The Halfcourt Trap Vol. II., No. 2

This week’s column was inspired by a lunchtime debate about how big a mistake Guy Morriss in leaving Kentucky for Baylor. Some jobs are just graveyards. Here are the worst jobs in the six major conferences.

1. The Big East. South Florida. No tradition, fan apathy, and membership in the most cutthroat league in America. Those factors conspire to make this the single worst job in a major conference.
2. The ACC. Florida State. This could easily have been Miami, but the Hurricanes have a decent on campus facility and an immediate area stocked with high major prospects. Florida State has neither of those things. All it has is an indifferent fan base.
3. Big Ten. Penn State. Northwestern might seem to be the pick here. However, the Wildcats can look to the Stanfords and Vanderbilts of the world for a blueprint of how to succeed in hoops. Also, proximity to Chicago and a patient fan base and administration are plusses. The Nittany Lions have no history of success, a remote locale, and no real recruiting base. That spells trouble for anyone heading that program.
4. The Big Twelve. Colorado. Yet another school where commitment to basketball has been sketchy, at best. The hiring of Jeff Bzdelik and some facility upgrades may bring change, but I’ll take a wait and see attitude before elevating this job.
5. SEC. Before Andy Kennedy took over in Oxford and the Ole Miss administration began an ambitious facility building project, that would have been my choice. Now, Georgia tops the list. Dennis Felton has to deal with scant fan support, an awful arena, and Billy Donovan, Bruce Pearl, and Billy Gillispie. That’s no fun.
6. PAC 10. Oregon State. This job is almost as bad as South Florida. The only thing that raises the Beavers above the Bulls is the ability to invoke the Ghosts of Successes Past, when Ralph Miller roamed the sidelines and players like Charlie Sitton, Steve Johnson, and Gary Payton had OSU in contention every year. Craig Robinson better borrow the Audacity of Hope from his brother in law.

Until next week, stay classy, Volnation.

Week One Picks:

As I stumble around work attempting to appear to be accomplishing tasks, visions of footballs fly in my minds eye. It’s game week! No college football nut like me can get anything done this college football eve. And I know that I am not alone. Not with all fans dreaming of that magical season that is still quite possible and that has in many cases been eluding them. No, that magical season will happen this year! We’re all convinced of that. And, until that first loss anything is possible. Unless you’re 2006 Florida who can lose a game and still win it all. Or even better, 2007 LSU loses twice but still lifts the hardware.

I have a thought written in sharpie on my palm. “Walk around the office carrying lots of papers with an agitated look on my face.” George Costanza had a similar theory during one memorable Seinfeld episode. That way, everyone assumes that you’re busy leaving you free to concentrate on what is really important. The college football season which begins this week!

And with that written, we now have games to preview and hard line predictions to make. As stated in my inaugural volnation.com column, I will offer my SEC picks each week and ask you for yours. Your participation would be greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, this is a very low budget column so I have nothing to offer you when you come up with a perfect week of picking, except my undying adoration (you’ll understand that better as you follow my record each week) and a little posterity as I mention those that do well in the Monday wrap.

Here we go:

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What’s up Volnation? As I compose this fluff piece I think about the garbage I have to take out in the morning, the kids I must get ready for school, the job for which I must give full effort while thinking about how college football starts next week. And, obviously orange and white face painters believe football season begins on Labor Day evening. Either way, the movement is afoot and any kind of significant concentration level is difficult to attain.

2008 Column Direction:

Each week I’ll give my take on each SEC game and I will do so by picking the winner of the game while giving you the score. I will encourage you to e-mail me and tell me where you think I am absolutely out of my mind or if you think I’m dead on with my selection. I will then expect to see your breakdown of whatever game you choose with a score. When you are right, I will not offer to you posterity on volnation.com as I reprint what you said would happen after it happens. I’ll do this with a post weekend wrap up piece where I will hopefully tear my rotator cuff patting myself on the back each week. In reality, I will share with everyone just how right you are. Be prepared to show your expertise by participating with this interactive column. I do wish that I had some great prize to offer up each week but I am an out of work radio guy. So, volnation.com mentions will have to do. I trust that’s alright.

