Links: Opinions differ on effect of G League signings
Catching up on some links:
Jalen Green’s decision alters basketball landscape. Ben Roberts of the Herald-Leader reports, “It was less than a year ago that five-star basketball prospect Jalen Green appeared to be arguably Kentucky’s top recruiting target in the 2020 class. On Thursday afternoon, Green’s recruitment took an unorthodox — but not wholly unexpected — turn. The 6-foot-5 combo guard from California announced that he will bypass college completely and spend next season in the G League, the developmental league for the NBA.”
NCAA getting what it wished for with G League. Dan Wolken of USA Today writes, “One of the few silver linings to the NCAA Tournament being canceled was the steady parade of old games being televised in their places, games that we remember in the abstract but whose memory fades in detail. And when you sit down to watch those games, whether it’s the 1982 championship with Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing or an Arizona-Kentucky title tilt with eight NBA players between them or the transcendent freshman runs of Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose, what stands out most is the almost unrecognizable quality of play.”
G League won’t hurt college basketball. Gary Parrish of CBS Sports writes, “For 11 straight years, from 1995 to 2005, some of the best amateur prospects in America — among them future stars like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Amar’e Stoudemire and LeBron James — entered the NBA Draft directly out of high school and, by extension, skipped college completely. And guess what? Rupp Arena filled up anyways. So did Allen Fieldhouse. So did Cameron Indoor. College basketball games remained on national television and people continued to watch them.”
NBA and NCAA are now competitors. Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated writes, “For decades, the NCAA and NBA have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, with NCAA men’s basketball serving as a training ground for future NBA players. That’s not to say the NCAA and NBA have improperly conspired. They have simply acted in mutually beneficial ways. Consider the NCAA and its more than 1,200 member conferences and universities. The NCAA and its members have clearly profited from the marketability of elite hoops.”
Kentucky men’s basketball picks up transfer. Ben Roberts of the Herald-Leader reports, “Rhode Island freshman Jacob Toppin is the latest college basketball transfer headed to the Kentucky Wildcats. Toppin — a 6-foot-8, 190-pound forward from Brooklyn — announced Thursday that he has committed to UK, one day after narrowing his transfer options to Kentucky, Oregon and Iowa State. He is the younger brother of national player of the year Obi Toppin.”
Matthew Mitchell is now winning the transfer game. Mark Story of the Herald-Leader writes, “Matthew Mitchell has been on both extremes of ‘the transfer game.’ The University of Kentucky women’s basketball coach can tell you it’s a whole lot more fun when you are getting players in rather than watching them leave. On Wednesday, UK announced that starting guards from two of its SEC rivals will be joining the Wildcats.”
Samuell Williamson is poised for a Louisville breakout. Rick Bozich of WDRB writes, “The chatter about the University of Louisville basketball team this week has been about Carlik Jones and Charles Minlend Jr., the graduate transfers who will slide into the Cards’ backcourt with David Johnson. Duly noted. I’ll return to Jones and Minlend later in this story. When I make my list of guys who will have a more direct impact on Louisville’s ability to compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference next season, I must start with another player — Samuell Williamson.”
Chris Mack may not be done. Hayes Gardner of the Courier-Journal reports, “Louisville announced the addition of two grad transfers this week, but the Cardinals may not be done with their 2020-21 roster. Louisville Coach Chris Mack is hopeful he can bring another big man into the fold. The Cardinals return center Malik Williams, who seems poised for a productive senior year, and Mack said that rising sophomore post Aidan Igiehon showed significant improvement during his first year in Louisville. Still, the Cardinals would benefit from a backup post.”
Alabama is nearing the SEC record for NFL draft picks. Mark Inabinett of AL.com reports, “In each of the past two NFL Drafts, more players from Alabama have been selected than from any other college program. That’s only the fourth time that one school has led outright in picks for two consecutive years, joining Notre Dame in 1945 and 1946, Texas in 1947 and 1948 and Southern Cal in 2008 and 2009.”
Georgia football staffer recovers from COVID. Video coordinator Jeremy Klawsky left Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center after a six-week stay. Klawsky is a 32-year-old native of Plantation, Florida.
Commissioners tell VP no football before campuses open. Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun reports, “ Amid all the uncertainty and unknowns surrounding the coronavirus and how it might impact the 2020 college football season, there has now become some clarity. If students aren’t back on campuses attending classes in the fall, there likely will be no college football played in 2020. That was the message that came out of a Wednesday teleconference between the Power Five conference commissioners and Vice President Mike Pence.”
Tennessee stands to take a big loss without football. Mike Wilson of the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports, “Tennessee Athletic Director Phillip Fulmer is optimistic that football and fall sports will take place in the wake of cancellations due to the coronavirus. But if the college football season was canceled or shortened, Tennessee faces the loss of a hefty revenue stream. Tennessee football generated an average of $100.4 million revenue in the past five fiscal years, starting in 2015 and ending in 2019.”
Auburn has to regroup after losing Jalen Green. Josh Vitale of the Montgomery Advertiser reports, “Jalen Green will not be teammates with Sharife Cooper or Devan Cambridge next season. But he could potentially face off against the likes of Jared Harper or Bryce Brown. The five-star shooting guard ranked as the No. 3 overall recruit in the class of 2020 announced Thursday on an Instagram Live broadcast that he will be passing on opportunities to play college basketball for finalists Auburn and Memphis and instead turn professional a year early.”
Jerry Stackhouse says he’s committed to Vanderbilt basketball. Gentry Estes of the Tennessean writes, “Much of Jerry Stackhouse’s pandemic so far has been spent on the future. He’s staying busy by watching teenagers play basketball on tape, scouting possible recruits for the 2021 and 2022 classes. To anyone who might wonder, Stackhouse is still here for this. All of it. The teaching. Especially the teaching.”
Alabama basketball may add to impressive class. Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News reports, “University of Alabama men’s basketball coach Nate Oats had plenty to talk about when discussing the Crimson Tide’s 2020-21 recruiting class on a post National Signing Day teleconference Thursday. But could there be … more? Oats didn’t guarantee anything but at least dropped a tantalizing hint when asked about UA’s five-man group of new players for the coming season.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 7:38 AM.
