Five coaches reportedly on short list to succeed Tigers’ Tommy West ».

An interesting list of potential coaches for Memphis Football have emerged.  I have seen the work of two of them personally, Rick Stockstill and Bud Foster.  I know less about Larry Porter of LSU (Memphis native) and Gunter Brewer of Oklahoma State.

If I were a betting man I would place my wager on Stockstill or Porter, but there is a long-time personal relationship between Foster and Memphis Director of Football Operations John Flowers.  Foster and Flowers grew up together in Nokomis, IL, a small town just south of Springfield.

Don’t be surprised if you see Bud eating at the Rendevous soon…

Mount Pleasant Meadows jockey Amanda Keller earned her first career victory on July 26. Keller heads out to the track aboard Tans Terminator.

- The catalog for the August 23 MTOBA Yearling Sale is online for review. The sale drew 38 entries, which is a significant step down from last year’s total of 67 yearlings. When the sale draws closer and I get some time to sit down and look at the catalog, expect to see a preview of the event right here.

- Mount Pleasant Meadows jockey Amanda Keller earned her first two career riding victories on July 26. Keller brought home Quarter Horse Lucky’s Rambler in the day’s sixth race for her first victory, then followed it up with another trip to the winner’s circle in the ninth on Struttin Feathers. After her first win, Keller was greeted at the jock’s room door by a bucket of ice water.

Last Sunday, Keller added one more notch to her win column, finishing first aboard Quiet Apple.

- Speaking of exciting things from last week, Pinnacle Race Course valet and famous dog trainer John Flowers appeared July 28 on Live! with Regis and Kelly with his dog Spencer. A video of their performance does not appear to be readily available, but Spencer did several balancing acts for the audience.

He began by jumping on the middle of a large spool turned on its side and riding back and forth across the stage similar to a log roller. Flowers then took Spencer to a series of open-ended barrels, which the dog balanced on, then jumped to a new barrel before standing on the final barrel with only his hind legs. With time running out on the segment, Flowers went to the big finish. The show’s hosts held a bar at knee-height, which Spencer jumped on and perched. Flowers then instructed Regis and Kelly to stand up with the bar, which they did while the dog maintained his balance the entire time.

- Pinnacle Race Course is connecting with Facebook users on its new fan page. The page offers information on upcoming events and specials, as well as photos from previous events. Definitely worth a look for Pinnacle fans on Facebook.

- The Michigan Strategic Task Force on Agriculture has been holding open-ended meetings across the state to generate ideas on how to improve the state’s agricultural industries.

I attended one of the meetings held in Fremont Monday morning. Political figures in attendance included Reps. Geoff Hansen, Kevin Daley, Cindy Denby (who chaired the meeting), Ken Kurtz and Sen. Jerry VanWoerkom. It was an informal setup, beginning with each Representative giving a quick rundown about themselves and Michigan’s situation both as a whole and in the Ag sector. Afterward, they opened up the floor to anyone with something to say. 

Though nothing was officially accomplished, the elected officials appeared receptive to the concerns of those in attendance, ranging from crop and livestock farmers to members of the racing industry, and offered constructive feedback. Whether anything will come from the meetings remains to be seen, but the fact that they are offering such a forum might mean they are open for suggestions.

According to the Michigan HBPA website, there are two more meetings scheduled. Members of the racing industry in or near the districts are encouraged to attend and voice their opinions and concerns. Attaching faces to the statistics may help advance the cause, and if anything else, it provides an opportunity for attendees to become more familiar with those representing them in Lansing.

Here are the dates, times and locations of the remaining two meetings…

August 10
10:30 a.m.
Ionia Intermediate School District
2191 Harwood Rd.
Ionia, MI                              

August 24
6:00 p.m.
Lapeer County ISD Educational Technology Center
690 Lake Pleasant Rd.
Attica, MI

Send Cash comes back from a race at Pinnacle Race Course with Federico Mata aboard.

- Brandon Meier, one the subjects of Animal Planet’s reality show “Jockeys,” is scheduled to take the saddle aboard a few ship-ins Tuesday at Pinnacle Race Course. Unless someone else has been sneaking mounts while I haven’t been paying attention, this is the first time one of the show’s stars has come to a Michigan racetrack to ride since the series aired. Not a bad draw for a Tuesday afternoon card.

