Can Tennessee overcome chemistry problems?

That’s the overriding question in SEC basketball at this point…will Tennessee be able to survive despite the divorce of coach Pearl, arrest and (at least) temporary loss of Crews, and a host of other problems facing the Volunteers?

These struggles shouldn’t affect SEC play too much, however, only the Volunteers’ seeding come March if they struggle early in the season.

In other news…

One of the top recruits in the country for the 2008 freshman year, Scotty Hopson, took the weekend to make an official visit to his school of choice - Mississippi State. Hopson ranked the trip a “ten out of ten,” and took the opportunity to meet future teammates Dee Bost and Romero Osby, along with the rest of the current Bulldog team. Osby, ranked the #6 recruit in the nation by Rivals, stated he intends on signing with Mississippi State in November and will not be taking official visits to any other schools. This should certainly lay to rest the rumors surrounding his possible defection to Kentucky.

Although this is relatively old news, Jejuan Brown withdrew from Vanderbilt a few days ago. He averaged 3.1 points and a rebound last season - this seems to only open up a scholarship for Stallings.

Michael Porter - a relatively unused Wildcat, received a concussion after diving for a loose ball. He’s expected to be out about a week.

I will soon release my choices for the preseason honors of the SEC. Should be the next post or two…

The Battle of Hopson

Okay, it’s officially gotten ugly.

Mississippi State commit Scotty Hopson has been subject to a string of rumors in recent months, culminating recently in a rash of discussion regarding not only interest in Kentucky, but also a change of high-school - and consequently, a more Kentucky-friendly coach.

In response, Hopson has said “I am 100% solid in my commitment. Everyday I hear more rumors and I have people telling me to go to Kentucky. It’s good to feel wanted, but it gets old after a while.”

In addition, it seems as if the high-school rumor was fabricated as well, as Hopson has begun classes at his current high-school.

One wonders how diligently Gillespie is recruiting a young man who’s already committed to his school of choice, and if Hopson is truly interested in the Wildcats.

All I have to say is enough is enough - the kid is going to attend the school that best fits him.

Either way, the November early-signing period will tell a lot. Either Hopson makes his decision final, or it won’t be looking good for the Bulldogs.

Rivals 2008 Top150 Updated

The Class of 2008 basketball recruit rankings have been updated, and here are the signees’ new positions, along with those who are interested in the SEC but haven’t signed. Recruits are listed from highest-ranked to lowest.

If the recruit is bolded, he has moved up in the rankings. If he’s in italics, he’s fallen in the rankings. If he’s neither, he’s unmoved.

• #1 overall, previously #1 - Greg Monroe [Interested in LSU, Florida] 
• #9 overall, previously #20 - Scotty Hopson [Mississippi State]
• #12 overall, previously #13 - Willie Warren [Interested in Kentucky]
• #16 overall, previously #16 - Elliot Williams [Interested in Tennessee]
• #17 overall, previously #15 - Kenny Kadji [Florida]
• #21 overall, previously #19 - DeAndre Liggins [Kentucky]
• #22 overall, previously #14 - Tyler Zeller [Interested in Tennessee]
• #25 overall, previously #21 - Jamychal Green [Interested in Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss]
• #27 overall, previously #22 - Angel Garcia [Interested in Florida]
• #30 overall, previously #24 - Howard Thompkins [Georgia]
• #38 overall, previously #43 - Tony Mitchell [Alabama]
• #52 overall, previously #50 - Romero Osby [Mississippi State]
• #65 overall, previously #63 - Phillip Jurick [Tennessee]
• #130 overall, previously #115 - Demarquis Bost [Mississippi State]
• #131 overall, previously #128 - Erving Walker [Florida]
• #141 overall, previously #123 - Ray Shimpan [Florida]
• #145 overall, previously unranked - Dustin Ware [Georgia]
• Unranked, previously #131 - Terrance Joyner [Arkansas]
• Unranked, previously unranked - Brandon Wilson [Ole Miss]

Out of the entire group, Mississippi State commit Scotty Hopson has gained the most ground, bouncing from the 20th overall position into the top 10 at ninth. The biggest loser was Florida commit Ray Shimpan, falling from 123rd to 141st - a drop of 18 spots.

Interesting to see how many SEC commits have fallen in the new rankings. Lack of respect, bad recruiting, or simply coincidence?

Recruiting…children?

Lately, there’s been constant buzz encircling Ryan Boatright’s recent commitment to USC. Not that he’s not allowed to, but at 14 - yes, 14 - the idea seems a bit, well, perverse.

But perversion is simply a societal norm gone awry.

Nothing in the NCAA’s handbook limits the age of which a young man can make his decision on where he attends college - even if it’s before he’s decided on a high-school. Neither legally, nor according to the NCAA, is the recruitment of these middle-schoolers technically wrong.

However, the question often asked is: Is it moral?

My answer: Why not?

A verbal commitment is just that - it’s verbal. This quite obviously leaves the door wide open for the young man to grow as a child, no doubt still under heavy recruiting, and to change his mind later in his life.

If accepted and embraced by the child and his family, which was the case in Boatright’s recruitment, this act in no way harms the child.

This is, however, a gigantic risk for a coach. Boatright was listed at 5′9″ and 135lbs at the time of commitment. What if he stops growing? What if he is injured? What if he backs out? Leave the “What ifs” to the coaches.

