Ball-hogs…

Next up is minutes/field goal attempts. While not necessarily ball-hogs, most players who fall in that category will show up in this list. Keep in mind that if you’re draining 50-60% of your shots it’s okay to hog the ball while reading the list – and with that said, here’s the top 10.

MINUTES PER FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED

This number doesn’t necessarily have an ideal level, but does point out which players are the least afraid to put up a shot. Shooting percentages and numbers of turnovers help to put this category in perspective.

1. Marcus Thornton, LSU (2.1) – Thornton was possibly the single most important player to his team last season, averaging nearly 20 points per game and ranking second in the conference in field goal attempts. Thornton quite obviously was not hurting his team with his attempts, hitting 43.6% of his shots and 37.7% of them from behind the arc. His rate of turnovers was also low, only turning the ball over once every 15.3 minutes.

2. Devan Downey, South Carolina (2.3) – While Thornton ranked second in field goals attempted, Downey led the conference in that category. Downey is slightly less efficient than Thornton, hitting 42.3% of his shots and 35.1% from long range. Downey’s turnover rate is slightly worse also, at 13.8, but more impressive considering his position on the floor.

3. Austin Steed, South Carolina (2.4) – In just six games, Steed proved he was unafraid of being the shooter, and still hit 6-of-12. Steed and Holmes provide a very talented frontcourt entering their sophomore season.

3. Chris Warren, Ole Miss (2.4) – Another fearless freshman, Warren carried the Rebels to another 20+ win season. Warren attempted 127 more shots than any other player on the squad, but still shot just under 40% from the field and 38.9% of his three-point attempts.

5. Alonzo Gee, Alabama (2.5) – While Gee shot well from the field (41.9%), too many of them came from behind the arc as he just hit 31.9% of his 113 attempts from that distance. Although Gee is known for questionable decision-making, his 15.8 turnover rate isn’t bad.

5. Kelvin Lewis, Auburn (2.5) – This is one of the bad cases of ball-hogging. Lewis saw 21 games and about 8.5 minutes per game, but attempted 71 shots and only brought down 29.6% of them. The sophomore-to-be guard shot a similar 29.2% from three and simply should work on his shooting touch before he allows himself to put up so many shots.

7. Zam Fredrick, South Carolina (2.6) – Further proving how few players the Gamecocks relied on last season, Fredrick serves as the third USC player in the top seven most prolific shooters in the conference last season. Fredrick shot decently well, and took care of the ball last season.

7. A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt (2.6) – Ogilvy dominated in the paint last season for the Commodores as a freshman. Offensive efficiency was Ogilvy’s strong-point, shooting 58.8% from the field, while his 10.5 turnover rate is a bit high. With that said, Ogilvy can only help the ‘Dores by taking as many shots as possible.

9. Josh Dollard, Auburn (2.7) – A common theme amongst this group of players and the teams they play for is a lack of depth or balance. Auburn is certainly no exception, and Dollard led the Tigers in most shots taken per minute played. Dollard, a senior-to-be forward, shot very well from the field – not so well from three – and turned the ball over a bit much.

9. Rasheem Barrett, Auburn (2.7) – Barrett is yet another Tiger unafraid of attempting shots, but is far less efficient at doing so than Dollard. Barrett shot just 37.8% from the field and 29.7% from behind the arc, although his ball-handling was acceptable. Barrett certainly falls in the “should shoot less” category.

9. David Huertas, Ole Miss (2.7) – Again accentuating how guard-reliant the Rebels were last season (where much more weight should have been given to Curtis and Williams), Huertas is the second sharp-shooting ball-handler on the Rebel staff that ranked in this Top 10. Huertas will look to anchor the very guard-heavy roster next season as a junior.

9. Troy Brewer, Georgia (2.7) – Brewer is yet another freshman who was too out of touch with his shooting ability, and thus hurt his team last season. Brewer saw just 7.9 minutes per game and yet put up 93 attempts, hitting just 30.1% of his shots.

What is noticeable already is the common theme among the teams with multiple representatives on the previous two lists. Georgia, South Carolina, Auburn, Ole Miss – and LSU could be included in this list – are all squads who have little depth and required two or three (or one, in LSU’s case) players to bear the load of the rest of the team.

