some college basketball teams into the AAA teams of the NBA. John Calipari has bought into this ideal and aggressively goes after these future NBA stars that are forced into a year of college basketball servitude with the promise of the path of least resistance to their ultimate goal. That goal is the “glitz and glamour” that only the NBA can provide. Gone are the years of teams of future NBA Hall of Famers that play all the way through their senior years.

In my opinion, the elite teams of the 80’s and 90’s of college basketball would destroy the elite teams these days because the skill level of the juniors and seniors is so inferior. We are left with a college landscape that is more popular than ever, but the fundamentals of the institution have changed dramatically since the 2004 “one and done” rule was implemented by the NBA. Being unbiased, I can’t get mad at Calipari. He followed every guideline set forth by the NCAA and he won. Game over.

However, I do have a problem with the public image that UK’s Calipari tries to project. His record low student GPA, and wake of institutional destruction that he has left behind at UMASS and Memphis suggest that his priorities are not in line with those set forth by the NCAA. He cares more about wins and money than he does about the collegiate success of his players and his university. The Terrence Jones saga only further accelerates this idea.

First, Coach Calipari convinces UW verbal commit Enes Kanter to leave UW for the Kentucky limelight. Next, Terrence Jones chooses UW in a web-aired ceremony where 25 thousand fans either cheered or jeered his decision. Later, in an interview, Coach Calipari declares that he does not continue to recruit a player until “he publically de-commits” which neither Jones nor Kanter ever did. It’s one thing to follow the rules (which allow a coach to continue to recruit a committed player) but it’s a whole other beast when you begin to preach something other than what you practice. Shame on you, John Calipari. Just admit that you’re a “no holds barred” coach who will do everything that he legally can do to gain an advantage, but please don’t pretend to be some sort of “holier than thou” figure that succeeds based on his morals.

The whole country knows this isn’t the case and it only adds to your already stained legacy. Adding a morally limited coach in John Calipari to a national powerhouse in Kentucky is a recipe for destruction. By destruction, I mean it will either end in the most successful college program in history or the largest scandal in NCAA history. If this marriage lasts for years to come, I feel that the latter is more plausible. The best analogy I have ever heard came from my friend Ben today: You know the scene in Billy Madison when the principal asks Eric about business ethics? Calipari couldn’t get through the question without pulling out the gun either.

The Impact:

At least now this drama is finally over, right? Wrong. Terrence Jones only signed a financial aid agreement which binds the University to the player and not the player to the University. Technically, Jones can still leave Kentucky before he enrolls in school and go to wherever he wishes.

After a month of excruciating drama, he STILL has left the door open for speculation. I’m sure we’ve all heard the “Calipari to the NBA” rumors by now. If he was to actually bolt to the NBA this summer, Jones could choose to leave Kentucky and would most likely try to come to UW. Although this is very unlikely, I hope that Coach Romar and UW would have the pride to say ‘no’ and force Jones to stick with his decision. Even though he is an elite talent, UW prides itself on its ethics and we have no need for spotlight-seeking stars.

The most important thing is the team that we have right now. This is a team that has an immense amount of talent and is poised for a deep tournament run without Jones. As mentioned by Craig earlier, this team may have the most talent in Husky history. Here is my projected starting five:

PG: Abdul Gaddy

SG: Isaiah Thomas

SF: Justin Holiday

PF: MBA

C: Aziz N’daiye

I kept debating this line-up, but I think when you put all of the cards out on the table this is the line-up that will end up producing the best numbers. You could argue that Aziz may not be ready and Gant could play the PF spot and put MBA at C, or even play Wilcox/Suggs at the SF spot and force Holiday to play PF, but I believe that this is our best option until Gant/Wilcox/Suggs shows us that they are willing to step up. I’d love to hear everyone’s opinion on our starting five for next year as well in the comments section.

Summary:

We are U-Dub and we don’t need any high schooler to validate our team. We already have a team that is full of elite talent and I believe this year has a potent combination of senior leadership and young talent. Everyone better prepare themselves for one of the most exciting seasons in recent history.

