Ballin' is a Habit: 3/1/11

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Previewing the 2011 NCAA Slam Dunk Contest

If you've frequented this site before, then you know that we have an affinity for anything and everything above-the-rim. The culmination of a season's worth of hard work takes place in Houston this weekend. For four teams, that means a chance at being crowned 2011 NCAA National Champions. But for eight seniors, it will mean being crowned the 2011 NCAA Slam Dunk Champion.

Since we are the leaders in collegiate dunking knowledge and information, we consider ourselves the perfect candidates to preview the contenders as well as explain the flaws in this contest and detail what our perfect Dunk Contest would look like.

So after the jump, get all in info on the 2011 NCAA Slam Dunk Contest

Meet the Field

The Fan-Favorite: Jacob Tucker, Illinois College (D-III)

You don't have to be a fan of college hoops to know who this kid is. The 5-foot-11 guard with a 51-inch vertical became a YouTube sensation last month, when a mixtape of his dunks went viral. He petitioned to be in the contest and after some marketing and promotional tactics on behalf of the contest organizers, Tucker landed himself a spot in the field.

Like any undersized guard in a dunk contest, the fans and judges will obviously lean in his favor. But with a 51-inch vertical, he may not need any help in wining the contest and making history.

The Masked Dunker: John Williams, UNC-Asheville

B.I.A.H's favorite dunker, John Williams aka @JumpinJohnny21 aka "The Masked Dunker" is not only college basketball's first superhero, he's also the game's best leaper. The 6-foot-4 forward is the Big South leader in blocks, as evidence by a rejection he had in the Big South tournament finals in which he grabbed a shot out of the air.

But Williams isn't just a cult hero. He's a damn-good dunker too, maybe even the best. Nobody can jump higher than him off of two feet, and his creativity is unrivaled. If there is any reason to watch the dunk contest this year, it's "The Masked Dunker".

Mr. 360: Justin Tubbs, East Tennessee State

Unless you are an avid fan of ESPN3.com, the chances that you saw Tubbs play this season are not great. The Atlantic-Sun's resident high-flyer is the foremost expert in 360-jams, having thrown down two this season.

The 6-foot-3 guard can get up in a hurry, will more than likely pull out the 360-jam at least once. After all, his trademark dunk has gotten him on SportsCenter's Top Plays twice this season. Look for him to spin like Shaun White in a super-pipe contest.

The Physical Specimen: Will Coleman, Memphis

Will Coleman is chiseled like a bodybuilder. He has the biceps of a professional wrestler. He is the type of guy who I would not want to draw a charge against. But this physical specimen isn't just strong. he can dunk too.

Coleman's combination of power and grace make him one of the more formidable challengers in this year's contest. He's a true showman who can excite the crowd but also tear the backboard down.

The Fire-Starter : Justin Burrell, St. Johns

Burrell is a 6-foot-8 power forward with go-go gadget reach and long limbs. Burrell is the perfect candidate for "Duck Contest dark-horse". There was a reason he was named Big East "Sixth Man of the Year": He can ignite the crowd with one play. He can get up in a hurry and can throw down just as quickly. While there may not be a lot of video evidence of his dunking prowess, trust B.I.A.H when we say Burrell is a force to be reckoned with. We have seen him dunk in-person, and the guy is scary-good.

The Garbage Man: Darnell Wilks, Cincinnati

There aren't many guys who cleanup the offensive glass as well as Wilks. His resume is as robust as any of the entrants, and while his creativity may not be overwhelming, he has the tools to get the job done. We would not be surprised at all if Wilks ended up winning the whole thing.

Mr. Everything: Gilbert Brown, Pittsburgh

Now, while we haven't seen alot of tape of Brown from this season, we must remember that all the contestants are seniors, and this experience is a reward for four years of hard work. Brown has certainly thrown down numerous dunk during his tenure at Pitt, none more evident than last year's "Poster of the year" candidate dunk against Cincinnati. But Brown isn't just a dunker. He is a solid defense stopper, and played a large role on the offense for Pitt the season. he is certainly capable of doing anything and everything.

The Enigma: Billy White, San Diego State

Billy White was a key cog on SDSU's dominant front-court this season, which was one of the nation's best. He is a lean power forward with long limbs and a bunch of athletic talent. White has thrown down a huge dunk on more than one occasion . However, White also does have a documented unPOSTERIZATION on his resume, so we can never be too sure what he is capable of.

The Fantasy Slam Dunk Contest

The one flaw the Dunk Contest has is that they only allow seniors to compete. This is more than understandable, as it is a privilege to be able to participate at Final Four weekend, and seniors have put in four years of hard work. But that being said, not all of the best dunkers in the country are seniors. In fact, this year, the majority of the country's elite rim-rockers are underclassmen. In order to crown "The Best Dunker in the Country" the field needs to be made up of the absolute best there is, and while this field is good, it's not great.

Allow us to provide the entrants to the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest if class year was not an issue. We are certain that this field would feature the best and most elite dunkers in the college game today.

Keion Bell, Pepperdine (Jr.)
Kyle Kuric, Louisville (Jr.)
Travis Leslie, Georgia (Jr.)
Tony Mitchell, Alabama (Soph.)
Shay Shine, High Point (Jr.)
Derrick Williams, Arizona (Soph.)
John Williams, UNC-Asheville (Sr.)
Rodney Williams, Minnesota (Soph.)

