The Town Crier

[PointGuard]

Game #29: Colorado Buffaloes (19-9, 9-8) @ #1 UCLA Bruins (22-6, 12-5)

Aren’t we lucky! We get to travel to Los Angeles to take on the #1 ranked Bruins for our final game of the regular season. The Bruins’ freshman SG Kyle Taylor is the Pac-12’s leading scorer, averaging 20.0 ppg and is 2nd in assists with 5.1 apg. C Jamal Magloire is averaging 19.3 ppg and 9.5 rpg.

After 5-1/2 minutes of play we led 12-1. With 10 minutes to go in the half we were up 21-9. But then the refs began layering fouls on us which forced us to soften our defense. The Bruins tied us at 21-21 with 5 minutes to go til halftime. By the end of the half 5 of our players each had 2 fouls on them. We trailed 32-27 at the break, primarily due to the Bruins scoring 7 more points at the line than us. SG Kenton Dunn had 7 points. UCLA’s SG Kyle Taylor poured in 18 points, 11 of those from the foul line.

We continued to battle the talented Bruins team in the 2nd half and kept close until midway when Kyle Taylor broke loose to put UCLA on top 49-39. Two minutes later we cut the lead to 5 points, but it was all downhill for us from there. The Bruins lead expanded to 69-49 with 2-1/2 minutes remaining. We went down in flames 76-51. We played UCLA tough for 30 minutes, but they ultimately were just too good for us…that and we hit just 32% of our shots.

PF/SF Charles Maors scored 15 and SG Kenton Dunn added 13. But UCLA’s SG Kyle Taylor dropped in 31 points and grabbed 9 rebounds and C Jamal Magloire scored 24 points in just 22 minutes on the court.

Other Pac-12 results:

#3 Arizona-99, Stanford-56
#16 California-75, Washington State-49
Utah-67, Oregon State-58
#2 Oregon-63, USC-47
#10 Washington-81, Arizona State-59

We finished in sole possession of 7th place in the Pac-12 with a 9-9 record. Not great but probably where we deserved since there are some very good teams above us.

Pac-12 Final Standings:



After our strong start in conference play, it’s disappointing that we lost 6 of our final 8 games and slid into mediocrity.

In the polls, UCLA, Oregon and Arizona are ranked #1, 2 and 3. Washington is ranked #8 and California is ranked #15. So the Pac-12’s strength is definitely recognized. California is on probation so can’t go to the NCAA Tournament, but obviously the other 4 teams will be selected. Right now it would appear that both Utah and Colorado are likely to also be selected, but a poor performance in the Pac-12 tournament could derail either team. Stanford has an outside chance to make the Big Dance, most likely depending on how they do in the Pac-12 tournament. If Utah, Colorado, or Stanford aren’t selected for the NCAA Tournament, it’s likely they’ll be selected to play in the NIT.

Our 7th place finish means we will play #10 seed Washington State in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament. If we win that game we will then go up against #2 seed Arizona in the 2nd round.

[PointGuard]

News:

Transgressions

Whoa! The investigation by the NCAA into Washington’s basketball program revealed that 3 players had been offered bribes. The school will be unable to offer scholarships for 2 seasons and not allowed to participate in post-season play this season. Head Coach Byron Guidon has been fired due to his involvement in the cheating. So that means one less Pac-12 team will be in the NCAA Tourney this year.

The NCAA’s investigation into the Missouri basketball program concluded with the finding that Missouri had offered bribes to 11 of the team’s players. Missouri will be unable to offer scholarships for 3 seasons and banned from post-season play for 2 seasons. Head Coach Ricardo Chappel has been fired.

Tennessee Tech was found to have offered bribes to 7 of their players and will not be allowed to offer scholarships for 2 seasons and precluded from post-season play for 1 year. Head Coach Larry Jensen is being fired.