Surprisingly lacking this list is Patrick Patterson from UK, who placed as the fifth-highest most efficient scorer and yet only attempted one field goal every 3.2 minutes. If I were Gillespie, I’d be sure to increase Patterson’s attempts and touches.

Next up will be Minutes Per Three Pointer Made.

Top returning performers…

As promised, here is a more in-depth break-down of the infamous excel file, including a ranking of the most efficient players in each statistical category.

Before I get there, I’ll remind you of a few details. First, any player deemed “irrelevant” will not be included. This is usually two or three players per team who have only played in a few games or saw around one or two minutes per outing. Secondly, these numbers should be a highly accurate depiction of each players’ potential, considering the amount of time actually spent on the floor is taken into account. However, only returning players who played last season are included are included in these rankings. Lastly, in most categories (minutes per points, rebounds, etc), a player will want his number to be as small as possible, unless it’s minutes per turnovers, which should be high.

With that said, here is the first ranking, along with commentary. The others will follow suit in a timely fashion.

MINUTES PER FIELD GOALS MADE

While this number should be as low as possible as a general rule, this stat line also points out who is most important to their team. Keeping in mind this doesn’t take into account which player is most efficient, it does give insight into which players are scoring most often.

1. A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt (4.5) – With the loss of Speights and Hendrix, Ogilvy now carries the banner of the highest-producing offensive player in the SEC. Ogilvy’s numbers should skyrocket this coming season, as he was only a freshman last year.

2. Joe Duffy, Vanderbilt (4.8) – While only seeing minimal playing time, Duffy was extremely efficient on the floor, hitting 66.7% of his six shots taken. This sophomore forward could certainly be a “diamond in the rough” for the Commodores, as he is approaching his sophomore season.

2. Austin Steed, South Carolina (4.8) – Steed is another sophomore-to-be forward with lots of potential, shooting 50.0% from the floor and actually posting impressive rebounding numbers as well.

4. Marcus Thornton, LSU (4.9) – While Thornton’s numbers result from his very high number of shots taken as well as his efficiency, the senior scoring ability is the highest among the SEC’s guards. This number is particularly impressive as 90 of Thornton’s made field goals were from long range.

5. Devan Downey, South Carolina (5.5) – This dynamic guard’s numbers are also padded by attempting to carry his team, although he still hit 42.3% of his shots.

5. Josh Dollard, Auburn (5.5) – This senior forward is often overlooked, but performs well for the Tigers. While he attempts a lot of shots, he brings down 49.0% of them and rebounds very well.

5. Patrick Patterson, Kentucky (5.5) – A freshman phenom much like Ogilvy, Patterson did not attempt shots quite as often, but was highly efficient when he did, shooting 57.4% from the floor. As with Ogivly, his numbers should also improve drastically entering his sophomore season.

5. Korvotney Barber, Auburn (5.5) – A very efficient senior-to-be forward, Barber’s 60.7% field goal percentage is among the best in the SEC. Barber should be attempting more shots in his final year in school.

9. Tyler Smith, Tennessee (5.6) - A powerful and multi-talented forward, Smith can score from literally anywhere on the court. Despite his “forward” denotation, Smith drained 14 three-pointers last season.

10. Cameron Tatum, Tennessee (5.7) – While only seeing seven games, Tatum shot 13-of-26 and proved his potential as a guard/forward. Again, the high efficiency is impressive to see in freshman season – Tatum will look to contribute more heavily this coming season with the Vols’ losses in the offseason.

10. Mike Holmes, South Carolina (5.7) – A surprising freshman last season, Holmes particularly stepped up in the latter part of the season and earned 12 starts. Holmes shoots well, makes good decisions, and should look to complement Archie in the starting lineup this season.

Not surprising to see this list dominated by forwards, simply because forwards are more likely to take higher percentage shots. Along with some freshman with lots of potential, some SEC stars have already made a name for themselves in the first published list.

Next up will be Minutes Per Field Goals Attempted…

Are you kidding me? More trouble at Georgia…

I’m as shocked as you are. Yet another crucial Georgia player in serious trouble with the law…again.

