Phot by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

By Paul Gotham

If all goes as planned, the Seattle Seahawks will announce Pete Carroll as their new coach early this week. The two sides continue to negotiate the extent of Carroll’s potential role with the NFC West team.

Carroll leaves behind a USC program that he led to 97  wins including a 55-19 victory over Oklahoma in the 2005 BCS title game.

Carroll’s potential move appears to be that of a coach looking for a new challenge. There is not much more the San Francisco native can accomplish at Southern Cal. His teams have won 10 or more games in seven of his nine seasons. Beyond that, 50 Trojans have moved on to the NFL during Carroll’s  tenure including Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.

With the past closing in on him the nine-year coach knows the time is now for him to make a move.

Recently, the USC athletic department self-imposed sanctions upon its men’s basketball team.  A similar request was made for the Trojan football team. The NCAA declined, thus sending a clear message to Southern Cal: WE want to continue the investigation of the Trojan football program.

It has been four years since Reggie Bush left USC, and that is about how long the NCAA has been looking into possible violations surrounding the Heisman winner. A forced deposition could be coming from the star tailback soon after the NFL season. It appears as if the granules of sand are quickly diminishing from the hour glass.

No one knows what sanctions lie ahead, and Carroll has good reason for not wanting to stay around and find out.

Carroll’s case parallels that of current University of Kentucky basketball coach, John Calipari. The coach who made popular the mantra: “Refuse to Lose,” is on the short list of coaches who have led more than one school to the NCAA’s Final Four. He is on an even shorter list of coaches who have multiple appearances to the Final Four vacated because of violations.

Calipari’s named has been cleared of any wrong-doing with the 1996 University of Massachusetts Minutemen and the 2008 Memphis University Tigers. In other words, Calipari has avoided any consequences for those two programs of which he had direct supervision.

Much of the blame for the situation in Memphis has been placed on the NCAA. College basketball’s governing body gave Derrick Rose his eligibility only to recant that decision later. On the surface, Calipari avoids blame, but it is hard to ignore the coach’s role in the infraction. The NCAA oversees roughly 400,000 athletes. Calipari supervises less than 20.

Both Carroll and Calipari have more than likely addressed current and former players about personal responsibility – responsibility to self, family, team and school.

By week’s end, Carroll will have probably moved up the coast from Los Angeles to Seattle. Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats will still be undefeated. Both leaving behind the responsibility for cleaning up situations which they were entrusted.

What should remain with these coaches is the reputation for leaving when the crime came to light.

AP Photo/Matt York

By Paul Gotham

Just another night at the office

Steve Nash’s numbers on Christmas Day: 14 pts. on 6-10 shooting from the field/ 1-1 from the free throw line and 1-3 from the arc. To go with those points, Nash accumulated eight assists.

The final number should not be overlooked. With eight, Nash had more assists than baskets made.

Phoenix defeated the lowly Clippers 124-93 on Christmas night.

Getting more assists than baskets is a familiar situation for the Sun point guard.  Against Oklahoma City on the 23rd, Nash went 10-17 from the field with 12 assists. Two nights earlier, the Santa Clara grad finished 7-13 against the Cavs with 10 assists.  Nash dished out 15 assists versus the Wizards going 6-12.

Nash has 7,852 career assists with 5,074 field goals.

It can be argued that Nash has more field goal attempts than assists. Imagine if the NBA kepth track of assist attempts. How many lay ups does Nash provide for teammates that go unfinished? Better yet, how many shots does Nash provide where a foul and miss occurs?

Is there any coincidence Phoenix leads the league in scoring? Nash is an old school point guard who thinks pass first and shot second.

Go figure

Pittsburgh’s Penguins rank number one in the NHL with 26 wins. The Penguins’ 121 goals rank third in the league. Sidney Crosby with 22 goals and 24 assists is fifth in the league with 46 points.

Despite those impressive offensive numbers, Pittsburgh ranks dead last in power play efficiency. Pittsburgh has had 169 power play opportunities (more than any team in the league). The Penguins have connected on only 26 of those chances – or 15.4 per cent of the time – 30th in the league.