And let’s pray for a Maui Invitational match-up with Kentucky so we can settle this on the court, where Romar prefers it to be settled. In Romar we trust and we must never forget that. Our ethics are more important than this game of basketball. Even if the rest of the college basketball has lost their way, we must continue to hold our ethics higher than the rest. It will only make our trip to the Final Four that much sweeter — whenever it comes. We are on a mission and soon all of basketball will know what Bowing Down feels like.

Thanks for coming!

Tags:

Shocked, Stunned & Disappointed

May 19, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 16 comments

Word from Scout.com’s Evan Daniels is that Terrence Jones signed a Financial Aid Agreement with Kentucky.

Wow.

Can’t believe this went down this way. Pretty sad. Who knows what went down between his annoucement and today, but clearly UW lost out on a great player.

More later. And, we’ll let you know if we hear anything conflicting with this news.

The CRAZIEST thing is that, after all this, the kid signs a non-binding agreement and can STILL change his mind. Not saying that’s going to happen, but wow!

Terrence Jones Decision Imminent

May 19, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 3 comments

Can’t believe a 17-year-old kid is holding my evening hostage.

As soon as we know something, I’ll post it here.

Talk about drawing it out…!

Welcome to the Family, T-Ross & Poll

May 7, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 14 comments

We’re giving it the old college try at Montlake Madness. Trying to do what, you ask? Can you blame us for trying not to focus ONLY on the tiring will-he?/wont-he? Terrence Jones sage. Staff Writer Craig Yamada takes a deeper look at Terrence Ross, who we KNOW is coming to the UW (assuming he qualifies academically).

by Craig Yamada – Staff Writer

With all the drama over the past week, it’s been easy to forget that we received a huge commitment last Friday from Terrence Ross.  This was a huge get for Romar and Montlake is buzzing about the potential that T-Ross brings to this team. And it has been said, and I will say it again: “Big Ups to T-Ross for rockin’ the UW gear at the press conference. We are glad to have you.”

Let’s Meet Terrence Ross:

Height = 6’5”

Position = SG, SF

High School = Jefferson HS (Portland, OR) / Montrose Christian (Rockville, MD)

  • 2008 Oregon 5A Player of the Year as a sophomore for Jefferson HS
  • 2009 First Team All-Metro for Montrose Christian
  • Averaged 13.5 ppg in 2009 for Montrose Christian
  • #3 Ranked  HS shooting guard in the Nation (#26 overall per Scout)

When did he sign his LOI with UW?

As many speculated, he signed on his recruiting visit to the UW on Monday two weeks ago. He tried to keep it under wraps so he could surprise everyone at the press conference. He said on KJR this week that he has  “wanted to come to UW for over a month.”

What does T-Ross bring to the Dawgs?

He is what I would term a “complete package” when it comes to a shooting guard. He is renowned for his range from the arc, but according to Coach Romar has evolved his game “[by] developing more of a mid-range game as opposed to just being a stand–still shooter.” Romar also noted that his rebounding skills have greatly improved. From the film I have seen on him, he possesses the athleticism to create his own shot and can be explosive in transition.

How will he fit into rotation?

It has been said that Ross will be battling CJ Wilcox for playing time as they have been termed similar players. Romar claims that Ross “is more athletic”, but Wilcox may have a slight edge in quickness. I can see him playing the back-up roll to Justin Holiday as the season opens at the 3-spot.  If Ross is able to develop his game and learn Romar’s offensive and defensive schemes, I can see Ross breaking into the starting lineup as the season progresses. I’d imagine Suggs and Wilcox will be battling it out for time at the 2-spot behind IT.

What is his academic situation?

Romar said he will be attending the bridge program at UW beginning July 13th and feels confident Ross will have no issues getting into school.

Can we finally say we have gotten quality from Oregon recruiting?

Yes. After Oregon lured local talent such as Aaron Brooks and Luke Ridnour in years past, UW is now on the receiving end of the stick. Ross is easily the most talented player we have gotten from Oregon thus far. We hope he is the first of many (Jones and Tebutt, come on down).

Are we overloaded at the guard position?