This time it’s Billy Humphrey, who has been arrested and charged with DUI, failure to maintain lane, and purchasing alcohol while underage.

While apparently the circumstances could mitigate a suspension, all signs are pointing to a 15-game (a.k.a. half-season) suspension for his senior season.

While this will provide an opportunity for senior Corey Butler to gain some well-deserved face-time, this leaves the Bulldogs dangerously thin on the wings and without a reliable and experienced ball-handler.

Interesting to see just how much trouble Felton’s players have gotten themselves into the past few years. One man’s bad luck is another man’s bad choice in recruits. If you ask me (which you in effect have since you’re reading this blog, right?), Felton has a knack for offering scholarships to the type of kids who don’t deserve a free education.

It’s time for the excuses to end. If Felton doesn’t finish in the top half of the East this year, with or without injuries or arrests, it might be time for the ‘Dawgs to be looking for a new coach.

No new news…

Nothing new on the Jamont Gordon front, as he nor his “agent” has released anything about a decision. Apparently Gordon replaced his Facebook image (previously a NBA logo) back to his own image…if that means anything.

While we wait on a decision or some word about what’s going on with Gordon, here’s a list of undrafted SEC players…

ALABAMA

—Mykal Riley (14.9ppg, 5.2rpg, 43.3% 3PT)

MISSISSIPPI STATE

—Charles Rhodes (17.4ppg, 7.8rpg, 56.2% FG)

TENNESSEE

—Chris Lofton (15.5ppg, 3.2rpg, 38.4% 3PT)

Nothing too exciting here. Riley and Lofton are both excellent shooters, but offer little else at the next level. Rhodes has muscle and rebounding underneath, and could eventually get to an NBA roster if he develops his face-up game in Europe.

NBA Draft results, including a shocker…

In a surprising NBA draft, Joe Crawford from Kentucky squeaked into the last picks of the second round while First-Team All-SEC and SEC Player of the Year runner-up Jamont Gordon from Mississippi State was not drafted.

Gordon, who was somehow banking on being drafted – predicted as high as 25th on various sites – now has a mess on his hands. Gordon has an agent representing him, but speculation is that he did not actually pay the guy – which would leave Gordon elligible to return to MSU. If this speculation regarding his agent is incorrect and payment was made, then the junior would not be able to return to school.

Added to the mix are rumors that Gordon’s eagerness for the next level overtook his desire to keep up his grades or attend classes last semester, and that he would have some work to do if he wanted to return to school this summer to improve his GPA – if he would be able to fix the situation at all.

Three weeks ago, the power/point was seemingly quoted as stating that if he were to not be selected in the draft, he would return to school.

All of this is speculation at the moment, and the situation should be clearer tomorrow. I’ll report at that time. One thing is for sure, if Gordon were to somehow return to school, he would be an overwhelming favorite for SEC Player of the Year and Mississippi State’s chances in the Western Division and in the SEC as a whole would be far different.

Here’s a list of SEC player selected in the draft and the teams that chose them.

FIRST ROUND

#14 overall pick: Anthony Randolph, LSU – Freshman, 15.6ppg, 8.5rpg, 2.3bpg – Golden State Warriors

#16 overall pick: Marreese Speights, Florida – Sophomore, 14.5ppg, 8.1rpg, 62.4% FG – Philadelphia 76ers

SECOND ROUND

#39 overall pick: Sonny Weems, Arkansas – Senior, 15.0ppg, 4.5rpg, 37.0% 3PT – Chicago Bulls

#49 overall pick: Richard Hendrix, Alabama – Junior, 17.8ppg, 10.1rpg, 2.0bpg – Golden State Warriors

#51 overall pick: Shan Foster, Vanderbilt – Senior, 20.3ppg, 4.9rpg, 46.9% 3PT – Dallas Mavericks

#58 overall pick: Joe Crawford, Kentucky – Senior, 17.9ppg, 3.6rpg, 36.4% 3PT – Los Angeles Lakers

More coverage on Jamont Gordon and other undrafted SEC players tomorrow…

Who’s returning what…

Here’s a list of each team, ranked from top to bottom, on percentages of returning points and rebounds. This is about as official as it can get, as all of these statistics were taken from the schools’ websites. This list includes transfers, NBA draft losses, and graduates, but not returning red-shirts.