Louisville bribed 4 of their players and will be kept from offering scholarships for 2 seasons and banned from post-season play for a year. Head Coach Jimmy Knight was not involved in the illegal activity but has received a letter of reprimand from Louisville for poor supervision of the program.

Recruiting

In the fall I had offered our last remaining scholarship to a 6’7” high school PF by the name of Brian Ross. The recruit ranking for Ross jumped around and his interest seemed luke warm. So we continued to court a number of good recruits. I began to focus upon Kevin Martin, a strong JC center from Niagara Falls, NY and his interest level in us steadily improved. I was considering pulling the offer from Ross when spring recruiting got in full swing and tendering it to Martin. But following our loss to UCLA to end our regular season, I was completely surprised with Ross accepted and became our 5th and final recruit for this season.

Youngstown State Penguins

The Penguins, my old team, had a good year, finishing in a tie with Northern Kentucky for first in the Horizon League with an 11-7 league record. They were seeded 2nd in the Horizon League Tournament. The Penguins league record probably would have been better had not their leading scorer, SG Doylan Anderson (18.2 ppg) broken his wrist which caused him to miss the team’s last 11 games.
Anderson was unavailable when Youngstown State lost their opening game in the Horizon League. Youngstown State’s season record was 16-12.


Memphis was found to have offered bribes to 5 players. Memphis will be unable to offer scholarships for 2 seasons and banned from post-season play this year. Head Coach Lloyd Reis is expected to be fired.

UCONN was discovered to have offered bribes to 8 players. They will be unable to offer scholarships for 4 seasons and banned from post-season play for 3 years. Head Coach Andre Fletcher was not involved in the activity but has received a letter of reprimand from the university.

[PointGuard]

Pac-12 Tournament: Round 1

Byes: Washington, Arizona, UCLA, California

5th seed, #2 ranked Oregon-64 (25-6, 12-6), 12th ranked USC (8-20, 3-15)-53: The lead changed 6 times in the early part of the first half, but by the midpoint of that half, Oregon had things in control and led 40-26 at the half and continued to hold a double-digit lead throughout the 2nd half. SF Jeff Woolfolk scored 20 points and C John Jones had a double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds) for the Ducks. SG Brendan Trilli scor3d 17 for the Trojans.

6th seed Utah (20-10, 10-8)-66, 11th seed Oregon State (8-20, 3-15)-37: Utah led from the onset and never gave up the lead. The Utes held a 34-19 halftime advantage and crushed the Beavers in the 2nd half. Utah’s PF Mark Wall scored 13 while C Jeff Odle scored 11 and grabbed 15 rebounds. C Kyle Webb scored 11 for Oregon State.

8th seed Stanford (17-12, 8-10)-82, 9th seed Arizona State (12-16, 5-13)-69: [/img]The first half was competitive with Stanford escaping with a 33-31 lead. The Sun Devils weren’t able to keep up in the 2nd half, though. PF Jero Okesola scored 15 for Stanford while PG Travis Hawkins scored 17 for the Beavers.

Game #30: 10th seed Washington State Cougars (9-18, 5-13) vs 7th seed Colorado Buffaloes (19-10, 9-9):

We only played the Cougars once this season. They upset us on our court 58-56. Our players are out to revenge that defeat.
Washington State scored the first 5 points and we were saddled with 2 fouls in the first 90 seconds of the game. SG Kenton Dunn picked up his 2nd foul after just 2-1/2 minutes of play and went to the bench. His replacement, Steve Jackson joined Dunn on the bench after picking up his 2nd foul 4-1/2 minutes later. Even though we were shooting poorly we took our first lead at 13-11 with 12 minutes to play in the first half. We held onto a small lead until the Cougars regained it at 33-31 with 2:12 remaining. We came back to take a 39-36 lead to the locker room. PG Matt Conley led our scoring with 9 points. Washington State’s PG Steven Coley also hit for 9 points.