That very well could be the case, but as Romar said yesterday, “It’s a good problem to have.” Not convinced? Let’s jump into the Hot Tub Time Machine and go back to 2005 when UW gained the #1 seed in the Big Dance. We were loaded up with talent in the backcourt and it turned out quite nicely for us. If the season started today, let’s see how past and present teams stack up against each other in terms of personnel:

PG: Will Conroy (04/05), Abdul Gaddy Venoy Overton (10/11)

SG: Nate Robinson, Tre Simmons, Brandon Burmeister, Alex Johnson (04/05), Isaiah Thomas, C.J. Wilcox, Scott Suggs (10/11)

SG/SF: Brandon Roy (04/05), Terrence Ross (10/11)

SF: Bobby Jones, Zane Potter (04/05), Justin Holiday, Desmond Simmons (10/11)

PF: Mike Jensen, Hans Gasser (04/05), Darnell Gant, Brendan Sherrer (10/11)

PF/C: Jamaal Williams, Hakeem Rollins (04/05), Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Tyreese Breshers (10/11)

C: Anthony Washington, Ben Devoe (04/05), Aziz N’Diaye (10/11)

And yes, we would still “love to add one more,” for this season, but if the season started today, UW should be confident and excited about the team we are fielding next year. We have the most talent and depth than we have had in a long time (if ever).

Welcome to the family T-Ross, we are expecting great things from you.

Thanks for coming! Which team do YOU think looks better on paper? Let us know below.

Assuming both teams are in midseason form, if the 2004/2005 Huskies played the 2010/2011 Huskies (as presently constructed) in a single game, who would win?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Tags:

Hopefully Emmert Tackles Dirty World of Recruiting in New Position

May 4, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 11 comments

Romar Cal

Montlake Madness staff writer Craig Yamada shares his thoughts on the ongoing Terrence Jones debacle with UW’s outgoing president.

by Craig Yamada – Staff Writer

Dear President Emmert,

Just a week ago, you accepted the position of President of the NCAA. I was saddened to hear about you leaving UW, knowing well what you have done for this university. The progress you have made in aiding the rebuilding our football program was nothing short of amazing. But after all the drama ensued last Friday, I must say Dawg Nation may be coming around to feeling grateful about having a familiar face taking charge of the NCAA.

So with that, you have your first assignment:

The Allegation:

As you know, UW’s highest touted recruit of the 2010 class verbally committed to be a Husky during Friday’s media conference.  Less than an hour later, a quick phone call from John Calapari changed all of that. Long story short, we smell foul play.

To illustrate, let me attempt to reenact this using pop culture references:

If Friday’s press conference at Jefferson HS had been the MTV VMA Awards, John Calipari would have somewhat supplanted Kanye West as the role of “spoiler” for a big moment in the life of Terrence Jones (Taylor Swift).

Terrence Jones: “The school I am pretty much going to be playing for is….”

Terrence picks up the black UW hat. Pandemonium ensues.

Terrence Jones: “….the University of Washington. The reason being that I have wanted to play with Terrence Ross since the 8th grade. UW has a lot of returning players without the off-court issues and Coach Romar is like a father figure to me.”

Linda Jones gives her son a hug and Terrence Jones joins his high school teammates for high fives and smiles.

*COACH STRICKLAND’S PHONE RINGS  as Terrence is on KJR giving an interview

Coach Strickland: “Terrence… its Coach Cal for you.”

Terrence Jones: (in mid interview) “Ok hold up…”

Terrence answers the phone.

Terrence Jones: “Hi Coach.”

Calapari: “Congratulations Terrence, I’m really happy for you. I’m gonna let you finish enjoying your commitment to UW…. But I have to say something first… KENTUCKY HAS THE BEST PROGRAM OF ALL TIME!!! THE BEST PROGRAM OF ALL TIME!!!!”

Terrence sinks his head into his chest… gathers his family around him… and now questions his decision.

(End scene)

Well ok, that wasn’t the most accurate portrayal, but you get the gist.

As the new president, you are now subject to deciding whether issues like this are appropriate in college basketball. There definitely should be future NCAA legislation that can prevent situations like this from occurring. Here are a few of my ideas:

Questions and Possible Solutions:

Question: How can coaches responsible for NCAA violations escape sanctions by vacating a school, while the school ultimately bares the brunt of the punishment?

USC and Memphis were forced to forfeit earnings, postseason participation and future scholarships as result of their violations. All the while, Tim Floyd and John Calipari were able to leave their situations under investigation and find new NCAA coaching positions, unscathed.

