Ohio State hopes Oden is difference in rematch with Hoyas
March 30, 2007
ATLANTA (AP) -Greg Oden is struggling to stay on the floor in the NCAA tournament.
Oden has 13 fouls in his last three games. He fouled out against Xavier and finished with four fouls in reduced playing time against Tennessee and Memphis.
Now comes a new test - 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert and Georgetown - in the Final Four. Ohio State's best chance to win Saturday and advance to the championship game will be for its 7-foot freshman center to avoid foul trouble.
"I have to pick and choose," Oden said. "I have to be smart about myself on defense."
Ohio State didn't have Oden a year ago, and didn't have much of a chance in its NCAA second-round loss to Georgetown.
Hibbert and Jeff Green made the Buckeyes look undersized and overwhelmed.
Hibbert and the 6-9 Green combined for 39 points, 22 rebounds and four blocked shots in the Hoyas 70-52 runaway win. Georgetown outrebounded Ohio State 37-24.
After the game, Ohio State coach Thad Matta made a prophetic look ahead as he considered the arrival of Oden.
"Next year, we won't have that problem," Matta said, referring to the size disadvantage.
Matta couldn't know then that he would have a rematch with Georgetown this season, especially in the spotlight of the Final Four.
The Ohio State-Georgetown game will produce one finalist. For added glamour, the game also might determine who's the better center - Oden or Hibbert.
"It's going to be a big challenge," Oden said. "He's a great player. We are similar players. We both play really strong and block a lot of shots. It's going to be difficult, for sure."
Oden, a first-team All-American, has overcome surgery on his right wrist to post team-leading averages of 15.4 points and 9.5 rebounds. He is viewed as a possible No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft.
Hibbert is rated by NBAdraft.net as the second-best center, but a strong game against Oden could boost his status.
"It's not too often we have two low-post centers going against each other, particularly this late in the tournament," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said.
"I think they're both very good players. It's something that people are talking about."
Oden matched Jerry Lucas in 1960 as the only Ohio State players to post four straight postseason double-doubles, including two Big Ten tournament games and the Buckeyes' first two NCAA games.
Oden has been in foul trouble, though, with at least four in three straight games. He was limited to nine points in 18 minutes against Tennessee in the round of 16, though he delivered a late game-saving blocked shot despite four fouls. He had 17 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes, again finishing with four fouls, against Memphis in the South Regional final.
Oden's wrist injury forced him to spend more time developing the ability to shoot with his left hand. But even with that added skill he was held back by the brace on his right wrist.
"The seven months that his hand was immobilized obviously set him back," Matta said. "Even when he came back, the hand didn't work. We disguised it. We didn't tell anybody his right hand couldn't move. But I think he's really made a lot of progress.
"Like I said, it just keeps getting a little stronger every day. The good thing is with all that time, he was working his left hand. You saw the rewards of his free-throw shooting with his left hand."
Oden made 63.6 percent of his free-throw attempts overall, including about 67 percent in Big Ten games.
Hibbert fouled out in Georgetown's win over Vanderbilt in the third round, but he still brings a streak of five straight double-doubles to the Final Four. Hibbert, a junior, averaged 12.7 points and 6.9 rebounds for the season.
Green, who has scored in double figures in 17 of 18 games, and DaJuan Summers (6-8, 241) give Georgetown three starters listed at 6-foot-8 or bigger.
Ohio State is expected to counter with a three-guard lineup, possibly giving the Buckeyes opportunities to have quicker players penetrate from the perimeter.
"They do have a big team, but sometimes that means we can attack them offensively when we have a big guy matched up against a smaller one and then we can drive to the basket," senior guard Ron Lewis said
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Fresno State's Schroyer takes reins of Cowboys
LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Wyoming introduced Heath Schroyer as the Cowboys' new men's basketball coach on Friday, reuniting Schroyer with the man who gave him his last head coaching job.
