Now that the smoke has cleared from the fog machines and pyrotechnics at the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey press conference yesterday, we have a few details about the welterweight championship fight March 13 at Cowboys Stadium.

Here’s what emerged about a fight the promoters are modestly calling “The Event.”

* The set up will be similar to a basketball game with the ring in the middle of the field and the upper deck blocked off. The seating is estimated at 40,000, but promoter Bob Arum told the Los Angeles Times that it could be expanded to 60,000 if needed.

* Tickets will range from $700 for ringside seats all the way down to $50.

* Ticket go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Saturday, but the Cowboys ticket holders will get a shot at them before then.

* The Fort Worth Star-Telegram and other media outlets reported that the video board will be lowered to about 30 feet above the ring.
Sourced via dallasnews.com

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Jerry Wainwright was fired Monday as the basketball coach at DePaul, which has lost 22 straight regular-season games in the Big East Conference. He was replaced on an interim basis by assistant Tracy Webster.

The Blue Demons are 7-8 and 0-3 in the Big East this season, Wainwright’s fifth at DePaul. He has two years left on his contract after this season.

“At this time a change needed to be made in the direction of the men’s basketball program at DePaul University,” athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto said in a statement.

The school was to discuss the move at a campus news conference.

Webster will be the coach for the rest of the season. He was an assistant at Kentucky, Illinois, Purdue and Ball State before joining DePaul last April.

Wainwright has a 59-80 overall record at DePaul, including 20-51 in the Big East. He injured his leg during a sideline collision Wednesday when the Blue Demons were routed 99-72 at Villanova

Wainwright becomes the fourth Division I coach to leave his position since the season started in November. Glenn Miller (Penn) and Dereck Whittenburg (Fordham) were fired and Terry Dunn (Dartmouth) resigned.

Last season was an embarrassing one for a DePaul program that was once a national power. The school hasn’t won a regular-season conference game since March 2008. The Blue Demons upset Cincinnati in the first round of the conference tournament last year but finished 9-24 and 0-18 in the Big East.

DePaul went 20-14 and made the NIT in 2006-07, its lone winning season under Wainwright. Wainwright took over in 2005-06 after eight years at UNC Wilmington and then three at Richmond. During those 11 years his teams made the NCAA tournament three times and reached at least 20 wins three times. While at UNC Wilmington, he was twice the Colonial Athletic Association coach of the year.
Sourced via washingtonpost.com

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For the second time in its storied basketball history, Kansas is No. 1 in The Associated Press’ preseason Top 25.

The Jayhawks were a runaway choice Thursday, receiving 55 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel to easily outdistance Michigan State, which was No. 1 on five ballots.

There was little suspense as to which team would top the preseason poll. Kansas has all five starters and the top nine scorers back from last season’s team that went 27-8 and reached the third round of the NCAA tournament. The Jayhawks also feature a recruiting class considered among the nation’s best.

“I’m not surprised,” said Bill Self, who was also the coach the other time Kansas was the preseason No. 1 in 2004-05. “But I know this – we aren’t practicing like a team that’s preseason No. 1 in the country. It has been a very few good days of practice but we do have good players. … There’s a lot of excitement surrounding these guys.”

The Jayhawks received great news when guard Sherron Collins and center Cole Aldrich, last season’s leading scorers, decided to return to school rather than test the NBA draft. Then brothers Xavier and C.J. Henry decided to enroll in Lawrence, making the Jayhawks the early national favorite as well as the choice to win a sixth straight Big 12 title.

“My goal for this team isn’t to play to that ranking early in the season,” Self said. “My goal is to play to that ranking when it counts the most. I hope it happens soon.”

Michigan State has seven of the top nine scorers back from the team that lost to North Carolina in the national championship game.

Texas, Kentucky and Villanova rounded out the top five, while North Carolina, a unanimous preseason No. 1 last season, was sixth. Kentucky received three first-place votes and Texas and North Carolina got one each. Purdue, West Virginia, Duke and Tennessee completed the top 10.

While Kansas’ showing this preseason many not have been as impressive as North Carolina’s a year earlier when it became the first ever unanimous preseason pick, both had plenty of reasons to claim No. 1.

“There are some similarities, but that North Carolina team had been through a lot more experiences than our guys have,” Self said. “The North Carolina team had been through Final Fours, had been to Elite Eights, had had some heartache, been through some tough times. I don’t know that this group has been through tough times like they had. The fact we return nine guys and a good recruiting class is the reason people are so optimistic about us.”