Solution: Break a rule. You pay the price. If found responsible, the involved coach should absorb some form of probation regardless if he/she stays with that same institution or seeks employment at another NCAA institution.

Question: With so many nickel-and-dime rules on recruiting that exist, how is the recruiting of kids who have verbally committed to a school not prohibited? The rules around ‘verbal commitments’ carry a high level of ambiguity with them and need to be defined in more granular detail.

Take, for example, our current situation with Terrence Jones.  He made a verbal commitment in front of 100 friends and family members, in addition to the 25K+ streaming viewers watching that day. Just 1 hour later, Coach Calipari is able to make contact to dissuade Terrence Jones from fully committing to the UW. As a result, TJ is “weighing his options.”

Solution: Further recruiting on a “verbal commit” from outside institutions should be deemed a recruiting violation. A verbal commitment needs to carry more weight than just a player’s word.  It needs to be regarded as a contract. And as a contract, a player should have to publicly “decommit” before any contact of a recruit is made.

Question: Will there be future prohibition of the enlisting of paid agents and professional athletes used in the recruiting of basketball prospects?

For example, Calipari has capitalized on his professional network of relationships with sports agents (World Wide Wes), professional athletes (LeBron James/John Wall), and the promise of his pipeline to the NBA to lure kids into his program. Granted, he technically is not breaking any rules by leveraging these people, but perhaps a level playing field should be considered here?

Solution: Although these “boosters” may not providing any immediate financial rewards to these recruits, they quite possibly may be promising future financial incentives which should be deemed illegal. This is more unethical than anything if the objective of a NCAA athlete is to gain a scholarship and a first-class college education.

Question: Are there any plans to impose stricter GPA requirements for active student athletes?

For example, Calipari’s latest Kentucky basketball team averaged a 2.0 GPA which means several players were below that average. In turn, five of his underclassmen (four freshmen) are declaring for the NBA Draft. His team had the worst cumulative GPA amongst the SEC schools.

Solution: Currently the NCAA requires a minimum 1.8 GPA to participate in sporting events. The bar should be raised to 2.0 to ensure athletes are also students. Perhaps we could incentivize schools with either highest conference GPA or a 70-80%+ graduation rate with an additional scholarship.

The Reality:

I am just a diehard Husky fan that is hoping that Terrence Jones is wearing purple and gold next year.  Coach Romar has demonstrated nothing but poise and class during this entire process and would be the right person to mold him into a model student athlete and human being. You’ve got to hope Jones and his parents see that.

We all are hoping he is given a fair opportunity to make a sound decision for his college future and life beyond college. Whether he lands at Kentucky or UW, we will certainly support him with his decision.

Thank you for your time President Emmert and we look forward to seeing you tackle these issues and others once you assume your new post.

Sincerely,

Craig Yamada

Thanks for coming!

Terrence Jones is a Dawg. . . Right?

May 1, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 10 comments

Here at Montlake Madness, we take a man at this word. So, despite the still-unsigned-as-of-this-morning LOI, and the swirling rumors of cold feet, we’re keeping the faith that when Terrence Jones announced he was going to UW, he was telling the truth. Thanks Griffin, for keeping us up to date on the recruiting madness.

by Griffin Bennett – Staff Writer

After 4 months of prayers by Husky fans, they have been answered. Coach Lorenzo Romar has completed his greatest recruiting class ever at Washington and he has primed his team for a legitimate run at the Elite 8 in 2010/11. Terrence Jones is a fans’ dream: a 6 foot 9 inch SF/PF who can play four positions, and be an impact player at each of them. Give me one second, hold on. . .

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Terrence Jones may be the best recruit that the Huskies have had in years, but more importantly, he validates all of the feelings that we Husky fans have had for the past six years. We have claimed that we are a true Final Four contender and we finally have evidence that Romar’s program is one to be reckoned with. I’m not going to bother you all with some boring background on Terrence Jones. We all know who he is and why he is so good.

As a college player, his skills will be exceptional and he brings a level of talent that the Pac-10 hasn’t seen at his size and athleticism since….. anyone? He is a six foot nine inch small/power forward who plays with passion and an immense talent level.