But nonetheless, the 2011 NCAA Slam Dunk Contest is going to feature some of the best dunkers in the country, and is an event that any dunk-enthusiast should not want to miss.

Continue reading...

What March Madness means to me: Remembering a friend

One year ago today.

March 31st, 2010.

I woke up at 6:00 am to my phone ringing. By the time I got to it, the ringing had stopped. Three missed calls. All from my mom, the first coming at 4:15 am. She had left a voice mail saying to call her immediately, it was an emergency.

That's never good.

So I called.

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I've always loved sports. Basketball wasn't my first true love.

When I was little, I used to clear off the floor of my family's living room to stage games with the football figurines I collected. I would grab a handful of quarters from my parents change bucket to design plays on our kitchen table. The walls of my old bedroom in my parents house in Connecticut are still covered with pictures that I cut out of SLAM and SI and ESPN the Magazine. Hell, I played strat-o-matic baseball. A lot.

Football was my first true love. A Connecticut native, I've been a lifelong San Francisco 49ers fan because my mom got me a Joe Montana costume for Halloween one year when I was about five. But my dad "wanted me to have my knees" when I was older, so I never donned shoulder pads and a helmet.

I tried my hand at baseball. I wasn't bad, either. When I was nine, I was moved up to the "minors" in the Max Sinoway Little League in my hometown. That's the first level where they allowed the kids to pitch. I still remember my first game. Ed Prokop, who was three years older than me and would eventually sprout to 6'5", was pitching. He was a hard-throwing lefty. In each of my first two trips to the plate, I got hit with a pitch. That was the end of my baseball career.

So basketball it was.

By the time I reached high school, my entire life revolved around hoops. My family scheduled vacations to avoid missing practices. I was on the varsity team in high school for three years. I played AAU ball with a pretty good team. We sent players to two A-10 schools and one Conference USA school. Tim Abromaitis of Notre Dame came from the same program, four years later.

Personally, I was slightly above average. I was never much of an athlete (I couldn't actually dunk until my senior year in college), but I had a quick release on my jumper and had range for days. And while I shot a higher percentage from three than I did on layups, it was enough that I got a lot of interest from D-III schools in the Northeast.

I ended up going to Vassar College, a small Liberal Arts school in Poughkeepsie, NY, a city now better known as Snooki's hometown. I made the decision to play college basketball -- or at least attempt too, I only managed two and a half years on the team and a whopping two starts -- because of my love for the game. I wanted to say that I had played college basketball. No one could ever take that away.

Growing up in Connecticut, we didn't have a pro sports team (we had the Whalers, but they ditched us for the Carolinas). Sure, you had your constant struggle between the Boston teams and the New York teams, but those teams weren't ours.

The UConn Huskies, however, were.

Nothing brought me more happiness than watching college basketball, which is why I ended up starting this blog four long years ago. I grew up loving Ricky Moore and Ray Allen. I still remember bargaining with my father about whether I could stay up to watch the end of the Big East Final between UConn and Georgetown in 1996. He said I had to go to sleep if UConn got down by ten points. They got down by 11. I negotiated for another couple of possessions. UConn made their run. I got to see Ray Allen's miracle floater live.

The NCAA Tournament? That was the best. The first weekend was the highlight of my year. Still is. The Thursday and the Friday is a holiday for me. I haven't gone to school or work since my junior year in high school -- a decade ago -- just so I would able to soak in every second of the Madness.

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Building true friendships is not an easy thing to do. Finding that similarity of interest, mutual respect, and level of trustworthiness in another person is like chasing an inside straight. The smart play is to fold. The odds are stacked in the wrong direction, and risking more by chasing the longshot is a fool's errand.

But when that longshot hits, the winnings are huge. Having a friend, a confidante, that will always be an ear to listen or a shoulder to lean on is a terrific feeling.

Its not an easy thing to cultivate, however, especially when the distance that needs to be covered is 4,500 miles.

I come from a big family. My mom is one of five kids and her mom was one of five kids. Ever since I was little, we would gather the family together for massive reunions every year. It was great. I have a relationship with relatives that live far enough away -- places like London and Texas -- that I probably never would have known them if it weren't for the insistence that we put family first. I'll forever be thankful for that.

My mother's older brother moved to Alaska. He happened to have a son, Lew Allen IV, that was just a year older than me. Naturally, every time the family got together, we were locked at the hip. As we got older, we only got closer. He was starting a career as an MMA fighter at the same time that I was playing college basketball, so the summer rendezvous's became week long training sessions. Hill sprints in the Rockies, four mile runs on the Delaware beaches, endless push-ups and sit-ups and pull-ups.

Lew became my confidante. When I had girl problems, I'd call him. When I had issues with a coach or with my workload, I'd call him. Hell, if I couldn't figure out which pair of shoes to wear, I'd call him. Sometimes we'd talk every day. Other times there would be a month in between.

Didn't matter.

It doesn't when you have a friend like that.

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It didn't take me long to figure out that I was never going to be able to play professional basketball.

If the fact that, in high school, I didn't get a single letter from a D-I school didn't tip me off, the fact that my handle bordered terrible and I was 6'3" and could barely was a pretty clear sign.

