| COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW CHAT CALENDAR |
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| Tuesday, October 24: ACC
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| Chat Reel |
Shane Battier
Duke
F, Sr., 6-8 |
Battier spent his summer vacation as a member of the 12-man U.S. Select Team which helped prepare the U.S. National Team for the 2000 Olympics. He's earned his third consecutive National Defensive Player of the Year award last year and is a leading candidate for the Wooden and Naismith Awards in 2000-2001.
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| Chat Reel |
Will Solomon
Clemson
G, Jr., 6-1 |
Solomon was a first-team All-ACC player as a sophomore last year when he led the ACC in scoring with a 20.9 average. He was the first Clemson sophomore in 30 years to be a first-team selection, the first Clemson player in 10 years to make first team, regardless of class.
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| Chat Reel |
Joseph Forte
North Carolina
G, So., 6-4 |
The 2000 ACC Rookie of the Year, Forte set a number of UNC scoring records and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA South Regional. A member of this summer's U.S. Select Team, Forte is also a pre-season All-American selection.
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| Wednesday, October 25: Big East
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| Chat Reel |
Troy Bell
Boston College
G, So., 6-1
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As a freshman, Bell finished second in scoring in the Big East last year behind Notre Dame's Troy Murphy. Bell averaged 18.8 points a game. Bell also came up with 1.7 steals a game for the Eagles.
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| Chat Reel | Troy Murphy
Notre Dame
F, Jr., 6-11
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Consensus First-Team All American last year and a leading contender for Player of the Year honors this year, Murphy is the reigning Big East Player of the Year. He led the conference in scoring (22.7 ppg.) and averaged 10.3 rebounds a game.
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| Thursday, October 26: Atlantic 10
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| Chat Reel |
Tom Penders
George Washington
Head Coach
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Penders begins his third year as the Colonials head coach. He took George Washington to a 20-9 record and the outright A-10 West Division title in 1998-99, his first year there. Last season, Penders reached an exclusive coaching milestone with career victory number 500.
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| Chat Reel | Maurice McAfee
Xavier (OH)
G, Sr., 6-0
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Led Xavier in scoring (15.1 ppg.), assists (4.2 apg.), free-throw percentage (82.4%) and three-point percentage (39.4%). McAfee is the team captain for the Musketeers, who finished their season with an NIT loss to eventual tournament-champion Notre Dame.
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| Friday, October 27: Big Ten
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| Chat Reel |
Ken Johnson
Ohio State
C, Sr., 6-11
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The senior from Detroit is one of 30 preseason candidates for the 2000-01 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year of the Award. Johnson enters the season with 319 career blocked shots, eight shy of the Buckeyes all-time record. Johnson was also a member of the U.S. Select Team that competed against the U.S. men's Olympic in team prior to the 2000 Games in Sydney.
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| Chat Reel |
Cory Bradford
Illinois
G, Sr., 6-3
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The explosive Bradford returns for his senior season after leading the Illini in scoring last season with 15.3 points a game. Bradford has converted at least one three-point attempt in every collegiate game in which he has played (64 games). He is nine games shy of the NCAA record of 73 by Virginia Tech's Wally Lancaster (1986-89).
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| Monday, October 30: Mountain West
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| Chat Reel |
Trevor Diggs
UNLV
G, Sr., 6-3
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Named to the All-Mountain West Conference second team last year, Diggs is a solid threat from 3-point range and one of coach Billy Bayno's main weapons. He was the Rebels' second leading scorer at 15.1 points per game, and he set the UNLV record for steals in a game with eight against Eastern Kentucky.
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| Tuesday, October 31: Big XII
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| Chat Reel |
Jamaal Tinsley
Iowa State
G, Sr., 6-3
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One of the conference's most exciting players, Tinsley averaged 11 points, 6.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds a game last season. With Marcus Fizer gone, Tinsley will be counted on to score even more this year. He will battle Kansas' Eric Chenowith for Big 12 Player of the Year honors.
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| Wednesday, November 1: SEC
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Postponed,
to be rescheduled |
John Pelphrey
Florida
Assistant coach
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Coach Pelphrey has first-hand knowledge of head coach Billy Donovan's coaching style. Pelphrey played for then-assistant coach Donovan at Kentucky from 1989-92. Pelphrey is in his fifth year as a Florida assistant coach. The Gators advanced to the national championship game last season, but lost to Michigan State, 89-76. |
| Thursday, November 2: C-USA
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| Chat Reel |
John Calipari
Memphis
Head coach
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After an stormy, four-year stint in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, John Calipari returns to the college level. Calipari aims to rebuild the Memphis program, much like he did with the Massachusetts Minutemen in mid-1990s.
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| Chat Reel |
Shawn Finney
Tulane
Head coach
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A former assistant coach under Tubby Smith at Kentucky, Finney begins his first season as the Green Wave head coach. Finney will a young team into Conference USA competition this year. The Tulane roster features five freshmen and just one senior.
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| Chat Reel |
Bobby Simmons
DePaul
F, Jr., 6-7
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Now that Quentin Richardson has left school for the NBA, the spotlight switches to the high-flying Bobby Simmons, who was second in team scoring and rebounding last season. Simmons was a second-team C-USA selection last year.
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| Friday, November 3: PAC-10
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| Chat Reel |
Loren Woods
Arizona
C, Sr., 7-1
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The athletic Woods anchors the team picked by nearly everyone as the preseason favorite to win the national championship. One of five returning starters for the Wildcats, Woods is preseason Player of the Year candidate.
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