Seton Hall walk-on Peter Gill made SportsCenter, not for his abilities on the court (in fact, he only has eight minutes of playing time in his career) but because of bench antics. To quote anchor Kevin Negandhi, “He didn’t play a minute and he’s showcased on SportsCenter.” Read the rest of this entry »

AP:

“The latest crosstown shootout got out of control Saturday and ended in bedlam, a few seconds early. Eighth-ranked Xavier beat crosstown rival Cincinnati 76-53 on Saturday in a game that featured a steady stream of trash talking and was called with 9.4 seconds left when the teams got into a brawl in a corner of the court. Read the rest of this entry »

“We real players but we really don’t play like Joseph Forte, got doja all day…” – Lil Wayne, “Best Of Me” Freestyle

One of these days when I write my Book Of Basketball, there will be a section dedicated to Joe Forte. Read the rest of this entry »

Credit the scheduling gods at CBS helping tip off what’ll ultimately prove to be one of the better sports days of 2011. From the moment the college basketball schedule was released, everyone circled the December 3 rematch of last year’s Elite 8 between UNC and Kentucky for obvious reasons. Pro talent was so abundant that the contest appeared more like a pro-am game than one built for the collegiate level. And thankfully, the actual contest lived up to the hype. Read the rest of this entry »

Somewhere last night, Jalen Rose cried crocodile tears of joy.

I sat in Bar Louie near the Verizon Center last night taking in the Sweet 16 contests. After two of my Final Four selections advanced to the Elite 8 (Florida and UConn), I was somewhat allowed to breathe easy watching the latter two games square off (although I had Butler and Duke winning). The Arizona game was intriguing though. Read the rest of this entry »

For the last five years or so, I’ve been living the life of a vagabond, going from city to city in search of a big break or with halfway going to school. At every stop it seems like I land smack-dab in the middle of a crazy sporting event my new city rallies behind for good or bad. As the NBA playoffs are about to begin, I’m reminded of these insane moments that I was able to at least partially be a part of and witness. Read the rest of this entry »

The following may be a sensitive question for some. How are those picks looking? Seeing as how damn near every bracket went up in flames only hours after the tournament officially began – those four “first round” games do not count – it should go without saying college basketball is likely dominating the talk around the office. We all the know the running joke that with the onset of the world’s greatest postseason tournament often comes the lack of productivity at jobs across the country.

According to CNBC’s Darren Rovell, that may not exactly be the case.

This year, the firm estimates that American employees will watch the tournament online for at least 8.4 million hours, which equals more than $192 million in wages. Last year, the firm told the world the number was $1.8 billion, by the way, which goes to show you how unscientific this number is.

The report gets a ton of press, but it’s rarely questioned. The horrible assumption that the firm makes is that it assumes that every minute we are “working,” we are productive, which of course is not true. Every day is filled with moments that we are doing something that our employers technically might not be paying us for.

How much time do we “waste” going to lunch? How much time do we “waste” checking our personal e-mail? Is there anyone in the world who can’t watch the games and work at the same time?

You get my point.

In fact, some think that this wasting of time watching March Madness, filling out brackets and talking about it, can actually add to workplace productivity.

Don Forsyth, a social psychologist who is a professor at University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies, is in that camp. He recently had a workshop with executive leaders who he asked to fill out brackets and said employers could actually learn from how employees fill out their sheet.

To learn how, head over to CNBC.com to read the rest of Rovell’s report.

Faren

And Here’s Your 2011 NCAA Bracket [With Leather]

50 Cent Says He’s Never Made “Wack” Music [GOT]

D’Angelo Takes Disorderly Conduct Plea In NYC Case [Yahoo]

Casket Sharp: Kimbo Slice [C&D] Read the rest of this entry »

It’s finally happening. At the ripe age of 24, I’m becoming a grumpy old man. It started years ago, I guess, but really came to fruition this summer as I screamed to my television like I just caught it cheating on me with the mailman:

You’re going to join three other superstars? In my day, Jordan, Barkley, Magic and Bird would never have wanted to group up. That’s when athletes were athletes. This generation doesn’t know anything about the ’80s!

Granted, being alive in the Jordan era has forever cemented people around my age as the “Ho-Hum” generation, thoroughly unimpressed with pretty much anything else that happens in sports. But look around. It’s getting worse. Read the rest of this entry »

After leaving Illinois last week, all signs point to Jeffrey Jordan joining his brother Marcus at Central Florida. Two Jordans on one largely unnoticed squad, but who cares? I bet the AD is doing backflips around the office, visions of dollar signs dancing through his head.