But I loved the game. Everything about it. And I always knew that I wanted to be a part of it. Coaching high school ball didn't strike my fancy. I knew I didn't want to be a teacher. College coaching didn't appeal to me, either. I would have been a terrible recruiter.

My first job out of college was with a lobbying firm that represented the interest of foreignly owned companies operating in the United States. I sat at a desk. And answered phones. It was miserable. I would actually get excited when they would task me with stuffing 1,000 envelopes to send out to our members. In my down time I started this blog, and the more I wrote, the more I realized I loved it.

So I quit that job, started waiting tables and bartending to earn some cash, and set out to make it as a writer covering college hoops.

I haven't had a single regret since.

Sure, I question the decision when its 4:00 am in the middle of January, I still have 1,500 words to write before heading to work at 10:00 am for the lunch shift. But I can honestly say that trading sleep-deprivation in the pursuit of something you love is 10,000 times more rewarding than being miserable and cashing a steady paycheck.

Call me crazy, but that's the truth.

Its also true that the Madness of March isn't just the action on the court. I learned pretty quickly that covering conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament is a grind. The basketball is played for over twelve hours a day. There are people that not only want constant updates on the action, but that want to read reactions to the outcome. Stories need to be written. Quotes need to be taken. And all this happens while the next game is tipping off.

And that's just in your location.

Sleep is a luxury. Praise and gratitude? Those are non-existent. You're more likely to be ripped by a fan base that is unhappy with the way you worded a sentence referring to a sophomore that plays eight minutes a game than you are to receive a "thank you" from a reader for giving them a brief respite from whatever menial task their boss has them doing that day.

Sportswriting is not a glamorous profession. It requires a lot of hard work and sleepless night and time spent away from loved ones. It doesn't pay all that well, especially if you are a blogger.

And I love every second of it.

And its what got me through this past month.

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"Your cousin Lew killed himself last night."

Fuck.

That was the unfortunate message my mom had to pass along to me.

He was 26 years old. He was married, the father of two kids and the step-dad to two more. He never ended up going to college. It wasn't because he lacked the intelligence. An education is secondary to a paycheck when you have mouths to feed, and Lew stepped up. He worked two and three jobs at a time just to pay the bills.

And despite that, despite the issues that he was going through and the pressure that he was dealing with, he never stopped being a loving and attentive father. He never stopped answering my phone calls. He managed all that even when his job as an electrician required him to spend weeks at a time on "The Slope", a petroleum-rich wilderness the size of Utah in the northernmost portion of Alaska.

That's what hurt the most.

His kids would never know what kind of man their father was. They wouldn't know how hard he worked or how caring he was or how much he loved them. They wouldn't know that he could perfectly replicate Jim Carrey's smile in The Mask, or that he was able to do Michael Jackson's Billie Jean dance in its entirety, moonwalk included.

When I got the call, it was the Wednesday of Final Four week. I was boarding a plane for Indianapolis in 50 hours. I made the decision to get on that flight. I knew that Lew would have been pissed at me had I not gone on his account.

It was the best decision I could have made. Preparing for that Final Four, experiencing that Final Four, and writing about that Final Four. A healing process, it was not. A pleasant distraction to keep my mind off of losing my best friend?

Absolutely.

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For the first time ever, I did not look forward to the month of March this year. I dreaded it. I knew what was waiting at the end of the month.

It didn't help matters that my birthday is now one day after the anniversary of Lew's death.

But like the Final Four in Indianapolis, what got me through the month -- hell, the year -- was college basketball. It was March Madness. It kept be busy. It kept me entertained. It kept me distracted.

Most of all, it kept me happy.

And therein lies the beauty of sports.

In the long run, they don't matter. Sports are a game. We play them for fun. We watch them for our enjoyment, and if the stars are aligned right, for some excitement. We watch sports because the young men and women that are competing are incredible at their craft. Because they have the kind of athleticism most of us only dream of. We pay absurd amounts of money to go to games because there is nothing more beautiful than a well run fast break, or a perfectly turned double play, or a well timed fade route. We cheer for our favorite teams because, for one reason or another, we have a special bond with that team. When they win, it makes us happy.

But sports won't solve the current conflicts in the Middle East. They won't fix the issues in our educational system. The Super Bowl isn't going to change anyone's position on Prop 8. The World Series won't bring the two sides together on the topic of abortion.

March Madness isn't going to solve the world's problems.

And it certainly didn't solve mine.

But it sure made them easier to deal with this past month.

RIP Lew Allen IV
12/13/83-3/31/10

Thursday Morning Dump

- Tons to read on Matt Painter: Gregg Doyel says if you want your coach, you have to pay up. Jeff Goodman praises Painter's loyalty. Brennan says that it doesn't matter whether or not Painter bluffed, he got what he wanted.

- I'm still saying Missouri got duped.

- Yes, Mike Vorkunov, this is AWESOME.

- We mentioned it in an article earlier, but Buzz Williams got a new deal to stay at Marquette. Louisiana Tech picked up a head coach today as well.

