Twitter Gets U-Dub Recruit In Trouble & People Fired

The Social Network is a very powerful tool, it is put at our disposal for good to be accomplished. Well, most of the time it is for that purpose. Our youth these days have taken to it like wildfire and being naive is a trait that we all have, some more than others.

It is funny how some words can be put on a message board that is as harmless as a Priest conducting bible study for the youth group. Maybe that is a bad example, so sue me.

The Washington Huskies are probably going to ban twitter like most college coaches have already done, this will more than likely trickle down to recruits as well.


Matt Norlander of cbssportsline.com and The Seattle Times' Mason Kelly are reporting:

Tony Wroten, Jr., an elite, Class of 2011 recruit from greater Seattle who has committed to play at the University of Washington, nearly didn't qualify for such a chance.

The Seattle Times' Mason Kelly is reporting that, last year, Wroten (right, with ball) was essentially given a free pass in a Spanish class that didn't exist at Garfield High School, where Wroten attends. A recent investigation by the Seattle Public Schools schoolboard uncovered the academic fraud, which has led to the firing of Garfield athletic director Jim Valiere, who arranged the obfuscation, according to the Times. After being placed on leave last October, Valiere was officially fired on April 11.

Attempts by CBSSports.com to reach Wroten for comment were unsuccessful. The Times' report states UW head coach Lorenzo Romar said he had no idea any of this was happening in Wroten's life. Worth clarifying: neither Washington nor Wroten currently face any sort of investigation from the NCAA over his eligibility. This is a problem that was discovered and scrubbed out by Seattle Public Schools officials.

Wroten is one of the most active, vocal, charismatic 2011 high school recruits on Twitter, and it's because of his penchant for blasting out a stream of consciousness that Valiere was fired. In February, Wroten tweeted that he was in a three-person Spanish class, which caught the eye of some because, duh, high school Spanish classes are seldom so small.

From there, the Times began digging. Turns out Valiere was able to originally arrange a phony Spanish class on Wroten's transcript because he does have a certification to teach the language in the state of Washington. But, according to local officials, the former AD had broken a number of rules in order to help out varsity athletes at Garfield.

Is BYU's Honor Code Discriminatory?

Not all that long ago, BYU was the talk of the nation. Not only did they have college basketball's flavor of the month in Jimmer Fredette, but they were paragons of virtue in a sport being dragged through the sewer. That's because they took the bold step of holding to the school's Honor Code and suspending center Brandon Davies for reportedly having premarital sex.

But a new report by Deadspin says that things in Provo my not be as upstanding as they seem. According to the story, 60 percent of the students suspended or dismissed for Honor Code violations since 1993 are black males.

In the article a handful of former BYU football players detail their experiences with the Honor Code office and their perception that, as black athletes, they were treated more harshly than some of their counterparts.

"For every one black guy, I can also name you a white guy, another kid who just returned off a mission or didn't go on a mission who did the exact same thing and didn't get in trouble," says Tico Pringle, a black Mormon defensive back who played for BYU in 2006. "The black athletes get called on it. Returned missionaries don't get turned in. It's all hush-hush. It's political. You go to the honor code office and then you go and talk to your coach and your coach pulls strings if he needs to. A lot of the guys I know did things and they got away with it because strings were pulled. There are guys who got their girlfriends pregnant and didn't get in trouble. They pick and choose who they want to punish."

Combine that with former BYU Jim McMahon's recent comments on how he (ahem) skirted the Honor Code and the university doesn't look quite so squeaky clean anymore.

But there are some coming to the school's defense. Mitch Harper, co-host of a BYU podcast and blog, immediately took aim at Deadspin's story.

The implication being that if recruiting trips were really alcohol-fueled orgies, as reported, Te'o wouldn't have ended up at Notre Dame.

Nonetheless, the university should be forced to answer for why the numbers of students punished skew so heavily toward a group that makes up a supreme minority of the student population. With the dearth of minority athletes on the BYU campus, the spotlight would tend to shine mostly on the school's white athletes. Are we to believe that they're all clean? Or that they're just good enough to not get caught? Neither answer seems satisfying.

