Wednesday, April 25, 2007

April 25th News and Notes

As expected, Virginia junior guard Sean Singletary has announced that he will enter the NBA Draft. However, he is not planning on signing with an agent, leaving open the option of returning to the Cavaliers for his senior season. "I want to continue to consider all of my options and learn as much as I can about the process," he said. Coach Dave Leitao supported the decision. "I understand Sean's interest in learning more about the process and feel this step will enable him to gather a great deal of information," he said. Singletary, who was named to the all-ACC first-team the past two seasons, is projected by most mock drafts as a second-round pick. He averaged 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists this past season.

Texas A&M junior forward Joseph Jones has announced that he will enter the NBA Draft. However, he is not planning on hiring an agent, leaving open the option of returning to the Aggies for his senior season. "I just want to test the water and see how I can compete against the best players in the world," Jones said. Coach Mark Turgeon supported the decision. "Joe and I have discussed entering his name in the draft many times," he said. "We have done our homework, and we want to do everything we can to help him pursue his dreams." Jones, who is not considering to be a first-rounder, averaged 13.4 points and 6.8 rebounds last season.

The nation’s leading scorer this past season,
Virginia Military Institute’s Reggie Williams, has decided to enter the NBA Draft. However, the junior forward does not plan on hiring an agent, leaving open the option of returning to the Keydets for his senior season. "I felt that I had a successful season and I would like to explore my options at the next level," said Williams. He averaged 28.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists last season.

According to Andy Katz of
ESPN.com, Clemson junior forward James Mays is planning on declaring for the NBA Draft. However, he is not expected to hire an agent, leaving open the option of returning to the Tigers for his senior season. "He's leaning toward doing it, but we both agreed he should get a little bit more information," coach Oliver Purnell said. Mays is expected to make an announcement in the coming days. He averaged 12.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this past season.

According to Andy Katz of ESPN.com, Connecticut freshman center Hasheem Thabeet is likely to return to the Huskies for his sophomore season. Coach Jim Calhoun said that he expects Thabeet to come back, but that an official announcement will be made Thursday. Thabeet is projected as a first-round pick in nearly every mock draft. He averaged 6.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks per game this past season.

Oklahoma freshman guard Bobby Maze will not be returning to the Sooners next season, coach Jeff Capel said on Tuesday. "Bobby and I met last week and we came to an agreement that he and our program will part ways," Capel said in a statement. "This decision is best for Bobby and for our team. I appreciate Bobby's efforts this past season and certainly wish him well in the future." Maze emerged as the starting point guard down the stretch, averaging 5.6 points and 2.1 assists per game on the season.

FOX Sports’ Jeff Goodman revises his Preseason Top 25 after all the defections and coaching changes of the past few weeks. He has UCLA in the top spot, with North Carolina, Memphis, Georgetown, and Michigan State rounding out the top five. One interesting choice to notice is his decision to put Pittsburgh at #13.

SI.com’s Luke Winn discusses five new coaches who should be expected to win in their first year on the job. Mark Turgeon of Texas A&M tops the list, followed by Kansas State’s Frank Martin, John Pelphrey of Arkansas, Kentucky’s Billy Gillespie, and Bob Huggins of West Virginia. He also projects how far their respective teams should go in the NCAA Tournament, and where they will finish in the conference.

Gregg Doyel of CBS Sportsline.com breaks down the coaching changes of the past month with his five best and worst hires. However, he says that only one school—Kentucky—“absolutely nailed its hire.” He lists Mark Turgeon and Gregg Marshall among the worst hires, and Jeff Bzdelik and Tommy Amaker with the best.

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