“Michael Jordan’s sons are on the verge of playing together at Central Florida, a reunion that should provide a flurry of new media and marketing opportunities for the Knights even if the impact is minimal from a wins-and-losses perspective. Read the rest of this entry »

Join our gang as we prepare to cheer for our favorites, bet on the best and cry when either one of the aforementioned squads loses. You, too, can be a part of the Uproxx Pool of Awesome by clicking here. To the top three victors will go the spoils, the rest will receive nothing. A few unlucky ducklings will be shamed with the knowledge that they finished dead last. Read the rest of this entry »

I didn’t watch very much basketball this week. I was in full disgruntled mode after Syracuse took the L (again) versus Louisville last weekend and the Orange turned around to lose against arch rival Georgetown in the Big East tournament. After those two losses, I didn’t care if the word “basketball” was eliminated from the English language. I’m not even worried about my bracket. I’m pissed my favorite squad’s momentum is headed in the wrong direction @ the most inopportune time of year and their starting center is looking hobbled. Read the rest of this entry »

Tamara

Jamie Jungers Wins Mistress Beauty Pageant [TMZ]

10 Children’s Characters Who Were Definitely On Drugs [Guyism]

DMX’s Wife To Write “Tell-All” Book [WoooHa]

Kendra Wilkinson Is Getting There [Don Chavez]

Mom Accused Of Killing Son Wanted To Be At His Funeral [Gothamist]

Musicians ‘Still Need Record Labels’ Says Report [Spinner] Read the rest of this entry »

l

Latavious Williams, a nationwide top 20 high school player according to Rivals.com, was in a rut last year. The Mississippi project signed a letter of intent to play for Josh Pastner at Memphis. Then NCAA academic eligibility issues arose over questionable credits accrued during an extra year in prep school. His situation meant that, despite his desire to play in college, he wouldn’t be able to suit up well into the season at the earliest. This came as a cause of concern as he planned to hit the ground running, then hit the pros ASAP. Ultimately, it lead to his family and agent exploring other avenues towards the NBA.

According to SLAM, Williams eyed six figure deals from teams throughout Europe and China. At that point, you’d think his choice was simple. Why wait around for the NCAA when you could bag a hefty deal across the pond?  Contract talks went sour and the exact opposite happened. Without any other viable options, Williams became the first high school player ever selected in the NBDL draft after wowing scouts at a workout session. Now, he has a shot at getting into the league after a year with the Tulsa 66ers. Arguably, that goal wasn’t in reach had he braved the NCAA or elsewhere.

I think it’s a good move considering the circumstances and helps promote the often overlooked D-League. The NBDL, while frowned upon, has produced success stories like Kelenna Azubuike and Matt Barnes. More & more players are using it as a way to establish professional careers every year as each team is affiliated with an NBA counterpart. It may not be as large or organized as minor league baseball, where there are leagues set up for rookies and high school draftees. Nevertheless, it’s a great opportunity for a prospect like Latavious to mature, expand his skill set at a semi pro level and cultivate his raw athletic ability all while staying in the USA.

He’s not setting the world on fire averaging 5 points, 6 boards and a block in 16 minutes per game. But he’s getting into the mindset of a pro ball player in a 50 + game season. He could have been more underdeveloped with a late start had he braved the NCAA. Moreover, even the NCAA’s best coaching staffs have a penchant to worry about getting wins and keeping their jobs rather than bettering talent on their roster (Duke anyone?). With that said, the NCAA is still the most tried and tested route to the NBA and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon, especially with the NBA’s arbitrary age eligibility rule.

Additionally, one has to wonder if going overseas will become a viable second option for future high school standouts. Brandon Jennings, last year’s top high school player, made waves when he signed to Pallacanestro Virtus Roma in Italy because he failed to pass Arizona’s entrance exam. He gained $3 Million USD last year between his contract and endorsement deal with Under Armour. Meanwhile NBDL players usually make between $12,000 to $24,000 a year. It’s not like he played against bums out there either as he put up less than stellar numbers. People seem to forget that the number of international players, especially those from Europe, are steadily growing in the NBA. Even more are capable but get held back by the fine print of their deals. So even though Jennings struggled he used that experience to become a runaway pick for rookie of the year in Milwaukee.

We can’t quite call the Latavious Experiment a success yet as it’s still in progress. But from the looks of things he’s eager to learn and bonding well with his teammates all while playing at an level of competition above college ball. Scouts are keeping an eye on him despite his off-putting size at 6’8” and 205 lbs. Most importantly, he has a shot at being picked based on his capability to be an athletic 4 with some range to boot. I’m not holding my breath for a NBDL renaissance via 18 and 19-year-olds as long as the NCAA and Europe are around. Then again, if Latavious makes the draft board in June, I wouldn’t be surprised if more high schoolers traveled the same trail he blazed for them.

I was actually watching this game because it was probably my best chance @ seeing Kansas facing stiff enough competition to take an L, thus moving my Orangemen up closer to that number one spot. Lo and behold, ‘Cuse folded like a beach chair on Sunday. SMH. But given my extreme dislike for KU basketball, I find a certain amount of glee watching the bumbled free throw attempt…and the “if looks could kill” stare that Coach Bill Self gives Morningstar for the gaffe. Maybe the usually steady guard was hungover or something.

[Via]