- Reggie Jackson has declared for the NBA Draft. He hasn't hired an agent, but after averaging more than 18 points, four boards, and four assists per game and proving to scouts that he has NBA Athleticism and playmaking ability, Jackson looks to be a late first round pick. He hasn't signed an agent, but don't expect him to return to a rebuilding program.

- Interesting idea brought up by Stewart Mandel

- Trey Bowman and Taran Buie, Penn State hoopers, were arrested after a fight. Buie is Talor Battle's cousin.

- Andy Katz gives his take on who could end up replacing Jim Calhoun at UConn. The guy he picks? I actually remember him playing college basketball. That makes me feel old.

- There is a lot of talk about the NCAA taking advantage of its athletes, but Matt Norlander had a new angle on the story that I enjoyed.

- I haven't listened to Jason Whitlock's podcast with Sonny Vaccaro, but I can tell you that I am really looking forward to it. A lot of people hate Whitlock. I love him.

- Jonathon Givony over at Draft Express takes you through everything you need to know about the early entry draft process. It appears that there may be a group workout in the one weekend that NBA Scouts will actually be able to attend. I'll try to get some reaction to this up tomorrow.

- Oregon tied up Creighton in the CBI series final.

- Santa Clara won the CIT.

- The NBA is looking into Jay-Z's venture into the Kentucky locker room after they made the Final Four. It doesn't look like UK can get in trouble for this.

- Roy Williams accepts a commitment from a recruit who will be taking his mormon mission before heading to Chapel Hill?

- The chick from the Kansas ticket scandal? 37 months in prison.

- Cuonzo Martin has brought along an assistant from Missouri State with him to Tennessee.
Continue reading...

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Jamie Skeen's winding road to the Final Four

This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.

It changed all the way back in November.

Prior to VCU's Preseason NIT consolation game against UCLA, VCU center Jamie Skeen said at a team dinner that he wasn't getting the ball enough.

"We were at dinner. I just made a joke about it at first," Skeen said with a laugh after that game in November. "My coach took it seriously. He said 'Okay, we're going to get you the ball for real.' I said that would nice."

The 6'8" Skeen would score 10 points in the first five minutes of that game, finishing with 23 points and nine boards as VCU knocked off the Bruins. He's barely slowed down since, leading the Rams in both scoring and rebounding. Most recently, he had 26 points, 10 boards, and hit four threes as VCU knocked off Kansas in the Elite 8.

It hasn't always been this easy. Skeen's college career has been a long and winding road, one that has required as much patience as anything.

Back in 2006, Skeen was the reigning high school player of the year in North Carolina. A top 100 recruit, he was headed to Wake Forest. He started 24 games as a freshman in 2006-2007, averaging 7.6 ppg and 4.6 rpg playing along side Kyle Visser. As a sophomre, Skeen saw his minutes cut, but much of that was due to the addition of James Johnson, an eventual first round pick. With Jeff Teague also on the roster, Skeen started just six games and averaged only 5.6 ppg and 4.1 rpg, but he was a key piece of the front court rotation.

In 2008-2009, Wake Forest was loaded. Teague and Johnson carried the Demon Deacons, at one point being ranked as the No. 1 team in the country.

Skeen was supposed to be on that team, but he wasn't. He had to sit out the first semester at Wake Forest due to some academic problems he had at the school, and instead of appealing he decided to transfer to VCU. He wouldn't get eligible until the end of the fall semester in 2009-2010, which means that Skeen was forced to sit and watch both his old team and his new team take part in the NCAA Tournament.

When he finally was allowed back on the court in December of 2009, Skeen didn't immediately see the court. He was stuck behind yet another future first round pick in Larry Sanders.

It wasn't until this season that Skeen finally got his chance.

And he has shined. Skeen averaged 15.4 ppg and 7.4 rpg, leading VCU in both categories. Not just on the court, but in the classroom as well, where Skeen is scheduled to graduate this spring.

"He's come a long way, a long way," VCU head coach Shaka Smart said earlier this week. "He's matured. He's developed as a person. He's done a really good job of putting himself in a position where he's on track to graduate this spring. His attitude is one of humility and wanting to be coached and to get better."

On the court, Skeen has been arguably the most important piece for this Rams team. While VCU has a couple of other options in the post, Skeen is the only one that is any kind of scoring threat. In fact, VCU is at their best when they surround Skeen with four guards that can shoot. It creates space for him to operate inside, and with his ability to shoot the three, he makes VCU a very difficult team to defend.

"He became our go-to guy," Smart said. "He was going to get as many touches as he could handle. Now we've been able to go to him over and over and over again, and he's responded. He's led us in scoring, rebounding. He's been at times a point forward for us. We can play through him."

"I'm just so happy for him because he did go through some adversity earlier in his career. Really happy that it's finishing the right way."

The most ironic part in all of this?

Skeen left a Wake Forest team that had Final Four potential. He went to VCU and has led a team that barely got into the NCAA Tournament to the Final Four. He's put himself on the radar of NBA teams.

Who would have thought that transferring to a team in the CAA would have ended up being the best move that Jamie Skeen could have made?
Continue reading...

Matt Painter is staying at Purdue; Missouri is embarrassed again

Matt Painter is staying at Purdue. So sayeth Jeff Goodman, Gary Parrish, and Andy Katz, which means that it is true. (They all made the same report within the span of no more than one or two minutes. I wonder who sent the mass text? Maybe Painter himself?)

