Marist lawsuit goes national

When you've made it onto Deadspin, you know the story is big.
The popular blog site weighs in on Marist's lawsuit against former head coach Matt Brady. While the biggest case made by Deadspin writer Barry Petchesky and Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora revolves around the transfer of recruits, Brady's departure is missing in their argument.
One of the focal points of this lawsuit includes wording in Brady's contract and James Madison's knowledge of the contractual status.
This case, to me, is not as complicated as everyone is making it seem. This clause is nothing new. Boston College football coach Jeff Jagodzinski was fired after not receiving consent to talk to the New York Jets about their previous coaching vacancy. In the NHL, Brent Sutter needed consent to talk with the Calgary Flames before taking their job opening.
While recruiting is an issue, this case centers on breach of contract. JMU is involved because they either knowlingly aided Brady in breaching his contract, or they were ignorant and didn't read the fine print. Either way, Marist has a case.
Unlike in professional sports, you can't be awarded draft-pick compensation. Therefore, Marist is gunning for financial renumerations to cover all the expenses of cleaning up Brady's mess. Imagine Julius Wells being forced to attend Marist as compensation for Brady's error. It's impossible. Where recruits attend school is not that big of a deal. A coach violating his contract is.
Granted, Marist is far better off with Chuck Martin as head coach. It's not even close. Brady pulled off one of the great heist's in college coaching history. He took the previous coach's phenomenal recruiting class and parlayed it into another job. Martin has already recruited more talent than Brady ever did in his tenure.
As far as a future precedent, I don't see the issue being nearly as large as most would make it seem. This case simply means that coaches will have full knowledge of all the provisions going into a contract. The idea floated out there that coaches will now only sign one or two year contracts is ludicrous. Imagine Martin attempting to get a bigger job after just two seasons. A two-year deal would not allow coaches to build a sufficient resume. This case does mean that coaches are more likely to hammer out the details before signing. There is the possibility a coach would not sign at a mid-major if there is the possibility the college would not allow him to talk to other schools. The thought that coaches would not want to coach here and recruits would not want to come here because of this lawsuit is erroneus, in my opinion.

Marist files lawsuit against Brady, JMU

The Poughkeepsie Journal has learned that Marist is suing former men's head coach Matt Brady over his departure to James Madison University in Virginia.
According to Brady's contract, he had to have written consent from Marist College before pursuing any other job opportunities. In addition, JMU apparently knew about this and signed Brady anyway. This came months after Brady signed a four-year extension with Marist.
I talked to Marist AD Tim Murray days after this occurred back in 2008, and he did say he was really surprised Brady leftt, but made no mention that Brady violated his contract.
Evidently, Brady's contract stipulated he could not take any recruits with him to JMU, which he obviously did. Julius Wells went on to have an excellent season in the CAA.
There had been some rumblings in previous days that Marist was planning on making an announcement in regards to a legal matter, and today we learned of the report.
For the initial story, click here.

Jared Jordan Tracker: DNP in win vs. Bulls

Anthony Randolph tied a Summer-League record by scoring 42 points as the Warriors defeated the Bulls, 95-83, tonight.
Randolph was really the only thing worth watching in the game as Stephen Curry played miserably and Jordan did not see the floor. As far as I could tell from watching the game, he wasn't even on the bench. Cartier Martin and Lawrence Roberts also did not play for Golden State.
Acie Law IV was the only other point guard to see minutes. He played 11:20 off the bench while Curry handled the point for 34:24. Curry shot 3-of-15 for 10 points, dished out eight assists but turned the ball over four times. His only real highlight from a scoring point-of-view was a long bank shot from the left wing.
Tonight marks another missed opportunity for Jordan to showcase what he can do. It's obvious he won't be with Golden State, but he hasn't had the chance to make another NBA squad think about picking him up. According to the announcers, 22 other teams are represented in Las Vegas with coaches and scouts.
The Warriors moved to 3-1 with the win and will take on the Hornets Thursday in their Summer-League finale.

Marist musings for 2009-10

I had an opportunity to discuss next year's team at some length with my source inside the Marist athletics department. There were a number of interesting things that came about regarding next year's team. This is good food for thought when predicting what next year's team will look like:

* The biggest player to watch is Casiem Drummond, although his performance won't be the most fascinating part. My source mentioned that Drummond's success in the MAAC will be in large part due to how the officials treat him. Drummond is a superior athlete, one that the MAAC has rarely seen, if ever. If the officials call a lot of ticky-tack fouls because of his size and his ability to out-muscle people, he could find himself in foul trouble. Theoretically, Drummond should own the MAAC because there is no one near his size with his Big East background. If Ryan Rossiter is allowed to flop and Drummond picks up the charge, he could see more time on the bench than anyone on staff anticipates.

