Andre Rafus to TCU
Andre Rafus, the 6-foot-9 small forward from
Uncommitted Class of 2017 point guard Trevon Duval will take his final visit to Seton Hall beginning Wednesday, March 8.
Seton Hall visit tmrw ??
— Trevon Duval (@DatGuy_Trey) March 8, 2017
The Big East Tournament runs Wednesday-Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, and No. 5 Seton Hall opens play on Thursday at 2:30 against No. 4 Marquette.
The 6-foot-3 Duval has taken official visits to Kansas, Duke, Arizona and Baylor, with Seton Hall his final remaining school.
About 150 Seton Hall fans, along with head coach Kevin Willard and his entire staff, watched Duval last month when his IMG Academy beat The Patrick School at Roselle Catholic.
Oregon is making a late run at Class of 2017 wing Jordan Tucker, who is planning an official visit to the Pac-12 school in the coming weeks.
Lou Tucker, the player’s father, said Thursday no date had been set and it depends on what happens with the Ducks in the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon head coach Dana Altman and assistant Tony Stubblefield watched the 6-foot-7 Tucker play his final high school game Wednesday night at Marietta (GA) Wheeler, a 75-60 state playoff loss to McEachern. Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner was also in attendance.
March 1, 2017 my last high school game ever & I just want to thank White Plains, Stepinac and Wheeler for everything & the endless memories
— The Juice Man (@Therealjtucks) March 2, 2017
As first reported here in January, Oregon got involved late after Tucker, ranked No. 40 on the 2017 ESPN 100, had initially narrowed his focus to Villanova and Indiana.
“Oregon is trying to get in the mix, trying to make a late run based on relationships,” Lou Tucker said then.
By AMAN KIDWAI
While many are quick to lob criticism at the NCAA for its efforts to maximize the profit of its college athletics media and licensing business, few dissenting opinions come from the coaching ranks.
College football legend Steve Spurrier has long been an advocate for the recently adopted player stipends and Kentucky’s John Calipari has offered a few reasonable suggestions for NCAA reform, but by and large the guys making millions off the enterprise tend to advocate for the system.
Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin has had a unique vantage point, however, as college athletics evolved from big business into a mega business. He inherited a successful program in 2006 which had recently joined the Big East, giving his team the chance to play against college basketball’s greatest regional powers while the school earned top-tier revenue and visibility.
The Big East Coach of the Year race is shaping up to be a dandy. There are at least five legitimate candidates among the league’s 10 head coaches.
Here’s a quick breakdown of those in consideration.
**Ed Cooley, Providence
The Friars were picked ninth in the 10-team league after losing Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil off of last year’s team. But they are now one of the hottest teams in the league heading into Saturday’s season-finale against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden. The Friars (19-11, 9-8) have won five straight, including beating No. 22 Butler at home and No. 23 Creighton on the road. They also downed Xavier and Marquette. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has them among his “Last Four In,” along with Seton Hall and Marquette.