Episode 24: One Mo' 'Gin

This week the N.E.R.D.'s have the limits of their attention tested by college basketball. KGPE-TV's George Takata stops by to eulogize the Sacramento Kings. Robert Dobucki of HoopsJournal.com helps preview the NBA playoffs. And somewhere, several people are (sorta) having sex with Miley Cyrus right now.

Larry Brown Talks With UNLV About Coaching Vacancy

Larry Brown proves the phrase "once a coach, always a coach". The 70-year old Brown told SI.com that he contacted UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood about the vacancy left by Lon Kruger's move to Oklahoma.

It would seem that Brown's chances of getting the job are remote. Livengood finished up interviews with the four finalists on Thursday and could make a decision as soon as Sunday. BYU associate head coach Dave Rice and current Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach (and former Runnin' Rebel) Reggie Theus are considered to be the leading candidates. For what it's worth, Theus also has the blessing of former UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian.

Although with a coach of Brown's caliber now expressing interest, you wonder if it may force UNLV to take a second look. Brown is the only coach to win championships at both the NBA and NCAA levels, but he hasn't coached in college since winning the 1988 national championship at Kansas. Of course, his last gig was working for Michael Jordan as the head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. That didn't work out so well and Brown would like to wash that taste out of his mouth before he calls it a career.

Whether he has the energy or the patience to help get college program back to the top remains to be seen, but at least he won't have any players giving press conferences about the validity of practice.

College Basketball Players Planned A Sit-In To Disrupt NCAA Tournament

Chances are if you remember the 1995 NCAA Tournament, you may flash back to Tyus Edney's buzzer-beating, length of the court run against Missouri. Or maybe the surprising upsets pulled by Old Dominion, Weber State and Manhattan. Or perhaps a freshman Toby Bailey helping to lead UCLA to another championship.

There's a very good chance you were unaware of how close we came to seeing none of that.

As part of a protest against the major revenues earned by universities and coaches and the lack of it flowing to athletes, former UMass basketball player Rigo Nunez told HBO's "Real Sports" that there were a number of top players around the country prepared to sit out the tournament.

"At one point it was pretty organized among players that maybe the biggest impact that we can have, and the biggest opportunities for us to have a stand, will be prior to the NCAA tournament," Nunez told correspondent Bernard Goldberg. 

"Well, how was that gonna happen?" Goldberg asked. 

"We were not gonna play," Nunez said. 

"What?" 

"We were just gonna go to the middle of the court and sit down. Every game, in the whole country." 

"Because you weren't getting paid?" Goldberg said. 

"Because it was not fair to us," Nunez replied.

One of the top players from that year's tournament - former UCLA star Ed O'Bannon - has been outspoken in his efforts to see college athletes compensated. O'Bannon, who recently spoke on a panel at Harvard Law School's Sports Law Symposium, has taken the lead in a class action suit against the NCAA. The suit alleges that the NCAA illegally uses the images of former student athletes for video content and memorabilia. A number of former athletes, including a pair from Texas Western's historic 1966 championship team have added their names to the lawsuit.

As schools and conferences look to earn even bigger dollars through strategic conference alignments and the formation of television networks, you wonder if an idea like this could ever gain traction again. Either way, I have a feeling the people at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis would just as soon this story not see the light of day and possibly provoke any ideas.

VCU Is Proud Of Wrecking Your Bracket

Chances are you are among the millions who ripped up their brackets in frustration after Virginia Commonwealth took down Kansas on their way to the Final Four.

(Not me. I flamed out long before that. Huzzah!)

Well, VCU understands. And they're doing everything they can to capitalize on your pain.

Check out what could be the best underdog T-shirt of all-time.

Props to the VCU marketing department who have been a step ahead throughout the tournament - from their very well designed athletic department website to the fantastic "Chalk Rocked" headline.

If the Rams can take down Butler to make it to the championship game or even - GASP! - win the whole thing, I look forward to whatever they'll come up with next.

