The Big Ten coaches answered a few of the same questions this Tuesday afternoon.
Actually currently, the process is still on going and we have just entered hour number two in what is a three-hour broadcast.
The questions are ranging from the Big Ten Network, new kickoff rule, adding a 12th team and preseason expectations.
Ohio State Jim Tressel just got off the podium just minutes before this post.
The Big Ten Network has been drawing attention to itself all summer. Around two weeks ago I wrote Big Ten Network Still Causing Big Headache. That piece breaks down the Big Ten Network situation. In brief, OSU fans will have to find an alternative way to watch the opening game against Youngstown State and the second week’s contest against Akron.
Tressel- On Big Ten Network- “Oh gosh, our people want to have access to our ballgames … when it (Big Ten Network) gets rolling I think they (the OSU fans) will be excited about it. Knowing our fans they’ll find a way to see it.”
Tressel and suspiciously every other Big Ten coach mentioned how everyone thought ESPN wasn’t going to work. Look at ESPN now. It seems as though Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, who is also the creator the Big Ten Network, has everyone saying the same things. So now we know that we will never know any of the Big Ten coach’s true opinions on the matter.
Another popular question was the new rule that changes the kickoff. Last year, the NCAA changed the clock rule on kickoffs. That was when a receiving team downed the ball, the clock would begin immediately causing problems among the teams and the fans. This year that rule is done away with, this time they say the game will be sped up by kicking off from the 30-yard line instead of the 35-yard line.
Tressel on new kickoff rule “It is interesting. Over the last 3 or 4 years, 70% of our kickoffs have been touchbacks. And most of those (kicks) would have been touchbacks from the 30. You put it back further and the guy (kicker) thinks he has to kill it. In the spring it seems as though none our kicks were reaching the endzone. Anytime you change the norm you will see a change, kind of wish they would have changed it last year, with #7 (Ted Ginn Jr.) back there.”
I really don’t understand the thinking. How will that it will speed up the game? Purdue head coach Joe Tiller was furious about the new rule, while every other coach gave generic answers. Tiller did his best Dennis Green (’If you want to crown em’, then crown em’), “The most violent part of the game, is the kickoff!”. He referred to how the league is trying to make the game more rough. He said he was for making the game more exciting, but he has to look out for the players well being.
In many preseason polls, the Buckeyes are not topping the list in the Big Ten. My two favorite sources (Phil Steele and Sporting News) have the Buckeyes ranked third and fourth in the preseason Big Ten standings. Phil Steele has the Buckeyes behind Michigan and Penn State. Sporting News has OSU behind Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State. One media member asked Tressel what he thought about being ranked third in the Big Ten.
Tressel on being picked third in preseason poll. “I think it shows great respected for our program, we lost a bunch of guys and we still get picked at that level.”
Tressel also expressed that he thought that Big Ten will be much tougher this year.
Also, another topic was brought up. It is a fan favorite among OSU fans. This past January, every fan had to tell themselves a reason for losing the National Championship. The best one we could come up with, was that we had too long of a break in between our last game and the BCS title game.
Tressel on the long break before the National Championship- “We had 44 days for a bowl game one year and 43 days to prepare for a championship game a couple years ago. Nothing was said about that being a disadvantage. And then, this one being 50 or so, it really isn’t a reason why we lost.”
(the quotes were taken live off ESPNU and haven’t been updated by the press or by the buckeyes official website)
The Buckeyes’ ‘08 recruiting class continues its impressive run of signing some of the country’s best players.
This weekend Ohio State got another one in defensive tackle Garrett Goebel from Montini Catholic High School (Lombard, Ill.).
Goebel had it down to two schools. Obviously Ohio State was one of the them and the other was the hated Michigan.
“Ohio State was where I felt the most comfortable,” Goebel told The Columbus Dispatch. “But it was hard to choose between the two because, really, I saw nothing negative at either place.”
According to Rivals.com, Goebel is the second-best prospect from the state. Also, the service has him ranked as the fifth-best defensive tackle in the country. Six of the Rivals.com top ten defensive tackles have already committed to their respected schools. Goebel is the only one, who committed to a school that was out of state. Also, the service shows that he was recruited by a bunch of big midwest schools. Those schools include Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona State, Illinois, Michigan and Notre Dame.
According to Scout.com, Goebel is the fourth-best defensive tackle in the country. Third best you don’t count the service’s top rated junior-college transfer. Also, according to the service, Goebel turned down offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Illinois, Iowa, West Virginia and Wisconsin. His quote about himself on the site: “I’m really tough and have good strength. I love playing physical and working hard. I can play offense or defense, but I like hitting people and think that offense is more fun. I want to improve my quickness and agility and be tougher to block.”