We fell behind 49-43 with 12:45 to play. But our defense locked down on the Cougars and we regained the lead at 53-51 with 10 minutes left. The lead shifted back and forth and with 3:32 to go the game was tied at 61-61. Matt Conley hit a 3 with 1:07 to put us on top 66-63. The Cougars missed on two attempts during their next possession. We missed a shot but pulled down an offensive rebound and SF Rick Coffey hit a 14 foot jumper to make it 68-63 with 17 seconds on the clock. The Cougars hit a quick bucket to pull within and fouled with 4 seconds to go. Chris Smith hit the first and missed the second to lock down a narrow 69-65 win. Washington State outshot us 46% to 39% but we held a 16-9 turnover advantage.

PG Matt Conley came up big scoring 18 points. C Ryan Erickson scored 8 and grabbed 9 boards. SG Stephen Hunter scored 15 and had 5 assists and 6 rebounds for the Cougars.

It wasn’t pretty but we escaped to get to the 2nd round. But we need to get our act together when we take on Arizona.

PF Primoz Pohek jammed his finger and will miss the rest of the Pac-12 Tournament.

[PointGuard]

Pac-12 Tournament: Round 2

1st seed, #8 ranked Washington (25-4, 15-3)-66, 8th seed Stanford (17-13, 8-10)-56: This game had 12 lead changes and 7 ties. The Huskies held a slim 30-27 lead at the end of the first half. They pulled away late in the game. SG Scott Edwards scored 15 for Washington. Julian Bond came off the bench for Stanford to lead their scoring with 9 points.

3rd seed, #1 ranked UCLA-75 (24-6, 13-5), 6th seed Utah (20-11, 10-8)-54: UCLA pulled away early in the first half and took a 49-33 halftime lead. The Bruins held the Utes off in the 2nd half to win easily. C Jamal Magloire scored 22 points for UCLA. Utah’s C Jeff Odle had 16 points.

5th seed, #2 ranked Oregon (26-6, 12-6)-84, 4th seed, #16 ranked California (21-9, 12-6)-80: This game was tight throughout with California on top 42-39 at the break. After 13 lead changes and 11 ties, Oregon was able to finish on top. The Ducks’ SG Demario Kelly hit for 21 points. SG Mario Burleston scored 23 and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Golden Bears.

Game #31: 7th seed Colorado Buffaloes (20-10, 9-9) vs 2nd seed, #3 ranked Arizona Wildcats (22-7, 13-5):

We lost 85-68 when playing the Wildcats on their home court but beat them 76-64 when playing them at home. On a neutral court we’re given little chance of coming out on top.

Hey, we’re playing a tough team. We don’t need the refs helping them out as well. 4 fouls called on us in the first 2-1/2 minutes with PG Chris Smith picking up 2 and going to the bench. Then PG Lamont Nielsen shows while he’s a helluva player, scoring 24 of Arizona’s first 28 points and we trail 28-8 after 9 minutes of play. We fell behind by as much as 26 points before the half mercifully concluded with us on the short end of a 44-22 score. Arizona outshot us 44% to 33%, out-rebounded us 24-12, and hit 11 of 19 from 3 point distance. No one on our team scores more than 4 points in the half, while the Wildcats’ Lamont Nielsen roasted us for 32 points and C Antwan Minor grabs 12 rebounds.

We come out in the 2nd half firing and hitting to narrow the gap to 50-38 with 16 minutes remaining. In those 4 minutes of play SG Kenton Dunn scores 9 of our 14 points. Arizona calls a time out to cool us down and effectively does that as they go on a 7-0 run in the next 2-1/2 minutes. We fall behind by 22 again before rallying late in the game to only lose by 10, 79-69. Three reasons we lost: (1) Arizona dominated the boards 43-24; (2) The Wildcats hit 14 of 30 from beyond the arc; and (3) Lamont Nielsen.

SG Kenton Dunn hit for 15 points and PF/SF Charles Maors had 13 points. For Arizona PG Lamont Nielsen finished with 38 points, 6 assists and 7 rebounds as a one-man wrecking squad. C Antwan Minor hauled down 17 boards.