Whew. Anyone else glad that's over?

Painter's statement: "I am extremely excited about continuing my career at Purdue. I believe we have built something very special. At the same time, I feel we have much more ahead of us to accomplish.

"There's a lot to be excited about right now with Purdue basketball. We are moving into our new offices and locker room complex over the next couple of weeks. Our program is built on hard work, and we are ready to get back to improving as a team and a staff."

"At the end of the day, my heart is at Purdue, and this is a place where I want to win a national championship."

According to Parrish, Painter decided to return because Purdue offered him more money. (UPDATE: He also got an eight year extension.) In his previous contract, Painter was making just $1.3 million a year (although Goodman's initial report says Painter made $1.9 million), which was the eighth highest for basketball coaches in the Big Ten. Painter has won at least 25 games the past four seasons, he's rebuilt the Boilermakers into a force in the Big Ten, and he's been named conference coach of the year three times in that span.

I'd say he was probably due for a pay bump.

And that is exactly what he used Missouri for. He forced Purdue's hand.

It wasn't just for his salary, however. Painter's staff all got raises. But more importantly, the school's budget for things like recruiting was increased. One of the biggest knocks on Purdue as a basketball program is that they are not willing to spend the money to make their program nationally competitive. That is what Painter was asking for. That's what he would have gotten at Missouri.

And that is what he was given by Purdue.

There is more to this story, however. For the second time in the span of two weeks, Missouri was completely fooled by a coach trying to decide where he would end up next season. At first, it was Mike Anderson, who eventually left for Arkansas but managed to convince everyone at Missouri -- and the reporters that cover Missouri -- that he would be staying. Painter did the same.

And before that, it was the Big Ten. If you remember, during expansionocalypse last summer, Missouri was convinced that they would be leaving the Big 12, but instead it was Nebraska that was scooped up by the Big Ten.

The folks in Columbia, MO, appear to be quite gullible.

So where does Missouri go from here?

Well, it won't be to Buzz Williams. As I was typing out this post, news came out that Buzz has inked a new deal with Marquette for around $2 million a year. Chris Mooney signed a 10 year deal with Richmond earlier in the week, which means that three very good coaches have leveraged the Missouri, NC State, and Oklahoma job openings into a raise and a longer contract.

It also means that all Shaka Smart or Brad Stevens has to do is right a number on a piece of paper, and they will probably get that much to fill one of those three voids.
Continue reading...

POSTERIZED Awards: "Dunk of the Year"

B.I.A.H has spent the whole season documenting the best dunks, posters, gym-jammers, rim-rockers, tip-dunks and alley-oops. With the Final-Four upon us, it is time to decide what dunks were the best of the best.

Over the course of the week, we will announce the finalists for each category, and you, the viewers, will be given a chance to vote for the winner using the interactive poll at the bottom of each post. We will also have a panel of experts vote, and the dunk with the most overall votes from judges and viewers will be declared the winner.

The time has come for us to decide on the "Best Dunk of the Year"

The Other Categories

Best Two-footed Dunk
Best P-b-P Call
Best 'Chestnuts' Dunk
Best Highlight-Reel Dunk
Best Tip-Dunk
Best Alley-oop
Best Poster-Dunk
Dunker of the Year

We have documented close to 100 of the best dunks of the season. Thanks to your help, and a lot of YouTube searches, we have an adequate pool of candidates to choose from.

Without further ado, it is time for you to vote for the 2010-2011 B.I.A.H "Dunk of the Year"

Here are the Nominees:

CJ Fair, Syracuse

Drew Gordon, New Mexico

Scotty Hopson, Tennessee

Brady Jardine, Utah State

Kyle Kuric, Louisville

Dwayne Lathan, Indiana State

Brandon Paul, Illinois

Tom Pritchard, Indiana

Shannon Sharpe, Colorado

Will Sheehey, Indiana

Shay Shine, High Point

Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt

Derrick Williams, Arizona

John Williams, UNC-Asheville

Click Here for Poll Online Survey
Conjoint Analysis
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POSTERIZED Awards: "Dunker of the Year"

B.I.A.H has spent the whole season documenting the best dunks, posters, gym-jammers, rim-rockers, tip-dunks and alley-oops. With the Final-Four upon us, it is time to decide what dunks were the best of the best.

Over the course of the week, we will announce the finalists for each category, and you, the viewers, will be given a chance to vote for the winner using the interactive poll at the bottom of each post. We will also have a panel of experts vote, and the dunk with the most overall votes from judges and viewers will be declared the winner.

It is now time to determine who should be named as the 2010-2011 B.I.A.H POSTERIZED "Dunker of the Year"

The Other Categories

Best Two-footed Dunk
Best P-b-P Call
Best 'Chestnuts' Dunk
Best Highlight-Reel Dunk
Best Tip-Dunk
Best Alley-oop
Best Poster-Dunk
Dunk of the Year

A great dunk can take place at any time. But it takes a certain individual to be able to do it over and over again. There are not too many college players in the country who have the athleticism, talent, and moxy to throw down a show-stopping dunk when it matters most. But there have been a small contingency of players who could be counted-on on a week-to-week basis to put on a show for the fans.