Episode 22: Down In Flames

On another exciting episode of New Era Radio...the guys celebrate the black man surviving a sci-fi disaster flick! Marcas doesn't believe in the greatness of New York basketball and the guys give the award for BFF of the Millennium (here's a hint: Barry Bonds is accepting on his behalf).

Sean Miller Wows Johnny Carson

University of Arizona head basketball coach Sean Miller was a basketball wizard long before he took either the Wildcats or the Xavier Musketeers to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Flash back to 1983 when Johnny Carson was the undisputed king of late night television and a fresh-faced, 14-year old Miller appeared on The Tonight Show and yukked it up on the couch with Johnny and Ed McMahon before dazzling the audience with a pretty sick handle.

Kyle Fogg and Lamont Jones may want to make sure Miller's out of eligibility. Just sayin'.

Jimmer Fredette Meets Hip-Hop

There's nothing like a heaping helping of Jimmer Fredette to help BYU fans get over the Honor Code blues. Less than a week after Brandon Davies was suspended from the then-third ranked basketball team, several members of Cougar nation (and one member of the Ute Crew) released this hip-hop ode to the Beehive State's current favorite son.

Taking shots at LeBron James (they refer to The Jimmer as "the real King J") and Deron Williams (ditching his jersey for a blue & white #32), the song actually makes you forget how weary you were of The Dougie back in the fall. It also has a few entertaining cameos from several Utah basketball broadcasters including Ron Boone, David Locke and Craig Bolerjacks.

After watching how the females react to "Jimmer" in this video, it makes you wonder how he's avoided any Honor Code violations.

Tom Brady's Dance Party

New England Patriots' quarterback and resident trendsetter Tom Brady has a weakness! It seems that dancing is TB's kryptonite, as evidenced by a recently circulated YouTube video of the two-time NFL MVP living it up at Carnival.

Despite Brady looking like a ten-year old testing the bounce-ability of his new sneakers, I enjoy watching athletes and celebrities letting their hair down and enjoying the moment. So in the spirit of the groove, we invite you to turn up the speakers and get down with Tom Brady's Dance Party!

Episode 19: Digging In

On this week's winning episode...we drop some gnarlyisms over Spring Training and the Combine; deploy our ordinances on the BYU Honor Code; sail across the winds of the NFL and NBA universes and read behind the hieroglyphics of Kim Kardashian's new single.

Oh and we talk about Charlie Sheen.

Caltech Ends 310-Game Conference Losing Streak

Courtesy: LA Times (Gary Friedman)

You could poll everyone in Southern California on what they think of when they hear the name Caltech and not a single person would say "basketball". That's because the small, private research school in Pasadena is better known as the home of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Southern California Earthquake Data Center.

But for one night, Beaver Fever took over the campus after Caltech's men's basketball team beat Occidental, 46-45 on Tuesday night. It was Caltech's first win in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference since January 23, 1985 when they beat the University of La Verne, 48-47.

To put the streak into perspective, senior forward Ryan Elmquist - who made the game winning free throw - is the team's oldest player, born in 1989...four years into the streak.

With the win, the Beavers finish the season at 5-20, easily their best season in years.

Check out the final seconds and the celebration below:

(H/T Los Angeles Times)

Friday's Birthday Shout-Out: Hank Gathers Still Lives

In 1989, I fell in love with college basketball. As far as I was concerned, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels were the greatest thing I had ever seen in my life. Not just the greatest basketball team, not even the greatest sports team.

The greatest THING ever.

I was 12 years old and had never seen such a mesmerizing show. From the lavish, Vegas-style introductions, complete with fireworks to the unbelievable athletes playing a style of basketball that looked like it came from the mind of a video game designer. All of it run by an eccentric little man who sat on the bench chewing on a towel. There was no part of it that wasn't entertaining.

Only one thing could come close. Loyola Marymount. If UNLV basketball was a track meet, LMU was the Autobahn. Paul Westhead was the man behind the wheel, but Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers were the engine. My friends and I dreamed of seeing those two teams face off in the NCAA Tournament. Would the scoreboards be able to count high enough to keep track of all the points they'd score?