Recently I came across some video of Goebel and it was impressive. He is over powering, plays the high school ranks as if he is a man among boys. Opponents run inside, outside and around the tackle. Every direction they try, Goebel makes the play blow up in his opponent’s face. His downside could be his technique, which is brought up on Scout.com as his only weakness. When watching film, you can see his lack of moves. It seems like the same swim move every time, however it works everytime. Goebel is so much stronger than his opponent that he doesn’t need a vast amount of moves. I strongly believe after a few years of learning at Ohio State, Goebel has the ability to be an All-American type player. Hopefully, Ohio State won’t put him on the offensive line.
Wake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser, who lead Xavier University to a 148-65 record during his seven-year stint as head coach, died yesterday of an apparent heart attack. He was 56.
Director of basketball operations Mike Muse found Prosser was found slumped on his office couch and unresponsive shortly after Prosser returned from his noon jog, according to athletics director Ron Wellman.
When Prosser left Xavier to coach Wake Forest, current Ohio State coach Thad Matta took over the job that quickly redirected him to Columbus. Matta released a statement after hearing of the loss.
“We just lost one of the all-time great people in coaching. Skip Prosser was a great coach and an even better human being. He was one of the most helpful people I’ve ever been around. While I was at Xavier, Coach Prosser was the first person I’d call if I had a problem. He knew instantly where to steer me to help me succeed. When I was considering the job at Ohio State he gave me advice throughout the process. He told me he would crawl to Ohio State to take the job.”
The Ohio State University is in talks with MSL Productions about throwing a party.
The idea is that the party will be thrown a day before the spring game. The scarlet and grey game will be held on April 19th. On the 18th, there would be a concert, games, a pep rally and strategy sessions with former Buckeye players.
The event is loosely based on college basketball’s midnight madness. Obviously, football madness would have more entertainment than just a slam dunk contest.
The company was said they want ‘A-level acts’ and the examples used included the Rascal Flatts and R.E.M.
75,301 fans attended the spring game. I think former buckeye players such as Eddie George and Archie Griffin would bring in more people than R.E.M.
I don’t know about Rascal Flatts, however it would be a great way to drag your girlfriend along.
Ginn doesn’t show at rookie camp and other Buckeyes sign NFL contracts
Ted Ginn Jr. didn’t show up when the Miami Dolphins’ rookies began training camp on Tuesday. Ginn is the only Miami Dolphin among the 87 on the roster that has yet to sign.
The Dolphins front office has said that a holdout will lead to a lack of playing time. However, the negotiations are said to be ‘getting close.’ The full-squad reports on Friday. Which is considered Ginn’s deadline.
- Troy Smith signed a three-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens
- Roy Hall agreed to a four-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts
I dancing all over the Internet trying to find all I could about Ohio State’s new basketball recruit P.J. Hill.
Hill signed with the Buckeyes on Friday and will be added to the roster right away.
As a freshman point guard for Midland (Texas) Community College, Hill helped the team win the NJCAA National Basketball Championship. It was the school’s second National Championship and their first since 1982.
Hill was not a scoring machine or even a notable scorer on his team last year, however coach Thad Matta must of liked something about Hill because he offered him a scholarship. An OSU assistant, John Groce, saw Hill at a camp last weekend for junior-college players. Hill must of impressed because he had scholarship offers from Butler and Eastern Washington after his performance at the camp.
Hill wasn’t offered a scholarship out of high school.
Anyways while I was looking for information on the point guard I found some interesting web pages on some former players:
-Even though I hate his new team. I’m interested in Troy Smith’s development in Baltimore and his player page is an easier way to do it, rather than going to the ugly purple team’s website.
I put the links on the Blogroll, which is on the right side of the screen.
With the college football season close to being a month away, the Big Ten Network situation still hasn’t been resolved with cable companies.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany recently created a national cable network that is devoted exclusively to Big Ten sports.
The Big Ten Network will launch in August. In its first year, the network features 35 football games and 105 men’s basketball games. Most of the games would have been broadcasted on ESPN Plus or gone un-televised.
The network agreed with one carrier in DirecTV, which has 16 million subscribers, but hasn’t reached an agreement with any of the major cable carriers.
Currently, the Big Ten is asking for $1.10 per cable subscriber in the conference’s eight states. Compare that to the NFL Network last year, which was asking for 70 cents. If you live outside of ‘Big Ten Country’ that cost will be 10 cents per cable subscriber.
Many argued the Big Ten Network’s astonishing $1.10 charge is ridiculous considering the network broadcasts “second-tier and third-tier” events. For example, one sport the channel will cover would be the Iowa women’s volleyball team.
