Bam Adebayo is bored, Mike Gundy sparks controversy and Mike Leach gets reprimanded
Ten links to get your Wednesday started:
Bam Adebayo says his mom is getting sick of him. David Wilson of the Miami Herald writes, “It’s no secret Bam Adebayo is bored with his self-isolated lifestyle. Every day, the Miami Heat post player takes to Twitter to share his ‘mood,’ picking out a GIF or video — usually from a cartoon — to sum up how he and most of the world are feeling these days. ‘Mood Pt. 25,’ posted Monday, was a clip from ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ of SpongeBob bored in a boating school class.”
Chris Mack says David Johnson will be back. Eric Crawford of WDRB posts a question-and-answer with the Louisville basketball coach, who says Johnson, a freshman star from Trinity last season, will not put his name into the NBA Draft to test the waters.
You can’t ignore graduate transfers. Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader writes, “When it comes to the hot new name in Kentucky basketball recruiting, UK fans should brace themselves for a love-hate relationship. Matt Haarms has been that kind of polarizing figure as a player for Purdue. ‘He is beloved in West Lafayette,’ said Jon Crispin, a commentator for the Big Ten Network. ‘The crowd loves him. He’s also the kind of guy that opponents will despise. But, you’ll love having him on your team.’”
John Cohen reprimands Mike Leach. Logan Lowery of the NE Mississippi Daily Journal reports, “Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach has received plenty of backlash from a tweet he sent last week. Leach, notorious for tweeting out humorous memes, sent out one last Wednesday that depicted an elderly woman knitting a noose with a caption that read ‘After 2 weeks of quarantine with her husband, Gertrude decided to knit him a scarf.’”
Mike Gundy is again out of touch with reality. Dan Wolken of USA Today writes, “Mike Gundy, college football’s self-appointed resident social scientist, thinks it’s time to get back to football. May 1, preferably, but he’ll accept two weeks later. Safely ensconced in his Stillwater bubble of privilege where his constant tantrums barely register as a whisper outside the town square and his threats to leave every few years have gotten him past the $5 million a year threshold, the longtime Oklahoma State coach had some thoughts Tuesday on the ol’ coronavirus problem that has shut down the entire world.”
NCAA needs massive new travel plan. Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes, “Everyone working in college sports seems to agree on this: Finances going forward are going to be tricky at best. Hard decisions will be made across the board, all levels. Here’s an idea that could save money, across the board, at least in Division I. Stop putting so many teams on so many planes.”
Bringing back spring seniors will be costly. Ben Breiner of The State writes, “South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner made one point clear: If a spring senior at the University of South Carolina wants to return for another year after the NCAA granted extra eligibility in the midst of the cronavirus pandemic, their team will welcome them back.”
Tennessee basketball poised to make a jump. Mark Wiedmer of the Chattanooga Times Free Press writes that the Volunteers have enough returnees to go with an excellent recruiting class to make some noise in 2020-21.
Alabama picks up basketball recruit. Mike Rodark of AL.com reports, “Nate Oats’ first full recruiting class at Alabama has quickly taken shape. The Tide’s men’s basketball coach added his fourth commit Tuesday when IMG Academy forward Darius Miles announced he would attend Alabama.”
Emotions accompany end to gymnastics season. Brandon Sudge of the Columbus Ledger-Enqurier writes, “Courtney Kupets Carter sat in the middle of her gymnastics bubble. There were a number of duties ahead of Georgia’s final regular-season meet, so her focus locked in on preparing her team for Missouri while taking time to recruit a 2022 class of GymDog newcomers. Kupets Carter and her staff spent that Thursday afternoon — better known as March 11, 2020, the day that altered the entire sports landscape — on an airplane.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 7:35 AM.