POINTS

1. South Carolina – 91.18%

2. Florida – 77.39%

3. LSU – 71.52%

4. Georgia – 66.03%

5. Auburn – 65.77%

6. Ole Miss – 63.43%

7. Alabama – 48.19%

8. Kentucky – 46.19%

9. Tennessee – 44.43%

10. Mississippi State – 42.31%

11. Vanderbilt – 40.72%

12. Arkansas – 30.16%

REBOUNDS

1. South Carolina – 84.64%

2. Florida – 69.98%

3. LSU – 67.97%

4. Auburn – 67.11%

5. Georgia – 63.28%

6. Kentucky – 62.85%

7. Tennessee – 61.67%

8. Mississippi State – 54.08%

9. Alabama – 51.95%

10. Vanderbilt – 48.75%

11. Ole Miss – 44.51%

12. Arkansas – 36.78%

—Any drastic difference in a team’s place in the lists could point to a potential problem this coming season. For example, Ole Miss returns 63.43% of their points but just 44.51% of their rebounds. Thus, the Rebels are losing a signficant amount of inside presence but return a good number of guards. Rebounding and post presence could be a challenge for Ole Miss this season.

—South Carolina returns a surprising amount of depth all-around, and should be significantly more competitive than last season. The big question mark will be the new coach, and how smoothly a new system will be incorporated.

—With the amount of talent on their roster, Florida is poised to be among the nation’s elite in the next year or two. It’s possible this coming season, if the Gators can replace Speights quickly enough.

—Alabama’s fate will be almost entirely tied to the return of Ronald Steele and the incoming Jamychal Green. The Tide return a below-average amount of scoring and rebounding, so Steele’s decision-making and scoring along with Green’s rebounding will prove vital to this year’s success.

—Arkansas returns so little, it will be very difficult for them to compete this season. The ‘Backs could suffer the largest drop of any team this coming season.

File complete, analyzation in progress…

I’ve completed the file, with the entire stat line for every player in the SEC, with some included such as minutes/field goal, minutes/rebound, etc. As noted before, contact me at kaw_86@yahoo.com if you’d like me to send it to you, and you’re welcome to use it as you wish – although if you use it to publish on a blog, etc, a reference would be great. Here are some notes about the file…

—Every player that actually played this past season is included in the file. Redshirts are not, even those who played in previous seasons and are returning this coming season (i.e. Ronald Steele). Walkons, however, are included if they saw the floor.

—Any player deemed by me to be insignificant, usually meaning 10 games or less played or very few points scored, is highlighted in yellow. Thus, when manipulating the stat lines,  any freakishly high value or percentage based solely on very little real-game experience can be weeded out.

—Note there are two pages. The first is the hard numerical data, and the second is each team’s returning points, rebounds, and percentages with pie/line charts included.

—Each player’s status is current entering this coming season. Thus, a freshman in 2007-08 will be listed as a sophomore in the file.

If there are any questions, just shoot me an e-mail. Hope you guys enjoy!

Soon to come…

I’m working on a massive excel file that will include every SEC player in the SEC, their season stats from last year, and their current status. From that, the file will also include exact percentages of returning points and rebounds for each team – which I will soon report.

Perhaps most exciting though, is that the file will detail exact minutes/point, minutes/rebound, etc. This is probably the single most important “stat” line to me, as it gets beneath the standard stat files and can give clues as to which players have untapped potential and where unnoticed problem areas may lie. There will be a full post breaking down the stand-outs and gems in the rough.

If there are any geeks out there as into this as I am, you are more than welcome to shoot me an e-mail at kaw_86@yahoo.com and I’ll send you a copy.

SEC picks up Negedu…

Specifically, Tennessee has added their sixth recruit of the upcoming season in Emmanuel Negedu. Ranked the 40th-best freshman in his class by Rivals, Negedu, a 6′6″ power forward, looks to compete with Chism and (Tyler) Smith for minutes, as either or both could split next off-season to the NBA.

Amazing what Pearl’s done in Knoxville in such a short amount of time, isn’t it?