Plainly put, if the coaches are willing to take the risk in extending offers to 7th and 8th graders and the children and their families are accepting of the recruitment, there is absolutely no harm done. Let the coaches make their mistakes, and quickly realize there’s simply no point in recruiting children that young.

Until then, the nation lies in waiting to see how, or if, this fad will end. But let’s not senselessly ban a process which harms noone involved but those willing to take the risk.

Crunch Time

Although the nation is still 3+ months away from the 2007-2008 season, many of the big-named freshmen for the 2008-2009 season have already committed to their future school.

With most of the media attention going to the upcoming freshmen, now is a good time to take a sneak preview of what’s to come next season for the SEC. Here’s a quick initial - and effectively meaningless - ranking, along with a quick description of each team’s class.

Sidenote: All stars are derived from Rivals.com.

1. Mississippi State: 1 5-star, 1 4-star, 1 3-star

(5 star, #20 overall): Scotty Hopson. 6′5″, 185lbs.  Turning down offers from the likes of Ohio State, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Louisville, Hopson is a ”bouncy wing with a ton of upside” known for his mid-range game. Hopson impressed at the recent Nike camp, and averaged 14 points and 8.5 rebounds per game during his sophomore season.

(4 star, #50 overall): Romero Osby. 6′8″, 230lbs. Osby chose MSU over schools like Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, and Memphis, and is described as a “distributing point forward” by Rivals. Osby averaged 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks during his junior campaign.

(3 star, #115 overall): Demarquis Bost. 6′2″, 170lbs. Bost had offers from Virginia, Cincinatti, and Florida State, and is an “explosive guard who defends”.

2. Florida: 1 5-star, 2 3-stars

(5 star, #15 overall): Kenny Kadji. 6′10″, 240lbs. Kadji was offered by schools like Kansas State, Memphis, and Connecticut and is described as a “long, athletic forward”.

(3 star, #123 overall): Ray Shipman. 6′3″, 180lbs. Shipman turned down offers from Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Clemson among others, and is a “solid wing who can score”.

(3 star, #128 overall): Erving Walker. 5′6″, 140lbs. Walker chose Florida over Villanova, and is known as a “dynamic undersized guard”.

3. Georgia: 1 5-star, 1 3-star

(5 star, #24 overall): Howard Thompkins. 6′8″, 225lbs. Thompkins was also offered by Georgia Tech, Florida, and Florida State and is “a very skilled power forward”.

(3 star, not ranked): Dustin Ware. 6′0″, 155lbs. Ware’s only other offer was SE Missouri State.

4. Kentucky: 1 5-star

(5 star, #19 overall): DeAndre Liggins. 6′5″, 190lbs. Liggins was offered by the likes of Illinois, Memphis, and Kansas, and is described as a “point-forward with strong passing skills”.

5. Alabama: 1 4-star

(4 star, #43 overall): Tony Mitchell. 6′6″, 185lbs. Mitchell was also offered by Clemson, Georgia, and South Carolina as an “athletic forward who puts up numers”.

6. Tennessee: 1 4-star

(4 star, #63 overall): Phillip Jurick. 6′10″, 250lbs. Turning down offers from Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan, Jurick is an “athletic post with upside”.

7. Arkansas: 1 3-star

(3 star, #131 overall): Terrance Joyner. 6′2″, 170lbs. Joyner also received offers from Washington State, New Mexico, and Oregon State and is described as an “intruiging point guard with a feel for the game”.

8. Ole Miss: 1 3-star

(3 star, not ranked): Brandon Wilson. 6′5″, 205 lbs. Wilson turned down offers from Louisiana Tech and Louisiana-Monroe.

9-12. LSU, Auburn, South Carolina, Vanderbilt: None

Now that we’ve taken a look at those committed, how about those big-named recruits with interest in SEC schools yet to commit?

(5 star, #1 overall): Greg Monroe. 6′10″, 226lbs. Obviously one of the most sought-after recruits in the country, Monroe has been offered by 12 of the highest-profile schools in the country, and currently maintains “medium” interest (his highest in any school) in Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, LSU, Louisville, Southern Cal, and Texas. In his junior campaign, Monroe averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 blocks.

(5 star, #13 overall): Willie Warren. 6′3″, 195lbs. Holds “medium” interest in offers received from Arizona, Cincinatti, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas.

(5 star, #14 overall): Tyler Zeller. 6′11″, 215lbs. Has been offered by 10 schools, and lists “medium” interest in Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Purdue, and Tennessee. Zeller shot 68.0% from the floor during his junior year while averaging 18.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

(5 star, #16 overall): Elliot Williams. 6′4″, 175lbs. Claims “medium” interest in each of his offered schools, incuding Duke, Memphis, Tennessee, and Virginia. Williams averaged 22 points and 6 rebounds per game in his junior year.

(5 star, #21 overall): Jamychal Green. 6′8″, 225lbs. Holds offers, and “medium” interest, in Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Marquette, Ole Miss, and Virginia. In his junior year, Green averaged 25 points, 16 rebounds, and an impressive 8 blocks per game.

(5 star, #22 overall): Angel Garcia. 6′10″, 210lbs. Maintains “high” interest in, and offers from, Florida, Indiana, and Memphis. Garcia averaged 11 points and 8 rebounds in his junior year.

So there ya have it, the big names to remember in 2008-2009. Obviously this list will change a great deal, so keep updated for the latest.