In order to gain a better insight into the play of USC transfer Alexis Moore, we asked The Daily Trojan men’s hoops beat writer Joey Kaufman for some much-needed intel.
You’re going to glance at Alexis Moore’s stats, and they won’t exactly tell you much. He started 18 games last season and averaged 4.3 points and two rebounds per contest — nothing really to write home about.
Part of the problem for Moore, a freshman, largely centered on the fact that he was playing too many minutes, as was the case for many members of USC’s men’s basketball team last season. He averaged roughly 25 per game, far more than what was anticipated when he was recruited out of Long Beach Poly.
So as you can imagine, he struggled a bit, particularly shooting-wise. He made just 28.7 percent of shots from the field and 28.3 percent from 3-point range. He isn’t a particularly explosive athlete. Not that quick. Average ball handler. Average defender. But he is fundamentally sound and that should help him in the Ivy League. He works very hard and should improve.
He’s one of those college players who will need a couple of years to develop, but once he does, he should be serviceable at the very least. [Moore] has a good attitude, smart guy and I’d expect him to improve over the coming years. Put him in a good system, and he should improve.
When Penn softball coach Leslie King chose to play Georgia Guttadauro over Karina Rios at first base last weekend against Cornell, she had nothing to go on but a “gut feeling.”
It’s safe to say that King’s instincts paid off.
Guttadauro won Ivy League Player of the Week honors for her performance against the Big Red, which included six hits, two home runs and five RBIs. The sophomore hit .545 on the weekend and propelled the Quakers to win their first series over Cornell since 2007, as the Red and Blue beat the Big Red in three of four outings.
Guttadauro is the first Penn player to earn Player of the Week since April 27, 2010, when Brooke Coloma won the award.
In the women's 4x100-meter relay Team USA sprint team will feature Allyson Felix and Carmelita Jeter, both with Olympic aspirations this year. They will be joined by Francena McCorory, Jessica Beard, and Bianca Knight. All five represented the United States at the World Championsips in Daegu, South Korea last year on ateam that took home gold in the 4x100m and 4x400-meter relays.
Phoebe Wright and Erica Moore will also compete for Team USA in the sprint medley. Wright has won multiple Penn Relays as a collegiate athlete, while Moore won her first international medal this year.
Team USA will face still challenges from Jamaica and Great Britain. Jamaica’s team will feature Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (the defending Olympian champion in the 100), Kerron Stewart, and Sherone Simpson in the 4x100 (a fourth runner is yet to be determined). All three medaled in Beijing. Shericka Williams and Novlene Williams-Mills will be running in the 4x400m, and Kenia Sinclair will be in the 800 meters.
Team Britain features Shana Cox, Nicole Sanders, Christine Ohuruogu, and Perri Shrakes-Drayton. That’s the same quartet that outran its American competitors in the 4x400m at the World Indoor Championships, taking gold by three thousandths of a second.
On the men’s side, Team USA’s sprinters will feature, in addition to Merrit, Walter Dix, Angelo Taylor, Justin Gatlin, and Bershawn Jackson. The medley team, anchored by Lagat, will also sport Jeshua Anderson, Khadevis Robinson, Nick Symmonds, Russel Brown, as well as Manzano.
Team USA will face plenty of international competition. The Jamaican, as the defending world and Olympic champions, are the likely favorites in the 4x100. The team’s top three runners are Nesta Carter, Jermaine Gonzales, and Allodin Fothergill.
Another notable athlete is Kirani Jones, who hails from Grenada, and is currently the 400m world champion.
Sunday morning we learned University of Southern California freshman point guard Alexis Moore had committed to Penn. As he does not meet any NCAA transfer exception rules, he will sit out the 2012-13 season. He won't be a contributor until the current sophomore class is in their final season, but that isn't stopping us from speculating on how he'll fit into what will be a pretty solid Quakers squad.
Problem is, while we can look at statistics all day, there's not much we can gain from them. Moore was thrown into the starting point guard position much quicker than he should have been, and his team left little to work with. The Trojans went 1-17 in the Pac-12 last year, and Moore is the third USC transfer this year. His relatively low stats — 4.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game off 24.8 minutes — aren't great, but neither were Zack Rosen's his freshman year. Rosen averaged 8.1 points, 6 assists and 31.1 minutes per game on a 10-18 Quakers squad. Sure, Rosen's stat line is markedly better, but the point is you can't judge a book by its cover.
