Class of '66 Old Fart

Penn State Basketball: Freshman Joe Hampton To Leave Program Penn State basketball announced on Friday that freshman forward Joe Hampton will leave the program for personal reasons. The 6-foot-7 forward is recovering from an ACL injury and seemed unlikely to play significant time during the 2016-17 season. “Joe has made the decision to leave the program based on personal reasons," Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said in a statement. "We wish him the best of luck The former three star prospect out of Oak Hill Academy in Maryland committed to Penn State early in his recruiting cycle before decomitting in 2015. Hampton eventually committed to the program again in May of 2015 a few months later. He joined the trio of Philadelphia based freshman in Penn State's 2016 recruiting haul, Tony Carr, Nazeer Bostick and Lamar Stevens. The group is widely regard as the best in program history and ultimately remain that way even with Hampton's departure. Hampton's motivation for leaving is unknown, although the freshman was reportedly struggling in the early stages of summer workouts and was still finding his form physically. A few weeks out from practice Penn State will rely on junior Payton Banks, Julian Moore, Mike Watkins, Deividas Zemgulis and Stevens at the forward position. Moving forward Chambers and his staff will have a scholarship available for the 2017 recruiting class, a previously unavailable asset. ith his future endeavors.”

Congratulations to one of my all-time favorites. Former #iubb star @ajguyton named an assistant coach under Nate Loenser for the @windycitybulls of the D-League.

Surprising to me since he's seemingly had an aversion to redshirting ever since his arrival.

Almost as certain as death and taxes. Morgan and Blackmon we know are in the late stages of rehab/recovery and of course, Colin's injury. McSwain and surgery is an unexpected and unpleasant turn of events. Certainly hope it was a very minor procedure and nothing to be concerned about for the long haul. Let's hope that McRoberts can prove to be another Max B.

From Brian Snow at SI.com Indiana adds momentum heading into key weekend When Al Durham committed to the Indiana Hoosiers in Oct. 2015, the expectation was he’d be the first of what was going to be a very big class. However, for a long while the Georgia native was the lone member of Tom Crean’s 2017 haul. As is the case at a place like Indiana where the fans are as passionate and educated as any in the nation, there was consternation about the direction the class was going. That was exacerbated when in-state five-star prospects Malik Williams and Jaren Jackson chose Louisville and Michigan State, respectively, over the Hoosiers. However on Monday night the Hoosiers got some much needed good news. Four-star prospect Justin Smith from suburban Chicago picked the Hoosiers over reigning national champion Villanova. Smith, who is one of the better athletes in the class, gives Indiana some recruiting momentum heading into one of the more important recruiting weekends Crean has had in a few years. Visiting Bloomington this weekend is Indianapolis native and five-star prospect Kris Wilkes. Wilkes has had an offer from Indiana since eighth grade, and he has long been considered the top priority for the Hoosiers in the class. Adding to the importance is the fact that Wilkes has been the one in-state elite prospect in this recruiting cycle that Crean and his staff have seemed to have all the momentum. For his part, Wilkes is looking forward to the visit. “I am just looking forward to getting down there and seeing all the facilities more and getting to know the coaches,” said Wilkes. “I want to meet the players and see how comfortable I am with them and just have a good time.” This is not Wilkes’s first visit to Indiana. He has been down there numerous times in an unofficial capacity, but the official visit could be the difference-maker for the Hoosiers. With schools such as UCLA, Illinois, Xavier and Connecticut all firmly in the mix, Indiana is looking to blow Wilkes away. There is no doubt the pressure is on Crean to land an elite talent from a traditionally pro-Indiana high school (former Hoosiers such as Eric Gordon and A.J. Ratliff won Mr. Basketball at the school). Due to all of those factors, a ton of attention will be on Wilkes and his trip this weekend, and no doubt Crean is happy to have recruiting momentum thanks to the commitment of a respected prospect like Smith.

Jon Blau ‏@Jon_Blau 17m17 minutes ago Hearing Indiana will have Jaelynn Penn (Louisville, Ky) for an official visit this weekend. More info on her: April 2016 USA Toda TheHoosier.com - Sam Beishuizen One of the nation's top high school basketball stars in the class of 2017 will be in Bloomington for an official this weekend. TheHoosier.com has learned ESPN 5-star guard Jaelynn Penn will check out Indiana this just two weeks after she decommitted from Dayton. South Carolina has also been in the mix for the Louisville native who told USA Today she likely won't play in her home state of Kentucky. Penn pledged to Dayton as a sophomore last September but reopened her commitment after head coach Jim Jabir resigned earlier this month, citing health concerns. Jabir left the Flyers as the program's all-time wins leader. Penn averaged 14.2 points and 5.9 rebounds as a junior to lead Butler Traditional High School to its second consecutive state championship, its fifth all time. She's ranked the No. 39 overall prospect in the nation by ESPN. The 5-foot-9 guard's ESPN scouting profile has rave reviews, describing her as an all-around threat capable of scoring from just about anywhere. Indiana head coach Teri Moren already has three commitments in the class of 2017 in Alexis Johnson, Linsey Marchese and recent commit Keyanna Warthen. The Hoosiers have room for six signees but likely won't fill every slot to maintain balance in the 2018 class after signing four newcomers last year.

