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    Trey Burke is AP Player of Year 

    by
    truebluefan
    Published on 04-05-2013 08:26 AM



    Trey Burke, the sophomore point guard who led Michigan to the Final Four, has been selected The Associated Press' college basketball player of the year.

    Burke joins Cazzie Russell in 1966 as the only Michigan players to win the award. The Big Ten Player of the Year, Burke was the leader of a team that at times had four freshmen on the court with him but he still managed to average 19.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.7 assists. He shot 40.1 percent from behind the 3-point line.

    "He has been with three to five freshmen all year long," Michigan coach John Beilein said Thursday. "Here he is this cagey sophomore, veteran sophomore.

    Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...ap-player-year

    Rick Pitino will join Hall in September 

    by
    truebluefan
    Published on 04-05-2013 08:21 AM



    Win or lose at the Final Four, Louisville coach Rick Pitino will leave Atlanta with a greater legacy than the one he arrived with -- he has won induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, a source told ESPNNewYork.com on Friday.

    Pitino, 60, will be introduced with the rest of the 2013 Hall of Fame class Monday before a national championship game he hopes to be coaching in. His Cardinals will face Wichita State in Saturday's semifinals, and the winner will face the survivor of the Syracuse-Michigan game that follows.

    Pitino is appearing in his seventh Final Four, and he's the only coach to have officially taken three schools to the national semifinals. (John Calipari's trips with Massachusetts and Memphis were vacated by the NCAA as part of infractions penalties.) Pitino won the national title with Kentucky in 1996, and his career collegiate record stands at 662-239.

    Pitino made his first trip to the Final Four with Providence and star guard Billy Donovan in 1987. His eight years in the NBA included six as a head coach, two with the 24-win New York Knicks team he inherited and turned into a 52-win contender in 1989, and four with the 15-win Boston Celtics team he inherited and failed to rebuild before walking away in 2001.

    Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...me-source-says

    Jim Larranaga named top coach 

    by
    truebluefan
    Published on 04-05-2013 08:16 AM



    Jim Larranaga made his mark as a basketball coach years ago at places such as Bowling Green and George Mason. This season, with his Miami Hurricanes enjoying unprecedented success, Larranaga showed he has impressive footwork.

    Minutes after he was introduced Thursday as The Associated Press' coach of the year, the 63-year-old, two-time hip replacement patient was asked about his postgame Ali shuffle after the Hurricanes' 63-59 victory over Illinois in the third round of the NCAA tournament.

    "When we left Coral Gables for the NCAA tournament, I told the players I was going to have more fun than any other coach and I wanted them to have more fun than any other team," Larranaga said. "It doesn't mean be silly and goof off. It means enjoy each other's company, when we practice be excited about being there, have some enthusiasm, be very, very positive."

    Larranaga admitted that he plans a lot of the things he does with his team but what happened after the Illinois game was off the cuff.

    "During the hard-fought game at almost every timeout in the second half I said we're in a fight and I need fighters. I told them we needed to fight to get every rebound, every loose ball, every basket, every inch of the floor," he recounted. "I kept repeating that and after we won, as I was walking into the locker room to address them, I thought I have to congratulate them on how well they fought and the first name I thought of was Muhammad Ali.

    "I asked you guys to fight and what I saw out there was Muhammad Ali and the shuffle followed. The best thing was the reaction of the players who jumped up and started shadow boxing."

    Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...-ap-coach-year

    Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti out of job 

    by
    truebluefan
    Published on 04-05-2013 08:10 AM



    Tim Pernetti is out as Rutgers' athletic director, a source said Friday, two days after video came to light showing men's basketball coach Mike Rice shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players and using gay slurs during practice.

    decision on Pernetti's future was actually reached Thursday by the school, a source said, but it wasn't immediately clear if Pernetti resigned or was fired. The university will hold a news conference on campus at 1 p.m. ET.

    His ouster follows Pernetti firing Rice on Wednesday and the resignation of assistant coach Jimmy Martelli, who also was seen on tape treating players in a like manner. The video was obtained by "Outside the Lines" and aired on ESPN on Tuesday.

    More than 50 Rutgers faculty members had signed a letter calling for the dismissal of Pernetti for his handling of the Rice situation. Pernetti, with the approval of university president Robert L. Barchi, initially suspended Rice three games in December 2012 and fined him $50,000.

    A 1993 Rutgers graduate who was hired as Rutgers' AD in April 2009, Pernetti was instrumental in Rutgers moving from the Big East to the Big Ten Conference for 2014. Because of the move, Rutgers will increase its media rights revenue from about $3 million annually in the Big East to more than $40 million annually by 2017, sources said.

    Read more http://espn.go.com/new-york/mens-col...or-source-says

    Boise State to face Georgia in '11 

    by
    truebluefan
    Published on 11-19-2010 03:16 PM

    Boise State will open next season against Georgia in the Georgia Dome.

    Chick-fil-A Bowl president Gary Stokan said Friday the game will be played on Sept. 3, 2011, and be televised by ESPN or ABC.

    The Chick-fil-A Bowl committee organizes the annual season kickoff game. The 2011 game will be the first that does not match a Southeastern Conference team against an Atlantic Coast Conference team.

    The committee also announced Boise State will face Mississippi in the 2014 opening game at the Georgia Dome.

    Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5827054

    Cam Newton says he's innocent 

    by
    truebluefan
    Published on 11-06-2010 10:15 AM

    Auburn quarterback Cam Newton says he "didn't do anything wrong" amid allegations that a man tried to secure payment from Mississippi State during the Heisman Trophy hopeful's recruitment.

    Newton said Friday just before stepping on the bus to the team's hotel in Montgomery ahead of Saturday's game with Chattanooga that he's "sure the smoke will settle." He says he's holding up just fine, that he's had "worse days."

    A person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press on Friday that Auburn has had "no contact whatsoever" with a man who allegedly tried to secure payment from Mississippi State during the recruitment of Newton.

    read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5768636

    Big East looks to add 2 football teams 

    by
    truebluefan
    Published on 11-02-2010 03:42 PM

    Big East presidents agreed in a meeting on Tuesday that it would be in their best interests to increase its football membership from eight to ten members, the conference said.

    "Today, our Board of Directors affirmed a set of key strategic initiatives, including expansion, designed to enhance membership stability and maximize our value," Big East commissioner John Marinatto said in a statement.

    Marinatto said the conference will refrain from commenting further on the expansion process.

    The Big East has previously inquired about Villanova's interests in moving to the highest division of college football. The Wildcats are currently ranked third in the Top 25 Football Championship Series coaches' poll. Additionally, Villanova is one of the 16 teams that already comprise the Big East's basketball membership.

    UCF, East Carolina, Memphis and Temple have all been mentioned in reports as possibilities for joining the conference.

    Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5756898