As someone who hasn't seen Moore play in person (I did watch some post-game pressers, and I found him to be extremely well-spoken, intelligent, defensive-minded and coachable), I can't comment on how he will fit into the team after he sits a year and learn's coach Allen's gameplan. But I can check out what others from USC have had to say about Moore. Click the jump for the quotes: From USCHoops.com —
Alexis was the de facto spokesman for a team that was devoid of leadership. He put himself out there during myriad interviews, taking blame in instances where even his coach wouldn't. Sure, he had a rough year, largely because he was playing out of position, but you could tell there was a lot of potential and upside there.
Sad to see the kid go, he seemed like a great kid and definitely had a lot of heart. I really thought he had some potential although he probably wasn't ready to play as many minutes this year as he got.
You were a great representative of SC and a class act all the way. On the one hand, I'm very sorry to see you go because you are such a great kid, but on the other hand, you will definitely be in a better situation with a coach who respects your talent and can coach you on offense. Your next school will be lucky to get you. Fight On!
Moore was supposed to be a backup point guard behind senior Jio Fontan, but got a significant amount of playing time when Fontan went down with a torn ACL in August.
The Trojans went 6-26 in the 2011-12 season, with a 1-17 record in the Pac-12, last in the conference.
The only team both the Quakers and Trojans played this season was UCLA. Penn fell to the Bruins, 77-73, on Dec. 10. USC lost both its games to UCLA, 66-47 and 55-40.
Update: The Daily News' Dick Jerardi reported that Jerome Allen was contacted by Larry Brown and according to close friends, "he was given a unique opportunity at his alma mater and had already brought the Quakers quite a long way in a very short time. Allen, the friends thought, wanted to finish what he started at Penn and get the Quakers back to their customary spot atop the Ivy League." Jerardi said that Allen was traveling and still considering his options, but Allen's friends said that "his love of Penn might be difficult for Brown to overcome."
Update: According to a report on ESPN.com, a holdup to a final deal are contracts for Illinois State coach Tim Jankovich for a "coach-in-waiting" position, as well as contracts for Illinois assistant Jerrance Howard and former Kentucky assistant Rod Strickland.
There are reports that Jerome Allen is being considered for the assistant position at Southern Methodist under new head coach Larry Brown.
Brown, who hasn't coached in college for more than 20 years, was hired by SMU on Tuesday and the original report stated that Illionis State coach Tim Jankovich may join Brown as the coach-in-waiting.
However Jeff Goodman, who wrote the original brief, is now reporting that Jerome Allen is being considered as a potential coach-in-waiting. Allen, who played 51 games under Brown for the Indiana Pacers, is 39-43 in two and a half seasons as a head coach for the Quakers.
Brennan acknowledges that the chances the tournament happens are slim, and he argues that the Ivy League should be a model for more mid-major conferences rather than the other way around:
Look, we all love when a team like Western Kentucky, which entered the 2012 NCAA tournament with a losing record and an interim head coach, rises from the ashes in the postseason, puts together a magnificent week of basketball, and earns an unlikely trip to the NCAA tournament. It's always a heartwarming story. But is it any more heartwarming than a mid-major league -- where the chances for an at-large bid are almost always slim to none -- ensures its NCAA tournament representative is the team that was best for the entire measure of the season? Doesn't that team deserve it more? Shouldn't a trip to the tournament (if not the tournament itself, obviously) be less about the randomness of one-time elimination games and more about the content of a mid-major team's entire season?
I think so. Simply put, it's about sample size. By the end of the season, the Ivy League ensures that its most deserving team enters the NCAA tournament. There are no (OK, few) lucky runs and no (OK, few) unjustly absent frontrunners. It is, I would argue, as it should be.
There's also the matter of making the regular season more entertaining and impactful. When every game matters -- and this is probably true of mid-major leagues more than the big boys, particularly because so many at-large bids come from high-major leagues, but the general concept works all the same -- there is less incentive for casual fans to ignore the games in January and February, to merely tune in during the final week before the NCAA tournament. From January to March, the Ivy League's format makes every game count.