* The starting lineup is far from set in stone. There are any number of possibilites, especially when it comes to Daye Kaba. He has not be officially listed as either a No. 2 or a No. 3, so it's quite possible match-ups dictate what position he will play. It's obvious that will be the case for much of the team for most of the year. I have predicted he starts at the No. 3 spot, but it's also possible he plays the No. 2 guard position and Dorvell Carter and Rob Johnson occupy the No. 3 and No. 4 spots.

* Don't be surprised if Sam Prescott is in the starting rotation. That is just me guessing, but from everything I've heard about him, he should be a star in the MAAC. It also helps that he's been working out with the team all summer, and I also saw him helping out Martin and his assistans at the Marist camp two weeks ago. My source says that Prescott, "could be the most athletic recruit we've ever brought in at that position." Tyrone Weekes can get credit for bringing Prescott on board. He has Philly ties and saw flashes of greatness from Prescott when he was still coming off the bench and averaging four ppg in high school. Before he signed with Marist, Niagara and Joe Mihalich showed considerable interest. ESPN also regards Prescott as an outstanding prospect, giving him a score of 85. Alex Vouyoukas received a 40 from ESPN when he was recruited here.

* Although a freshman or Kaba could start at the No. 2, don't write off Dejaun Goodwin just yet. He's been in the gym all summer working on his game, and there's still the possibility that he starts. Don't rule it out just yet...

* As far as Jared Jordan goes, odds are he will not stay in the States if he does not make an NBA roster. He's looking to go back to Europe, and since his window of opportunity for playing in the NBA is closing, he will try and make more money in Europe than staying in the NBDL. He's currently wasting away on the Golden State Warriors' Summer-League roster. He did not dress last night and averaged just seven minutes in the two previous games.

* Regarding the new recruit, most of you know it's Menelik Watson. That said, the signing is not official yet. The NCAA paperwork has not been totally completed, and until it is, I am waiting for Marist to break the news. There have been NCAA issues with paperwork here recently that have not gone in Marist's favor. Louie McCroskey missing the first three games of the 2007-2008 season and David Devezin losing his final year of eligibility come to mind. When the paperwork is completed and Chuck Martin decides the time is right to announce it, you all will know. As far as contacting him, that is not possible. The people at Marist that issue the official press releases would also be the same people with his contact information. They will not relinquish that information if he has not been officially signed yet.

Jared Jordan Tracker: Not in uniform tonight

Jared Jordan's pro prospects took another hit tonight as the former Marist star did not suit up for Golden State's match-up with Detroit.
Anthony Morrow returned, so someone had to sit. The fact that Jordan is not in uniform for a Summer League game is not a positive sign for his NBA hopes. It was a foregone conclusion that Jordan would not latch on with the Warriors, but the goal had to have been to showcase his skills for other teams come training camp and preseason. It seems like a long time ago that Jordan was seeing 25 minutes a night with the Clippers Summer League squad.
While there are guys that don't dress routinely for Summer League games, such as Morrow, Jordan is a young player looking to earn a job. Morrow played significant minutes with the Warriors in last year's NBA season, so his job is secure. Since Jordan loses another opportunity to audition for other NBA teams, his future prospects look bleak at this point.
Even Acie Law IV has seen his minutes dwindle. With eight minutes remaining in the game, Law has seen only nine minutes of action. It's obvious the Warriors are looking to see what Curry can do at the point guard position. Maybe Kenny Hasbrouck had the right idea when he passed on the Summer League for the Heat. Unfortunately for Jordan, the late trade for Law killed any chances he had for significant playing time.
Another bad sign is that Cartier Martin, a player who has started every game for the Warriors in Vegas thus far, will not be on Golden State come the regular season. The announcer said he's just looking to showcase his skills and hopefully "latch onto another team." This is a guy that scored 27 points last game.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the Warriors next game against the Chicago Bulls tomorrow night at 8 p.m. I'm guessing Jordan will be in uniform, but he needs to make his minutes count, however sparse they might be.

Hasbrouck passing on summer league; Heads for Heat

Recent Siena graduate Kenny Hasbrouck is also trying to find a niche in the NBA. Apparently working his way there through the Summer League is not on his list of priorities.
Hasbrouck passed on an opportunity to play with Hasheem Thabeet, Sam Young, and the Memphis Grizzlies. Instead, he will play with the Miami Heat. Ironically, the Heat do not have a Summer League team. According to the Albany Times Union, Hasbrouck will compete with 18 other players for a roster spot in camp.
Providing that Hasbrouck does not make the Heat, which is probably a safe bet, he has an offer to play professionally in Israel.
He opted to skip out on Memphis because they have too many guards, and he felt Miami provided a better opportunity. It remains to be seen if he will be taking any minutes away from Dwyane Wade...