The nominees for "Dunker of the Year" have both quality and quantity. Take a look at the videos and links to properly decide who should be named B.I.A.H POSTERIZED "Dunker of the Year".

Here are the nominees:

Terrence Jones, Kentucky

- Dunk 1

- Dunk 2

- Dunk 3

Travis Leslie, Georgia

- Dunk 1

- Dunk 2

- Dunk 3

- Dunk 4

Tony Mitchell, Alabama

- Dunk 1

- Dunk 2 & 3

Shay Shine, High Point

- Dunk 1

- Dunk 2

Derrick Williams, Arizona

- Dunk 1

- Dunk 2

- Dunk 3

- Dunk 4

John Williams, UNC-Asheville

- Dunk 1 & 2

- Dunk 3

- Dunk 4

Rodney Williams, Minnesota

- Dunk 1

- Dunk 2

- Dunk 3

Click Here for Poll Online Survey
Conjoint Analysis
| Polls
| Email Marketing

| Feedback Tab
View MicroPoll

Jacob Pullen tribute

Here at BIAH, we have not been shy about the fact that we were huge Jacob Pullen fans.

The kid was a competitor, and a talented one. Players like that are always fun to watch and easy to root for. We already wrote a post about him when Kansas State was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament, but that post was nothing compared to the tribute mixtape that made the rounds on twitter today:

Continue reading...

POSTERIZED Awards: "Best Poster-Dunk of the Year"

B.I.A.H has spent the whole season documenting the best dunks, posters, jim-jammers, gym-rockers, tip-dunks and alley-oops. With the Final-Four upon us, it is time to decide what dunks were the best of the best.

Over the course of the week, we will announce the finalists for each category, and you, the viewers, will be given a chance to vote for the winner using the interactive poll at the bottom of each post. We will also have a panel of experts vote, and the dunk with the most overall votes from judges and viewers will be declared the winner.

It's time to determine which poster-worthy dunk should be named B.I.A.H POSTERIZED "Poster-Dunk of the Year"

The Other Categories

Best Two-footed Dunk
Best P-b-P Call
Best 'Chestnuts' Dunk
Best Highlight-Reel Dunk
Best Tip-Dunk
Best Alley-oop
Dunker of the Year
Dunk of the Year

A poster-dunk is the ultimate display of hardwood embarassment.

We have compiled more than ten of the best poster-dunks from this seasond for you to decide on. Watch the videos and make your choice at the bottom of the page. We are counting on you to provide poster-worthy judgement. After all, this is what we pride ourselves on. We wouldn't have called this POSTERIZED if we didn't take true poster-dunks seriously.

Here are the nominees for the B.I.A.H POSTERIZED award for "Best Poster-Dunk of the Year":

Markel Brown, Oklahoma State

Miles Cartwright, Penn

Jamelle Horne, Arizona

Joe Jackson, Memphis

Brady Jardine, Utah State

Marcus Jordan, UCF

Tim Johnson, Wofford

Travis McKie, Wake Forest

Anthony Nelson, Niagara

LaMarcus Reed, UT-Arlington

Will Sheehey, Indiana

Shay Shine, High Point

DJ Stephens, Memphis

John Williams, UNC-Asheville

Rodney Williams, Minnesota

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Matt Howard's value goes beyond the box score

This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.

Matt Howard's value to this Butler team cannot be quantified by the numbers that he puts up.

Normally when you say that about a player, its because they are a role player. Because they are one of the guys that collect floor burns and takes charges. Its rare that the leading scorer and leading rebounder for a team in the Final Four can be undervalued, but that is the case with Matt Howard.

Howard is averaging 16.7 ppg and 7.7 rpg on the season, shooting 42.6% from three. While his scoring has been a bit down in the tournament -- he's averaging 15.8 ppg while Shelvin Mack has climbed to 21.3 ppg in the four games -- Howard's contribution to this team hasn't diminished in the least.

Howard is Butler basketball.

He stands 6'8" and 230 lb, but calling him unathletic would be a compliment. He's not successful because of his outrageous vertical or overwhelming quickness or blazing speed. He's successful because he knows how to play and, more importantly, because he is the hardest working player on the court just about every time he sets foot on one. And that determination rubs off on his teammates.

"He makes you play hard. I’ve never seen him take a play off – in a game, practice or even an open gym," Andrew Smith said of Howard.

"You don’t want to let him down," Shawn Vanzant said.

"Otherwise he looks at you with those eyes," Ronald Nored said.

All of those quotes were given to Jeff Goodman at the Southeast regional in New Orleans, and all of them are completely accurate.

One of the things said about Howard is that he always seems to find himself in the right place at the right time. Its true, and its not because he is lucky. Howard gets himself into the right position. Its a manifestation of his desire to never quit on a play. And its won the Bulldogs two games in this tournament. In the round of 64 against Old Dominion, Howard grabbed a loose ball and scored on a layup as time expired. In the round of 32 against Pitt, it was Howard boxing out Nasir Robinson and drawing a foul that resulted in the game-winning free throw.

Its more than just the attitude, however. Howard actually is a very talented basketball player. He can score in the post. He's added deadly three point range to his arsenal. He's left the foul issues that plagued him last year behind. And he's become a solid inside-out combination with Smith.