Hendrix remains in the NBA, Steele returns…

Richard Hendrix, Alabama’s high-quality big-man who averaged a double-double last season, will not be returning to school next year.

Hendrix averaged 17.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game last season, and would have been a senior in 2008-09.

While Hendrix is a great talent, his stock would have been much higher if he had returned this next season. Alabama would have been poised to dominate the Western Division, and Hendrix’s number likely would have increased, despite the acquisition of five-star 6′8″ incoming freshman power forward Jamychal Green.

This leaves Alabama in an interesting position. While Steele returns to provide the Tide with an excellent decision-maker at point guard, he won’t be dynamic enough to be a reliable scoring threat. He shoots well, but not often. Alonzo Gee is very talented with the ball, but not the best decision-maker. With the loss of Riley to graduation, Hollinger will be relied upon heavily to complement the post offensively from the outside.

Down low, there is now very little experienced talent. While Coleman is a Junior, he is a “work in progress” that never progressed. Jemison is also now a junior, and has some talent, especially on the boards, but not reliable enough to score heavily. As strange as it sounds, Knox is much more unproven than Jemison, yet seems to have more talent and potential, entering his sophomore season. Noone can deny Green’s talent level, but relying heavily upon freshman can often have disastrous results.

Hendrix’s exit certainly leaves the Tide with some question marks for this coming season. However, with the mass exodus across the board in the Western Division, UA should still be favored to win the division. Just not by as much.

Upcoming draft…

All eyes are on tomorrow’s draft deadline, and I’ll be reporting as soon as I know something. The major question mark is Alabama’s Richard Hendrix. If the Tide lose the big man, experienced talent in the paint will be hard to come by and this could leave the West open for a good battle. If Hendrix returns, Alabama could/should compete for an overall conference title.

J’Mison Morgan abandons LSU…

The Tigers have lost their star recruit, 6′10″ center J’Mison Morgan. After the change of leadership and the jumping of Love to the NBA, Morgan dropped his committment to the Tigers and was released to UCLA.

Although Michael Thornton has serious talent, LSU has some serious holes and is going to struggle next season…again.

New arena, or a new coach?

Auburn’s athletic director has made an interesting choice. Instead of spending what it would cost to buy out Jeff Lebo’s contract after several straight years of resting firmly near the bottom of the SEC, the choice was made to fund a $92.5 million dollar basketball facility. The new arena will hold about 9.600 people and will house a two-court practice facility.

Improving facilities is usually a good idea, but at a school who can barely draw in 3,000 fans per game? At a school that hasn’t seen the top half of the SEC West, much less the entire conference, in recent memory?

Seems like a waste to me. Lebo has had his shot – it’s time for Auburn to move on and money be spent in a more logical manner.

Speights to the NBA…

One of the very few remaining question marks left in the NBA has made his decision – to stay in the draft.

Reports have also been filtering out today that Speights has signed with agent Andy Miller, who also has represented Kevin Garnett and Chauncey Billups. This would obviously concrete Speights’ decision.

Speights proved one of the most reliable post players in the conference last season, averaging 14.5 points (22nd in the SEC) and 8.1 rebounds (4th) last season, including 10 double-doubles.

While Donovan is compiling a roster of talented big-men, the loss of Speights will leave the team even younger than expected next season.

Very, very talented but also very, very young. Sound familiar? Hint: 2005-06 Gators.

Incoming Rivals Top-150 recruits…

To begin to grasp some amount of perspective regarding who is returning for this coming SEC season, I thought now [just before the NBA draft] a good time to review which SEC schools will be bringing in the top talent out of high-school. Here’s a current listing of committed players…