Breaking news from Chicago on the signing of 3 new free agents that are expected to make an immediate impact on the field.

Correct you are.

Green's bicep is obscene for just a freshman

Video clip of Cole Anthony '19 PG - http://www.d1circuit.com/news_article/show/703175?referrer_id=

From the BigLead: Blake Barnett opened the 2016 season as Alabama’s starting quarterback. Now the California native intends to transfer. During Alabama’s opening week win over USC, Barnett lost his job to freshman Jalen Hurts. Hurts has since run away with the gig and made it his own, while Barnett and junior Cooper Bateman have been relegated to backup status. It makes sense that Barnett would bolt now and look for an opportunity to start elsewhere. He’s just a redshirt freshman, so he has plenty of time left to make his mark on college football. He was the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the 247Sports rankings in 2015 and the No. 21 player overall. There will be schools clamoring for his commitment. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Barnett head back out West to be closer to home. Though he’ll have to sit out next season per NCAA transfer rules, several schools could use another quarterback, including USC and UCLA. Barnett made headlines earlier this year off the field as well thanks to his engagement to professional surfer Maddie Peterson.

Several names from Indiana high schools we'll probably start hearing more of in another year. This past weekend, the Prep Hoops Indiana Top 250 Expo took place up in Westfield, Indiana at the Jonathan Byrd’s Fieldhouse. Now, we are trying to break down what we saw. The following is a look at some of the best posts we saw in the morning session of 2019 and 2020 prospects. Tyler Stead (6’5 – 2019 – Martinsville). In the last year, you can see Stead’s body grow up a bit and that showed this weekend as he moved a lot more fluidly. Stead is doing more away from the three-point line as well which was nice to see. Terry Hicks (6’4 – 2019 – Fishers). Hicks is a name that has come up in the last couple of weeks. He’s not the biggest guy, height wise, yet but he plays tall and strong and he’s a good enough athlete to make him difficult to stop in the paint. Chaz Hinds (6’6 – 2019 – Southport). Hinds did well this weekend for stretches. Really like how well he moves his feet. Gets into position well and has enough strength that he can compete with other forwards. Best in the low block right now. Matt Dove (6’8 – 2019 – Princeton). Dove is a very interesting player. Really long and lanky but he needs to bulk up his lower half to take hits easier. Showed some of his shot blocking ability and finishing with his length near the rim. Logan Carter (6’9 – 2019 – Evansville Mater Dei). Carter is a guy who really surprised some people with how well he moved for his size. Logan is a big boy but has good touch within 5’ and you aren’t moving him off the block if he wants to be there. Michael Scott (6’5 – 2020 – Bishop Luers). Scott is a guy to add to the watch list in 2020. Good size, some strength, and a frame to hold it all. Really mobile guy. Had some stretches but really it was a ton of potential. Nolan Smith (6’5 – 2019 – Franklin Community). Nolan is a big, strong, undersized bit but has the hands and arms you want out of a bit. Footwork will be key but he’s probably got a little more height in him. Had good energy for a big body post. Alex Stauffer (6’5 – 2020 – Northridge). Stauffer is a forward with some projection still left to figure out. He moves well and has some skill. More comfortable faced up with good touch in the mid-range. Once he adds muscle, game should play up. WINGS Joe Andershock (6’6 – 2019 – Marquette Catholic). Andershock looked really solid during games as he was all over the floor. Loved how he played inside and out and has enough length to cause problems on the boards. Bradley Nalley (6’3 – 2019 – Corydon Central). Nalley was one of the more surprising players. A name I had heard but never seen. Great size and aggressiveness. Frame allows him to attack really well off the bounce. Corey Landers (6’2 – 2019 – Bishop Noll). Landers came into the games with a bang. He had a couple great plays in transition and a dunk or two. Big, strong kid with some bounce and length. Good defender as well. Demarcus Vaughn (6’3 – 2020 – South Bend Washington). Vaughn really impressed with his rebounding and tougness around the rim as well as his ability to score the ball. Coaches were impressed all day. Hayden Smithey (6’5 – 2019 – Bishop Dwenger). Smithey just continues to impress this summer and fall. He handles the ball really well for his size and has the confidence going too. Really putting things together a lot earlier than I thought. Cobie Barnes (6’6 – 2019 – Floyd Central). Barnes was just ridiculous all day long. Nobody could even slow him down. He scored at will near the rim and made some triples for good measure. Just a force whenever he touched the ball. Amari Sherrod (6’4 – 2019 – Bowman Academy). Thought Sherrod did a good job at being an all-around wing this weekend. Scored on drives and jumpers in mid-range. The athleticsim and frame make him very intriguing. Walter Hankins (6’4 – 2019 – Lawrence North). Hankins is a bully of a guard. The guy played as strong as anyone else on the floor and overpowered guys on plays, whether it was getting loose balls or rebounds. Harrison Eckel (6’3 – 2020 – Heritage Christian). This is the second time in two weeks we have seen Eckel and he’s grown on me. Decent wing player who looks to grow and handles the ball with confidence. Doesn’t shy from contact. GUARDS Christian Jones (6’0 – 2019 – Pendleton Heights). Jones was pretty solid all during the morning session. The skills portion was just a setup for his play during the games. He did a great job attacking off the bounce and getting into the lane. Brennan Neal (6’3 – 2019 – Whiteland). Neal has continued his solid play into our fall camp. Was good scoring the ball and shows promise with a big frame that isn’t filled out yet. Proved why he was one of the more underrated scorers in the state. Anthony Leal (6’3 – 2020 – Bloomington South). Leal has now put back-to-back performances together at our camps. Quite possibly the best shooter in the class and definitely the shooter with the most upside. Tall frame gives him lots of possibilities. Luke Heady (6’0 – 2019 – Carmel). Luke looks and plays like a coaches son. Not only that, he’s about as steady as they come. Never looked rattled and hit a couple nice jumpers and got into it on defense. Love his game for his age. Edreece Redmond III (5’10 – 2020 – Bishop Chatard). Redmond continues to be a guy that just knows how to play the point. Has great speed with the ball and while on the shorter side, he’s got some athleticism and length. One of the best guards in the class. Calvin Larkin (6’1 – 2019 – Winamac) Larkin is a two-guard in the making. Really good off the bounce and finishes at a high rate near the rim. Really liked his aggressiveness on counter attacks. Cameron Leichty (5’11 – 2020 – Bethesda Christian). Cameron is a guy that showed he can make a shot this weekend. Still on the smaller side right now but looks like he is going to grow a bit. Loved his confidence. Ethan Brittain–Watts (6’2 – 2019 – Culver Acadamies). Ethan is probably overlooked but for his age, he’s one of the more rounded guards you are going to come by. Long, tough, and smooth in the lane, Watts showed all of it this weekend.