Go ahead and lock in my e-mail address, so you can give me your lock each week. Hit me up: brentdougherty@comcast.net

5 Teams have a shot:

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When he was recruited Jonathan Crompton was the next big thing.  Sitting near the top of every recruiting service’s list, he was 6 foot 4 inches of potential, and it didn’t stop there.  Once he committed to the Vols he became an immediate extension of the Tennessee recruiting staff.  Every time a Vol fan got online he or she read about another recruit being swayed by Crompton’s own recruiting pitches. The fans of the Big Orange immediately took notice.

Crompton comparisons sprang up faster than one of T. Boone’s wind farms.  Will he be the next Peyton Manning or Heath Shuler?  Will the Mountain Man help the Vols reclaim their spot atop the SEC East?  Is this our new leader?

In many ways it was hard to blame them for the hysteria.  If there was ever a kid born and raised to be the quarterback of this UT football team, by all accounts Crompton fits that description. Born and raised in the fertile Tennessee recruiting grounds in the western region of North Carolina, Crompton was a kid with all the tools.  He had the size, the legs, and the arm to make a difference on the football field.  As an added bonus his blood ran with the same orange blood shared by Vols across the country.

As we sit on the precipice of a new season perceptions of his potential and ability have been drawn into question.  Fans worried about the recent productivity of the quarterback position are repetitive with their concerns.

The question on everyone’s mind is simple.  How can Crompton be that good?  He had two real opportunities to beat Ainge out of a starting position and he wasn’t able to do it. Read the rest of this entry »

The NCAA Membership Services staff informed the University of Tennessee that Brandon Warren was cleared to play this season.

Brandon Warren won his appeal and will be eligible to play on September 1st against UCLA.

Discuss Brandon Warren’s eligibility with other Vol fans in the Vols forum.

-utsports release on Brandon Warren
-GoVolsXtra coverage of Brandon Warren
-Chris Low’s coverage on Brandon Warren from ESPN

The Halfcourt Trap Vol. II, No. 1 

With students returning to campus, it’s time for the Trap to return. Let’s get it going.

1. Rebel Report. I spoke with Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy recently. He is excited about his incoming class and the Rebels’ nonconference schedule. Per our conversation, look for Ole Miss to be a more perimeter oriented squad than Coach Kennedy’s first two editions.
2. Trojan Transfers. Tim Floyd’s squad lost a guard and added a post player in recent weeks. Unable to get a promise of a starting position from Coach Floyd, Angelo Johnson chose to transfer to Southern Miss. He should flourish under Larry Eustachy’s watch. Coming home to LA is power player Alex Stepheson. The former Tar Heel intends to petition the NCAA for immediate eligibility, a la Tyler Smith. He would be a huge addition for the Trojan frontcourt.
3. Summer Vacation. A number of coaches, most notably John Calipari, are callimg for the elimination of the July evaluation period. If successful, they will bring about a seismic change in recruiting influences. High school and prep school coaches will usurp power from summer league coaches and shoe company reps.
4. The Rich Get Richer. By gaining commitments from Nolan Dennis and Will Coleman and putting themselves in strong position with numerous top 15 players, Memphis has quelled any concerns that their offseason staff turnover would slow the Tigers’ recruiting momentum. Orlando Antigua and Josh Pastner have stepped right in and kept the ball rolling.
5. Thanksgiving Feast. The fields for this year’s Thanksgiving week tournaments are better than ever. The events in Orlando, Anaheim, Maui, and Puerto Rico are especially loaded.
6. Under The Radar. Mick Cronin continues quietly raising the talent level at Cincinnati. the addition of John Reik is an example of their recent success on the recruiting trail. Look for the Bearcats to be back in the NCAA Tournament sooner than later.

Until next time, stay classy, Volnation.

The Rearview 8-11  

As we draw closer to the season, everyone has a take on what is going to happen this year in college football. 

I’ll offer a little different spin on that and tell you what WON’T happen this college football season, much to the chagrin of some of us TN fans, and most certainly to some of our rival fans…….

