Monday, June 18, 2007

June 18 News and Notes: Weekend Wrap-Up

Devin Ebanks, one of the top recruits in the Class of 2008, has announced that he will be headed to Indiana. "Coach Sampson sat down with me and my family and we felt it was the best situation for me," Ebanks said. "Indiana's always going to be a Top 25 team and they also have one of the top academic programs in the country." He also said that the passion for basketball in Bloomington played a key role in his decision. "Their fans are crazy," Ebanks said. "I've never even seen so many people come to an AAU tournament." Ebanks, who is ranked No. 10 by Scout.com and No. 11 by Rivals.com, chose the Hoosiers over Rutgers, UConn and Georgia.

According to the
Monroe News Star, LSU sophomore forward Magnum Rolle has decided to transfer to Louisiana Tech. “I’m excited about the style of play that will help me develop personally and individually to help the team,” Rolle said. “[Freshman] D.J. [Wright] and I can create mismatch opportunities for the opponents along with the other guys on the team. I look forward to helping other guys get better in practice and develop team chemistry.” Coach Kerry Rupp is excited about the addition. “Magnum Rolle is a very versatile big man who has the skill and ability to play both inside and outside,” Rupp said. “He will be what I call a ‘mismatch basketball player.’ We are very excited about Magnum and feel that he will not only be an excellent player, but also a tremendous asset as a person both on and off the court for our basketball team.” Rolle averaged 4.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game last season.

Kemba Walker, a rising high school point guard, has announced that he will be headed to Connecticut. "It's kind of my dream school," he said. "Jim Calhoun is a Hall of Fame coach." Walker also added that he wanted to decided quickly and avoid the questions that were sure to follow him throughout the summer. "I just had to get this over with," Walker said. Former Rice High School teammate and current Husky Curtis Kelly helped Walker with the final choice. "He told me it was a good situation," Walker said. Scout.com has Walker as the No. 4 point guard in the Class of 2008, and the No. 36 player overall. He chose the Huskies over St. John’s and Cincinnati.

According to the Baltimore Examiner, Richmond freshman guard Brian Morris has decided to transfer to Towson. “He's a very versatile perimeter player,” Towson coach Pat Kennedy said. “There aren't too many 6-foot-6 guys who can play the point. He can always be a small forward. It's nice to get guy with his flexibility.” Kennedy is looking forward to the impact that Morris will make. “He was one of our top recruits coming out of high school,” Kennedy said. “He's going to be a very good CAA player. There's no question about it.” Morris averaged 8.1 points and 2.3 assists per game last season, starting 23 games for the Spiders He is the fifth transfer Towson has gained this offseason, joining Vernon Carr, Tony Durant, Junior Hairston and Josh Thornton.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Memphis freshman guard TreVon Willis has decided that he will transfer to UNLV. "I felt comfortable with everything. It's a perfect fit for me," said Willis, who averaged 2.6 points per game last season. "I felt like it was the right thing, and I had to do what's best for me." Willis, who is originally from Fresno, California, said he was transferring from Memphis because he was unhappy with playing time and wanted to return to the West Coast. He chose the Rebels over Fresno State and San Diego State.

Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com writes about Michigan State and its Final Four hopes in 2007-2008. He starts off with this whopper: “You heard it here first: Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans will be back in the Final Four next year.” Goodman discusses how the Spartans will be able to get back to running the ball up the court instead of the slow-down, walk-it-up style Izzo utilized last year. “I pulled the hair out of my head having to walk it up, but I had no choice,” Izzo said. With the return of nearly every key player from last season and the addition of three quality freshmen, the Spartans will be able to play quicker. “We’re not re-inventing how we play,” Izzo said. “We’re just getting back to how we do play.” Izzo also said that the added depth will make them tougher to prepare for. “We won’t have a drop-off and we’ll be able to keep guys fresher and put a little more pressure on teams defensively,” Izzo said. “We also won’t have to play one style. We can get out and run or play slower if we need to.”

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