We finish the season with a 20-11 record. Following the loss, Mat Hunter and Camah Griffin got into a heated and loud argument that led to a lot of shoving. When I talked with Camah, he apologized and said he’d try to do better in the future, but Mat exploded when I talked with him, saying he wasn’t to blame (this is a typical response by him). I had enough and suspended him for the rest of the season…as a senior, it’s a bad way for him to end his career here.

[PointGuard]

Pac-12 Tournament: Semi-Finals

1st seed, #8 ranked Washington (26-4, 15-3)-79, 5th seed, #2 ranked Oregon-64: The first half was close most of the way with 10 lead changes and 3 ties, but Washington had a late run that gave them a 43-34 halftime advantage. The Huskies expanded their lead to as much as 21 points in the 2nd half. C Kelvin Dickerson scored 19 points while grabbing 11 rebounds for Washington. Oregon’s SF Jeff Woolfolk scored 18 points and C Antawn Harper scored 9 and pulled down 19 rebounds.

2nd seed, #3 ranked Arizona (23-7, 13-5)-75, 3rd seed, #1 ranked UCLA (26-6, 13-5)-62: The first 4 minutes were close in this game, but then Arizona took control and by the end of the half the Wildcats held a 47-31 lead. UCLA was never able to mount a serious run in the 2nd half. Arizona’s C Antwan Minor scored 19 and had 9 rebounds. C Jamal Magloire hit for 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for UCLA while PF George Mahorn also had a double-double (14 points and 13 rebounds).

In the polls, Oregon is now #2, UCLA is #3, Arizona is #4, California is #16, and Washington gets little respect and is ranked #9.

[PointGuard]

Pac-12 Tournament: Championship

2nd seed, #4 ranked Arizona (24-7, 13-5)-79, 1st seed, #9 ranked Washington (27-4, 15-3)-74: In what turned out to be an exciting championship game, there were 14 lead changes and 5 ties. Neither team led by more than 9 points at any point in the game. The first half ended with Arizona on top 40-39. The second half was as competitive as the first, but the Wildcats were able to hold off Washington and win the close game. PG Lamont Nielsen had another big game for Arizona, scoring 27 points. Washington was led by C Kelvin Dickerson’s 20 points.

[PointGuard]

Colorado Buffaloes Player and Team Stats for the 2025--2026 Season

[PointGuard]

NCAA Selections:

#1 seeds: Arizona, Pittsburgh, Oregon, Syracuse

Arizona is the #1 seed in the East Region
Utah is the #6 seed in the Midwest Region
Oregon is the #1 seed in the South Region
UCLA is the #2 seed in the South Region
Colorado is the #6 seed in the West Region

NIT Selections:

Stanford is the #4 seed in the Midwest Region

CIT Selections:

Youngstown State is the #4 seed in the South Region

[PointGuard]

Tournament Results:

NIT, Round 1: Stanford-75, Villanova-57—After a close first half which ended with the Cardinal on top 39-33, Stanford overwhelmed Villanova in the 2nd half to win easily. Reserve C Valter Wright led their scoring with 13 points.

CIT, Round 1: Toledo-91, Youngstown State-86—Youngstown State trailed at the half 43-35, but then came back strong in the early portions of the 2nd half to take a 14 point lead. But Toledo reeled them in and regulation time ended with the score knotted at 77-77. With both starting guards fouled out, Youngstown State’s defense evaporated in the OT and they went down to defeat. PG Mike Lofton led the scoring for the Penguins with 15 points while PF Donnie Williams scored 14 and pulled down 10 rebounds.

NIT, Round 2: Stanford-80, UNLV-64—Stanford jumped out on top and never trailed. The Cardinal led 41-25 at the end of the first half and won in a walk. C Mike Nicholas scored 14 for Stanford and PF Jero Okesola had a double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds).

