According to ESPN.com, the Orlando Magic and Billy Donovan are close to finalizing an agreement that would allow Donovan to get out of his 5-year, $27.5 million contract and return to Florida. According to the report, sources told Andy Katz that Donovan and the Magic have agreed upon a non-compete clause, requiring Donovan to refrain from coaching in the NBA for five years as one of the terms of his release from the contract. Furthermore, the report stated that Donovan also wanted the clause in the contract to assure recruits that he wouldn't be leaving the University of Florida. According to ESPN’s Kelly Naqi, negotiations could conclude as soon as Wednesday.
According to Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com, Tennessee freshman all of the Florida recruits are going to honor their commitments to the Gators despite the Billy Donovan fiasco. "I've talked to everybody and we're all going to stay," McDonald’s All-American Nick Calathes said. "We've got to stay. We're the number one recruiting class in the country and there's no reason to break that up."
According to the Denver Post, Colorado freshman Kalvin Bay will not return to the Buffaloes next season. Bay, who started 12 games last season, is the fourth freshman to leave the program since former Air Force head coach Jeff Bzdelik took over for Ricardo Patton. "I was confused and shocked when (Bzdelik) called," Bay said. "He said he had thought long and hard about it and wanted to go in a different direction. I asked him if I could stay, but he said he wanted to move on. I still can't believe I won't be here next year. I was looking forward to playing for him next season." He was very surprised by the news. “I'm just stunned,” Bay told the Rocky Mountain News. “I don't know what it's about, why it's come so late." Bay’s father, Kurtis, said that Kal had long-term plans in Boulder. "He doesn't want to transfer,” he said. "He thought he'd be there four years and maybe spend the rest of his life (in Boulder)." Bay averaged 6.3 points and 1.9 assists per game this past season.
The other three freshmen to have their scholarships taken away were centers Marc Van Burck and Sean Kowal and guard James Inge. According to the Rocky Mountain News, Inge is going to appeal the decision. "I thought I was done horribly," Inge said. "My scholarship was taken unjustly, then it comes out that I chose to leave, which is totally untrue."
According to Andy Katz of ESPN.com, Georgetown junior forward Jeff Green could be leaning towards returning to the Hoyas for his senior season rather than keep his name in the NBA Draft. Caoch John Thompson III confirmed that Green will conduct all his workouts at Georgetown instead of NBA practice facilities in order to keep down expenses. "Jeff likes school, and he likes being at Georgetown," Thompson said. Furthermore, multiple NBA teams told ESPN.com that they are starting to believe that Green may withdraw from the draft. He averaged 14.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last season.
According to The State, Clemson junior forward James Mays still has not yet made up his mind regarding the NBA Draft. His father, Hardrick Mays, said that Mays is undecided about whether he will stay in the Draft. Mays has been very impressive at the Orlando pre-draft camp, increasing his draft stock, leading many scouts to believe that Mays will be drafted. Mays has yet to sign with an agent, so he could return for his senior season. Most mock drafts do not include Mays in their projections. He averaged 12.2 points and 6.4 rebounds this past season.
According to Chris Wallace of CavsCorner.com, Virginia junior guard Sean Singletary is still undecided about whether he will stay in the Draft. His draft stock has dropped in the past week, due to poor play at the Orlando pre-draft camp. He is now likely to be drafted in the second, but there is now no guarantee he will get drafted. Many scouts have cited Singletary’s poor decision-making, defense and small stature as his biggest detriments, and one source told Wallace that the chances of Singletary making an NBA roster now are “not that good.” He averaged 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game last season.
According to the Tulsa World, Oklahoma State junior guard JamesOn Curry is leaning towards returning to the Cowboys for his senior season, rather than stay in the NBA Draft. He declined an interview request from them, but indicated through an OSU sports information spokesman that he is leaning toward coming back to school. The third-team All-Big 12 selection averaged 17.3 points and 3.7 assists per game last season. He is not projected to be drafted by most mock drafts.
The Wooden Tradition field is set. Organizers announced Tuesday that Butler would play Florida State in the first game of the double-header, while Louisville will face Purdue in the other game. The event will take place December 15 at Conseco Fieldhouse.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Louisville freshman point guard Edgar Sosa has high hopes for the Cardinals in his second season under Rick Pitino. "I think we can go all the way," he said. "I think we've got all the tools." He also says that he thinks all the time about his two crucial missed free throws and late three-point attempt against Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. "I think about it every night," Sosa said. "I don't even think about (the) 31 points. That was nice, but I missed two clutch free throws and then that shot at the end. I couldn't sleep for a couple of weeks after that game. That game should have been ours.” Sosa says that there is only one way to get rid of the bad memories. "The only way I can erase that is a national championship," he said. Sosa averaged 11.4 points and 2.6 assists per game this past season.
According to Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Kentucky might play a four-guard lineup next season. Some of the players are excited about the possibility. "That would be nice if we did," freshman guard Jodie Meeks said. "We could be sort of like the Golden State Warriors." Next season, the Wildcats are going to be loaded on the perimeter, with seniors Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley, sophomores Meeks, Derrick Jasper and Michael Porter, as well as freshman Alex Legion. The only problem could be that there is no proven point guard in the mix. Meeks said he has experience at the point before, and would switch if needed. "In high school, I'd switch over to point guard if we needed a big play or someone to set up the offense," Meeks said. "I'm pretty familiar with it. If the team needs me, I'll play it." The bottom line is winning, though. "The more we win," he said, "the better everybody looks."
Dick “Hoops” Weiss of the New York Daily News writes that Providence has the experience and the non-conference schedule to make a run at an at-large bid. The Friars have six juniors, including four returning starters, and they also get back Randall Hanke from a redshirt year and welcome Manhattan transfer Jeff Xavier into the fold. The only player coach Tim Welsh loses is All-Big East center Herbert Hill. Weiss also writes that PC faces Florida State, South Carolina, Boston College, and Rhode Island, and is also in an early-season tournament in Puerto Rico.
Justin Young of Rivals.com breaks down each conference and its incoming freshmen for 2007-2008. His top-ranked league for recruiting this past season was the Big East, with the Pac-10 checking in at No. 2. Young writes that the Big East has seven teams with Top 30 recruiting classes, as well as seven five-star players. He also says that Pittsburgh’s Dejuan Blair is going to have to play a major role in the paint for the Panthers. According to him, the top five freshmen next season will be: Syracuse’s Donte Green and Johnny Flynn, Georgetown’s Austin Freeman, DePaul’s Nayal Koshwal, and Villanova’s Corey Fisher.
As for the Pac-10, Young writes that half the conference has Top 20 recruiting classes, with three ranked in the top-11. Furthermore, the league brings in four of the top-15 players in the country. He also says that the USC-UCLA and Arizona-Arizona State rivalries could be on the rise in the coming years due to the talent that all four programs are bringing in. According to him, the top five freshmen next season will be: UCLA’s Kevin Love, USC’s O.J. Mayo, Arizona State’s James Harden, and Arizona’s Jamelle Horne and Jerryd Bayless.
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