Am I over hyping Terrence Jones right now? Maybe. Am I giving Terrence Jones the credit he deserves after dominating prep-level basketball? Absolutely. This guy is a bigger version of Quincy Pondexter. He can play the same position but can command the paint with a force that we haven’t seen since Jon Brockman. His three-point shooting form may need some work, but his shot falls and he is a scoring machine. Looking for a replacement for Quincy’s points and rebounds?

Just look at this projected starting lineup for next year:

PG- Abdul “Yung” Gaddy (or Venoy Overton) – Who cares who starts. Venoy is going to play more minutes regardless.

SG- Isaiah “Salute” Thomas – Preseason Pac-10 Player of the Year. If he’s not, my name is mud.

SF- Justin “Jrue who?” Holiday – Quick poll: Justin for four years or Jrue for one? My bet is even UCLA would choose Justin.

PF – Terrence “Demo-lisher” Jones – The missing link for our run to the Elite Eight and beyond.

C – Matthew “MBA” Bryan-Amaning – As opposed to his home country, on his way to winning the Revolutionary War against his critics.

Put your pants back on and clean yourself up. I didn’t even mention our bench: Gaddy/Overton, C.J. Wilcox, Scott Suggs, Tyreese Breshers, Darnell Gant, Terrence Ross, Aziz N’diaye and Desmond Simmons.

Wait….. WHAT?:

In the process of writing this article, reports have surfaced that Jones may have been brainwashed by Kentucky’s Coach Calipari. What’s new? Even after Terrence Jones legitimately chose the black Washington hat, Calipari decides that he won’t be embarrassed by losing Leslie and Jones on back-to-back days.

Reports continue to pour in that Coach Romar was two blocks away for Jones’ announcement as NCAA rules stipulated that he was not allowed on the premises. Yet somehow the rules allow a coach to call (or answer a call) from the same player minutes later while he’s still in the same room? This seems a little fishy to me. I’m in no way stating that Coach Calipari broke any rules, but sometimes a person’s reputation precedes them whether it is deserved or not.

Coach Calipari is an amazing coach. He is a great X’s and O’s coach as some people have argued against, but his recruiting techniques have rubbed more than one person the wrong way. Is what he does against the rules? In many (or all) cases, probably not. He is a dedicated man who truly is passionate for his programs and cares about his players. If I had a kid who was being recruited by Coach Cal, I would trust him with my child’s safety. Other than that, he is my personal arch-nemesis for the rest of natural born life.

Never have I hated a single human in the realm of college basketball more than Coach Calipari. Fool me once (Cousins), shame on you. Fool me twice (Kanter), shame on me. Fool me three times? It’s all out war.

After a couple deep breaths, I have calmed down. Coach Romar plans on meeting with Terrence Jones Saturday morning and I fully believe he will wind up becoming a Husky. Think about it this way: Would you rather be Kentucky in this position or Washington? I stated on Wednesday that I was 60& confident that Jones was a Husky. Today, I’d say I’m 75% sure. I’ll take those odds given the potential reward. This might not be the conventional way, but beggars can’t be choosers.

If there was a single human being on this planet that you wanted to talk to Terrence Jones Saturday morning, wouldn’t it be Coach Romar? Keep the faith guys.

What to Wait For:

Book your tickets to the Maui Invitational because if we play Kentucky there could be some fireworks. Regardless of Jones’ decision, that match-up will be more personal than any Husky game since the Aaron Brooks punch rematch with the Ducks. Is your Thanksgiving usually boring, ending up in drunken arguments like mine? Why not gather that essence of evil and travel to beautiful Hawaii.

Gather that energy and direct it at Calipari and his army of one-year Storm Troopers. Did I mention that Michigan State, UConn, Virginia, Oklahoma, and Wichita State are involved as well? Think about that line-up real quick! Bennett (I’m not related, I SWEAR!), Calhoun, AND Calipari. It’s a who’s who of Husky enemies!

Wrap Up:

Patience is a virtue (so I’m told) and we will end up victorious on this one. If anything, it will only add to the fire that already sits under the Huskies. 2010/11 is set to become a special year and I thank all of you readers for letting me be apart of this. Husky Nation is not one that is easily destroyed. We are a group of dedicated fans who put our teams in front all else. In the words of my favorite wrestling group of all time:”I GOT TWO WORDS FOR YA!!!!! BOW DOWN!”

Tags:

« Older entries § Newer entries »

Installed by SimpleScripts