Note from the author

I guess I need to get geared up to do this all over again. Don't take that the wrong way. That's not lack of desire in my voice. I'm looking forward to it....it's just that the season has just snuck up on me. I still feel like basketball season just ended, and the new season is four or five months away. Hell, football just got started.

Last year, I didn't start this blog until mid-season (January), so my blogging activities only lasted for a couple of months, and it really wore me out by the end of the season. It got to be pretty intense trying to keep up with posting updates during the SoCon Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. It was, however, lots of fun. I'm not sure exactly what, if anything, will be different on the blog this season. I'll just let it flow and see where it takes us. Hopefully a few of you will read, and maybe even enjoy....perhaps post a comment or two?

I'm not sure how I even ended up doing this blog, to be honest. It just hit me last January that, unlike the big schools, there was not much of a way to keep up with DC basketball, other than the official website, which is very limited. I do love Davidson Basketball, but I'm not what you would really call a "basketball nut" by any stretch of the imagination. I don't follow stats (boring....can't stand all that fantasy football garbage), I don't watch basketball all the time during the season, and I try not to live and die by how my favorite teams are doing. (Life's too darn short for that type of approach.) I'm just pretty much an average basketball fan....and I happen to enjoy keeping up with the Wildcats. I figured there might be a few more of you like me out there that would enjoy reading this stuff and getting a few good links to articles about our team. So, I'll keep up the blogging this season. Hopefully we'll enjoy this year as much as last year.

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Incidentally, I am contemplating some changes (hopefully improvements) to this blog. I'm not sure what all I will get done. I'm sure it will be a work in progress. It will also depend on family time, work, etc. After all, I do have a wife, two kids, and a law pratice to keep up with. As hard as it may be to believe, I don't get paid for this!

Holy Cow...basketball season is 7 weeks away???

Is it just me, or does it seem like it was just March? Didn't football season just get going??

Well, the Wildcats tip off the hoops season on November 10th in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That's only 7 weeks away!!

....And there's an exhibition game only 6 weeks away!!

Where did the time go?

Tentative schedule released

Games against Duke, Michigan and Missouri are the big non-conference contests. All three games are on the road.

The Wildcats will play in two "events". First, they will be part of the John Thompson Foundation Challenge from November 10-12 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Then they will play in the Arizona State Hoops Classic from December 21-22 in Tempe, Ariz.

The SoCon Tournament will once again be in Charleston. Maybe that's a good omen for the Wildcats. Charleston has, after all, been pretty good to Davidson.

Click here to view the tentative schedule.

Get your 2006 SoCon Championship gear

Here's a link to get your t-shirts and hats to celebrate winning the 2006 SoCon Tournament. Honestly, it's pretty slim pickings, and the shirts aren't all the great, but our team still won!!

Click here.

Former All-American Wildcat, John Gerdy, writes books

Air Ball: American Education's Failed Experiment with Elite Athletics

John Gerdy, former Wildcat, is now Dr. John Gerdy (PhD).....another example of how Davidson athletes are truly student-athletes. Click here for a profile. Click here for some Gerdy quotes.

"Lest his theories be dismissed as the sour grapes of a "nerd" who never competed in "elite" sports, Gerdy is a former All-American basketball player at Davidson College, played professional in the Continental Basketball Association. He served as associate commissioner of the Southeastern Conference from 1989-1995 and as a legislative assistant at the NCAA from 1986-1989."

Click here to read article from The Clarion Ledger (Mississippi)

Click here to read release from the University Press of Mississippi

Click here to read an article that John Gerdy wrote (May 2006) for The Chronicle Review "For True Reform, Athletics Scholarships Must Go"

This is not Gerdy's first book. In 2002, Sports: The All-American Addiction was published.

Former Wildcat Puff Summers making noise

Going job hunting
From the Culpeper Star-Exponent
Jeff Say
Sports Editor
Wednesday, August 23, 2006

The moment Lawrence “Puff” Summers walked into the gym in Raliegh, N.C., he stood out to USA Select Basketball general manager Sean Kilmartin.

