Off The Boards
By Jack Scheuer
January 13, 2016 Edition
It’s been a good year so far for Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey. His Hawkeyes are 12-3 with victories over Michigan State, Purdue and Wichita, plus he has a commitment from a promising high school junior who happens to be his son. Connor McCaffrey is a 6-5 combo guard at Iowa City West high school,a perennial power in the state, who has been a starter since his freshman year. He is also an excellent baseball player, so it will be interesting to see if his coach/dad allows him to play both sports in college.
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Providence’s Kris Dunn has been the early favorite to be the Big East’s MVP, but Josh Hart should certainly be one of the top contenders for the award. The 6-5 junior is the epitome of a complete player which includes being very strong at the defensive end. Villanova, number 6 in the country, is a team without super stars, but Hart is certainly a special player.
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Trivia Time: Kentucky has a great basketball history. Who is the school’s all-time leading scorer? Answer at the end of the column.
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Two of college basketball’s most friendly, outgoing ,and jovial coaches are having great seasons. Drill Sergeant Frank Martin at South Carolina is 15-0, and West Virginia’s Happy Bob Huggins had his Mountaineers at 15 -1 after beating Kansas in last night’s game. Ignore the sarcasm, they both deserve to be commended.
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This and That: Former NBA star Mark Price is having a tough time in his first year as a head coach. His Charlotte 49ers are-4-11….Ex St. Joe’s stalwart Ronald Roberts Jr. is averaging 18 points and 12 rebounds for Raptor 5, Toronto’s team in the Development League….The Philadelphia Sports Writers will present their Most Courageous Award at the annual banquet on February 1. My nominee would be Brett Brown….N.C. State’s Bee Jay Anya, a 6-9 junior, is 19 for 54 from the foul line.That’s 35%. Not good….I know he’s a very nice man, but hearing Dick Vitale yell “Are you serious?” four times in a row, is a little too much…..Tough games coming up for Temple and Villanova. The Owls are at Memphis tonight, and home with Cincinnati on Saturday. The Wildcats are home with Marquette tonight, and visit old friend Georgetown on Saturday….Anybody out there know if Rysheed Jordan is playing anywhere?
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Answer to TriviaTime: Hall of Famer Dan Issel, with 2,138 points, is Kentucky’s all-time leader.
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