From IUHoosiers.com: Bailey Named a William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana fifth-year senior offensive lineman Jacob Bailey was named one of the 156 semifinalists for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation and is prominently displayed inside its official home at the New York Athletic Club. Bailey has appeared in all three games for the Hoosiers in 2016 and started at right guard against Wake Forest on Sept. 24. He has appeared in 22 career games at IU, making 13 starts. Bailey, who started the final seven games at left guard in 2015, is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, having earned it in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Nov. 1, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. At the event, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the 27thWilliam V. Campbell Trophy and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000. "These 156 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "It is important for us to showcase their success on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. This year's semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders." Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal, the Campbell Trophy is a 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the amount of the recipient's grant by $7,000 for a total postgraduate scholarship of $25,000. This year's postgraduate scholarships will push the program's all-time distribution to more than $11.1 million. "The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist's achievements, showcasing their ability to balance academics and athletics at the highest level. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this outstanding group of candidates." Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators. The past recipients of the William V. Campbell Trophy include: Air Force's Chris Howard (1990); Florida's Brad Culpepper(1991); Colorado's Jim Hansen (1992); Virginia's Thomas Burns (1993); Nebraska's Rob Zatechka (1994); Ohio State's Bobby Hoying (1995); Florida's Danny Wuerffel (1996); Tennessee's Peyton Manning (1997); Georgia's Matt Stinchcomb (1998); Marshall's Chad Pennington (1999); Nebraska's Kyle Vanden Bosch (2000); Miami (Fla.)'s Joaquin Gonzalez (2001); Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.)'s Brandon Roberts (2002); Ohio State's Craig Krenzel (2003); Tennessee's Michael Munoz (2004); LSU's Rudy Niswanger (2005); Rutgers' Brian Leonard (2006); Texas' Dallas Griffin (2007); California's Alex Mack (2008); Florida's Tim Tebow (2009); Texas' Sam Acho (2010); Army West Point's Andrew Rodriguez (2011); Alabama'sBarrett Jones (2012); Penn State's John Urschel (2013); Duke's David Helton (2014); and Oklahoma's Ty Darlington (2015).