Butler was 11th in the poll followed by Connecticut, California, Washington, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Louisville and Georgetown. The last five ranked teams were Dayton, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Clemson and Minnesota.

Kentucky, under new coach John Calipari and with a loaded freshman class, Georgetown and Georgia Tech were the only teams in the preseason poll not to play in the NCAA tournament last season.

Texas, Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee lead the 13 teams in the preseason poll who were not ranked in the final poll of last season. Louisville and North Carolina were Nos. 1 and 2 in that final poll. In addition to those two, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Duke and Connecticut all were ranked No. 1 at some point in the season.

The Big Ten has six teams in the preseason poll, one more than the Big East. The Atlantic Coast Conference had four and the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference three each.
Sourced via washingtonpost.com

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Foroyaa: Let us start by introducing yourself to our readers?

Colley: Well, my name is Mr. Sulayman Colley and the President of the Gambia National Para Olympic Committee.

Foroyaa: What does the committee which you are president of, do?

Colley: Well, Gambia National Para Olympic Committee is responsible for organizing sports competitions among the various categories of persons with disabilities.

‘Sports for persons with disability’ was introduced by the Swedes in this country back in 1980.

Initially, we started as a body responsible for organizing sports for only persons with physical disability. However, in 2007 after returning from a trip to Cairo, we were told to be inclusive to incorporate other categories of disabilities. It was argued that such an umbrella body would bear the flag of the country in Para Olympics which is held after the main Olympic.

Foroyaa: What are some of the goals and objectives of your committee?

Colley: Well, some of the goals include getting as many persons with disability off the streets as possible. By involving them in sport, we hope begging would be a thing of the past. Another goal is to improve the health condition of persons with disability. Sport is an instrument for better health, as exercise enhances physical fitness.

Psychologically, engaging persons with disability in sport helps them to grow in confidence. This in turn gives them a peace of mind which is so crucial and key to their meaningful contribution to society.

Above all, there some athletes with disability who have what it takes to become professionals. As such, opportunities should be given to such athletes with a view to realizing their full potentials.

Foroyaa: Has the Gambia ever been represented in the Para Olympic Sports?

Colley: As far as I know this country has never been represented in Para Olympic Games. This failure could be attributed to various reasons beyond our control. Lack of funding and equipments have been the major obstacles we have been facing. It is worth pointing out that in order to take part in the Para Olympic, one has to fulfill or meet the requirements. International Para Olympic Committee organizes competitions across the different venues in the world and those competitions serve as a stepping stone for athletes to make it to Para Olympic. Last year, we were given the opportunity to qualify for the Para Olympic by taking part in All Africa Games. However, this opportunity slipped through our fingers, because we could not get the funds to do so.

Our athletes had prepared for the All Africa Games only to be informed at the eleventh hour that there was no funding. That news came as a bolt from the blue, but there was nothing we could do except to accept the reality.

Foroyaa: Which sports do you engage your athletes in?

Colley: The sporting disciplines include wheel chair, tennis, basketball, sitting volleyball and athletics. All the aforesaid disciplines require equipments and materials which cannot be obtained in the absence of money.

Foroyaa: Have you got the supporting infrastructure for athletes with disability which can enable them realize their full potentials?

Colley: Well, as things stand, we are managing with what we have. This is even though what we have is not conducive enough.

Last year, we organized a sport competition which attracted participants from the countryside and Greater Banjul Area. That tournament turned out to be a success.

As part of July 22nd celebrations, we also organized a wheel chair basket ball’ tournament which attracted participants from both Gambia and Senegal. The KMC won that tournament. The ultimate triumph of KMC in that tournament is a clear testimony that our athletes can do it when they are given the opportunity. It is also a testimony to our credential in the international arena.

Foroyaa: What is your committee doing for athletes with disability who reside in the provinces?

Colley: We organized training for some coaches from the provinces who would in turn train athletes with disability in their various regions. This training for coaches was done with the objective of ultimately organizing an annual club championship.

We are hopeful that this club championship would get underway next year. Teams from different regions would be paired against one another in a knock out tournament.

Foroyaa: So far you talked about sports for persons with physical disability. What package do you have for those with visual impairment?

Colley: Well, the visually impaired have a galobal. It is just like a football and it has some materials inside it which makes a house thereby enabling persons with visual impairment to know the location of the ball through following the noise.

Foroyaa: Since the inception of Gambia National Para Olympic Committee, what would you say has been some of its achievements?

