"My rule was I wouldn't recruit a kid if he had grass in front of his house.
That's not my world. My world was a cracked sidewalk." —Al McGuire

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

BIG EAST coaches recognize Hayward

The BIG EAST announced the coaches' pre-season 2009-2010 all-conference selections at media day this morning. Unlike the unprepared BIG EAST basketball beat writers, the coaches smartly placed Lazar Hayward on the first-team all conference squad. Congratulations, Lazar.

The coaches pick MU to finish 12th in the league this year.

2009-10 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame (Player of the Year), F, Sr., 6-8, 255, Schererville, Ind.
Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati, G, Sr., 6-1, 190, Indianapolis, Ind.
Greg Monroe, Georgetown, C, So., 6-11, 247, New Orleans, La.
Lazar Hayward, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-6, 225, Buffalo, N.Y.
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-2, 195, Herndon, Va.
Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia, F, Sr., 6-7, 225, Newark, N.J.

2009-10 Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
Jerome Dyson, Connecticut, G, Sr., 6-3, 190, Potomac, Md.
Kemba Walker, Connecticut, G, So., 6-1, 172, Bronx, N.Y.
Samardo Samuels, Louisville, F, So., 6-9, 260, Trelawny, Jamaica
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, G, Jr., 6-5, 185, Bronx, N.Y.
Dominique Jones, USF, G, Jr., 6-4, 205, Lake Wales, Fla.
Devin Ebanks, West Virginia, F, So., 6-9, 210, Long Island City, N.Y.

* a tie in the balloting created six positions

2009-10 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Stanley Robinson, Connecticut, F, Sr., 6-9, 210, Birmingham, Ala.
Arinze Onuaku, Syracuse, C, Sr., 6-9, 275, Lanham, Md

2009-10 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

2009-10 BIG EAST Preseason Rookie of the Year
Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati


BIG EAST coaches pre-season poll

1. Villanova (10)
2. West Virginia (5)
3. Connecticut (1)
4. Louisville
5. Georgetown
6. Syracuse
7. Cincinnati
8. Notre Dame
9. Pittsburgh
10. Seton Hall
11. St. John's
12. Marquette
13. Providence
14. USF
15. Rutgers
16. DePaul

1 comment:

Championships Matter said...

Are you kidding me? If the coaches and beat writers really believe this, there will be a lot of congestion and jockeying for standings positions 9 to 12.

Part of the problem may well be we're out here and a relative newcomer to the Big East. We have a young, young team, yes, but that can be said of the entire bottom half of the Big East.

Al used to poor-mouth what he knew was a good team. You sneak up on people that way.

To that end, we'll surprise some teams this year because of these pre-season rankings and may well make the NCAA tournament as the last major conference team invited. If that's the case and we draw 8/9 game, we won't last long. But that's an incredible season if we get there.

Here's hoping we're better than anyone thinks we are.