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Seton Hall turmoil not over yet
Sports Illustrated staff writer Seth Davis spoke with CNNSI.com about the goings-on in the college basketball world this week: CNNSI.com: There's some disarray at Seton Hall. It was reported on Monday that the reason coach Tommy Amaker suspended star freshman Eddie Griffin was because Griffin punched junior guard Ty Shine in the Pirates' locker room after they lost to Georgetown on Saturday. Is this something that will hurt the Hall's long-term prospects or do you think it will blow over? Seth Davis: I was at the Seton Hall-Notre Dame game on Monday night and I can tell you it hasn't blown over yet. After the game I talked to Eddie Griffin, who incidentally was expelled from his senior year in high school for getting into a fight in the cafeteria, and he did not sound very contrite. As far as Ty Shine is concerned, he is one of the more approachable players in the Seton Hall locker room and he bolted from that room before reporters even got in there. This is really a classic case where you bring in a high-profile freshman class and you have to blend them in with the upperclassmen who are already there. Ty Shine has not been happy at all this season because freshman Andre Barrett has been taking away his minutes at point guard. So this is something that has been festering for some time. Fights do happen, teams can move past it, but I think it will be some time before we can really tell whether this derails Seton Hall's season or is something the Pirates can put behind them. CNNSI.com: In last week's Sports Illustrated you wrote that the walls of support around Louisville coach Denny Crum are beginning to crack. Do you really think Crum is in danger of being fired? Davis: I didn't think so until I spent two days out in Kentucky last week and I can tell you Denny Crum is definitely in trouble out there. Louisville could be headed for the worst season they have ever had since Denny Crum has been coach. That's a 30-year period. I also spent some time with athletic director Tom Jurich before the Kentucky game and he certainly didn't give me any indication that he is in Crum's corner if this thing doesn't turn around. Keep in mind that Jurich is childhood buddies with Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy, who is one of the real hot properties in coaching right now. This situation has evolved the last few years with guys like Norm Stewart at Missouri and Tom Davis at Iowa, guys who sort of got pushed out. But Crum has won two national championships and is in the Hall of Fame, so if Jurich is going to try to push him out, he is going to have to do it very carefully. CNNSI.com: Indiana got a huge win on Sunday, upsetting top-ranked Michigan State. It was only a couple of weeks ago that interim coach Mike Davis was saying that he wasn't the right man for the job. How much progress have the Hoosiers really made since then? Davis: I talked to Mike Davis on Sunday night and he was definitely happy that the Hoosiers beat Michigan State but he was also happy with the way his team had been playing over the last couple of weeks. Last week they went into Wisconsin, played the Badgers very tough and ended up losing, but he was very happy with their effort. Right now, Mike Davis is all about effort. He is very frank in conceding that Indiana does not have a lot of talent right now. It is also important to keep in mind that the Indiana players who lobbied for Davis to get this job were the ones he once recruited. I think [he has focused on his personal relationship with them] and said, "Hey, if you guys want me to stay here, you are going to have to play a lot harder than this because we are just not talented enough to win otherwise." So far, the team has responded well. Let's see if they can sustain this over the course of the season. CNNSI.com: Rick Pitino resigned as Celtics coach on Monday. Already there are reports surfacing that he is in contract negotiations with UCLA. Is there any truth to this? Seth Davis: Well, I'm skeptical of that report, to be honest. If that's true, then Pitino would have had to been in actual negotiations with UCLA while he was still the coach of the Celtics. My suspicion is that that is coming from UCLA boosters, who have never really been fans of Steve Lavin. Incidentally, Lavin is still the Bruins coach and it's important to keep in mind that the athletic director who hired him, Peter Dalis, is still there and very much has a stake in Lavin's success. So I think all of this Pitino conjecture is a bit premature. Something that might be more realistic for Pitino is UNLV because, of course, the Rebels are looking for a coach. Bob Knight, who is also out there, has already told friends he is not interested in the UNLV job. Also, Rick Pitino does have a relationship with casino owner Steve Wynn, who is a big UNLV booster, so that's a possibility. But Rick Pitino just resigned and I think it is going to take some time for him to figure out what he wants to do. Sports Illustrated staff writer Seth Davis covers the college basketball beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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