• #5 overall – Scotty Hopson – Tennessee (6′5″, 185lb. – Shooting Guard)
  Offers: Tennessee, Texas, Cincinatti, Kentucky, Louisville, Mississippi State
  - “Bouncy wing with a ton of upside”
• #21 overall – Jamychal Green – Alabama (6′8″, 225lb. – Power Forward)
  Offers: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Marquette, Ole Miss, Virginia
  - “Athletic forward with developing skills”
• #26 overall – Eloy Vargas – Florida (6′10″, 210lb. – Power Forward)
  Offers: Florida, Florida State, Louisville, Miami-FL, Pittsburgh, Clemson
  - “A skilled forward”
• #27 overall – Kenny Kadji – Florida (6′10″, 240lb. – Center/Forward)
  Offers: Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Memphis, Connecticut
  - “Long, athletic forward”
• #28 overall – DeAndre Liggins – Kentucky (6′5″, 190lb. – Point Guard/Forward)
  Offers: Kentucky, Memphis, Illinois, Kansas
  - “Point forward with strong passing skills”
• #30 overall – Howard Thompkins – Georgia (6′8″, 225lb. – Power Forward)
  Offers: Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Florida, Florida State
  - “A very skilled power forward”
• #38 overall – Tony Mitchell – Alabama (6′6″, 185lb. – Small Forward)
  Offers: Alabama, Cincinatti, Clemson, Georgia, South Carolina
  - “Athletic forward who puts up numbers”
• #40 overall – Emmanuel Negedu – ? (6′6″, 225lb. – Power Forward)
  Offers: Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Memphis
  - “Extremely athletic long forward” – Of note, Negedu recently de-committed to Arizona and is one of few unsigned top players. Indiana is seen as a favorite due to his AAU ties to the state, while the Vols seem a longshot.
• #41 overall – Rashanti Harris – ? (6′8″, 238lb. – Power Forward)
  Offers: Mississippi State, Ole Miss
  - “Athletic forward with upside” – Harris will likely attend prep school, as he does not qualify this season academically. MSU is seen as a clear favorite, as Harris resides just 25 miles away.
• #43 overall – Darius Miller – Kentucky (6′6″, 215lb. – Small Forward)
  Offers: Kentucky, Louisville, Miami-FL, Tennessee, Xavier, Cincinatti, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas State
  - “Great defensive instincts”
• #52 overall – Jeff Taylor – Vanderbilt (6′7″, 198lb. – Small Forward)
  Offers: Vanderbilt, Texas
  - “Putting up big numbers out west”
• #53 overall – Renaldo Woolridge – Tennessee (6′8″, 205lb. – Small Forward)
  Offers: Tennessee, Georgetown, USC
  - “Intruiging forward having a strong junior season”
• #57 overall – Romero Osby – Mississippi State (6′8″, 230lb. – Power Forward/Point)
  Offers: Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis
  - “Distributing point forward”
• #60 overall – Courtney Fortson – Arkansas (5′10″, 175lb. – Point Guard)
  Offers: Arkansas, Florida State, Kentucky, Tennessee
  - “Dynamic point guard who can score”
• #65 overall – Terrance Henry – Ole Miss (6′9″, 190lb. – Power Forward)
  Offers: Ole Miss, Arkansas, Kansas, LSU, Miami-FL
  - “Multidimensional, long forward”
• #67 overall – Bud Mackey – ? (6′4″, 192lb. – Shooting Guard)
  Offers: None
  - “Long combo guard who can make plays” – Mackey shows interest in Florida, but Cincinatti is seen as a clear favorite, among Georgia Tech and Xavier.
• #68 overall – Philip Jurick – Tennessee (6′10″, 250lb. – Center)
  Offers: Tennessee, Auburn, Clemson, Indiana, Kentucky, Miami-FL, Michigan, Ole Miss
