TheBand

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/aug/16/miami-booster-accuses-haith-ncaa-violation/?tigerextra A former Miami booster alleged that Missouri basketball Coach Frank Haith acknowledged a $10,000 payoff to secure a commitment from a recruit while coaching the Hurricanes in 2007. A lengthy Yahoo! Sports investigation into Nevin Shapiro’s activities over nine years as a Miami booster uncovered numerous alleged NCAA violations involving the Hurricanes football and basketball players and coaches. Shapiro alleged that he paid $10,000 to help secure the commitment of DeQuan Jones. Shapiro said the transaction was set up by assistant coach Jake Morton, who acted as the conduit for the funds. He also said the transaction was later acknowledged by Haith in a one-on-one conversation, according to the Yahoo! report. http://sports.yahoo.com/investigations/news?slug=cr-renegade_miami_booster_details_illicit_benefits_081611

The half circle under the hoop is painted on.. its not just a "taped on" instructional aid. There are 4 total hoops in the main gym..2 on the main court, and two on a a half court that is set up where the bleachers for the student section are folded away. CE, MM, DE & RL look noticiably stronger in their upper body today. Kwa was really excited to be there and playing.

Follow-up. Per SLU Media Relations. Majerus will NOT be at the scheduled practice tomorrow that is open to the media. Currently his status for Wednesday's session is unclear as well. I don't know when Rick had this procedure done, but a friend of mine had it on a Monday recently and was cleared to be at work on Thursday of the same week (he chose not to do that though.)

From a SLU Media Relations Press Release: Majerus Undergoes Stent Procedure Sunday, July 31, 2011 ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis head men’s basketball coach Rick Majerus underwent a successful stent procedure in Salt Lake City, Utah. The procedure was done by Dr. James Revenaugh. “I feel great and I am looking forward to the beginning of the season,” Majerus said. The Billikens begin a 10-day trip to Canada on Aug. 19. All previously announced open practice sessions will take place as originally scheduled. -- Saint Louis University Billiken Media Relations

Will Tennessee-Memphis series be ending soon? Posted on: July 19, 2011 11:21 am By Matt Norlander If Josh Pastner gets his way, the Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers will have an annual meeting no more. Pastner hates playing the game. Doesn't see the value in Tennessee coming into Memphis -- where recruits are ripe as ever -- and playing the Tigers every other year. He said as much on the radio Monday. Per the Memphis Commercial-Appeal: “I have no desire to play Tennessee,” Pastner told hosts Josh Ward and Will West on WNML-AM 990. “I don’t think it does us any good. I’m just being honest with you. For us, it’s a game that, I don’t know why we play it, but we play it because the athletic director wants me to play it and he’s my boss and what he says goes.” This stems from the fact that, while its an in-state rivalry, Tennessee is ultimately getting more out of the deal than Memphis. There aren't a lot of players to recruit in Knoxville, which is quite a haul from the River City. But Tennessee is always trying to entrench itself in Memphis and pluck a recruit here or there. Ergo, the Vols are getting more out of the proposition than Memphis. They're also winning more. Tennessee is 3-1 in the recent history of the rivalry. I can't help but ask: Is Tennessee coming in to play Memphis every two years really damaging Pastner's recruiting ability? Unlikely -- but this is how coaches are. Any advantage possible, please. And eliminating Tennessee from the equation is the best thing for Pastner, so he's going to push for that. Plus, since Bruce Pearl is now gone, Tennessee is seen as a weaker opponent -- and it is -- so this is the perfect time for Pastner to let his opinion be known. I like the game, but most outside the state won't really have an opinion on it if it goes away. That No. 1 vs. No. 2 game back in 2008 was pretty exciting, though. I think in-state series between national brands are good for the sport, so ultimately, I'd like to not see this go away. But if Pastner can trade this game for an annual meeting with another school (I think I saw Louisville tossed out as a possibility on Twitter), then I'm fine with it. And Tigers fans should be, too. We've still got at least two more meetings between the clubs on tap, though. Memphis hosts this year, then travels to Knoxville for the 2012-13 season. http://eye-on-college-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/30714883?ttag=gen10_on_all_fb_na_txt_0001