Colley: We gained international recognition as registered national institution as well as participate in such regional activities. Our ability to organize tournaments locally is also an achievement in itself.

Foroyaa: Apart from the problem of finance and equipment, which other obstacle do you face currently?

Colley: Our office at the stadium is being taken away from us. Basically, we do not have an office now. We are presently contemplating to look for an office in Serekunda West grounds with a view to be more efficient and effective.

Foroyaa: Apparently, there is hunger among your athletes to participate in the next Para Olympic Games. What is your committee doing to make sure that some of those athletes fulfill their childhood dream of participating in the Para Olympics?

Colley: We are doing our best to first ensure that our athletes qualify for the Para Olympic Games.

After ensuring qualification, we would also do whatever it takes to write to different donors with a view to get finding to take our athletes to the venue to the host city of Para Olympic Games.

Foroyaa: How many coaches did you train in order to look at athletes with disability?

Colley: we trained three coaches from each region.

Foroyaa: Do you know what the coaches you trained are up to?

Colley: As things stand, they are up to scouting new players.

Foroyaa: Who are the coaches you trained, are they persons with disability?

Colley: They are not persons with disability. They are in fact sports coordinators from their various regions.

Foroyaa: What do you think the future hold for athletes with disability?

Colley: As an optimist I would say the future looks bright. However it is worth saying that we still have a lot to do.
Sourced via allafrica.com

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Netball, apparently, ‘just got hotter’. The dresses couldn’t be any shorter, so the rules of the game have been slashed instead.

‘Fast Net‘, netball’s answer to Twenty20 cricket, made its debut at the Co-Operative World Netball Series at Manchester’s MEN Arena this weekend.

The three-day tournament included the top six teams in the world – Australia, England, Jamaica, Samoa, Malawi and New Zealand, the eventual winners.

There were six-minute quarters instead of the usual 15 minutes, shooters could earn two points by shooting from outside the circle and teams could nominate a ‘power play’ quarter to score double points.

All very exciting, despite the slightly naff name, but ‘Why is that woman holding a table tennis bat at the side of the court?’ texted a friend, who was watching on Sky Sports. Ah, that would be the rolling substitutions – an innovative idea if, unfortunately, a little amateur in the execution.

In true Twenty20 style, however, fireworks signalled the start of the power plays, the 4,000-strong crowd danced away the two-minute intervals and Jamaica sported a different outfit each day. Sadly, however, there were no male cheerleaders springing up on to podiums when a four was scored.

Paul Clark, chief executive of England Netball, believes Fast Net could be netball’s answer to Rugby Sevens, which, alongside golf, has been nominated as an Olympic sport for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Clark said: ‘This version of the game could be more attractive to the IOC because it’s shorter, it’s more concise; it’s more exciting and you can put a bit more razzmatazz around it.

The tournament could be condensed into four or five days playing in an arena with basketball and volleyball, but the Olympics is a long road. Netball’s not strong in Europe, Russia or China and they’re the big power brokers. It’s about visibility. As a sport we’ve got to work hard to get that visibility.’

The message from netball’s administrators, including Molly Rhone, president of International Federation Netball Association (IFNA), was clear: netball needs to innovate to survive.

‘If we don’t change we will become irrelevant,’ stated Kate Palmer, CEO of Netball Australia.

Not only could Fast Net reach new audiences at home, it could be marketed to countries where netball is not widely played, such as Dubai or China, which would bring its own commercial benefits and introduce new nations (and their IOC votes) to the sport.

I start to worry, however, when sport is referred to as a ‘product’, something soulless that can be repackaged and shipped where necessary for the right price. Who decreed setting off a few fireworks was an automatic shortcut to global domination? Haven’t we learned the lessons of cricket’s flirtation with Allen Stanford?

Clark batted away the suggestion that Fast Net was a slap-dash version of the traditional game, insisting Test netball would survive, and hopefully he’ll be proved right. After all, Fast Net and netball are not as far removed as Twenty20 and Test cricket and players’ heads will not be turned by money. There isn’t any, it’s as simple as that.

The fans in Manchester certainly seemed to enjoy it. I’ve never seen such interaction between court and crowd, such as when an umpire was universally booed for failing to spot an infringement. Long-range shooting also largely eradicated the propensity for formulaic attacking moves but, with just six-minute quarters, there was far too much time wasting.

Karen Atkinson, England co-captain, admitted she too had her reservations about the new rules, thinking they were perhaps a bit too extreme, but enjoyed the tournament.