1. Georgia will not win the SEC.  They won’t even win the SEC East.  Just like last year.  Deal with it.
2. Ole Miss will not be a legitimate factor in the SEC West, despite the snake oil Nutt has sold the Rebel faithful.
3. Oklahoma will not lose a BCS bowl this year.
4. The Pitt/West Virginia game will not have national ramifications this year….it returns to only meaning something in the back yard.
5. South Carolina will not beat Georgia again….regardless of how many times you’ve told yourselves so, just because you believe it will happen, won’t make it so…..how do I know?  You have 100 years of tradition that says so…..
6. Ohio State will not play in the BCS Championship game again, mercifully.
7. Michigan will not play in a ‘significant’ bowl game this year, and some start to miss Lloyd Carr, though they’d never say so….. out loud…in public……..sinners.
8. Kentucky will not play in bowl game this season….and no one will care.
9. Clemson will not win the ACC.  They just won’t, apparently God doesn’t like them…..you can blame Danny Ford for that folks.
10. Tennessee will not beat Georgia again, sorry.
11. Sylvester Croom won’t win back to back COY awards, though he may deserve it.
12. Les Miles and LSU won’t have a “damn fine football team” this season, well, unless he’s referring to the GPA upgrade he got a QB this off season…..
13. Auburn won’t continue the winning streak against Alabama……and Christmas cards all over Alabama begin getting printed with the old St. Nick being replaced with the ‘new’ St. Nick…….complete with crimson pullover and hounds tooth hat……..
14. Miami will not beat Florida, despite what Florida fans will tell you about how Miami ‘used’ to be better……..well, they aren’t now, so quit the humble act, it doesn’t suit your ilk.
15. An SEC team won’t go undefeated this year.
16. A two loss SEC team won’t play for or win the National Title.
17. Central Florida, Rutgers and UConn will not be nationally relevant this year.
18. Despite the arrival of David Cutcliffe, Duke will not resemble anything nearing an average football program this season….and no one will care.
19. A three loss SEC team won’t win their division.
20. I won’t make it a 4^th consecutive year without making it to at least one game in Knoxville.  Yea me.
21. Florida won’t lose to Georgia again, no matter what color jersey they wear or what ever dance they do.
22. The following SEC coaches won’t get fired:  Houston Nutt, Bobby Johnson, Sylvester Croom, and…………..Phil Fulmer.
23. Tim Tebow will not win back to back Heisman Trophies.
24. App. State will not beat LSU in Baton Rouge.  Baton Rouge ain’t Ann Arbor folks.
25. Finally………. Florida will not beat Tennessee again….that’s right, I said it.

3 weeks and counting folks……..Go Vols!

Here is the Vols practice video from Wednesday. Be sure to check out the Tennessee Drill.

I have never been a student of the paranormal.   Last week I was driving through town and saw an old Jeep Cherokee with KY Ghost Hunters printed in large letters across the back of the windshield.  It made me laugh out loud.  It also made me wonder about the kind of person that would hire a spook sleuth to inspect their property.  Then it hit me.  Perhaps this UT football program could use a ghost hunter or two to come out to Neyland stadium and run some tests on the Vol sidelines.

Despite a ten win season in 2007, the UT football team is fighting for respect in a top heavy SEC Eastern division.  For people who wonder why, I think the answer is simple.  This football team is still struggling to overcome the “evil spirits” brought on at the onset of this decade.  Critics and members of the media are still unwilling to give up the ghosts confronting this UT program.   Looking at them objectively it is hard to blame them.

If the Vols are to make a splash this year here are some of the Ghosts they may be able to exorcise.

•       The Ghost of the 2001 SEC Championship Game:  It is becoming popular opinion that this was actually the turning point of the Tennessee Volunteer juggernaut.  LSU, a heavy underdog, laid the wood to the Vols with a back up quarterback.  Turnovers certainly attributed heavily to the defeat, but Nick Saban seemed to keep UT off balance for the entire game.   This erased Tennessee’s chances of an SEC title, and it kept them out of a BCS championship game.

•       The Ghost of 2005: Fresh off another appearance the SEC Championship game popular opinion had the Vols poised to compete for another national title.   All of the offensive and defensive players were in place to make a run.  Fulmer was talking Rose Bowl in August.  All was right with the world…….until the Vols turned in a six loss season.

•       The Clausen Ghost (aka the Texas A&M spook): This may be the sneakiest haunt that has faced the Vols in the last few years.  After a spectacular showing against a Texas A&M team in a meaningless bowl, a quarterback controversy was born.  Rick Clausen seemingly gained the confidence of teammates and coaches.  Erik Ainge was rattled.  With no championships to speak of, two interceptions against the LSU Tigers are now the definitive moments of his tenure at UT.  The first occurred in the end zone of Tiger stadium in 2005.  The second was a pick six that cost UT a chance to win the 2007 SEC championship.
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