Sorry folks on the delay for this week's (or I guess now, last week's) tidbits. Work and an important wedding were the top priorities for your boy this past week.
But now I'm back, and ready to deliver the important stories that made the airwaves on ESPN, or in print in the Indy Star and Fort Wayne's News Sentinel. It was a delightful week in the world of sports, a week with more quality stories than quantity. Let's get to the recap.
1. Instate shooting guard commits to Crean, Indiana
Tom Crean has said on many occasions that when he recruits, he looks for players who are not only talented, but who want to sincerely play at Indiana. With the commitment of Austin Etherington, he has found both.
Last Tuesday morning, Etherington, out of Hamilton Heights, Indiana, made his college decision in person to Crean on a surprise visit to Bloomington. The 6-6 shooting guard committed to Indiana after much deliberation with his friends, family and high school coaches. In the end, he chose the Hoosiers over offers from Oklahoma State, Xavier and Butler.
As for ranking, Scout.com offers a four-star rating and ranks him as the 12th best shooting guard in the 2011 class. Rivals.com gives the future Hoosier a three-star mark.
Scroll down three stories to see new clips of Etherington in action in Las Vegas.
Here is a scouting report from Mike Pegram of Peegs.com...
Peegs' Scouting Report
You have to start with how good a shooter Etherington can be, especially from the baseline. He is deadly there, or at least was in Las Vegas last week. But what makes him valuable is he is a pure shooter with good size plus he has good bounce off the floor and will fill the lane well in transition. He needs to work on his defense but there are not a lot of other weaknesses. His handle is decent and while he needs to look more for teammates, he showed good progress from April to July in this area. In fact he improved in most every area from April to July as he begins to regain his feel for the game following his knee injury.
2. Indy Linebacker commits to Purdue
Danny Hope may have found a diamond in the rough in Indianapolis linebacker Joe Gilliam.
On August 7, the Southport High School product became the 10th committment in the 2010 class for coach Hope and Boilermakers. In a statement to Kyle Charters of GoldandBlack.com, Gilliam had this to say about Purdue.
"I really connected well with all the coaches, Coach Hope, and my position coach, Coach (Mark) Hagen. It's about an hour and thirty minutes away from my home and that's another factor, and I felt like I could get a good degree there from Purdue."
Listed as a three-star outside linebacker on Rivals.com, Gilliam is ranked as the seventh best prospect in the state of Indiana in 2010. By year's end, he could reach the four-star mark. He picked the Purdue over a boat-load of offers from programs such as Stanford, Wisconsin, Indiana, Colorado, Nebraska, and Michigan State.
3. Notre Dame lands four-star linebacker
The Irish are dancing like it's 1999 after receiving a commitment from Prince. This may not be the Prince you are thinking of, though.
Prince Shembo, a Rivals.com four-star linebacker out of Charlotte, North Carolina, made his pledge to Notre Dame last Monday evening, becoming the 14th commitment for Irish in the 2010 class. Shembo is listed as a defensive end, but considers himself as a 'hyprid' player (a player who can play multiple positions, in this case defensive end, or linebacker.)
Other than Chris Martin, many recruiting analysts consider Shembo as one of the most important commitments for the Irish in this recruiting cycle.
4. Introducing the "Uro Club" and "Potty Putter"
It's never too early to start thinking about what to give others for Christmas, even in the month of August. Check out these two new popular golf items that would make any golfer happy for years to come.
Uro Club
Potty Putter
5. Dominique Ferguson to Florida International
Yes, you read that correctly.
In a surprising commitment to say the least, former Lawrence North standout and now Hargrave Military Academy senior Dominique Ferguson, who was ranked as one of the top high school players in the state of Indiana in the 2010 class, committed to Isiah Thomas and the Panthers last week over offers from a few big name programs. Purdue and Indiana never pulled the trigger for a number of reasons, including scholarship numbers and on court problems shown by Ferguson, but the likes of Arizona and Kentucky did make a push for the 6-9 power forward.
While a high school player can commit to any college of his choosing, this one is a bit puzzling, considering the lack of success lately from both Thomas and Florida International.
6. Crabtree holds out...for now
It's only a matter of time before San Francisco rookie wide out Michael Crabtree comes to terms with the team over a contract. In the meantime, however, the once Texas Tech great is sure making things difficult for himself and the NFL.
In a statement made by Crabtree's adviser and now infamous cousin, the 10th overall pick in the 2009 draft is considering sitting out the 2009 season if they dollar numbers do not match up in ongoing contract negotiations. And if Crabtree does in fact sit out, NFL rules indicate that he can re-enter his name in the 2010 draft.
Crabtree's camp, who includes Eugene Parker, a well-known professional football agent from Fort Wayne, says the receiver is seeking top-three pick money, which is around 40 million dollars in guarantees. The problem, Crabtree wasn't a top-three pick.
While I don't think the 49ers will cave into this demand, it's likely a deal will be made before the season begins.
7 . Ramblings
-David Ortiz has spoken out about the latest allegations that he usd PEDs back in 2003. I want to believe the guy, but sadly nowadays players are proven guilty until innocent. I will hold further judgment on this matter until it's reported on what was found in his system
-With Carlos Zambrano back on the injury list, speculation has grown that Jeff Samardzija will be named named as the fifth man in the Cubs rotation. I hope he has better success as a starter than latest performances coming out of the bullpen.
-In Washington D.C., football is king. Want proof? On Saturday, the city had two of its teams, the Washington Redskins and Washington Nationals, play on the same day. The Redskins hosted a scrimmage, which was open to the public, while the Nationals took on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Looking at attendance numbers, it's clear the Redskins control the city's fanbase.
Redskins (scrimmage): 29,000
Nationals: 24,551
-It's back to Vegas for the last tidbit this week. 'Sin City' has recently released its point spreads for the first week of the college football season. Kickoff isn't for another 27 days, but here are some of the early lines from the important games in week one.
*The link will direct you to the USAtoday.com website.
Alabama -5.5
Virginia Tech
Nevada
ND -12
Toledo
Purdue -12
North Texas
Ball State -19.5
Western Michigan
Michigan -11
Missouri
Illinois -6
Georgia
Oklahoma State -5.5
Miami
Florida State -3.5
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