Miller for MVP

How much longer before Buffalo’s Ryan Miller is mentioned in the MVP conversation? The Sabre netminder has made 913 saves out of 976 opportunities for a league-leading save percentage of .935 per cent.  Miller is second in the league with 4 shut outs (Ilya Bryzgalov leads with 5). Miller’s 1.98 goals against average is second only to Boston’s Tuuka Rask. Rask has played 17 fewer games than Miller.

Don’t hold your breath

USC’s Joe McKnight is under investigation for the use of an SUV. Anyone wonder how long the inquisition will take? After all, we are still waiting for a decision on Reggie Bush.

McKnight. Bush. OJ Mayo. Matt Leinart. Who is the USC compliance officer? How much is that person making? I am about ready to apply for the job.

Timing is everything

Someone please explain why Urban Meyer had to come out and announce he was stepping down over a week BEFORE the Sugar Bowl. Why not wait until after the game? And now Meyer has already changed his mind? Geez. Who is he taking lessons from? Bobby Cremins? Or Brett Favre? Or both?

Forecast calls for…

SNOW in Boston on Friday. Should be a great day for an outdoor hockey game. Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow.

Anyone have a rebound and putback? Post them here.

Hayward

By Paul Gotham

Down to the wire

Semester’s end brought a buffet of college hoops on Saturday.  Serendipity, a clock infarction, upsets, and upsets avoided provided another shake up of the polls. When the dust settled, six ranked teams had fallen.

One Atlantic 10 team lost at the buzzer, and another won.

Butler and Xavier gave everyone the weekly dose of controversy. In thirty-six seconds, or thereabouts, the Musketeers found themselves on the short end of the stick with four close calls.

First, Butler’s Gordon Hayward miraculously reached from directly behind Mark Lyons to create a jump ball. Possession went to the Bulldogs with :36 remaining. Next,  there was confusion about a possible back court violation. Replays were inconclusive, but the play happened directly in front of the clock operator. This led to the next controversy. When the Butler player retrieved the ball, the clock suddenly lost all blood flow and stopped. Why? Because the clock operator who was looking right at the play saw the Butler player last touch the ball before it went into the back court.

A furious possession ensued. At one point, Butler’s Shelvin Mack went to the floor for the ball. He stood up which could have been called traveling (replays showed Mack did not have complete possession of the ball). No whistle was blown. Hayward grabbed the loose ball and scored with 1.6 remaining. Somehow, officials determined that the clock only stopped for 1.6 seconds, and that Hayward scored just in time to beat the buzzer. Xavier did not get a chance to tie. Butler won, 69-68.

Controversy aside, this was a great game for these two teams. One week earlier, Butler beat Ohio State and Xavier downed Cincinnati. Anyone thinking these two teams would rest on those performances was mistaken. Butler grabbed a 15 point lead before the Musketeers quieted the Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd.

Things we learned: 1. Gordon Hayward is a really good player.  His 22 points and 14 rebounds were special – add to that 3 assists.  He went 4-5 from the three-point arc, and 6-7 from the free throw line.  He scored the winning bucket and finished another basket on a drive to the basket against the half court set. He sees the floor well and makes great cuts.

2. Jason Love has a sweet jump hook.  Love finished with fourteen points the hard way – 7-9 shooting. All of his buckets came in traffic. Opposing teams make Love priority one when it comes to rebounding responsibilities.  Jamel McLean only played four minutes the other day (not sure why). Love received more attention than usual, and he responded.

3. Jordan Crawford has never met a shot he didn’t like. Crawford took 17 of Xavier’s 53 shots. Some of those shots ranked high on the difficulty meter.

The luck, Xavier found so difficult finding,was lurking in the TD Banknorth Garden.  A10 rival, UMass took advantage.

UMass’s Terrell Vinson found himself in the right place at the right time as the Minutemen downed Memphis, 73-72.  A last second scrum under the Tiger basket sent the ball flying through the air and into the hands of Vinson for the fortunate basket.

Josh Pastner is doing a great job with Memphis. Don’t be surprised if the Tigers win a game or two in March.