- Speaking of reasons to go to Pinnacle, the track has some non-racing related events in the coming weeks to attract audiences:

1) On July 13 at 1 p.m., Pinnacle will host a dog show featuring world-renowned dog trainer, and Pinnacle employee, John Flowers. Admission is free. Flowers has appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman four times with his dog, Spencer. He has also appeared on the Animal Planet show Pet Star five times, winning the competition in 2005. Flowers is a cancer survivor and all donations received from the dog show will go to the American Cancer Society.

For a video of Flowers and Spencer’s winning performance on Pet Star, click here. From there, click on the seventh dog in the row of pictures.

 2) The Budweiser Clydesdales will be at Pinnacle on July 17 from noon to 4 p.m..

- For those curious about how the demolition is progressing at Great Lakes Downs, someone posted some photos from the edges of the grounds on Flickr. They are from the middle of May, so things are almost certainly further along now, but I just found them, so they’re new to me. The photographer does not appear to have too much knowledge about the nuts and bolts of racing (he thinks the grooms’ dormitory is a hotel for visiting jockeys), but they give a good, if a tad depressing, look at what’s left of the place.

- While we are looking at pictures, I also found a few photos from another defunct Michigan Thoroughbred track, Detroit Race Course. For a blast from the past, click here.

Rob Dauster of Ballin is a Habit is the RTC correspondent for the Big East Conference.

Some of the Big East elite stumbled this week. Notre Dame, Louisville, Georgetown, West Virginia, Marquette, and Cincinnati all picked up their first loss of the season since the last time we checked in with RTC. Should Big East fans be worried? Was all that talk about the Big East being the best conference ever nothing but talk? In a word … maybe? Look, the bottom line is that each one of the aforementioned teams that suffered their first loss got beat by a good team. I mean, Notre Dame losing by 15 to UNC when Luke Harangody in is the early stages of pneumonia is not the same as losing by 18 to Maryland (sorry to all Spartan fans – I know Roe and Suton were hurt and Morgan was being a punk in foul trouble, just trying to make a point). Even the Louisville loss, which is inexcusable for a team of their talent (probably why Pitino apologized), was to a Western Kentucky team that looks to be hitting their stride (they have won three straight games against Southern Illinois, the ‘Ville, and Georgia, and lost one game without leading scorer AJ Slaughter in his first game back). Let’s look at it like this – Tennessee, UNC, and Dayton are all going to be NCAA tourney teams. Western Kentucky, Florida State, and Kentucky are all going to garner attention as bubble teams. While this is a startling number of losses to occur in the span of one week, it is not like UConns are losing to Delaware States, and it doesn’t change the fact that there are a number of Big East teams (UConn, Pitt, Syracuse, Villanova) that are rolling through competent competition.

Player of the Week – Kyle McAlarney, Notre Dame

McAlarney has been outstanding in Luke Harangody’s absence. In three games this week, he averaged 32.7 ppg and 4.0 apg (with just 4 turnovers) while shooting 33-62 (53%) from the floor and 26-48 (54%) from deep. That’s 26 triples in just three games. Clearly, the number of his shot attempts will go (way) down once Harangody gets healthy, but if McAlarney can shoot like this and be this kind of threat every night, Notre Dame is not going to be a team you want to face.

Team of the Week – Pitt

The Panthers won the Legends Classic in New Jersey on Saturday with impressive wins over Texas Tech and Washington State. Against Wazzu, Pitt really proved what kind of team they are going to be. A Daven Harmeling three cut a big Pitt lead to 46-40 with 6:00 left. The Cougars did not score again until Harmeling hit another three with 10 seconds left. Pitt is going to make every pass difficult, every shot a tough one, and go get every rebound this year, but they have enough offensive talent that they can get by (especially if they only need to score 60 points to win). The Panthers shouldn’t have any trouble with Duquense or Vermont in the next week.

Power Rankings (AP, Coaches):

CONTENDERS

1. (1) UConn 7-0 (#2, #2)
Last Week: 11/29 vs. Bryant 88-58, 12/1 vs. Delaware State 79-49
Next Week: 12/4 @ Buffalo

Business as usual in the early season for the Huskies. They usually don’t leave the state until conference play starts. Hasheem Thabeet led the Huskies with averages of 13 ppg, 14.5 rpg, and 3.5 bpg. UConn won’t be challenged again December 20th when they play Gonzaga in Seattle. One thing for Husky fans to worry about – is Hasheem Thabeet getting a little too cocky?

2. (4) Pitt 7-0 (#3, #3)
Last Week: 11/28 vs. Texas Tech 80-67, 11/29 vs. Washington State 57-43
Next Week: 12/3 vs. Duquense, 12/6 Vermont

See above.

3. (5) Syracuse 7-0 (#16, #20)
Last Week: 11/28 vs. Virginia 73-70, 12/1 vs. Colgate 86-51
Next Week: 12/3 vs. Cornell

Syracuse has looked very tough in the first few weeks of the season. They struggled a bit with Virginia as they came out of the gates slowly and found themselves down 11 at halftime. But the Orange can put up points in a hurry, and proved that when they went on a 20-6 run that spanned just over 5:00. A couple things about Syracuse that I’ve picked up. Part of the reason that they are so explosive offensively is that they seem to be forcing more turnovers defensively (someone has to have the stats on this, am I right?) this year, or at least the kind of turnovers that lead to easy baskets. The reason for that is Boeheim is playing more man-to-man, and playing it very aggressively at that. Syracuse gets Cornell this week. It is too bad that the Big Red’s backcourt is still hurt, because this would have been an interesting match-up.

4. (2) Notre Dame 6-1 (#7, #7)
Last Week: 11/26 vs. UNC 87-102, 11/30 vs. Furman 93-61, 12/2 vs. South Dakota 102-76
Next Week: 12/6 vs. Ohio State

Notre Dame has a win over Texas, their only loss is to UNC, and Kyle McAlarney is playing like a god. So why have they dropped down to fourth in the BEPR? Because Luke Harangody has pneumonia and is out indefinitely.

TOURNEY TEAMS

5. (3) Louisville 2-1 (#11, #11)
Last Week: 11/30 vs. Western Kentucky 54-68
Next Week: 12/6 vs. Indiana State, 12/7 vs. Ohio, 12/8 vs. Lamar

As I said before, the loss to Western Kentucky is inexcusable. Not to take away from the fantastic performance by the Hilltoppers, but the Cardinals basically played the worst game they possibly could. They didn’t pressure the ball defensively. They didn’t rebound. They couldn’t shoot. Knowing Pitino, I can imagine his practices this week are pure hell and I doubt Indiana State is going to know what hit them.

6. (6) Georgetown 4-1 (#20, #18)
Last Week: 11/27 vs. Wichita State 58-50, 11/28 vs. Tennessee 78-90, 11/30 vs. Maryland 75-48
Next Week: 12/6 vs. American, 12/8 Savannah State

Still not quite sure what to make of this team yet. They struggle to beat Wichita State (although the Shockers did look solid in the Old Spice), lose giving up 90 to Tennessee, then come out and destroy a Maryland team that beat Michigan State. After watching them for three straight days, I can tell you that Georgetown is going to have to control tempo to be successful, much like last year. But, if it makes sense, they are going to need to play faster than last year. Not making sense? The Hoyas have three very quick guards (Chris Wright, Jessie Sapp, Jason Clark) and three big men that can get out, run the floor, and finish (Greg Monroe, DaJuan Summers, Austin Freeman). They need to be able to push the ball when the time is right, but they need to pick their spots well. If they get into a track meet with a team like Tennessee, they will lose. The Hoyas will get American and Savannah State next week.

7. (9) Villanova 7-0 (#17, #16)
Last Week: 11/28 vs. Towson 64-47, 11/29 vs. Rhode Island 78-65, 12/2 @ Penn 69-47
Next Week: 12/4 vs. Houston Baptist, 12/9 vs. Texas

The wins over Rhode Island and Penn are nice, but the Wildcats still haven’t really played anyone. It is probably as good thing as they try to get healthy for their Tuesday showdown with Texas. The biggest news coming out of ‘Nova this week was the decision of big man Casiem Drummond to transfer. The official word is it is a playing time issue (Drummond has basically been injured since he stepped foot on campus), but Drummond was suspended for a game early in the season. Regardless, the loss could hurt the Wildcats, a team in need of big bodies.

8. (8) West Virginia 4-1
Last Week: 11/28 vs. Iowa 87-68, 11/29 vs. Kentucky 43-54
Next Week: 12/3 @ Mississippi, 12/6 vs. Cleveland State, 12/9 vs. Davidson

The win over Iowa is pretty good. The loss to Kentucky isn’t. The Mountaineers just could not make a shot in the second half where they scored just 17 points. Alex Ruoff and Da’sean Butler have both looked pretty good for WVU in the early going, but returners John Flowers and Wellington Smith and freshman Devin Ebanks, who were all being counted on as producers, have struggled. None is averaging more than 7.3 ppg or 4.6 rpg. This week coming up is really big for the ‘Neers if they want to make a push for the bubble. They play Ole Miss, Cleveland State, and Davidson, who all will most likely be right on the bubble come March.

9. (7) Marquette 6-1 (#25, Un)
Last Week: 11/28 vs. Northern Iowa 73-43, 11/29 vs. Dayton 75-89, 12/2 vs. Central Michigan 81-67
Next Week: 12/6 vs. Wisconsin

Marquette is sliding in my book. They do not have any presence inside. Yea, Lazar Hayward is averaging 9.3 rpg, but he is 6’6” and really more of a small forward than a power forward. The Eagles have been starting Dwight Burke at center, but he is a chubby 6’7”, 250 lb guy that isn’t a scoring threat or a shot blocker. Maruqette has been a run-and-gun team that is putting up great offensive numbers, but it doesn’t cover up the fact that they are missing a big piece. They will be fun to watch this year, but may not win too many games. But hey, they get a great chance to prove me wrong when Wisconsin comes to visit Saturday.

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

10. (10) Seton Hall 6-1
Last Week: 11/29 vs. Delaware 75-70, 12/2 vs. Monmouth 101-78
Next Week: 12/9 vs. California Baptist

More of the same from Seton Hall. They keep grinding out wins and they are putting up some huge offensive numbers, but I am still not convinced.

11. (11) Cincinnati 5-1
Last Week: 11/28 vs. Florida State 47-58, 11/29 @ UNLV 67-65
Next Week: 12/6 vs. UAB

That Florida State loss isn’t terrible, and the UNLV win is a very good win. Let’s see what they can do against UAB before they get a bump.

12. (14) DePaul 4-0
Last Week: 11/26 vs. Detroit 71-62, 11/29 vs. Indiana State 75-70
Next Week: 12/3 @ Cal, 12/6 @ Northwestern

If you don’t know who Dar Tucker is, then make sure you get a chance to see him play at some point. He is averaging 20.8 ppg and 6.5 rpg (and he is a youtube legend – seriously, spend five minutes searching him on there, it is so worth it). The Blue Demons are also gets 12 and 12 from Mac Kowlshal. They get Cal and Northwestern on the road this week. Both wins would look great on a tourney resume.

WE ARE GLAD THE BIG EAST TOURNAMENT IS INCLUDING ALL 16 TEAMS THIS YEAR

13. (16) South Florida 3-1
Last Week: 11/29 vs. Northeastern 55-37
Next Week: 12/3 @ UAB, 12/6 @ Central Florida

Nothing to say here.

14. (12) Providence 4-3
Last Week: 11/27 vs. Baylor 56-72, 11/28 vs. Charlotte 67-62, 11/30 vs. St. Mary’s 75-81
Next Week: 12/3 vs. Brown, 12/6 vs. Rhode Island

Providence has been a major disappointment so far this year. They are a late 10-0 run against 1-7 Charlotte away from being 3-4 (the only Big East team under .500 if that had happened). They were everyone’s trendy pick to make a run in the Big East. That seems like so long ago now.

15. (13) St. John’s 6-1
Last Week: 12/1 vs. St. Francis NY 69-61
Next Week: 12/8 vs. New Jersey Institute

Not sure if I’ve mentioned this yet, but Anthony Mason Jr. is out for the year with a torn foot tendon.

16. (15) Rutgers 4-2
Last Week: 11/26 vs. Lehigh 71-76, 11/30 vs. St. Peter’s 68-47
Next Week: 12/3 @ Rider, 12/6 vs. Binghamton

See South Florida.

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Stiles, our resident basketball expert, will check in periodically with his thoughts on the season. Luckily for you, this is one of those times. 

I can’t take it anymore. Somebody wake me up when the new coach is hired. I’m too preoccupied with this upcoming test for the basketball team against Oklahoma.

With Charley and 5th Year playing the role of Woodward and Bernstein, let’s take a look at the upcoming showdown…

Since the narrow loss to Tennessee, the Mountaineer basketball team has been a juggernaut. This has included blowing out teams left and right, featuring decent Auburn and Duquesne teams. With these blowouts, three positive trends have emerged during the stretch. They are (in no particular order):

Darris Nichols: If you can recall the preseason preview, I was very high on Nichols. Love his game. Well, the started the season out slow for the senior. While watching it unfold, I came to realize he was suffering from “Beilein Syndrome”. What’s “Beilein Syndrome?” It’s something I just made up! It was born of the idea that Huggins had given the players the green light on offense. However, after playing three years under Beilein, Nichols tried to stay in the offense too much. Now, he’s seeing the light. Nichols can practically take anybody off the dribble and once he starts doing this more, the offense will only open up.

John Flowers: Interesting player. Interesting game. One thing I love: his aggression on the offensive end. Sure he’ll be up and down, but when he’s on, he can fill it up. No matter what, he’s gives WVU another solid guy off the bench.

Joe Alexander: Wow. Saying he’s found himself early on would be an understatement. He’s aggressive, yet he’s not forcing things like he would sometimes last year. He’s the key to the season. Last year, Alexander started off strong, but when they hit Big East play; he struggled big time. Let’s hope the big start will continue.

These three items have me pumped for big things. Come Saturday, we’ll have a better idea where the team stands. The Sooners are no slouch, as evidenced by their wins over Arkansas and Gonzaga. They’ve also given decent games to Memphis and USC.

The Sooners are a team that has a strong frontline, which makes this upcoming game even more interesting. In other words, I’ll be interested to see how WVU plays against a physical team.

One thing is for sure: the game will sure beat reading about being left at the altar by Jimbo Fisher. Or leaving Doc Holliday at the altar. (Ed. — not really)

Stiles, our resident basketball expert, will check in periodically with his thoughts on the season. Lucky you, this is one of those times.

Yeah, so, it might be time to revisit my preseason prediction (insert link) for the basketball team. Why? Because the last two games have shown me that WVU is for real this year.

As you could see I thought this team could be pretty good, but I didn’t think they could be this good. I don’t even know where to start, but let’s go…

First, the emergence of Wellington Smith and John Flowers gives the team not only improved depth, they provide scoring, energy and defense. Seriously, I think the only basketball player with longer arms than Smith is Kevin McHale. He’s been a presence both underneath and on the glass. Plus, he can score the basketball. Meanwhile, Flowers plays on the offensive end like a fourth year senior.

Which leads us to the new look offense. Early on, the team was not aggressive and depended too much on the three point shot. It was expected as they were looking for their offensive identity. Well, they’ve found it. And I love it. They still play unselfish basketball and move well without the ball, but Huggins has also allowed the players to take advantage of their offensive skill and go one on one so to speak. The players seem to love it, as they all seem to be enjoying playing as a unit.

While the new look offense has been fun, it is the rebounding and defense that has me most excited. After struggling through the Beilein years of seeing the team be allergic to rebounds, this team is the total opposite. They crash both the offensive and defensive boards. Not to mention, they’ve been very effective despite a lack of physical presence.

When you add it all up, this year’s addition has a chance to be one of my favorite editions ever. They’re a joy to watch. And come March, who knows, they might be able to make some real noise.