Schroyer comes to Wyoming from Fresno State, where he was associate head coach for two years. Before that, Schroyer was head coach at Portland State for three years. He was hired there by athletic director Tom Burman, who now holds the same job at Wyoming.
The contract Schroyer signed Friday will pay him a base salary of $150,000 a year. With incentives, he can earn up to $500,000.
Schroyer will earn a base salary of $150,000 a year. With incentives, he can earn up to $500,000, although the contract still has yet to be signed.
In three seasons with the Vikings, Schroyer went 35-47 overall, 19-23 in the Big Sky Conference. He took over a struggling program and finished last in the Big Sky in each of his first two seasons, going 5-22 in 2002-03 and 11-16 in 2003-04.
But Portland State won the Big Sky regular-season title in 2005, going 11-3 in league play. The Vikings played host to the conference tournament but were upset by Weber State in the semifinals, finishing the season 19-9. Schroyer didn't earn a postseason bid in his three seasons.
After that season, Schroyer left Portland State to join head coach Steve Cleveland at Fresno State; the two had coached together at Fresno City College and BYU.
"I had a great situation," Schroyer said. "This is the one opportunity I would have left it to come back to."
Schroyer replaces Steve McClain, who was fired earlier this month after going 157-115 in nine seasons. McClain led Wyoming to four postseason bids in his first five seasons, and in 2002 coached the Cowboys to their first NCAA Tournament win since 1990.
But McClain's last four seasons were mediocre -- Wyoming went a combined 57-63 in those seasons, with two losing records and no postseason bids. Burman cited on-the-court losses and slumping ticket sales when he fired McClain.
Schroyer was an assistant to McClain for one season at Wyoming, coaching defense on the 2001-02 team that went 22-9, won its first regular-season conference championship in 20 years, and upset No. 6 Gonzaga 73-66 in the NCAA Tournament.
"It's great to be back," Schroyer said. "I told Tom [Burman] when I got here it feels like coming home."
"I'm not just confident, I know that we hired the right guy to lead Cowboy basketball," UW President Tom Buchanan said.
Schroyer promised an aggressive style of play.
"We're going to open the floor up," Schroyer said. "I think it's a mistake at this level not to play fast at 7200 feet."
Guard Brandon Ewing said he hasn't talked with Schroyer yet, but he's encouraged to hear the Cowboys will keep playing an uptempo game.
"I'm ready to win in the tournament. I want to be one of those teams that's winning championships," Ewing said.
"Whoever came in, I'm ready to play basketball," Ewing said. "[Schroyer] seems like a cool guy-energetic. I'm ready to play."
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College-Basketball Notebook: Knight has no intention of hanging up whistle
Friday, March 16, 2007
JOURNAL STAFF AND WIRE REPORT
Bob Knight has climbed college basketball's last remaining mountain, but he isn't ready to stop coaching.
Knight, the Texas Tech coach, was already looking forward to next season, which will be his 42nd, after his team was beaten 84-75 by Boston College yesterday in the East Regional's first round.
"We were talking this morning about what we want to do with the kids that we've recruited and what these kids that are coming back are going to have to do," Knight said. "I'll talk to them about that when we get home."
Knight is college basketball's leader in coaching wins with 890. Basketball won't be on his mind for at least a few days, however.
"I'm still going to go fishing tomorrow," Knight said.
At least several Boston College players were pleased when Belmont raced to a quick lead yesterday against Georgetown.
Georgetown won, however, and Boston College will have to return to its Big East Conference roots in the regional's second round on Saturday. The teams annually slugged it out as members of the Big East before Boston College joined the ACC last season.
"Georgetown is basically the hottest team in the country," said forward Jared Dudley of Boston College. "Their size is a problem for a lot of teams.
"We've had success over the years against them. A lot of people will definitely have us as the underdog and say we can't win but the only thing that matters is the people in this locker room.
"We've done it before. Just because we're the underdog doesn't mean we're not going to win."
Boston College is a team that is fit to be "tyed."
In its program are a Tyrese (Rice), a Tyrelle (Blair) and two Tylers (Roche and Neville).
