The
beginning of July brings us a bit closer to the start of another college
basketball season, but we are still four months away from the first tipoff,
making this fairly quiet time of year.
Regardless,
it is still important to keep on top of the news wire, as there are always some
interesting behind-the-scenes stories going on. Sometimes, they can even end-up
having an impact on a particular team’s chances to win its conference this
upcoming season or affect its current futures odds to make a run at a national
title.
The
following is a look at this week’s most interesting news and notes from the
world of college basketball.
Jordan makes the news for all the
wrong reasons
NBA legend
Michael Jordan’s son Marcus finds himself in the news after getting arrested
this past weekend for resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and obstruction of
justice in conjunction with an incident at an Embassy Suites in Omaha,
Nebraska. Police were called to the scene early Sunday morning after the
younger Jordan was observed arguing with two women in the hotel parking lot. He
was reported as being “very animated, intoxicated, and uncooperative” at the
time of his arrest.
Marcus
averaged 13.7 points for the Central Florida Knights last season as a junior
guard and is expected to be a major factor in the Knights’ quest to win the
2012/2013 Conference-USA title.
Mississippi State freshman transfers
to Duke
It was
reported that Mississippi State guard Rodney Hood has decided to leave the team
after just one season to transfer to Duke University. The freshman standout,
who averaged 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds a game last season for the Bulldogs,
will have to sit out a season under NCAA rules, but will retain three years of
eligibility when he joins the Blue Devils for the start of the 2013/2014
season. Hood was recruited by former Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury.
Stansbury’s
decision to retire from coaching this past March may or may not have been a
factor in Hood’s decision to transfer, but the guard did state that he had felt
a connection with Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski during the recruitment
process two years ago. The Bulldogs were opened by Bovada as 150/1 longshots to
win this season’s national title after going 21-12 and losing to Massachusetts
in the first round of the NIT Tournament last season.
Boise State is still leaving the
Mountain West
The on
again-off again saga of Boise State’s decision to bolt the Mountain West
Conference for greener (or bluer) pastures in the Big East and Big West is
apparently on again after the school informed the MWC that it is opting out of
its current deal for the start of the 2013/2014 season to avoid paying a hefty
$5 million penalty if it decided to move after June 30. The one caveat to the
whole move is that the Broncos will only be joining the Big East for football
and are still trying to secure a spot in the Big West for their basketball
team. Pacific is expected to depart the Big West after this season, which could
pave the way for Boise State to join San Diego State, Cal Poly, Cal
State-Fullerton, Cal State-Northridge, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine,
UC Riverside, and UC Santa Barbara in the conference.