From NBCSports: College Basketball’s Impact Transfers 8. Josh Newkirk, Indiana (via Pittsburgh): With the loss of point guard Yogi Ferrell, Newkirk gives Indiana an experienced guard who can really push the pace in Tom Crean’s uptempo system. Full List

Little brother with some off-field issues: Purdue player arrested in battery of ex-teammate http://www.jconline.com/story/sports/college/purdue/football/2016/09/28/purdue-lineman-martesse-patterson-arrested/91214656/?hootPostID=723082ece2c2c2c92e8359c82c752f97

A little like Mo Creek isn't it?

He can always have an "M" put on each side!!

You don't have the proper security clearance! LOL

Northwestern has announced it's playing 2017-18 basketball games at Allstate Arena in Rosemont. Welsh-Ryan undergoing "complete renovation."

High school coach breaks down Justin Smith’s game September 27, 2016 Mike Miller Men's Basketball Leave a comment Pat Ambrose won’t forget the jump, the dunk and the sophomore year that changed it all for Justin Smith. During a 2015 postseason game, Jalen Brunson — now a starting guard at Villanova — drove to the basket, drew a foul and tossed the ball at the rim. Smith flew in from the foul line, grabbed the ball and twisted in the air, throwing down a reverse, two-handed dunk just for fun — just because he could. “Everyone turns and looks at each other like, ‘Did we just see that?'” said Ambrose, coach of Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill. Smith’s highlight reel was only beginning. The 6-foot-7 wing will now have a chance to add to that reel at Indiana, committing to the Hoosiers’ 2017 recruiting class on Monday night. Smith gives IU coach Tom Crean another long, athletic forward to run end-to-end, a player who can attack the rim and defend it on the other side of the floor. “He can really get up,” Ambrose said. “He’s not like Vince Carter unbelievable, but for a high school kid, he really has good hops. He’s blessed with incredible athletic hops. His quickness, I’d say, is definitely above average. I’d say his jumping ability is way above average. His athletic ability, his size will serve him well.” Smith was a priority target across the Big Ten. Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana were among the schools Smith considered closely. Within the last month, he whittled that list down to two options — Indiana and Villanova, which is Brunson’s new home and, of course, the home of the defending national champions. Indiana won. He picked up his IU offer after his sophomore season and made an unofficial visit to Bloomington last August. When he recently took his official trip during the weekend of Sept. 10, Ambrose said Smith came away impressed with the approach of IU coach Tom Crean and his assistants. “He really liked the coaching staff,” Ambrose said. “He really liked Coach Crean, Coach Judson, Coach Buckley. They really did a good job with him. They really showed him how he can get better. He came back and said, ‘Coach, you’re not gonna believe this,’ — and I did — he said, ‘Coach, they showed me videotape of how I can get better.’ “He liked that. He thought that was different. They didn’t scream at him and they didn’t tell him he was bad. They said, ‘Look, you can do this better and you can do this better, and we can help you.’ He took it to heart.” Outside of the paint, Ambrose said Smith is more of a catch-and-shoot player. Mostly, Ambrose has told Smith to make the most of his opportunities within 10 feet. “Even if he throws up kind of a bad shot or a quick shot, his ability to go back and get it (is impressive),” Ambrose said. “I saw that on the freshman level and I was like, ‘My goodness. You can’t teach that.'” Entering his senior year of high school, the 185-pound recruit has to continue getting bigger and playing tougher. He has to continue developing his shooting ability. But Ambrose likes where Smith is as a prospect — and where he’s headed. “He’s very excited,” Ambrose said. “He’s very excited to play in the Big Ten. I think he’ll look good in the candy stripes. He has long legs.” [Those last 2 sentences are priceless!]

TB name 2nd team All-American by NBCSports Thomas Bryant, Indiana: Bryant is another guy that had a chance to be a first round pick last season but opted to return to school. He had a promising first year in Bloomington, but it came with typical freshman mistakes: He was lost early in the year, especially on the defensive end. But Bryant has the tools, he plays extremely hard and he’s young for his grade; he was born five months after Josh Jackson. NBCSports Pre-Season All-American Teams

We've looked but maybe not all that interested? From Zagoria: After visiting Maryland and Georgetown unofficially over the weekend, Class of 2018 point guard Immanuel Quickley has slated more visits to some of the nation's top college programs. The 6-foot-3 Quickley out of John Carroll (MD) has scheduled unofficial visits to Kansas (Oct 1-2), Miami (Oct 8-9), Kentucky (Oct 14), Louisville (Oct 15), Virginia (Oct 22) and Duke (Oct 28) for the next four weeks. Quickley helped the USA U17 team win a gold medal this summer He was watched by a slew of coaches both at that event in Spain and on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit with Baltimore Elite. Quickley this month added offers from Providence, Virginia and UConn to go with previous offers from Louisville, Wake Forest, Villanova, Arizona, Texas A&M, UCLA, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Central Florida, Depaul, Miami, Southern California, Cincinnati, Rhode Island, Washington and UMBC.