Delany recently released a statement on the Big Ten Network’s website ( Big Ten Network - where you can actually check if your area by zip code gets the Big Ten Network: Here’s a hint- you don’t get it unless you have dish).
“Comcast recently has characterized events that will be on the Big Ten Network as ’second and third tier.’ I believe Comcast owes every Big Ten university an apology. The comments are an insult to Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin: To the universities, their students, their fans and alumni and their communities. There are no second-rate contests in the Big Ten.”
The network’s opening-weekend schedule includes the home openers for three of the most popular Big Ten schools. The Ohio State opener versus Youngstown State, Michigan’s versus Appalachian State and Penn State’s versus Florida International all will be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network.
“Games at Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State – I don’t care who the opponents are, those are not second-tier games,” said Delany.
During the first three weeks of the season, the Big Ten Network will air 17 games.
Saturday, September 1
Appalachian State at Michigan, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Youngstown State at Ohio State, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Florida International at Penn State, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Northeastern at Northwestern, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Bowling Green at Minnesota, 8 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CDT
Indiana State at Indiana, 8 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CDT
Saturday, September 8
Akron at Ohio State, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Nevada at Northwestern, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Bowling Green at Michigan State, Noon EDT/11a.m. CDT
Miami (Ohio) at Minnesota, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Eastern Illinois at Purdue, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Western Illinois at Illinois, 7 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. CDT
Syracuse at Iowa, 8 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CDT
Saturday, September 15
The Citadel at Wisconsin, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Buffalo at Penn State, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Akron at Indiana, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Duke at Northwestern, 8 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CDT
Delany has to admit that most of those games will not be close. However, Buckeye fans will want to watch the Youngstown State and Akron games.
Something needs to done soon or there will be many angry Big Ten fans and many happy bar owners.
On Thursday, the Big Ten Network announced that play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman and analyst Charles Davis would lead its football broadcast team. Brennaman and Davis announced the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and BCS National Championship game.
The prime-time games that I’m guessing Brennaman and Davis will broadcast include:
2007 Big Ten Network Prime-time Football Schedule:
Sept. 1 — Indiana State at Indiana, 8 p.m. EDT
Sept. 8 — Syracuse at Iowa, 7 p.m. CDT
Sept. 15 — Duke at Northwestern, 7 p.m. CDT
Oct. 13 — Indiana at Michigan State, 7 p.m. EDT
Nov. 3 — Illinois at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CDT
As a Buckeye fan I could care less about any those games.
The Summer League in Las Vegas ended on Sunday. Mike Conley Jr. showed that he might be ready to lead a team as a point guard during his rookie season. However, will have to split time with Kyle Lowry. Greg Oden showed that he could be in foul trouble this year by committing 19 fouls in two games (summer league rules allow a player 10 fouls before fouling out). And Ron Lewis might have not done enough to make the Houston Rockets’ roster.
The Pepsi Pro Summer League ended on Friday. Daequan Cook showed that he had the ability to be a big scorer (21 points in one game). However, Cook also showed that he might not be ready for the NBA as he struggled with his jumper (28% FG percentage in five games).
Mike Conley Jr. and his Memphis Grizzles played in two games this weekend. On Friday night, Conley finished with nine points, eight assists and four rebounds in over 26 minutes of playing time. On a negative note, Conley only hit two of 10 shots from the floor and committed six turnovers.
Throughout summer-league play Conley has been battling Kyle Lowry for what looks to be the starting point-guard spot. On Friday, Lowry came off the bench, finishing with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists in over 25 minutes of playing time.
Oh yeah, Memphis lost the game 90-84 to the Los Angeles Clippers.
On Saturday, Conley came off the bench in Memphis’ 102-91 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In over 29 minutes, Conley scored 15 points and dished out six assists. Again Conley struggled with his shooting (3-for-12) and his turnovers (4).
In the same game, Lowry scored 15 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists. Lowry committed five turnovers in just over 30 minutes of play.
In five games, Lowry averaged 16.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.8 turnovers.
During that same span, Conley averaged 11.4 points, 3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1 steal and 2.6 turnovers.
In Orlando, Daequan Cook’s Miami Heat wrapped up their summer-league play on Friday with a 63-57 win over the Magic.
Cook struggled from the floor, hitting only one of eight shots. He finished with five points, four rebounds and four turnovers.
In five games, Cook shot a terrible 28% from the floor (15 for 53). If you take out his best game (8 for 16 on Thursday), Cook’s FG percentage would be below 20%.
In five games, Cook averaged 9.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.8 turnovers.