Howard's role on this team as a scorer and a post presence makes him an important piece.

But his work ethic and leadership is why the Bulldogs have made their second straight Final Four.
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Wednesday Morning Dump

Final Four Humpday is going to be especially light. I apologize, but unfortunately managing a blog isn't a six-figure job. Hell, it isn't a five-figure job either. Since we are headed to Houston this weekend, I kinda gotta show the execs that I actually contribute to the company.

- Andy Staples put together an excellent timeline of Kemba Walker's ridiculous March

- For the final time folks, Butler isn't a mid-major. Or at least that's what David Steele says

- With an #8-seed and an #11-seed in the Final Four, it may seem like a good time for reseeding, but Jeff Eisenberg explains why that's just not true

- Just because the 68th team selected into the tournament made the Final Four doesn't mean we should reconsider tournament expansion. Seth Davis elaborates on this in his weekly "Hoop Thoughts"

- Mike Miller explains why the duo of Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb have been March Madness' best

- Speaking of Kemba Walker, the New York Daily News had an interesting article about his recruitment process

- The Horizon League profile should benefit from Butler's post season success

- John Gasaway wonders if Butler's late game success is due to high levels of clutch or just a lot of luck?

- Walter King, the grandfather of VCU coach Shaka Smart, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 90

- Matt Painter will make a decision on Wednesday as to whether or not he will stay at Purdue or leave for Missouri

- Josh Pastner has signed a five-year extension with Memphis to remain their head coach

- Louisiana Tech has named Ole Miss assistant Michael White as their new head coach. White repalces Kerry Rupp, who was fired last week

- Syracuse center Baye Moussa Keita will undergo undisclosed surgery next week

- Pitt's floor general Ashton Gibbs is going the test the NBA draft waters

- Jordan Williams, the leading scorer for the Maryland Terrapins, has decided to test the NBA draft waters but won't hire an agent

- Malcolm Lee has become the second UCLA player to announce his intentions to test the NBA Draft waters. Forward Tyler Honeycutt announced his intentions on Monday.

- This should come as no surprise, but West Virginia's Danny Jennings is transferring. You remember Jennings, right? He was the player who decided to get up off the bench during the middle of the game and exit the arena.

- Jacob Tucker, the D-III internet dunk phenom, has qualified for the 2011 NCAA Slam Dunk contest. The event will be held on Thursday night in Houston, and will feature some of the best senior dunkers in the country

- Lost Letterman provides a top ten list of the unlikeliest Final Four pairings since 1979

- Apparently Melvin Goins suited up for a Tennesse football practice this week

- Some dude in New Jersey picked the correct Final Four

- Prosecutors are seeking jail time for the people involved in the Kansas ticket scam

- I swear we haven't gone a single week this season without dropping Karen Sypher's name at least once, and we ain't about to end the streak now

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Tony Mitchell's Florida high school gets exposed

There were plenty of issues regarding the eligibility status of top flight recruits this season.

The obvious one is the Enes Kanter saga that continually made national headlines, in large part due to the fact that Kanter went to Kentucky and was slated to play for John Calipari. That alone was enough to overwhelm the casual college hoops fan. But Kanter was not alone in his quest to play at the collegiate level. Josh Selby, the jewel of Bill Self's recruiting class, had his own issues getting cleared at Kansas, eventually being forced to sit out the first nine games of the season. All of this game as Renardo Sidney was finishing up his year and a half long suspension.

So we can forgive you if you suffered from eligibility overload.

But there was another story that flew under the radar.

Tony Mitchell, a top 20 recruit that was slated to attend Missouri, never got cleared by the Big 12; the league does not accept partial qualifiers. Much of that was due to some questionable happenings during his final high school season in the Dallas area. But the root of Mitchell's problems started when he attended high school in Florida. (For what it is worth, Mitchell ended up at North Texas, where he will be eligible to play in December.)

Yesterday, the Miami New-Times published an investigative piece on the high school that Mitchell attended when he was in Florida. Its an absolutely fascinating read -- a story in which Mitchell is only briefly mentioned -- but it helps shed some light on the corruption involved in amateur basketball. I strongly, strongly urge every one of you to go read the story.

After reading this, you may never again want to use the argument that high school coaches have a better moral compass than AAU coaches.

And you may also start to question why some of these start athletes are actually being ruled ineligible. Was it really due to their academic failings, or did they succumb to the allure of a coach trying to take advantage of them?
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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The NCAA's deadline for early entry withdrawal needs to get pushed back

Today, Ashton Gibbs, Malcolm Lee, and Jordan Williams all announced that they would be entering the NBA Draft.

But none of them signed with agents, meaning that they will be able to pull their name out of the draft field and return to school. For Gibbs and Lee, that would mean coming back for their senior seasons. For Williams, he would be returning for his sophomore year.

All three of these kids are making the correct move.

With the NCAA's rule that allows a player to "test the waters" of the NBA Draft -- declare once and withdraw by a specific deadline to retain their eligibility -- I don't think it is a stretch to say that every single junior in the country that has a glimmer of hope of being drafted should put their name in the mix.

Worst case scenario? The player doesn't get a single nibble from an NBA GM, they get no advice on what part of their game to improve, and they head back to school in exactly the same situation as they were when they declared.