NCAA Round 1: Arizona-95, Chicago State-52—A total walk in the park for the Wildcats. Arizona scored first and never relinquished the lead. By the end of the first half, Arizona held a massive 58-26 advantage and continued to pad their lead throughout the 2nd half. C Antwan Minor poured in 29 points and picked off 13 rebounds for the Wildcats.

NCAA Round 1: Utah-81, St. Joseph’s-66—Utah quickly jumped ahead of the Hawks and gradually pulled away. By the end of the first half the Utes had built a 48-34 lead. They maintained a solid lead throughout the 2nd half to win convincingly. C Jeff Odle and SG Robert McClain both scored 20 points for Utah.

NCAA Round 1: Oregon-87, Sacred Heart-43—Oregon took care of business and decimated the Pioneers in the first half to sport a 52-16 lead at the break. The Ducks continued to roll in the 2nd half and crushed Sacred Heart. SF Matt Reeves led Oregon’s scoring with 16 points and reserve John Jones had a double-double (15 points and 10 rebounds).

NCAA Round 1: UCLA-63, Presbyterian-50—UCLA never trailed and at the half was ahead 27-23. The Bruins opened a 19 point lead in the 2nd half before cruising to their first round win. UCLA’s C Jamal Magloire popped in 23 points while hauling down 10 rebounds and PF George Mahorn scored 13 and had 10 boards.

NCAA Round 1: St. John’s Red Storm (18-12) vs Colorado Buffaloes (20-11)

St. John’s didn’t play any top 25 teams this season but came on strong to win the Big East Tournament championship. They are a high scoring team, averaging 78.5 ppg (13th highest in Division 1 this year). SG Lamont Cooper is a good shooter from all over the court and averages 14.8 ppg.

Our offense was lackluster in the first half but our defense was stellar. We controlled St. John’s shooting to limit them to hitting just 26% of their shots and forced them to make 9 turnovers. We also controlled the boards 24-17. We ground out a 33-23 halftime lead. SF Rick Coffey scored 10 points.

We held onto a double digit lead throughout most of the 2nd half, but with 5 minutes to play St. John’s cut our lead to 6 points at 53-47. Then with 2:05 to go, St. John’s hit a pair of free throws to make it 57-54 in favor of us. With 56 seconds to play and our lead now down to 59-57 we tossed the ball away. We again fouled on St. John’s subsequent shot and when they hit both shots the score was tied with 39 seconds to go. We were called for a travelling infraction with 22 seconds remaining. St. john’s played the clock down to 3 seconds but missed a long 3 and we grabbed the rebound, quickly passed it upcourt to loft up a desperation shot as the buzzer sounded. The shot missed sending the game to overtime.

The score see-sawed back and forth but with 1-1/2 minutes remaining we trailed by 3. Matt Conley then hit a pair of free throws to cut the Red Storm’s lead to a single point. But on the ensuing possession, St. John’s grabbed 2 offensive rebounds and was finally fouled on their 3rd shot. They sunk both foul shots and we trailed again by 3 with a minute to play. We called a time out to set up a 3 point attempt by Rick Coffey. The play worked perfectly to free Coffey who drilled the 3 pointer through the hoop to tie the game at 70-70 with 50 seconds on the clock. The Red Storm missed a shot, we grabbed the rebound and were going to play for the last shot, but Charles Maors moved his pivot foot to give the ball to St. John’s with 38 seconds remaining. We pressed and the Red Storm were unable to get the ball past the midcourt line within 10 seconds. Kenton Dunn was fouled with 17 seconds left. He sunk both shots. St. John’s worked the clock down to 5 seconds and knocked down a 3 to put them on top 73-72. We were unable to get out of the backcourt and get off a shot as time expired. Our season ended.

SF Rick Coffey led our scoring with 22 points. SG Kenton Dunn scored 14. Both Ryan Erickson and Steve Jackson scored 10 with Erickson also getting 9 rebounds.