  - “Athletic post with upside”
• #72 overall – Lance Goulbourne – Vanderbilt (6′7″, 215lb. – Small Forward)
  Offers: Vanderbilt, Virginia, Marquette, Michigan, Rutgers
  - “Bouncy forward makes plays inside and outside”
• #78 overall – Jason Henry – Arkansas (6′7″, 190lb. – Small Forward)
  Offers: Arkansas, Cincinatti, Clemson, Louisville, Oklahoma, Tennessee
  - “A multi-dimensional perimeter player”
• #83 overall – Demarquis Bost – Mississippi State (6′2″, 170lb. – Shooting Guard)
  Offers: Mississippi State, Virginia, High Point, Cincinatti, Florida State, Miami-FL
  - “Explosive guard who defends”
• #87 overall – Steve Tchiengang – Vanderbilt (6′8″, 230lb. – Power Forward)
  Offers: Vanderbilt, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Oklahoma
  - “Athletic wing who can slash and shoot”
• #89 overall – Andrew Steele – Alabama (6′3″, 195lb. – Shooting Guard)
  Offers: Alabama, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee
  - “A tough guard in the mold of his brother Ron Steele”
• #91 overall – Ray Shipman – Florida (6′3″, 180lb. – Small Forward)
  Offers: Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Miami-FL, Ole Miss, Clemson
  - “Solid wing who can score”
• #94 overall – Brad Tinsley – Vanderbilt (6′3″, 180lb. – Point Guard)
  Offers: Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Butler, Pepperdine, Arizona State, Oregon, USC
  - “Solid combo guard with an all-around game”
• #96 overall – Allan Chaney – Florida (6′8″, 220lb. – Power Forward)
  Offers: Florida, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Virginia, Marist, Boston College
  - “Big bodied post emerged July [sic]“
• #102 overall – Erving Walker – Florida (5′6″, 140lb. – Point Guard)
  Offers: Florida, Villanova
  - “Dynamic undersized guard”
• #104 overall – Rotnei Clarke – Arkansas (6′0″, 175lb. – Shooting Guard)
  Offers: Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Gonzaga, Tulsa, Oral Roberts
  - “One of the best shooters in the class”
• #105 overall – Frankie Sullivan – Auburn (6′1″, 185lb. – Point Guard)
  Offers: Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Virginia, UAB
  - “Strong penetrating combo guard”
• #117 overall – Travis Leslie – Georgia (6′4″, 185lb. – Small Forward)
  Offers: Georgia, Georgia Tech, Penn State, South Carolina, Clemson
  - “Premier athlete on the wing”
• #120 overall – Delwan Graham – LSU (6′5″, 180lb. – Power Forward)
  Offers: LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, South Florida, UCF, Auburn, Cincinatti
  - “Aggressive forward with a top notch motor”
• #128 overall – Kenny Gabriel – Auburn (6′8″, 197lb. – Small Forward)
  Offers: Auburn, Miami-FL, South Florida, Charlotte, East Carolina, Winthrop
  - “Versatile forward with length”
• #129 overall – Brandon Moore – Arkansas (6′9″, 180lb. – Power Forward)
  Offers: Arkansas, Marquette, Tulane, LA-Lafayette, TCU
  - “Super shot blocker and rebounder”
• #130 overall – Storm Warren – LSU (6′6″, 215lb. – Power Forward)
  Offers: LSU, USC, UCLA, LA-Tech, LA-Monroe, Baylor, Florida
  - “Defensive presence around the basket”
• #134 overall – Murphy Holloway – Ole Miss (6′7″, 215lb. – Small Forward)
  Offers: Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Auburn, Clemson, DePaul
  - “Athletic wing with a super motor”
• #144 overall – Dustin Ware – Georgia (6′0″, 155lb. – Point Guard)
  Offers: Georgia, SE Missouri State
  - “Consumate playmaker”