No wonder Coach Al Skinner never wears a tie.
A basketball team, it has often been said, is not a democracy.
That certainly was the case yesterday when Boston College played Texas Tech yesterday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Joel Coliseum.
The Eagles, to a man, were wearing headbands. There was no team vote on the issue. Instead, according to junior John Oates, it was dictated by seniors Jared Dudley and Sean Marshall.
"I didn't want to do it, but I had to,'' Oates. "But wait until next year when I'm a senior. I'm going to have everybody doing some stupid stuff. We're going to be wearing party hats out there.''
Expect guard Tyrese Rice of Boston College to be circling the date of the Eagles' next trip to Joel Coliseum to play Wake Forest.
Rice, who has family in North Carolina, continued his superb play in the building yesterday, scoring 26 points against Texas Tech while shooting 8 of 18 from the floor. In three games at Joel Coliseum, the previous two against the Deacons, Rice has made 20 of 35 field-goal attempts and averaged 23.3 points.
"I really don't know what it is,'' Rice said. "Maybe it's the atmosphere, maybe it's the rims, maybe it's the court. Maybe it's my family being there. I don't know. All those things factor in.''
Rice, as a senior at Richmond's L.C. Byrd High School, had a recruiting visit scheduled to Wake Forest but committed the week before to Boston College. It was mentioned to him that he could be playing all his home games at Joel Coliseum.
"I could have,'' Rice said. "But I made a better decision in Boston College,''
Pokey Chatman resigned as the women's coach at LSU before the university could finish investigating alleged improprieties, the university's chancellor said yesterday.
In an interview with The Advocate of Baton Rouge, Chancellor Michael O'Keefe said that Chatman's resignation ended the investigation. According to various media reports, the allegations centered on inappropriate behavior with a former LSU player.
O'Keefe said that no current players are involved. He would only describe the case as "a pattern of activity that was disruptive to the team" and refused to elaborate. But he said no one complained of being a victim.
"No one came forth to say they were wronged," O'Keefe said.
O'Keefe said that Chatman "did the right thing."
Samford University will become the Southern Conference's 12th member starting in 2008, the league said yesterday. Tihe addition addition will give the SoCon eight football teams and 12 basketball teams, making scheduling easier. Samford, in Birmingham, Ala., had been part of the Ohio Valley Conference
@ 2007 Winston-Salem Journal. The Winston-Salem Journal is a Media General newspaper.
Georgia State fires Perry
Updated: March 4, 2007, 3:29 PM ET
ssociated Press
ATLANTA -- Four years after replacing coaching legend Lefty Driesell, Georgia State men's basketball coach Michael Perry has been fired.
"We are grateful for what Michael Perry has done for Georgia State during his tenure as an assistant and head coach and we wish him and his staff well," Georgia State athletic director Mary McElroy said Sunday.
Perry, a former assistant under Driesell, joined the Panthers' staff in 1997. In 2003-4, he led the squad to a 20-9 record and the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament.
But his teams have struggled since, posting a combined 62-75 record in three consecutive losing seasons. Georgia State went 11-20 this season, and lost to Virginia Commonwealth 73-60 in the quarterfinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament on Saturday.
Perry has two years left on his contract and Georgia State will honor the terms of the agreement, McElroy said.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Coppin St. 80, Md.-Eastern Shore 65
Feb. 26, 2007
BALTIMORE (AP) -Robert Pressey scored a team-high 16 points, and Coppin State defeated Maryland-Eastern Shore 80-65 Monday night.
Pressey was 7-of-9 from the floor, and the Eagles shot a season-best 59.6 percent from the floor, including 69.6 percent in the first half. Pressey also added a game-high nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
Tywain McKee contributed 14 points for Coppin State (10-18, 8-8 MEAC).
Coppin State improved to .500 in the MEAC for the first time since it defeated Bethune-Cookman on Jan. 3.
Ed Tyson, Antonio McMillion and Brown each scored 16 points for UMES (3-25, 0-16).
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