Don't change, Ivy League. Don't ever change. Your lack of tournament makes you unique; it gives you cachet. But I would agree with Bilsky: You also happen to have it right.
If anything, other conferences, especially mid-majors, should follow the Ivy's lead -- not the other way around.
Though the Penn baseball team lost, 6-3, to St. Joe's Tuesday night in the final of the Liberty Bell Classic at Citizens Bank Park, coach John Cole and his players spoke after the game about the amazing opportunity to play in a major league park:
The Quakers are at Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies, for the final of the Liberty Bell Classic against St. Joe's. Follow all the action right here:
With the world's oldest track meet set to begin in one week, Penn students who wish to go to Penn Relays just received some great news.
Tickets for Saturday's events will be free for all Penn Students.
Typically Penn Relays has allowed Penn Card holders to enter for free on Thursday and Friday of the Carnival, however this year Penn students can reserve tickets online using a special offer code "relayspenn."
Teams for the Olympic Development 4x100-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay, sprint medley relay and distance medley relay have yet to be announced.
At the senior student-athlete banquet Monday night at the Inn at Penn, five seniors were given awards for their time and talents both on off the field.
Zack Rosen (men's hoops) and Paige Madison (track) took home the biggest honors of the night, the Class of 1915 Award and the Association of Alumnae Fathers' Award, respectively. Alek Ferro (men's lacrosse) and Meg Krasne (softball) received the Norman J. Goldring Award for having the highest GPA as male and female varsity athletes. Finally, Grant Wilson (heavyweight rowing) received the George H. Frazier Award for having the highest GPA between the basketball, crew, track, soccer, baseball and football teams.
The Class of 1915 Award, in existence since 1931, is given to a graduating male "who best exemplifies the spirit and tradition of University of Pennsylvania Athletics." The recipient must have at least a 3.0 GPA, and is voted on by men's head coaches and select athletic department administrators. Rosen is the first men's hoops recipient since Steve Danley in 2007.
Track and field captain Madison was given the Fathers' Award for her "contribution to Women's Athletics" and her "outstanding athletic, academic, and leadership qualities." Again, recipients must have a 3.0 GPA and the award is voted on by women's varsity coaches and select athletic department officials. Madison currently holds three Penn records on the track (sprint medley relay, 400-meter hurdles, outdoor 4x100m relay) and has top-10 times in four other individual events and as a part of five relays. She was the first woman in Penn history to go under 1 minute in the 400m hurdles.
While the Phillies are in the midst of a 10-game, West Coast road trip, the Quakers will take the field under the lights of Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia tomorrow night at 7:30 to take on St. Joe's in the championship game of the 21st Annual Liberty Bell Classic. Penn, one of the original eight participants in the Classic since it was introduced in 1992, will be appearing in its first ever championship game. The Hawks, who have also never won a title, will be taking part in their first final since they lost to Temple in 2003.
The Red and Blue earned their spot in the title game with their 11-4 quarterfinal victory over defending champion Villanova on March 27 and a 9-4 semifinal win over La Salle on April 3. Coming off a brutal 1-3 weekend at Princeton, the Quakers will likely be shorthanded on pitching, and coach John Cole may have to call to the centerfield bullpen several times throughout the game. The Hawks earned their berth by topping Temple, 4-1, in the quarterfinals and defeating Delaware, 3-2, in the semis. They are coming off a 2-1 weekend series win over UMass.
Follow along tomorrow night right here on The Buzz as we liveblog all the action!
I just received a statement from Athletic Director Steve Bilsky on the possibility of an Ivy League tournament in men's basketball. The statement is a response to reports that Ancient Eight coaches are proposing a post-game tournament between the top four teams to determine the League's NCAA Tournament representative.
Two key takeaways: 1) To no surprise, Bilsky does not support an Ivy Tournament. 2) A major priority of his is to get football in the post-season. Here's the full release:
"Many coaches groups have submitted proposals for Ivy Tournaments and I'm sure the men's basketball one will receive the same consideration as has been done in the past.