NCAA Round 2: Arizona-87, Penn State-70—Arizona started slowly but then caught fire to build a 54-42 halftime advantage. Their lead grew to as large as 23 points in the 2nd half and they cruised to a solid victory. PG Lamont Nielsen scored 21 points for the Wildcats.

NCAA Round 2: Ohio State-83, Utah-71—Utah suffered through a horrible first half as Ohio State put them into a 51-24 hole at the break. The Ute’s cut into the Buckeyes’ lead in the 2nd half, but couldn’t make up such a big difference. Utah’s SG Robert McClain scored 16 points.

NCAA Round 2: Oregon-97, Kent State-81—Kent State opened a 16 point lead in the first half and Oregon trailed 50-43 at the half. But the Ducks caught fire in the 2nd half, scoring 54 points to pull away to an impressive victory. 5 Oregon players scored in double figures, led by PF John Jones and C Antawn Harper, both of whom 15 points.

NCAA Round 2: UCLA-69, Georgetown-53—UCLA began the scoring and led by a score of 39-22 at the break. They then had to hold on as Georgetown made a couple of runs to get close. UCLA pulled away again late in the game. C Jamal Magloire scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead UCLA to victory.

NIT Round 3: Stanford-62, Ohio-57—Ohio jumped out to an 11 point lead in the first half and led 38-31 at the end of the first half. Stanford then crushed the Bobcats offense in the 2nd half with a smothering defense that allowed the Cardinal to achieve a come-from-behind victory. C Mike Nicholas scored 11 points and hauled down 15 boards for Stanford.

NCAA Sweet 16: Seton Hall-83, Arizona-78—Seton Hall took a 48-38 halftime lead and then expanded their lead to 15 early in the 2nd half. Arizona made a steady comeback but couldn’t quite catch up. Arizona’s C Antwan Minor scored 24 and PF Curtis Grace had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

NCAA Sweet 16: Oregon 72, Kentucky-66—Oregon dominated in the first half to lead 39-21 at the break. They then had to hold on as Kentucky nearly came back. Oregon’s PF Matt Reeves led the Ducks’ scoring with 17 points.

NCAA Sweet 16: UCLA-87, Maryland-65—UCLA put on a clinic in the first half as they pulled away to lead 47-30 at the intermission. In the 2nd half they expanded their lead to 29 and won this game with ease. UCLA’s C Jamal Magloire scored 19 points.

NCAA Elite 8: UCLA-79, Oregon-67—Oregon opened the game strongly and took a 5 point lead but then the Bruins came storming back to create a 47-29 advantage at the break. Oregon was able to cut into the lead but never got close enough to seriously challenge in the 2nd half. SG Kyle Taylor hit for 26 points for UCLA. Oregon was led by C John Jones 16 points and 11 rebounds.

NIT Semi-Finals: Stanford-72, Providence-71—Stanford controlled the game in the first half and built a 44-30 halftime advantage. But Providence steadily eroded the Cardinal lead in the 2nd half. Stanford won by hitting a jumper with 3 seconds remaining. PG Dustin Gervin and SF Eric Cohen both scored 15 points for the Cardinal.

NIT Championship: Stanford-75, Weber State-55—Stanford scored first and never trailed in this game. The score at the half was 43-25 in favor of the Cardinal. Stanford’s lead grew to 27 points in the 2nd half as the Cardinal destroyed the Wildcats to become the NIT Champs. Stanford’s PF Jero Okesola scored 15 and pulled down 9 rebounds.

NCAA Final 4: Syracuse-85, UCLA-83—This was a close game the entire way with 13 lead changes and 11 ties. UCLA trailed 45-40 at the half but came back to forge a 76-76 tie as regulation time expired. The OT was at tight as the rest of the game with Syracuse making the final basket to send UCLA home. For the Bruins C Jamal Magloire scored 23 and SG Kyle Taylor scored 22 while also pulling down 13 rebounds.