It wasn’t because Summers blocked out the sun. The Culpeper native stands just 5-feet-9-inches –“ 5-10 on a good day,” “Puff” jokes.

Summers stood out for another reason. It was what he was wearing.

The 2005 graduate of Davidson College showed up for practice wearing a Davidson jersey, something that caused Kilmartin to laugh.

When the USA Select Basketball GM was a college player, he played for Davidson rival Appalachian State University. So when he saw Summers sporting a Wildcat shirt, it was strike one.

But that didn’t stop Kilmartin from choosing Summers for the USA Select team, a squad that will travel overseas to Europe Sept. 5 to play an exhibition schedule against the top teams France, England, Wales and Belgium have to offer.

Click here for the entire article. It's pretty long and all about the former Wildcat.

Wildcats get an apparent commitment

Aaron Bond

6-5, 180

"Georgetown Prep’s senior guard Aaron Bond has chosen his college this month. Reached yesterday via telephone, Bond shared 'I’m going to Davidson (College)'. "

"Bond, a 6’4”+, 180lb senior guard who attends Georgetown Prep (North Bethesda, MD), averaged 13 points, six assists, six boards, and three steals, while shooting 75% from the free throw line and 48% from the field as a junior"

Click to read both articles about Aaron Bond: Article 1 and Article 2

Here's Aaron (in black uniform) fighting for position during a game:

Non-Davidson: Goodbye, Steve

As everyone knows by now, Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, tragically died while filming a documentary. He will be missed by many. Here is Steve sporting Davidson colors. Who knew he was a Wildcat fan? Thanks for everything, Steve.

Recruiting News

Andrew Beinert
Ht: 6-1.5 Wt: 165
Position: PG, SG
Birthplace: Floral Park, NY
Year: Class of 2007
High School:
Chaminade HS(Mineola, NY)





Year-old article:
New York Jr. Combo Guard Has Two Offers
Date: Sep 25, 2005

Andrew Beinert, 6-foot-2, 160 pound junior combo guard from Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York, has a trio of New York colleges following his play. One, along with Davidson, has offered a scholarship.

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Recruiting visit info:

School***Interest Level***Offer?***Visit Date
Davidson High Interest Yes 09/08/2006
Holy Cross High Interest Yes 09/15/2006

Davidson Football highlight: Big Hit

Here's a big hit laid by Adam Elmore (2002?) against an Emory and Henry receiver coming across the middle. Notice the receiver's helmet gets knocked off.

BARRY TEAGUE UPDATE

The article below got me curious about Barry Teague, so I ran a Google search.

I found a September 2002 Davidson Math Department newsletter entitled "The Bernard Society Review" that mentioned Barry A. Teauge, '65. I would certainly think this is the same Barry Teague mentioned in the article.

I quote from page 8 of the 2002 newsletter: "Barry A. Teague ’65 continues work as a financial planner."

Barry was also quoted in a 1995 article from The Charlotte Observer about Fred Hetzel. The article is reprinted on the archive page of the Davidson website. Click here to read that article.

*****
Barry was also apparently on the 1963 SoCon All-Tournament 2nd Team.

Here is the entire list of 1st and 2nd teams:

1963
FIRST TEAM
Fred Hetzel, Davidson
Bill Jarman, Davidson
Howard Pardue, Virginia Tech
Jerry Smith, Furman
Rod Thorn, West Virginia **

SECOND TEAM
Frank Alvis, Virginia Tech
Bob Harris, William & Mary
Tom Lowry, West Virginia
Jim McCormick, West Virginia
Barry Teague, Davidson

**NOTE: This is the same Rod Thorn of NBA executive fame. He is the one that Dennis Rodman used to lash out at every time Dennis got fined, if I remember correctly. He's now the GM of the NJ Nets. (How about that...a Dennis Rodman tie-in to the Davidson Basketball blog???)


<==Rod Thorn in his days at West Virginia



Here's an article about the 1963 SoCon Tournament Finals: Mountaineers Claim Eighth Southern Conference Title

Random mention of Davidson Basketball

Not just about the pigskins

By Barry Byers · The Herald (Published July 6‚ 2006)

Last Thursday afternoon at Winthrop Coliseum, I ran into John Bramlett, an old friend and an assistant basketball coach at Northwestern.