England certainly adapted to the format quicker than most, but lost 33-22 to Jamaica in the semi-finals and then 23-18 to Australia in the third-place play-off, having beaten the World No1s for the first time since 1983 in the group stage.

Yet, however disappointed Atkinson was with England’s performance on Sunday, her priorities remained the Co-operative International matches at the University of Bath against Australia today and New Zealand on Thursday, when it will be back to the serious business of Tests, which affect the world rankings. Quite right, too.

The World Netball Series promised netball with a ‘wow factor’ and I think it delivered. After all, anything that consciously moves away from the schoolgirl stigma that still undermines netball is a positive. Whether the IOC will be impressed, however, remains to be seen.

Sourced via Daiilymail.co.uk

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NBA icons, all-stars and A-plus-list celebrities LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal made their debut as Cleveland teammates and had immediate chemistry in the Cavaliers’ 92-87, preseason-opening victory over the visiting Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night.

James and O’Neal worked several pick-and-rolls, showing off a two-man game that with a little polish could be unstoppable.

“Me and Shaq played pretty well together,” James said. “It shouldn’t be hard for either one of us. We know how to play basketball and we want to win.”

The two are hoping to end this city’s pro sports championship drought stretching back to 1964, and while they are as much as nine months away from accomplishing that goal, it’s already clear the pair — and the Cavaliers — will be fun to watch.

“They’re going to be great,” Bobcats Coach Larry Brown said. “They’re really well coached. They set good screens. They make good cuts. They hit the open man. I love the way they play and built this team.”

James, wearing a pink pair of his signature Nikes for breast cancer awareness month, scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 14 minutes. O’Neal, who said his goal is to “win a ring for the King” in Cleveland, scored six points and added three rebounds and a block in 15 minutes. Neither played in the second half.

LONDON CALLING: The NBA is still planning to play a regular season game in London before the 2012 Olympics are hosted by the British capital, although Commissioner David Stern said there is no set schedule.

Stern has said that he wants to play a meaningful game at London’s O2 Arena, where the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz played a preseason game.

“We hope to do it,” Stern said, noting that 2010 and 2011 would be the last chances. “We’re running out of runway, but we will likely do it.”

The NBA was playing in London for the third straight year, and the game at the O2 was again sold out. James Johnson sank a fadeaway jump shot from the baseline at the buzzer to give the Bulls a 102-101 win.

“I’d love to play here,” said Bulls forward Luol Deng, who was raised in London after his family fled war-torn Sudan. “I won’t be surprised if that happens.”

Although this year’s trip to Europe was cut down from previous visits, the Jazz has one more game to play on Thursday against Real Madrid in the Spanish capital.

Outside Europe, however, the NBA is playing preseason games in other countries, including Taiwan and Mexico.

Stern also spoke about the global economic downturn and the talks with the referees’ union. The NBA has locked out the regular referees because of a contract dispute.

“As far as I know, there have been no further conversations with the union,” Stern said. “They know how to reach us.”
Sourced via washingtonpost.com

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More than a thousand disabled athletes will converge in Bukit Jalil this weekend for the Asean Para Games KL ’09.

AS you read this, preparations are fully under way for a notable sporting event for the disabled which will kick off this weekend at the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil, KL.

The Asean Para Games KL ’09, a five-day international event, will be participated by disabled sportsmen and sportswomen from Asean.

More than a thousand disabled athletes together with their able-bodied officials from as many as 11 nations will converge at Bukit Jalil. About 350 are from Malaysia.

This year’s competition – the fifth since 2001 – will be the second time that Malaysia is playing host. The first one was also held in the country.

The event which takes place once every two years features athletes with a variety of handicaps, including the blind, amputees and those with intellectual disabilities. Each of them will take part in almost a dozen sporting disciplines which include volleyball sitting, athletics, swimming and sailing.

However, none of the sporting events will be as exciting as wheelchair basketball, argues Chong Tuck Meng from Bentong, Pahang.

The forty-something Chong is manager of the basketball team. He is also a wheelchair-user which makes him the only disabled manager in the team.

“My job is to take care of my team of 12 wheelchair players who include amputees, people with spinal cord injuries and those born with a disability,” explains Chong.

“Though it is my duty to motivate them, I must admit I get lots of inspiration from my boys, aged between 20 and 35, who come from all over Malaysia,” says Chong who became paralysed from the neck down following an accident almost 30 years ago.

According to Chong, wheelchair basketball is one of the most skilful and professional sports in the games.

“Those who haven’t seen a match before will think that the competitors move more slowly than their able-bodied counterparts. But the reverse is true: wheelchair athletes move at lightning speed.