Championship Results:

CIT: Sam Houston-87, Northern Colorado-83
CBI: Robert Morris-73, Fresno State-68
NIT: Stanford-75, Weber State-55
NCAA: Syracuse-87, Hawaii-82

[PointGuard]

Recruiting Recap

We landed 5 good recruits this year:

Mike Minahan is a 6-8 PF from Oak Grove, MO who averaged 16.2 ppg, 2.7 apg, 8.9 rpg, 3.1 spg, and 2.8 bpg during his senior year in high school. He’s has outstanding defensive and rebounding skills and is an excellent shooter from both inside and outside. Because of his quick hands he’s good at stealing the ball. His high school coach said he has a tremendous work ethic. He was the MVP at the Houston Classic camp and in the top 25 at the Indy Elite Camp. When he was so highly praised after those two camps, I figured we’d get beat out by a bunch of highly rated programs, but we got him! He’s ranked as the 51st best recruit in the country.

John Phelan is a 6-3 PG from Inola, OK who averaged 17.9 ppg, 4.6 apg, 4.1 rpg, 2.4 spg, and 1.9 bpg.as a senior. His outside shooting is outstanding and while he scores well outside and at the free throw line, he’s not effective inside. He has very good passing skills but is an average ball handler. He’s not a leader but doesn’t cause problems. He was in the top 25 at the Houston Classic camp and is ranked as the 112th best recruit in the nation.

Brian Ross is a 6-7 PG from Box Elder, SD who averaged 14.7 ppg, 3.6 apg, 9.0 rpg, 1.7 spg and 1.8 bpg during his senior year. He’s a great rebounder and a solid defensive player. He’s a good shooter both inside and outside. His coach advised he hasn’t had any injury problems and has a tremendous work ethic but that he has had some attitude and discipline problems. He’s ranked as the 145th best recruit nationally.

Mel Dye is a 6-7 PF from Canton, SD who averaged 17.6 ppg, 3.8 apg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 spg, and 2.7 bpg. He is is excellent inside shooter and is very athletic. He’s a hard worker who is a great leader on and off the court. He is ranked as the 225th best recruit in the nation.

Derricus Ivener is a 6-8 PF from Lennox, SD who averaged 15.2 ppg, 3.3 apg, 10.6 rpg, 2.2 spg and 3.0 bpg as a senior. He also has excellent shooting skills both inside and outside. He’s a very good rebounder and shot blocker and has excellent athleticism. He has a tremendous work ethic. was in the top 25 at the Houston Classic camp, and is ranked as the 536th best recruit in the nation.

Overall I’m very pleased with our recruiting class. Since we’re losing all but one interior player, we need a couple of the incoming PF’s to contribute immediately and hope that one of them can handle the Center position. We already had 2 players from South Dakota on our roster this season, and although one is graduating, the 3 new players from that state mean we're beginning to establish a pipeline to South Dakota. I'm rather surprised we were able to land three so recruits who are so talented from a rather sparsely-populated state this year, but it would be great if we can continue to successfully mine that area.

Further News:

The NCAA issue on a rampage. Two more programs got put on probation by the NCAA:

Arizona was found guilty of offering bribes to 4 players. The team will be unable to recruit for 4 years and kept from participating in post-season tournaments for 3 years. Due to the NCAA finding that Coach Paul Jones was involved In the cheating, Arizona has fired him. This is the 3rd Pac-12 to be placed on probation.

Due to its strong religious affiliation, it is rather amusing that Oral Roberts University was found to have bribed 5 recruits. But the NCAA declared it to be a minor violation and therefore only punished the program with a 1 year ban on scholarships. Head Coach Travon Alexander was not involved in the activity and no action will be taken against him.

The NCAA also announced the opening of an investigation into the recruiting activities at Utah, another Pac-12 team. Allegations of illegal recruiting have surfaced recently, but both the coaching staff and the school’s administration deny the claims.