It is pretty en vogue to laud Kentucky’s John Wall. Yes, his athleticism is intoxicating. And yes, he is an uncanny blend of Magic’s handle, Adrian Dantley’s frame, and Calvin Murphy’s speed. But don’t overlook Memphis’s Elliot Williams. He is special. Williams has just as much athletic ability, but he brings a greater basketball IQ to the floor. Williams can catch and shoot and finish. He can catch, up-fake, and drive the lane.  Williams has a complete package.

Richmond surprised No. 13 Florida, 56-53. The Gators led by eight at half. David Gonzalvez and Kevin Anderson led the Spiders with 16 and 14 points. Justin Harper grabbed nine boards and Dan Geriot grabbed five off the bench. Along with Florida, Richmond has also knocked off Missouri and Mississippi State.

West Virginia avoided an upset when De’Sean Butler finished a layup with :01. The Mountaineers downed Cleveland State, 80-78.

A 10 showing signs of life

With wins over Villanova and Seton Hall, Temple appeared in the polls this week. The Owls are No.21 in the AP. Three other schools – Dayton, Richmond, and Charlotte picked up votes in both polls.

Hangovers

Not all the games were pretty for all teams involved – take for example, the Tennessee Volunteers.

Bruce Pearl took his eighth-ranked Vols cross country for a tilt with the USC Trojans. Coming into the game, the Pac 10 was 0-10 against ranked opponents.  The Trojans were riding a modest two-game win streak. Of course, those victories came at the expense of Idaho State and Sacramento State.  Pearl’s Vols must have left their game on the beach because the Trojans delivered a 77-55 beatdown. Perhaps, Kevin O’Neill, the well-traveled head coach of the Trojans, had some motivation. O’Neill coached the Vols in the 90s and left in a huff. SC point guard, Mike Gerrity, is an interesting story.

Tennessee struggled going from the East to the West. Gonzaga did worse in their trip from the West to the East. A series of factors resulted in the Bulldogs losing to Duke 76-41. Whether it was the cross-continental trip, Matt Bouldin’s post-concussion recovery, or Duke’s perimeter defense, Gonzaga looked lifeless connecting on just one three pointer all afternoon. The Bulldogs averaged six trifectas per game before Saturday.  Bouldin suffered a concussion on December 9th. The senior guard is invaluable to Gonzaga.  Beyond the fact that he averages 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists, Bouldin is the guy who makes good out of bad. If the Gonzaga offense breaks down, it is Bouldin who can create something out of nothing.

Georgetown’s Hoyas also showed an inability to get their heads out of their books. Old Dominion jumped to an 11-point lead at half and never looked back.

How they did it

Wichita State went 11-11 from the line in the final minute of their game to trim No. 20 Texas Tech, 85-83.

Texas outrebounded North Carolina 56-36. Included in that total was a 26-9 advantage on the offensive boards. Yeah, the Longhorns won 103-90.

Michigan took 19 more shots than Kansas. The Wolverines launched 28 three pointers to 19 by Kansas. Michigan grabbed more offensive rebounds (11-7), made more steals (10-6), and committed fewer turnovers (10-14), yet the numbers just didn’t add up.

Kansas took 9 fewer trifectas but made one more than Michigan en route to a 75-64 victory. The Jayhawks growed patience against the Wolvering 1-3-1. Sherron Collins showed he can be a leader dissecting the trapping zone. Collins made good decisions late in the game choosing when to drive and when to keep the ball moving on the perimeter.

Got any college basketball splinters? Share them here.

The College Football Belt

The College Football Belt

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Another week of great sports action, and so many great performances with which to choose. Step right up readers and give us the one (1), uno, une performance that stands out for you this past week.

I must be stuck in a giving-credit-where-credit-is-due rut, but USC’s Anthony McCoy grabs my POTW.

It’s not that the Trojan tight end made five catches that earns my POTW. It’s not the 153 yards he gained. Although, 30 yards per catch is pretty impressive – especially for a tight end.  It’s not the 60 yard rumble the Fresno, California native had. McCoy didn’t even cross the goal line in South Bend.

All those stats are fine, but it’s how the senior did it that earns my POTW.  At 6’5″ and 250 pounds McCoy looked like he was playing a game of piggy back  with ND defensive backs, and that earns my POTW.

Who gets your POTW?

The College Football Belt

The College Football Belt

The College Football Belt

The College Football Belt