|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Doherty will pick up the pace
Former North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge tried to install an up-tempo attack at the start of last season, but he quickly scratched those plans when he realized he didn't have the personnel to pull it off. That, however, will change in the Matt Doherty era. Doherty told me he wants to recruit smaller, quicker players to Chapel Hill. Within a couple of days of his hiring, Doherty secured a verbal commitment from 6-6 swingman Jackie Manuel, who Guthridge was not recruiting and who had all but committed to Florida. Now Doherty has his sights set on 6-7 James White of Maryland, who might be the most effective slasher in the Class of 2000.
High school stars taking overThere's a good chance that in next year's NBA draft, there will be more high school seniors selected among the top five picks than college seniors. Seven-foot California schoolboy Tyson Chandler has a chance to be the number one overall pick, unless he's nosed out by forward Eddy Curry of Illinois. Chandler gave serious thought to entering the NBA Draft this year, where he probably would have been a lottery pick. Chandler decided against it, but most of the college coaches I talked to on the recruiting trail this month agreed that it's only a matter of time before a high school junior makes the leap.
Wolverines looking closer to homeMichigan's success in the late '80s and early '90s stemmed from the school's ability to recruit elite in-state players like Glen Rice, Jalen Rose and Chris Webber. But over the last few years, most of the top schoolboys in Michigan have ended up in East Lansing, where they've helped Michigan State become the hottest program in the country. In an effort to reverse the tide, Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe has hired Terence Greene to be an assistant. Greene is a former high school All-America from Flint, which sent Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and others to Michigan State. Greene may help Ellerbe in the future, but he won't make a difference in the current recruiting cycle. Missouri coach Quin Snyder has already received verbal commitments from two of Michigan's top high school seniors, and the next great player from Flint, guard Kelvin Torbert, isn't even considering UM and will probably end up signing with the Spartans. Sports Illustrated writer-reporter Seth Davis covers the college basketball beat for the magazine and regularly appears on CNN/Sports Illustrated.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