For Lee and Williams, the correct decision may end up being to stay in the draft. Both of them have a shot at getting picked in the first round. If they can get a guarantee from a team in the first round, then they should probably remain in the draft, unless like college enough that they'll risk the guaranteed millions. If Gibbs is smart, he'll be withdrawing his name by the May 8th deadline. Right now, he is not an NBA player. He's only 6'1", he's not a point guard, and he's not all that quick or explosive.

The goal of this process, the whole reason that players have the ability to "test the waters", is so that these players can get the feed back they need to make an informed decision on their basketball future. Its so players like Ashton Gibbs will know whether or not leaving school early will result in them needing a passport to play professionally.

But that isn't the way it works anymore.

Not with the NBA Draft's withdrawal deadline moved up to May 8th. Players now get all of two weeks to schedule workouts with teams and gather enough information to make what may end up being the most important choices of their lives, one that could be life-altering in a positive or negative way.

It wasn't always this way. The rule used to be that the players had until mid-June to pull their name back out. But thanks to the complaints of coaches and a push from the ACC, the deadline was moved up. Their beef wasn't exactly wrong, either. You see, the late signing period in college basketball ends on May 20th, which means that just about every recruit in the country will know where they are going to college by May 20th.

With the later withdrawal deadline, it put the coaches in a bad spot. Is he staying in the draft or coming back to school? Do they recruit to fill that player's spot? What happens if they fill that scholarship spot but the player makes a surprising decision to return to school?

Its a tough position for a coach to be in.

But moving the deadline up is not necessarily the answer. It puts the kids who have their future on the line in an even tougher spot.

Players are always going to make bad decisions regarding their draft standing. There are always going to be players that leave school with almost no shot of getting drafted and players that return to school and pass on being selected in the lottery. There are a lot of knuckleheads out there that are either delusional about their abilities or spend too much time listening to the wrong people.

The point isn't necessarily to try and keep players from making the wrong decisions.

The point is that whatever decision is made, it will at least be an informed one. How they decide to use and interpret that information is irrelevant. The ability to obtain that information is what matters.

Will these players really be able to schedule enough workouts and interviews in less that two weeks time with teams that are not yet worrying about the draft? Will they be able to do it without missing class time, without the help of an agent, and without the ability to have their travel reimbursed?

Not likely.

And again, the people that pay the price are kids who are supposed to be making the decision.
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POSTERIZED Awards: "Best Alley-oop of the Year"

B.I.A.H has spent the whole season documenting the best dunks, posters, gym-jammers, rim-rockers, tip-dunks and alley-oops. With the Final-Four upon us, it is time to decide what dunks were the best of the best.

Over the course of the week, we will announce the finalists for each category, and you, the viewers, will be given a chance to vote for the winner using the interactive poll at the bottom of each post. We will also have a panel of experts vote, and the dunk with the most overall votes from judges and viewers will be declared the winner.

The 2010-2011 B.I.A.H POSTERIZED Awards continue with the "Best Alley-oop of the Year"

The Other Categories

Best Two-footed Dunk
Best P-b-P Call
Best 'Chestnuts' Dunk
Best Highlight-Reel Dunk
Best Tip-Dunk
Best Poster-Dunk
Dunker of the Year
Dunk of the Year

There is no "I" in "team", and likewise, there is no "I" in "alley-oop". Selflessness and teamwork and timing are needed to pull this dunk off. When executed properly, an alley-oop can be the ultimate showstopper. Alley-oops come in all shapes and sizes: lob passes, full-court heaves and fast-break exclamation points.

Here are the nominees for "Best Alley-oop of the Year":

Laurence Bowers, Missouri

Kenny Gabriel, Auburn

Tony Mitchell, Alabama

Terrence Ross, Washington

Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt

Derrick Williams, Arizona

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POSTERIZED Awards: "Best Tip-Dunk of the Year"

B.I.A.H has spent the whole season documenting the best dunks, posters, gym-jammers, rim-rockers, tip-dunks and alley-oops. With the Final-Four upon us, it is time to decide what dunks were the best of the best.

Over the course of the week, we will announce the finalists for each category, and you, the viewers, will be given a chance to vote for the winner using the interactive poll at the bottom of each post. We will also have a panel of experts vote, and the dunk with the most overall votes from judges and viewers will be declared the winner.

The 2010-2011 B.I.A.H POSTERIZED Awards continue with the "Best Tip-Dunk of the Year"

The Other Categories

Best Two-footed Dunk
Best P-b-P Call
Best 'Chestnuts' Dunk
Best Highlight-Reel Dunk
Best Alley-oop
Best Poster-Dunk
Dunker of the Year
Dunk of the Year

Not enough players work hard for offensive rebounds. But the ones who do are often rewarded with a trip to SportCenter's Top Plays. Tip-jams are raw, they are powerful, and they are absolutely electrifying.

here are the nominees for "Best Tip-Dunk of the Year":
(NOTE: Voting begins at the bottom of the post)

Jared Cunningham, Oregon State

Keith Gabriel, VMI

Drew Gordon, New Mexico

Travis Leslie, Georgia

DJ Newbill, Southern Mississippi

Tom Pritchard, Indiana

Shannon Sharpe, Colorado

Derrick Williams, Arizona

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