“They have to dribble the basketball and manoeuvre their wheelchairs at the same time, and pass the ball to their team-mates.”

There are times when they get knocked off their wheelchair and have to get up in an instant and get on with the game.

According to Chong, the net is placed at the same height as the game for the able-bodied, making it harder to score from a wheelchair level.

“The interaction with sportsmen from other countries is another high point for the participants,” says Chong. “The opportunity to meet other athletes and share experiences keeps everyone in high spirits and believing in what they can achieve despite their various handicaps.”

Chong has not been able to take part in any sporting events because of his severe disability.

“People with conditions like mine pose a challenge for those working in disability sports to try and come up with sporting disciplines that can include people with profound handicaps,” says Chong.

He concludes that he would like to see disability sport in Malaysia being regarded as a professional sport like in overseas countries where disabled athletes can make it their full time career and be paid for their outstanding contributions.
Sourced via thestar.com.

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British Basketball has signed a five-year deal with Standard Life, the Edinburgh-based FTSE 100 asset managing business, as their title sponsor.

Basketball’s partnership with Standard Life is akin to rowing’s partnership with Siemens and swimming’s recently agreed partnership with British Gas.

In the case of basketball, Standard Life has recognised the potential in working with the third largest team sport in the country – in terms of participation, only football and cricket have a larger playing base.

And with top NBA stars now committing to play for Britain it is clear that there is a realistic chance of medal glory as the London Olympics approach.

The deal will see Standard Life support all four of British Basketball’s world-class teams; senior men, senior women, men’s U-20’s and women’s U-20’s.

While the partnership will run from 2009 to 2013 its impact has been felt immediately with the necessary funding now being available for television coverage of Game On At The O2 this weekend.

Highlights of the four-nation tournament, which is a symbol of the sport’s progression over the last three years, since British Basketball’s inception, will be aired on Sky Sports 3 on Monday 17 August.

Simon Tuckey, Commercial Director of British Basketball, said: ‘We have worked hard over the past three years to attract a partner who would not only benefit the sport but more importantly believe in the goals we have set, and we feel that Standard Life more than fits those criteria.

‘We are delighted that they have come on board as we prepare to host Game On At The O2 and look forward to a long and successful relationship between British Basketball and Standard Life.

‘The senior men’s and women’s programmes have made impressive strides since 2007, indeed the men will play at the European Championships this September, and Standard Life’s involvement shows that people are taking note of our results and our desire to be a force to be reckoned with in three years time.’
Sourced via dailymail.co.uk

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Soccer pundits say SA has let slip chance to develop young talent

POOLS of water gather on the tarmac of a run-down basketball court where a group of boys play with a worn football in the drizzle, trying to hone skills that might never be spotted.

“There’s a lot of talent here,” says Ben Londzi, co-ordinator of a community group trying to lure youth away from other temptations in Nyanga, just outside Cape Town.

“Here in Nyanga there has never been a scout from any big team,” says Xolani Sicamba, who coaches them.

When it’s raining they play on the uneven basketball court.

Passionate about football, Londzi and Sicamba organise street soccer and try to groom the boys in the hope that they are discovered.

Nyanga is reported to be one of South Africa’s most violent township, and this section of it, KTC, is often referred to by locals as Killer’s Club.

Like so many townships, it has few facilities for football training.

Some of those children get snapped up by regional clubs after trying to perfect their skills on patches of land with only a brick or orange traffic cones for goalposts.

Barely a year before the Soccer World Cup comes to South Africa, there are hopes the country would produce a world-class team, as the national team Bafana Bafana struggles.

And experts decry the lack of youth development. Romanian football development expert Ted Dumitru, who acts as director for local team Mamelodi Sundowns, says South Africa ’s football development is in dire straits.

“It is quite shocking that even at this stage – as hosts of the Confederations Cup – we don’t have a well-defined concept on the youth,” he says.

Dumitru, nicknamed “Mr Magic” in SA, where he has turned several teams into local champions, said though some big teams have development programmes, this was not properly coordinated at national level.

“Every coach from other parts of the world tells us we have exceptional talent. But from that to the point of realisation – it’s a huge gap.”

He says sports more popular among whites, such as rugby, have good funding and the teams excel internationally. But the funding discrepancies are shocking.

“Players who do make it professionally only come into contact with fundamental skills too late ,” Dumitru says.

“We have a huge crisis in the country.

“Our players cannot score goals.”