A ranking of SEC schools’ recruiting classes is to come…

Transfers…

As with every off-season, a number of players have decided to transfer from SEC schools towards other squads with more playing time to offer, less conflict, etc.

With that said, here is a current list of transfers heading out…

Alabama

Rico Pickett – Freshman 6′3″ 178lb. Guard (5.9 ppg, 1.2 rbds, 3.3 assists, started 20 games) – Undecided
Justin Tubbs – Sophomore 6′3″ 188lb. Guard (3.1 ppg, 1.2 rbds, played in 47 games) – Undecided

Arkansas

Nate Rakestraw – Freshman 6′4″ 206lb. Guard (Only info. regarding exhibition games) – Biola

Auburn

Matt Heramb – Sophomore 6′9″ 225lb. Forward (1.8 ppg, 1.3 rbds, played in 13 games) – Kennesaw State

Boubacar Sylla – RS Freshman 7′1″ 275lb. Forward/Center (Redshirted) – Wyoming

Florida

Jonathan Mitchell – RS Sophomore 6′7″ 243lb. Forward (Played in 30 games) – Rutgers

Georgia

Mike Mercer – Junior 6′4″ 185lb. Point Guard (Started 27 games, including all of his sophomore season) – South Florida

Rashaad Singleton – Senior 7′0″ 255lb. Center (Started 18 games) – Florida Southern

Kentucky

Derrick Jasper – Junior 6′6″ 209lb. Point Guard (Excellent freshman year, started 27+ games) – Undecided

Alex Legion – Sophomore 6′5″ 195lb. Shooting Guard (Started 2 games, 6.7 ppg) – Illinois

Morakinyo Williams – RS Freshman 6′11″ 260lb. Center (Played 5 games, 1.0 rbds, 0.8 ppg) – Undecided

Mississippi State

Ben Hansbrough – Junior 6′3″ 205lb. Shooting Guard (Started 37 games, 10.5 ppg, 3.8 rbds, 2.6 asts) – Notre Dame

Ole Miss

Rodney Jones – Junior 6′3″ 190lb. Shooting Guard (Played in 24 games, 1.8 ppg) – Undecided

 South Carolina

Trevor Deloach – RS Freshman 6′3″ 175lb. Shooting Guard (Redshirted) – Undecided

Chad Gray – Junior 6′8″ 210lb. Small Forward (Played 19 games, 2.2 ppg, 1.4 rbds) – Coastal Carolina

Tennessee

Duke Crews – Junior 6′7″ 235lb. Power Forward (Played 26 games, 5.4 ppg, 4.0 rbds, 50.5% FG) – Undecided

Ramar Smith – Junior 6′2″ 200lb. Point Guard (Started 17 games, 7.4 ppg, 2.3 rbds, 3.2 apg) – Undecided

Vanderbilt

Keegan Bell – Sophomore 6′1″ 180lb. Point Guard (Played 34 games, 2.7 ppg, 1.2 rbds, 2.8 apg) – UT-Chattanooga

JeJuan Brown – Junior 6′7″ 230lb. Small Forward (DNP) – Arkansas State

To come will be a list of transfers into SEC programs…

Pickett suspended indefinitely, transfers…

Alabama’s star freshman guard from 2007/08, Rico Pickett, was suspended on April 6th for the standard “violation of team rules”.

Continuing the contraversy under Gottfried, Pickett then opted to transfer, as did little-used backup Justin Tubbs. The loss of Pickett will sting a bit, but Tubbs shouldn’t effect the team very much.

Alabama joins high-profile Maui Invitational field for 2008…

Alabama has accepted an invitation to join seven other high-profile teams in competition at the upcoming season’s Maui Invitational.

Other attendees include North Carolina, Indiana, Notre Dame, Texas, Oregon, and St. Joe’s. Oh yeah, and Chaminade.

Interesting to me that the SEC choice was Alabama. Although the Tide should be competitive this season, the logical choice would have been Tennessee or Florida, in my opinion.

With that said, we should all be backing the Tide whole-heartedly in the name of the Southeastern Conference!

NBA draft…

Although it’s taking a lot of self-control, I’m going to hold off on reporting on speculation regarding who’s returning and who’s staying in the draft, considering that it’s only 10 days away.

I’ll be sure to fully report on who’s gone afterwards, though, and what this will mean for each team.

Hopson coup…

As much of the SEC, especially Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Tennessee fans waited anxiously to learn his decision, news finally broke early last month.

The fifth-ranked player in the country, and highest headed towards the conference, made his decision. The 6′5″, 185lb. shooting guard Scotty Hopson – after previously committing to Mississippi State – was signed by Bruce Pearl, to the delight of Vol fans everywhere.

Hopson is an assumed one-and-doner, but can jump and shoot like none other currently in the Southeastern Conference. The young phenom will quite nicely complement the squad, as the team loses its fair share of guards.

The fashion of which Hopson left MSU out to dry, however, is not as nice of a story. After having committed to State months before the early signing period, Hopson revoked his committment and reopened his recruiting the week of, leaving his previous school of choice out to dry. While this is not outrageously extraordinary, it’s enough to hint towards the kid’s character.

Either way – he’s got talent, and Tennessee will be better off with him on their side. Should make the Tennessee/MSU game very exciting this season, although unfortunately the game will be in Knoxville, lending fewer State fans a chance to vent their frustrations.