Jared Jordan Tracker: Warriors (1-1)

Stephen Curry stole the show in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
With Golden State trailing Sacramento, 95-94, the Warriors' first-round pick cut through the lane and went up-and-under for a spectacular lay-up to give his team the lead. Following a Kings' moving screen violation, Curry calmly knocked down two free-throws to give the Warriors a 98-95 win, their first of the Summer League season in overtime.
The Warriors gave Curry an extensive look at point guard, which meant barely any minutes for Jared Jordan tonight. Acie Law IV also saw his minutes take a hit as Curry handled the load.
Curry played 36:45 out of a possible 42 minutes and tallied 29 points on 8-of-22 shooting. Cartier Martin chipped in a surprising 27 points, including several long three-pointers down the stretch. Anthony Randolph, the Warriors first-round pick last season, had another strong game with 24 points. Outside of those three, only Australia's 6-foot-8 forward Joe Ingles saw significant minutes. The rest of the team saw its minutes divided.
Jordan saw 4:12 of action to start the fourth quarter. It was not a memorable four minutes. Jordan ran an effective point but failed to score on his one true opportunity of the game. He ran a two-on-one break down the floor, attempting a running lay-up, only to have hit shot blocked by Sacramento's Michael Landry. Stephen Curry soon returned from the bench.
This game obviously served as an experiment for the Warriors' coaching staff. With Monta Ellis not really a true No. 1 guard, Curry was given the opportunity of playing the point for most of the night. He took a number of his patented long-range threes, connecting on a few, clanking some others. His performance from the free-throw line was the most impressive, especially in the clutch. The Davidson guard went 10-of-11 from the line.
Law saw his minutes drop significantly to 12:22. He also had a forgettable night. The former Hawks' lottery pick shot 0-of-4 from the field but dished out three assists with only one turnover.
The night ultimately belong to Stephen Curry, however. He went step-for-step with fellow top-10 pick, Tyreke Evans. Evans would have been the star had it not been for Curry's late heroics.
Evans scored a double-double, including 25 points. Law tried covering Evans when he was in the game, but Evans bigger frame made it difficult for Law.
Evans looked quite impressive, showing off his mid-range jumper while driving to the basket. His only weakness was from the free-throw line. His 7-of-12 effort made the difference in the end.
Jason Thompson, former Rider product, tacked on 17 points for the Kings on 5-of-10 shooting. He struggled from the free-throw line early but finished the night at 7-of 12. Thompson struggled on his mid-range jumper but proved to be a strong presence down low. Thompson did have nine fouls though.
Jordan and the Warriors will be back in action Monday at 10 p.m. against the Detroit Pistons.

Jared Jordan's final stats:
Minutes: 4:12
FGM-A: 0-2
Total Points: 0
Assists: 0
Rebounds: 0
Steals: 1
Turnovers: 0

Jared Jordan Tracker: Warriors (0-1)

Jared Jordan had a ho-hum debut with the Golden State Warriors Summer League team today against the Houston Rockets.
Jordan saw 9:40 of action, nearly one-quarter of the game that the Warriors lost, 73-69. He posted modest numbers but did not put up the kind of stats that are most likely necessary to make the Warriors opening-day roster. That said, the goal for Jordan right now is simple. He needs to perform well enough to earn another invite to any team's training camp.
If he is going to make an NBA roster, it is likely not with the Warriors. His chances were good before they traded Jamal Crawford for Acie Law IV and Speedy Claxton. While I don't think the Warriors have any attachment to those players since the move was a cost-shedding measure, they are likely to opt for experience over Jordan.
Today's game did not showcase much for the former Marist star. While Houston used a steady rotation and split minutes among most of their players, Golden State made a point of getting Stephen Curry and Anthony Randolph the most minutes. Acie Law IV also saw considerable action, which is probably a sign that the Warriors are looking to see if he's worthy of a back-up spot to Monta Ellis.
Acie Law IV played 31:31 out of a possible 40 minutes. Law tallied eight points, four assists, and one rebound. He did turn the ball over four times, however.
The Warriors return to action tomorrow against Sacramento at 8 p.m. The game marks a reunion of sorts as two MAAC players of the year will meet up. Rider's Jason Thompson will greet Jordan when the two face.

Here are the final lines from the Warriors' loss to Houston today:
Jared Jordan
Minutes: 9:40
FGM-A: 0-1
Total Points: 0
Rebounds: 1
Assists: 2
Turnovers: 1
Steals: 1

Acie Law IV
Minutes: 31:31
FGM-A: 3-6
Total Points: 8
Rebounds: 1
Assists: 4
Turnovers: 4
Steals: 1

Stephen Curry went 4-of-14 for 16 points with seven personal fouls, while Anthony Randolph scored 20 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Randolph picked up nine fouls. Obviously, the rules are a little different in the Summer League as rookies and younger players learn the NBA style.
For Houston, Chase Budinger picked up 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting.