Then after LMU's regular season finale on March 3rd, 1990, came the horrible news that Gathers had collapsed and died. The Lions made an emotional and inspiration run to the Elite Eight before losing to UNLV. Bo Kimble's left-handed free throws will always be one of the lasting images of the tournament to me.

In 2004, just months before the 15th anniversary of Gathers' death, L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke wrote about strange phenomena happening in LMU's Gersten Pavilion. Odd sights and sounds that many believed to be the ghost of Hank Gathers.

As Hank Gathers died there, so he now lives there, his banner on the wall, his jersey in the rafters, his No. 44 on the backs of students, his presence flowing as smoothly as that last roaring dunk before his midcourt collapse.

"We're a Catholic institution, so we believe in the Holy Spirit," said Bill Husak, the school's athletic director, choosing his words carefully. "Let's just say, we believe that Spirit is working through the memory of Hank."

Instead of treating it as some kind of kooky ghost story, the campus population embraced it as inspiration, giving the former star the respect he commanded and deserved. As fans we were robbed of the chance to enjoy Gathers talents, but I've always felt better believing that he still lives in the place he was the most content.

Thursday's Birthday Shout-Out: John Calipari's Hip-Hop Tribute

Kentucky head coach John Calipari is that guy that epitomizes sports fandom. His credentials are undeniable, but his methods leave him open to criticism. He's that guy that you can't stand when he's on the opposing sideline, but you love him when he joins your side.

(As a 49ers fan, I had that same kind of hate/love/hate relationship with Deion Sanders.)

The fans in Lexington are apparently no different. I'm going to guess Coach Cal wasn't getting favored nation status when he was rolling with some of those deep Memphis Tigers teams. But they've now let bygones by bygones in the Bluegrass. And it didn't take long. Just about two weeks after he was hired at Kentucky, this ode to Calipari found its way to the Interweb.

While this isn't the first rap mention of Christian Laettner that comes to mind (thanks, Shaq!), I'm pretty sure Billy Gillispie has gotten a shout-out in hip-hop form. Yet with all the Cal love flowing, I'm sure John Chaney still isn't a fan.

The Top Dunks of 2010!

Yes, I know we're almost a week into 2011, but there's one last Best Of list worthy of your time.

It's four unadulterated minutes of people getting smashed on.

There are names you know (John Wall, James Harden), names you're learning (Josh Selby) and plenty of others we'll probably all be familiar with in the next couple of years.

I'll shut up now and let the beat ride out...

I would expect the 2011 edition to be heavy on Blake Griffin dunks.

College Coaches Go Shoeless for Good Cause

With all of the recent apparel-related issues swirling around college sports, it's great to see one that aims to do more help than harm.

IUPUI (that's Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis for all of you wondering...I know who you are) head basketball coach Ron Turner made headlines a couple of seasons ago for coaching a game barefoot. The idea was to help Samaritan's Feet, a North Carolina-based non-profit organization, achieve their goal of providing 10 million pairs of shoes to impoverished people worldwide within 10 years. Below is the AP report from Hunter's inaugural effort in 2008.

A couple of years later the idea has picked up steam. University of San Francisco coach Rex Walters joined Hunter as sole-mates when the Dons played the Jaguars two days before Christmas. In addition, the Samaritan's Feet website lists 25 events involving high school and college coaches taking place between January 4th and February 15th. Hunter, once again, is holding his own event on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend and continues to urge all college coaches to get involved.

Only in L.A....

It's not surprising to hear about basketball players running into problems because of their entourage. But only in Los Angeles does a college hoops player get upended by Entourage.

UCLA freshman guard Tyler Lamb has been down since eating a batch of chicken chili cheese fries on Sunday. While Lamb says he was asked not to mention the name of the restaurant, teammate Malcolm Lee says it is a restaurant owned in part by Jerry Ferrara, who plays Turtle on the HBO series "Entourage". 

First of all, it's pretty funny to see that Malcolm Lee has no qualms calling out the suspected offending party. Second...chicken chili cheese fries? That doesn't even sound good. I love chili cheese fries, but I wouldn't touch these. 

I would not eat them in a box. I would not eat them with a fox. You should not eat them with the fam. You should not eat them Tyler Lamb.