"Over the years there has been wide-ranging discussion on the merits of a men's basketball tournament. There are many philosophical, as well as logistical, issues and challenges to consider. In my opinion, to date, the reasons not to have a tournament have been much more compelling than the reasons to sponsor one. When it comes to basketball competition, the double round-robin format to select the NCAA representative is one instance where I believe the Ivy League has it right.
"Nevertheless, our Ivy spring meetings are the proper forum to revisit this issue. Frankly, I would rather have the League place a greater priority on finding a way for our football programs to play in postseason competition."
There may finally be an Ivy League tournament coming to a gym near you.
According to a report in the Harvard Crimson on Friday night, Ivy coaches are preparing a proposal for four-team single-elimination tournament. Currently, the Ivy League is the only conference where the regular season champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, but the addition of a tournament would surely change that.
The proposal is still in its early stages. After being constructed, it must be sent to athletic director's around the Ivies for approval before being passed on to a policy committee. Finally, all eight university presidents must vote on the change.
The change would have other important postseason implications. By instituting a tournament, the winner of the regular season would, by NCAA regulations, compete in the NIT.
Last season, the Ancient Eight saw a record four teams play in the postseason. Harvard was a 12th-seed in the NCAA tournament and lost to Vanderbilt in the first round. Penn and Princeton, both made the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Invitational, respectively. Yale lost in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
This year, a number of games were broadcast on ESPN3, the network's streaming portal. Penn's upset of Havard on Feb. 25, Harvard's win over Cornell on Mar. 3 and Penn's defeat at the hands of Princeton on Mar. 6 were just some of the Ivy games broadcast this year.
Needless today say, the end of this year provided its own dramatics and was a major factor of why coaches favor a touranment. Until the final weekend of the season, four teams still had a mathematical chance to win or share the Ivy Title.
Princeton finished its regular season winning eight of nine and Penn won seven straight before falling to Princeton in its final regular season game.
We're still more than two months away from the NBA draft, but after two days of competition at the Portsmouth Invitational, Zack Rosen is starting to get some attention.
The latest draft projection from NBAdraft.net has Rosen as the penultimate 59th pick in the draft, going to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rosen is the only Ivy League player to appear on the board, though for some reason, the website doesn't list his school.
The senior has also made up considerable ground on ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford's projections (Requires ESPN insider). He was listed 152nd on Ford's rankings just two weeks ago. Now he's up to 89th.
Rosen's team lost in the consolation bracket of the Portsmouth Invitational last night. The point guard went 3-for-5 with six points in 23 minutes. He also had two rebounds, two fouls, three assists and a turnover. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey was in Virginia this week and spoke with on NBA draft analyst about Rosen's chances:
"He's a guy that definitely helped himself," NBA draft analyst Jim Clibanoff said.
Clibanoff, however, doesn't think Rosen is talented enough to make an NBA roster through the draft.
"But he definitely is a gritty-enough player, who really competes, really has a good will about him to make his team better," said Clibanoff, who also is the president of ClibHoops, a scouting service used by NBA teams. "Of course, as the level of his teammates increases, will he have that same control over that team?"
After an early exit from Portsmouth, Rosen will hope he turned enough heads to get an invite to the NBA draft combine in Chicago next month.
24 Minutes, 4 points, 2-for-5 shooting, 0-for-2 from three, one offensive rebound, six assists, two turnovers, one steal, one block.
Only his six assists were on par with Rosen's season numbers, though he played about 14 minutes less than his season average. His team, K&D Rounds Landscaping fell to Cherry, Bekaert & Holland (featuring Greg Mangano and Keith Wright), 85-73. Rosen's team will play tonight in the consolation bracket. Those who were down in Virginia for the tournament had mixed reactions to his night.
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, who mostly covers Temple hoops, tweeted about Rosen's performance:
While Pompey found a couple issues with Rosen's game, he is at least familiar with Rosen's abilities. Ryan Mattocks of NBAdraft.net, has seen less of Rosen this year, and had a lot of praise for Penn's point guard, and hinted that Rosen could fit into an NBA roster:
6’1” Zack Rosen (Penn) is the absolute epitome of a coach on the floor. The Ivy League Player of the Year dominated Jordan Taylor in the first half of their matchup tonight – causing him to go 0-6 from the floor and turn the ball over three times. Aside from his swarming defensive presence, Rosen found guys in transition with user-friendly passes either off the bounce or of the lob variety. His understanding of the nuances of the game cannot be understated – and coupled with his competitiveness may lead to a spot on an NBA roster. Lefty showed a step-back jumper from 17’. Shot is a tad flat from deep. Great facilitator in the half-court and not afraid to head-hunt screens. Could be a huge thorn in the side vs. opposing PGs in the league in doses. Questions will be his ballhandling/shooting. Can he play at 2 speeds since he’s not an outstanding athlete?