Schneider signs agent; looks to Europe

For those that didn't listen to the interview Schneider gave about his future plans, the full story can be found in today's Poughkeepsie Journal.
Schneider signed with the Glass Family and hopes to play in Western Europe, but he and his agent will analyze all the options available.
Schneider surprised the MAAC last season after former head coach Matt Brady used him sparingly. Under Chuck Martin, Schneider emerged as a first-team All-MAAC caliber player and finished the season on the second team. Marist's 10th place finish is the likely cause of Schneider finishing on the second team.
The former Vermont product led the conference in most major categories for the duration of the season.

No word on new recruit [EDIT]

Although Chuck Martin mentioned that there would be six freshmen on next year's team, the actual name of the sixth freshman will not be released for some time.
According to my source, Marist may not reveal the name until the fall semester is about to start. He likened it to the Javon Parris signing.
Many of you were wondering so I felt I would pass that information along. When a name is officially announced, you will know. It could be later rather than sooner, however.

[EDITED] To clarify, when I say the Javon Parris situation, I'm referring to the date when the signing was announced. Both Kaba and Parris were announced on September 5th. The similarities between the player and Parris are in date only.

Jordan to the Warriors Summer-League team

As I mentioned in the Kenny Hasbrouck post, Jared Jordan would be an excellent fit for the Golden State Warriors. Now he will have a shot to do just that.
According to The Monitor, the Grand Valley Rapids announced that Jordan would play with the Warriors Summer-League team.
Jordan is now the third Grande Valley product to take part in the Summer League. Last year, current Rockets' starter Aaron Brooks played there, along with the Warriors' C.J. Watson and the Raptors' Desmon Farmer.
The reason Jordan would be an asset for Golden State is the uptempo offense and Don Nelson's indifference to defense. While watching Jordan compete in the Summer League in the past, he struggled to cover the opposing guard. Offensively, he showcased that great knack for finding the open man anywhere on the floor. Monta Ellis, while the starting PG, is more of a combo-guard and newly-acquired Stephen Curry is best suited to play the point.
Jordan is the prototypical point guard that looks to find his teammates. With playing time, he'd most likely never shoot. Golden State has plenty of offensive options the Warriors could make use of. In addition, former Nets' first-rounder Marcus Williams was largely a bust in Oakland. His inability to run the fast break made him a liability. Williams rarely saw the floor.
Jordan has a realistic shot to make the Golden State lineup based on his performance in the Summer League. The Hornets loved what they saw from him last year during preseason but opted to keep two roster spots open. Providing Golden State has no qualms about filling a roster, Jordan could break through with the Warriors.

Strickland and Martin interviews

Martin did not have much to say on the front of how the team would shape up next season. He did say that there were six freshmen coming in and two transfers (Drummond and Kaba). The team will look completely different, but Martin is finally getting his type of athletes in here.
I saw Sam Prescott at camp today and he has excellent size for a guard. It didn't hurt to have Rod Strickland there to give him some advice.
When it comes to the interviews, Strickland was battling a sinus infection, hence the interesting opening. The audio also drags for about 30 seconds after we finish.

Spending the day with Chuck Martin and an NBA Legend

I had the good fortune of speaking with former NBA great Rod Strickland today at Chuck Martin's Basketball camp. Strickland and Martin were colleagues at Memphis before Martin came to Poughkeepsie.
Strickland is currently an assistant coach with John Calipari at Kentucky. He ranks in the top 10 all-time with close to 8,000 assists.
Martin participated in a question and answer session with the campers before turning the floor over to Rod. Strickland also participated in some drills that featured pick-and-roll and focused on the responsibilities of the point guard. R.J. Hall certainly as a good outlet to pick up some of the nuances of the game.
Strickland told me that he and Chuck are in constant communication, and Martin played a major factor in his development as a coach.
The full story will appear in tomorrow's Poughkeepsie Journal and on their website. I will post the audio of the conversation's I had shortly.
I also spoke with Ryan Schneider who will be playing in Europe next season. Schneider is assisting Martin and Will Lanier at the camp. Current Red Foxes Dejuan Goodwin, Daye Kaba, Casiem Drummond, Korey Bauer, Javon Parris, and R.J. Hall were also on hand to help Martin out.
Schneider said he signed with the Glass Family, specifically Tyler Glass. Keith Glass, Tyler's father, is the agent for Larry Brown, Gregg Popovich, and Scott Skiles. The full story on Schneider will appear Sunday in the Poughkeepsie Journal along with the area's High School All-Stars Section.
All the audio will be available later.
For now, here are some videos of Rod Strickland in action in the NBA: