Baru: "I'm so happy here"

Nice article from Diamond Leung of ESPN about AB's history and his recruiting process.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7146945/top-recruit-adjehi-baru-finds-new-home-fresh-start-charleston-college-basketball

Some highlights:

• Because Adjehi was so unfamiliar with college basketball, he never gave priority to teams like UNC, Maryland and Virginia Tech. As Tim Branin said, "he didn't have that feeling 'I've gotta be a Tar Heel.' He based his feelings on the environment and the coach.
• Baru said he would've signed with CofC even if Pat couldn't follow him there
• Adjehi's words: "I love Charleston. I love the city. I love the weather. Everybody is nice here. I love the coaching staff and Coach Cremins. I'm so happy here."

Baru Cleared by NCAA

According to reports from earlier this afternoon, Adjehi Baru has been ruled to play immediately and received all four years of eligibility from the NCAA Clearinghouse. 

This is fantastic news for the Cougars as the Willis Hall injury was already limiting our front line. With Baru in the lineup, the front court rotation of him, Wiedeman, Wiggins and Carlton should be one of the best in the conference. Even as he experiences his freshman learning curve, Adjehi's defensive presence alone will help the Cougs dominate the paint.  

Baru has already been named the preseason Socon Newcomer of the Year.

• Video response by Cremins (via Live5 News)

Examining the Starting Lineup Part 1

With the news of Willis' season-ending ACL tear, I figured there was no time like the present to start talking about the completely revamped 2011-2012 roster. Practice doesn't begin in earnest until Friday, so this discussion will be constantly shifting and shuffling as the coaching staff begins to sort out who will play where.

The biggest question mark as of right now is the status of Baru. He has been cleared academically, but is still waiting for the NCAA to clear him to play this season (this is because Adjehi's first stateside high school was less than reputable). Because we don't know for sure whether or not Baru will suit up; I have come up with two scenarios. Listed first at each position is the starter, followed by his primary reserve off the bench.

The first is WITH Baru in the lineup <salivates...>

1. Lawrence, Stitt

• Experience, well-rounded, future Olympic participant. Lawrence is pretty much a lock for the starting position but there won't be much lost if Stitt is as advertised

2. Scott, Dixon

• The replacement for Drew Goudelock. This is a tough one to call and a lot will depend on practices, but I think Scott's edge in playing time will grant him the starting job.

3. Wiggins, Sundberg

• The return of Sunshine! Hope to see more consistent shooting and drives to the basket from 'Twaine to go allow with the stellar D.

4. Wiedeman, Carlton

• Trent should continue his development and be a force in the Socon. Word is that James Carlton has improved dramatically and the team is gonna need it without Willis.

5. Baru

• Fingers crossed

Willis Hall Out for the Season

Swag

Amid uncertainty at the shooting guard and center positions, the Cougars were dealt another blow on Friday when Willis Hall suffered a torn ACL. He will not play this season.

The injury becomes the third season-ending loss to the Cougar team following Jeremy's blood clot late last season and Antwaine's identical injury prior to the 09-10 season. Not only does Hall's loss leave our front line awfully thin (Sundberg offering relief at center? Yikes), but it also robs this young Cougars team of an experienced veteran presence. With the loss of strong senior leadership from Drew, Jeremy and Donovan, the young guns will be looking to guys like Wiggins, Lawrence and even Wiedeman in times of unrest. Willis brought tenacity and hustle every time he got on the floor and will have to try and instill that mentality on the rest of the team while wearing a suit and riding the pine.

2011-2012 Schedule Released

The College of Charleston athletics department released the full men's basketball schedule on Thursday. At first glance things look pretty good, 16 games at home (including two exhibitions against Queens University and Limestone) plus the possible bracketbuster. We also have Morehead State, Tennessee and George Mason visiting the newly renamed TD Arena fresh off NCAA Tournament appearances. Throw in Louisville on the road, UCF in the Bahamas and the possibility of playing national champs UConn and the schedule really looks solid. 

There are a few quirks however, the Morehead State game takes place at 8 am on Tuesday Nov 15th as part of ESPN's 24-hours of college basketball. I don't know how in the hell sports marketing is gonna handle that one but I wish them the best of luck. We also get a repeat of the home-and-away Furman/Wofford 1-2 punch. Like last year, the Cougars will travel upstate to take on both teams on January 5 and 7. Then Furple and Woffy will come down to Chucktown and take their shot at the Cougs on January 26 and 28. 

This schedule is certainly going to test the new-look Charleston team. The suddenly unproven group of mostly underclassmen will have their hands full with the SEC and Big East teams. For the past four years, the Cougar's premier outside shooting has always given them at least a shot at taking down the big boys. With Monroe and Goudelock gone and a bigger paint presence this year, it will be interesting to see what kind of game plan Cremins comes up with. 

It's Showtime!

Jerry West. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Elgin Baylor. Magic Johnson. Kobe Bryant.

Andrew Goudelock.

 Sorry, I was just naming some of my favorite Lakers of all time.

King Kresse Video Debut

I know it's been a loooong time since the last post but I think I've got something good for all you readers. I've spent the last few days putting together a little video showcasing highlights of just Drew from last season. I took it on my own shoulders to put the video out because I noticed there wasn't a lot of footage available for NBA fans to view when Drew started climbing up mock draft boards. So go check it out and look for more videos from King Kresse in the future.

P.S. You'll have to excuse the lack of sound, damn YouTube took off my bumpin' Lil Wayne track because of copyright issues. Laaaammeee.