Danny Jordaan, head of Fifa’s local organising committee, says the nation has missed the opportunity of the World Cup to build its football team.

Jordaan says the first priority should be providing basic training within reach of township children.

When asked about the Confederations Cup this weekend, he says: “We have to do whatever we can with the players we have, but in the long term there will be an integrated sustainable approach to development.

“I think we will produce a world-class team.”

While the group of boys in KTC do what they can with the little they have, Jordaan expresses hope that they, and others like them who dream of being football stars, can one day “turn that hope into a reality”.
Sourced via sowetan.co.za

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The Trojans were a dead program walking well before coach Tim Floyd quit Tuesday. The big question is whether football, which pays the bills, will have to pay a price too.

Tim Floyd submitted his resignation Tuesday and Athletic Director Mike Garrett accepted it so fast he probably got a paper cut snapping it out of the fax machine.

The good news, of course, is that it’s only the fall of USC basketball, leaving the all-important work of preserving, defending and protecting the constitution of USC football.

What happened to Floyd was inevitable and the appointed hour of his departure was inconsequential. The fact Floyd handed a resignation news cookie to a paper in his home state, Mississippi, only proves he was loyal to people other than the players he coached until Tuesday at 12:59 p.m.

Yesterday, today, next week, next month . . . who cares?

Before the NCAA report comes out on possible infractions . . . after the report . . . what did it matter?

Anyone who could follow a bouncing ball understood USC basketball has been over for several weeks now, and it’s going to be over for several years.

More than two decades ago, Southern Methodist football received the “death penalty” for crimes committed against the NCAA.

USC and Floyd succumbed to a death “watch” penalty.

How fast it unraveled was certainly fascinating, and piecing the time line together is more fun that Sudoku.

One March minute Daniel Hackett had stolen the ball and was heading for the game-tying basket against Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA tournament at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

Then the ball slipped out of Hackett’s hand, Michigan State won and advanced all the way to the championship game, and USC hoops became the last scene in “Thelma and Louise.”

March 31, the Tuesday before the Final Four, at USC’s season-ending banquet, Floyd implored his prime-time fence sitters to return and make the Trojans a national title contender — it wasn’t that much of a stretch.

Hours later, Floyd jumped on a plane to interview for the Arizona job.

Days later, DeMar DeRozan, Taj Gibson and Hackett announced their intentions to turn pro — so much for the national title.

The NCAA, meanwhile, was combining the basketball and football investigations, leading some to believe a conclusion was forthcoming and the words “lack of institutional control” might lead to banishment from the NCAA tournament.

For recruits looking for exactly one shining moment before trotting off to the NBA, this uneasiness added up to a collective “See ya.”

USC took a pass on already iffy Renardo Sidney, who opted out to Mississippi State, while other prospects checked their watches and noticed it was time to get out.

Floyd joined football Coach Pete Carroll on the rubber-chicken circuit, visiting USC boosters around the state, with Carroll handling all the NCAA-related questions as Floyd watched, in between green beans and dessert, his team disappear.

Noel Johnson was let out of his commitment. Marcus Johnson opted to go pro even though he was granted a sixth year of eligibility, prompting Floyd’s already famous “our guys get an offer from Islamabad and they’re gone” line.

Floyd finally said: check please?
The sad part is Floyd is a decent guy and good tactician and, in a very short time, became arguably the most successful basketball coach in school history — leading the Trojans to an unprecedented (for them) three straight NCAA tournaments.

And here comes the almost comical question: Who wants to coach USC basketball?

The new hire will inherit the specter of NCAA sanctions that could kick USC to the closet for years.

Even if the NCAA exonerates USC’s basketball program, the next guy inherits . . . what?

As far as landing a big-name coach, well, June is never a good time. Arizona was pilloried for waiting until March to hire a successor to Lute Olson and was lucky to get Sean Miller from Xavier — for Miller’s price.

Pittsburgh Coach Jamie Dixon?

Last time anyone checked, he was smart — and nobody could want to get back to his home state this badly.

So that leaves an up-and-comer from the mid-majors Garrett must identify, or someone like give-me-a-chance Michael Cooper, already on campus as coach of the women’s team, or maybe some Lakers assistant.

What it means for the foreseeable USC basketball future: Turn out the lights at Galen Center, a beautiful arena the Trojans couldn’t fill to capacity even in these, the good times.

Remember, like we said, in the end, it’s only Tim Floyd who’s leaving and it’s only USC basketball being asked to take a long walk in a dark alley.
Sourced via latimes.com

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