Saturday's win was their second over a nationally ranked opponent. They beat the then-No. 37 doubles team at Maryland on Feb. 12. That Terrapins pair of Ana Belzunce and Welma Luus is now ranked No. 26.
Rodin and Eskenazi are now the second-highest ranked doubles team in the Ivies, behind Princeton's No. 30 team of Hilary Bartlett and Lindsay Graff.
The duo will get another nationally ranked opponent Saturday, when the Quakers host Harvard and the No. 48 doubles team of Hideko Tachibana and Kristin Norton.
Today Zack Rosen will take the next step on his journey to go pro, playing at the four-day Portsmouth Invitational Tournament — a showcase for college basketball's best seniors. Rosen hopes his play at the PIT will earn him an invite to the NBA draft combine in Chicago next month.
The Quakers' star point guard is one of 64 seniors invited to Portsmouth. Some familiar names on the list include Yale's Greg Mangano, Harvard's Keith Wright, Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs — a close friend of Rosens's, and Juan Fernandez and Ramone Moore out of Temple.
When I spoke to Rosen a few weeks ago about his post-Penn aspirations, he said he was looking forward to playing with the heightened, non-Ivy League competition.
"Let’s see what happens when there’s not as much attention on me," he said.
Rosen will play on the "K&D Rounds Landscaping" team. Rosters are available here. Note that Mangano and Wright will be playing together at the tournament, and will face Rosen's team in the first round at 7 p.m. tomorrow.
While an invite to the PIT is an honor for the recently crowned Big 5 player of the year, it is by no means a golden ticket. According to the tournament's website, five of 64 participants last year are currently on NBA rosters. Jeremy Lin, who went to Portsmouth in 2010, was not drafted but found his way to the Golden State Warriors.
I went through Portsmouth's data, which goes back 10 years, to see how many players regularly make it to the big leagues:
As you can see, the past two years have seen a decrease in Portsmouth participants who made it to the NBA. On average over the 10 year period, 10 players have made the jump each year, about 16% overall.
Rosen knows what he has to overcome to reach the promised land.
As he put Portsmouth: "Destroy it — that’s my plan. Play my game, do what I do, and from there see what happens"
Last year, it was Alyssa Baron. This year, Kara Bonenberger is in the spotlight.
The freshman forward became the third Penn women's basketball player to win the Big 5 Rookie of the Year, a year after Baron won the same award.
The 6-foot-1 Bonenberger started 12 games, averaged 8.4 points per contest throughout the season and became an important low-post presence after an injury to senior forward Jess Knapp.
However, she wasn't the only player to be honored.
The aforementioned Baron was honored as a member of the first-team for the second straight year. She led the Quakers in field goals, threes, free throws and assists. She is the first member of the program to win back-to-back awards since Jewel Clark won three straight (2002-04).
Senior Jess Knapp will also be honored at the awards dinner. She was named the Sportsmanship Award winner after she continued to rehab and play despite tearing her ACL and MCL in December.
Even as senior Zack Rosen competes at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, he is still being honored at home.
The guard won the Robert V. Geasey Award as the Philadelphia Big 5 player of the year making him the sixth different member of the Quakers to win the award. (Ron Haigler won the award in 1973-74 and 1974-75.)
The 6-foot-1 guard set program records in all-time assists, minutes and games played and was named to the first-team All-Big 5 along with Temple's Ramone Moore and Khaliff Wyatt, 'Nova's Maalike Wayns and Langston Galloway of St. Joseph's. Rosen was the only Penn player to be honored as All-Big 5.
Rosen also won the Palumbo Trophy as the city's scoring champion. Former Penn coach Fran Dunphy won Coach of the Year and his Owls' squad won the Team of the Year.
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