I stopped by to congratulate Gregg Marshall on his decision to stay on as Winthrop's basketball coach and to check on a couple of facts for the stories we were writing concerning his big announcement earlier that afternoon.

"What are you doing in a basketball gym?'' asked Bramlett, who was working at Winthrop's youth basketball camp. "I thought you were a football man.''

Right and wrong, but thanks, John, for getting my memory bank spinning.

My late dad got me hooked on college basketball when I was still a tadpole. If the Davidson Wildcats were playing at the old Charlotte Coliseum, we were there. Even wrote a fan letter to Wildcats guard Barry Trague.

He never replied, breaking this then-12-year-old's heart. I still pulled for him.

That started a passion for the game and a habit of spending many dollars on publications such as Street & Smith's College Basketball Yearbook and the ACC Handbook, my favorite.

Click here for entire article.

1908: The first (?) DC basketball team

It is my understanding that this was the very first Davidson basketball team. It is also my understanding that they didn't play a game that year, but did have the team.

Click the picture to view a larger version.

SoCon preview on ESPN.com

Cremins is back, and C of C could be, too

Here's the Davidson portion:

Davidson loses seven seniors and 76 percent of its scoring from last season -- this after two consecutive 20-win campaigns (including a perfect conference record in 2004-05) and a valiant effort as a 15-seed in an eight-point loss to Ohio State in the NCAAs. So, it's fair to assume it's a rebuilding year.

"We lose leadership, chemistry, incredible work ethic, superb basketball IQs," coach Bob McKillop said. "We lose a lot, no doubt about it. I'm sure a lot of people are going to suspect that we're in a process of rebuilding ... when you look at us on paper, that's certainly the sense. But I think the mantle has been passed, and it's up to our returning players to carry it forward, to keep up the winning ways that have been part of the program since 1994."

Three players who averaged more than 15 minutes per game as sophomores in 2005-06 will step to the forefront: 6-1 Jason Richards (4.5 ppg/3.0 apg), Boris Meno and Thomas Sander.

"Richards will pick up the point guard position quite well," McKillop said. "He's ready to step into a leadership role, and I'm confident that he will. Meno can make plays with his size, length and athleticism. Thomas Sander is the the heart and soul of this team with his great work ethic. We'll build our team around those three juniors."

Given McKillop's run of success, it's within the realm of possibility that the large incoming class could jell and contribute quickly, but the real safe bet is that Davidson will re-emerge as a conference favorite in 2007-08.

Davidson: The most recognizable name in coach McKillop's large incoming class is 6-1 guard Stephen Curry, son of former Charlotte Hornets sharpshooter Dell, whose 40 percent mark from 3 range ranks him in the NBA's all-time top 10. But you know what they say about apples not falling far from the 3-point line. Curry the younger averaged better than 48 percent shooting from behind the arc in his senior season for Charlotte Christian.

(Thanks to wildcat12546 on davidsoncats.com for posting this article.)

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In the realm of the ridiculous, Joe Lunardi has already put together his 2007 NCAA Bracketology:

(Surely this is a joke!!)

Bracketology: Can Cremins be the difference? Joe Lunardi thinks so. In his very early look at the 2007 NCAA Tournament, our resident Bracketologist has the College of Charleston winning the SoCon's auto bid and landing a 14-seed.

Retrospective: 1967...from the days of Lefty

Victories over Wake Forest, Virginia, St. Joseph's and West Virginia highlight this season. A loss in the SoCon finals (I think it was the finals) ended the season. If I'm not mistaken, during this era, only the conference tournament champion went to the NCAA tournament.....regular season was meaningless to the NCAA tournament committee. (Please correct me if I'm wrong about any of this.)

Those are some sweet short-shorts they wore back then, weren't they? Also, did they actually have cheerleaders in 1967? There were no women admitted at that time. Were they Queens College students or am I just way off base thinking that the picture above is of Davidson cheerleaders?