A couple of tweets that were re-tweeted by Nate Latch: TheHoopsReport Ryan Feldman I spoke with Saint Louis Rick Majerus on Wednesday. He is not participating in the July recruiting period. His ailing mother is in hospice. TheHoopsReport Ryan Feldman Rick Majerus said he'll start Kwamain Mitchell, Brian Conklin, Rob Loe + 2 of these 4: Kyle Cassity, Dwayne Evans, Mike McCall, Jake Barnett

http://blogs.news-leader.com/msu/2011/06/21/moats-no-truth-to-msu-to-conference-usa-rumors/ Missouri State athletic director Kyle Moats emphatically denied Tuesday evening’s rumor that MSU athletics would be moving to Conference USA. “Absolutely not,” Moats said in a text when asked if there was any truth to the rumor that MSU had received an offer from C-USA to join the conference in all sports except football. The rumor gained traction on Twitter late Tuesday evening after men’s basketball player Drew Wilson wrote “Just got the word we moving to Conference USA next year.” The post has since been removed. He later wrote, “Me and another teammate read it off somewhere, so (I don’t know).”

"the University of St. Louis Billikens."

Saint Louis looking for games for 2011-12 season. 1)2-3 Guarantee Games 2)1-2 H-H starting in St. Louis 3)H-H starting on Road - Dec. 30-31 Dates Available: November - 18,19,20 December - 6,7,10,13,17,21,22,29,30,31 Guarantee - Offered, 2011-2012 04/05/2011 - 3:26pm

How about Nancy Lieberman as an assistant to Rick? Ok, that may not work considering some of Majerus' alleged past tactics... but its a neat story anyway. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/04/nancy-lieberman-basketball-video.html

Approx 9k. It was an awesome place to watch a game. I know they oversold a time or two and there were nearly 10 k in there several times for games.

Good job Jim. Thank you for bringing some actual news and research to this thread.

Per my sources... Porter accepted it this morning.

Wouldn't there be media types complaining about a lack of geographic rival for some of those teams? And long distance travel issues? Oh, wait, that only matters for SLU and the A-10...

http://gary-parrish.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6271764/28121020 Source: Gregory leaving Dayton for Georgia Tech

It appears that Communication Studies is a very popular major with the juco transfers at Marquette. http://www.marquette.edu/explore/major_commstud.shtml

Unless Shimmy already has another gig lined up, why would she walk away from the final year of her contract?

Welmer refed about 12 games this season and injured his knee. He is now retired. Probably the only ref who has a fanpage on facebook. http://www.therepublic.com/view/local_story/Longtime_ref_Welmer_to_retire__1294924717/ According to statsheet he had 12 games early on this season then one additional one in early feb. http://statsheet.com/mcb/referees/steve-welmer/schedule