Ron Lewis didn’t play in the Houston Rockets 74-69 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Lewis did play in Saturday’s 90-76 win over the Sacramento Kings. In over 19 minutes, Lewis scored seven points, had two steals and three assists.
Last night, Lewis had his best game of summer-league play. He scored nine points in the Rockets 98-93 win over the New Orleans Hornets. In just over 20 minutes of playing time, Lewis grabbed two rebounds, had one assist, one steal and turned it over once.
Overall in four games (two starts), Lewis averaged 6.2 points, 2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, .8 steals and 1 turnover. During those four games, Lewis only averaged 18.2 minutes of playing time.
Greg Oden played in only two games for the Portland Trail Blazers before undergoing a tonsillectomy. During that span, Oden averaged 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, .5 assists, 0 steals and 4 turnovers. Also, he averaged 24.5 minutes, 3 blocks and 9.5 fouls. Oden (1-for-8) shot 12.5% from the free-throw line.
Daequan Cook and Mike Conley Jr. both had their best performances in summer-league play on Thursday.
Cook led Miami with 21 points in the Heat’s 78-66 win over the Indiana Pacers. He didn’t just led his team in points, he also led his team in minutes played (35+), FGs made (8), FGs attempted (16), and he tied one other player on his team for the most threes made (2), most assists (3) and most steals (3).
On Wednesday, Cook struggled from the floor hitting one of seven shots for only three points. In over 23 minutes of play, Cook had three steals and committed a team-high six fouls. The Heat lost 77-66 to the Chicago Bulls.
Cook’s last game of the Pepsi Pro Pro Summer League takes place this afternoon. The Heat will play the tournament’s host, the Orlando Magic.
Mike Conley Jr. was impressive on Thursday night in summer-league play in Las Vegas. Conley led Memphis with 7 assists in the Grizzles 100-76 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. In just over 22 minutes of playing time, Conley scored 13 points, grabbed four rebounds and committed only one turnover. He was five of nine from the floor and he hit all three free throws.
Currently Conley is battling summer-league teammate Kyle Lowry for the starting point guard spot. In 23 minutes, Lowry scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds. However, Lowry had only two assists, hit only one of six shots from the floor and turned the ball over a team-high four times. Overall, Lowry is averaging 15.7 points in summer-league play compared to Conley, who is averaging 11.
Memphis’ point guard last year, Damon Stoudmire, figures to get less playing time this season.
Conley Jr. and Lowry will continue their battle when Memphis squares off with the Los Angeles Clippers tonight (FRI the 13) at 6pm EST.
Ron Lewis didn’t help his chances of making the Houston Rockets roster in their 98-94 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
Lewis missed all seven shots he took from the floor. However, he did hit all four free throws, finishing with four points and three rebounds in just over 12 minutes of play. Part of Lewis’ struggle to score could be related to the impressive play of summer-league teammate and guard Aaron Brooks (Oregon). Last night, Brooks scored 28 points and in the Rockets’ first game he scored 21.
The Rockets play tonight (FRI the 13) at 10pm EST against the Washington Wizards.
The 2007 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas ends this Sunday- July 15th.
The Big Ten Network has been drawing attention to itself all summer. Around two weeks ago I wrote Big Ten Network Still Causing Big Headache. That piece breaks down the Big Ten Network situation. In brief, OSU fans will have to find an alternative way to watch the opening game against Youngstown State and the second week’s contest against Akron.
Purdue head coach Joe Tiller was furious about the new rule, while every other coach gave generic answers. Tiller did his best Dennis Green (’If you want to crown em’, then crown em’), “The most violent part of the game, is the kickoff!”. He referred to how the league is trying to make the game more rough. He said he was for making the game more exciting, but he has to look out for the players well being.
Director of basketball operations Mike Muse found Prosser was found slumped on his office couch and unresponsive shortly after Prosser returned from his noon jog, according to athletics director Ron Wellman.
games, a pep rally and strategy sessions with former Buckeye players.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany recently created a national cable network that is devoted exclusively to Big Ten sports.
Appalachian State at Michigan, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
point guard during his rookie season. However, will have to split time with Kyle Lowry. Greg Oden showed that he could be in foul trouble this year by committing 19 fouls in two games (summer league rules allow a player 10 fouls before fouling out). And Ron Lewis might have not done enough to make the Houston Rockets’ roster.
In Orlando, Daequan Cook’s Miami Heat wrapped up their summer-league play on Friday with a 63-57 win over the Magic.
Cook led Miami with 21 points in the Heat’s 78-66 win over the Indiana Pacers. He didn’t just led his team in points, he also led his team in minutes played (35+), FGs made (8), FGs attempted (16), and he tied one other player on his team for the most threes made (2), most assists (3) and most steals (3).
Thursday.