On a sidenote, the 1967 Quips & Cranks is certainly the strangest yearbook I've seen, but probably not surprising coming from 1967. If you ever get to see this yearbook, you'll understand what I mean.

Click on the picture to see a larger version.

Retrospective: 1986

Click on the picture to see a larger version.

Retrospective: 1994

Click on the picture to see a larger version.

Kosmalski Gone to Europe; Sweeney Hired as Asst. Coach

Tim Sweeney Hired as Men's Assistant Basketball Coach

From Davidson Official Website

DAVIDSON, N.C.. -- Davidson men's basketball head coach Bob McKillop announced the hiring of Tim Sweeney as assistant coach to replace Landry Kosmalski, who accepted a coaching position in Sweden.

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Click here to get a little more info about Sweeney from an old article from the University of Rochester website. The web page will look a little strange. That's because it's been deleted, but Google has this as a cached version in memory.

Davidson grad & former McKillop aid joins Clemson staff

Lee Grad Returns to College Work

(From The News Leader in Staunton, VA)

William Roberson's basketball talents may have been limited, but his thirst for teaching the game he loves knows no bounds.

The Robert E. Lee (High School) and Davidson College graduate has joined Oliver Purnell's Clemson University coaching staff as a graduate assistant.

Coaching in the college ranks is nothing new to Roberson. He spent three years after his 2002 graduation from Davidson as the Wildcats' director of basketball operations under head coach Bob McKillop.

Click here to read entire article.

NBA Summer League finishes up

Brendan's full stats for the 4 games he played in are listed on his summer league page.

Click here to see all Brendan's Summer League stats.

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Paul Shirley, currently of the Minnesota Timberwolves, writes a good column for ESPN.com. Click here to get his insight into what the NBA Summer League is all about.

Brendan plays in game #5 against Raptors

Brendan played 6 minutes (40 minute game), scored 2 points (0-1 from 3 point range, 2-2 from the free throw line), had 1 rebound and one turnover.

Click here for box score.

Click here for game recap.

Also, Brendan briefly appears in the video highlights of the Warriors' game against Cleveland. Click here to go to the page featuring the video highlights, then click on the "video highlights" link under the Cleveland game listed in the gold box.

Brendan not on list for game #4 against Denver

Brendan was not in the box score for this game. I don't know if he just didn't get in the game for some reason or if he was hurt or what.

Brendan featured in the Warriors' Summer League blog

Click here to read the whole blog.

Here's the portion pertaining to Brendan from the July 9th entry:

Another player hoping to earn a job in the summer league is 6'5" swingman Brendan Winters. Winters is the son of former NBA sharpshooter - and former Warriors Head Coach - Brian Winters. The younger Winters was a four-year starter at Davidson, where he did a good job of emulating his father by establishing a school record with 268 three-pointers. He concluded his career at Davidson last year ranked fourth on the school's all-time scoring list (1,892 points) and was named Davidson's Male Athlete of the Year in 2005-06. His father, who is now the head coach of the WNBA's Indiana Fever, was one of the great shooters in NBA history. He tooled 12 years in the NBA, most notably with the Milwaukee Bucks, and was part of one of the biggest trades in NBA history (when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was traded from Milwaukee to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1976).

Brendan hopes he has the opportunity to be traded from one NBA team to another during his career. However, if hard work, dedication and a family-inherited shooting stroke are necessary prerequisites, he certainly has the chance. In two games thus far in the Vegas summer league, he has logged a total of 29 minutes and has converted 1-of-3 field goals. He will, most likely, see additional playing time today when the Warriors face the Detroit Pistons in a scrimmage at UNLV (not an official summer league game). But, in the interim, it's fun to imagine what those H.O.R.S.E. games must be like at a Winters' family reunion.

Brendan plays against Cleveland in game #3

Brendan was scoreless in 12 minutes of playing time (40 minute game). He was 0-3 from the field, including 0-2 from 3 point range, had 1 rebound and had 2 turnovers.

Click here for the box score.

Click here for the game recap.