Will be weird for the ticket holders next year, "Ok, where is the game tonite? Anaheim? Bakersfield? San Diego??!!" http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/news/story?id=6125802 UCLA to pick site for home games By Peter Yoon ESPNLosAngeles.com LOS ANGELES -- UCLA fans will have a say in where the Bruins men's basketball team plays its home games next season. Pauley Pavilion, UCLA's on-campus arena, will be shut down for a renovation project during the 2011-12 season, so the school sent surveys this week to season ticket holders and individuals who have purchased single-game tickets to gauge their interest in other possible venues. The candidates are: The Los Angeles Sports Arena, The Honda Center in Anaheim, Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Staples Center, Valley View Casino Center in San Diego (formerly the San Diego Sports Arena) and RaboBank Arena in Bakersfield. The most likely possibility is that some combination of those arenas will be used. "I think without question we're looking at the Bruin road show next year," said Mark Harlan, UCLA's senior associate athletic director for external relations. Harlan said the school will use the survey results to determine fan interest in attending games at the listed venues. UCLA hopes to have a decision made in the next two or three weeks. "It will serve as a guide for leadership here to really put together the season for next year," Harlan said. "We'll look at the survey and get a general feeling of where the flow is going." UCLA had been close to closing a deal to play all of its home games at The Forum in Inglewood, but the owners of Madison Square Garden have an option to purchase the Forum and plan on renovating it and making it into a concert-only venue, so it became unavailable. The Sports Arena is the only one of the current candidates available for UCLA's entire 18-game home schedule next season. UCLA players said they prefer Staples Center, but that arena is available for only two UCLA home dates next season because of conflicts with the Lakers, Clippers and Kings. The Honda Center is available for nine home games. Citizens Business Bank Arena is being considered for an exhibition game and a maximum of two regular-season games while the Bruins would consider RaboBank Arena in Bakersfield for only one game and Valley View Casino Center for a maximum of two. "We're going to play wherever they tell us to play," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "It doesn't matter what my preference is. What matters is that we're going to be out of there for a year and it's obviously more difficult when you are traveling to a home game." The women's basketball team, men's and women's volleyball teams and the gymnastic team also use Pauley Pavilion and will be shifted to the on-campus gym at the 2,500-seat John Wooden Athletic center "in all probability" a school spokesman said. The L.A. Sports Arena seems to make the most sense for the men's basketball team because of its proximity and its availability. The drawback, however, is that it is the former home for UCLA's archrival USC, who played there until 2006, and is located adjacent to USC's campus. Center Anthony Stover shuddered at that idea. "I don't know if I want to be that close to SC," he said. Harlan, acknowledged the possibility of fan backlash from playing in enemy territory and said that was one of the reasons for the survey. "We need to hear from our fans, we need to talk to them a little bit more about that option," he said. UCLA played at the Sports Arena from 1959-1965, winning two NCAA championships during that span. Harlan said officials from the Sports Arena have agreed to make cosmetic changes to the arena in order to make it feel more UCLA-friendly. "As we've had conversations they are offering to do a lot of things to that venue that will make it more attractive," Harlan said. "We can't change where it is, but I think we can do some work. It's amazing what a little paint can do." Proximity to UCLA is a top concern for UCLA players, who fear that they might lose their home court advantage if students are unable to easily travel to the chosen venue. "There are some concerns," said junior guard Malcolm Lee. "Hopefully we can get whatever arena that's closest because most likely that is going to get more of the student body in there. Home court advantage is real important." Howland agreed, but said the school would arrange for student transportation to the games much like they do for football games at the Rose Bowl. "Hopefully we can turn it into a road show for a year to whatever venue we're going to be playing in," he said. "But for the long-term health of the program and [Pauley Pavilion], this is great. It was much needed so, there will be some difficulties, but ultimately it will be great once it's done." Peter Yoon covers UCLA for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/stlo/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/SLUMBBGUIDE0910.pdf I stand corrected My memory had Mardi Gras later in the month than Feb 13- Game was against Dayton--- BUT it was a LATE afternoon game, not a 1 pm start like this one against X.

...last year's mardi gras saturday game was a 7 pm start, unlike this year. Really not a fan of the schedule this year. 1pm game when the parade starts at 11 am? I wonder if SLU requested the 1pm start time. If they did, I'm disappointed knowing how many students want to go and like to go to the parade and then hang in Soulard and end up at the game and make a day of it.

Spelling of Willie Reed's name has been corrected in the story.

Shall we all start wearing black to games as well?

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/slu/article_670482ae-3853-11e0-8ff3-0017a4a78c22.html?sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4d5953203ec39407,0

Majerus was also on 101 espn yesterday with Brian Stull (in for a sick Bernie)... he described the final sequence in detail. 101espn.com for the interview. -Frank