Brendan plays against Clippers in game #2

Brendan played 13 minutes (40 minute game), and was 0-1 from the field, with 2 rebounds.

Click here for the box score.

Click here for the game recap.

Brendan plays against Portland in game #1

Brendan scored 4 points in 16 minutes (games are 40 minutes long). He was 1-2 from 3 point range and 1-2 from the free throw line. He also had 2 rebounds and 1 assist.

Click here for the box score.

Here are a couple of pictures from the game (courtesy of ESPN.com's photo wire). Brendan is not featured in either picture.

Golden State Warriors' Patrick O'Bryant catches his breath during an NBA Vegas Summer League basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas on Friday, July 7, 2006.

Golden State Warriors' Jose Juan Barea shoots against the Portland Trail Blazers during an NBA Vegas Summer League basketball game at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas on Friday, July 7, 2006.

Vegas Summer League website

Follow Brendan's play in the summer league.

This is the official website of the summer league in which the Warriors (with Brendan) are playing. You can get box scores, recaps, etc. here for all the games. You can get video, too, but it appears that you have to pay for video. The box scores, etc. are free.

Here's the page for Brendan Winters.

Warriors Summer League Media Guide

Brendan Winters is featured along with all the other players.

Click here to read it (PDF format).

Warriors Summer League Schedule

July 7, 6 p.m.
vs. Portland No TV

July 8, 4 p.m.
vs. L.A. Clippers No TV

July 10, 12 p.m.
vs. Cleveland NBA TV: July 13 (4 p.m.); July 14 (9 p.m.)

July 11, 2 p.m.
vs. Denver NBA TV: July 15 (8 p.m.); July 16 (1 p.m.)

July 13, 7 p.m.
vs. Toronto NBA TV: July 21 (2 p.m. & 11 p.m.); July 22 (9 a.m.)

Warriors summer league info

Click here to listen to interview with Mario Elie, summer league coach. Nothing about Brendan in this interview, though.

Click here to read the Warriors Summer League blog.

Brendan Winters in NBA summer league

From Davidson official website:
Brendan Winters Joins Golden State Warriors' Summer League Squad

DAVIDSON, N.C. — Former Davidson College men’s basketball standout Brendan Winters has signed to play with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors’ summer squad in the Toshiba Vegas Summer League (TVSL) as announced by the club’s front office Monday, July 3.

From around the web:

Most Valuable Network: Summer League Rosters Finalized

From NBA.com: Warriors Announce 2006 Summer League Roster

From NBA.com: Summer Leage Rosters

GAMES BEGIN FRIDAY:
The Warriors' summer league team will play five games in seven days at Cox Pavilion on the campus of UNLV, beginning Friday, July 7.

Reaction in Charleston

The Bushido, an avid supporter of the C of C, is very happy about having Cremins in charge of the Cougars.

Click here to read his post on his blog, "The Bushido Way". He has a number of excellent links to other stories on this hiring.

Cremins Taking Over In Charleston

From WLTX:

"After spending six years away from the bench, Bobby Cremins is apparently about to rejoin the coaching ranks. The 59-year-old Cremins has reportedly accepted an offer from the College of Charleston to become that school's new basketball coach. Cremins has not coached since leaving Georgia Tech following the 1999-2000 season."

Click here for entire article from WLTX out of Columbia, SC.

Cremins, Cougars close deal
from Charleston Post & Courier

College of Charleston coaching saga

First, Herrion's fired as head coach at C of C.

Then Gregg Marshall is hired away from Winthrop.

Then Gregg Marshall quits C of C to go back to Winthrop, saying he just couldn't leave Winthrop. This is known in the Palmetto State as "pulling a Cremins" (remember Bobby Cremins did the same thing to the Gamecocks in 1993, taking the USC job, then backing out and returning to Ga Tech the next day).

Two additional candiates are in the running for the C of C job: Buzz Peterson and, ironically, BOBBY CREMINS????. Bobby interviewed on Friday.

Buzz Peterson withdraws his name from consideration, leaving Bobby Cremins as the only candidate.

How's that for irony? Cremins apparently gets back into coaching when another coach "pulls a Cremins".