I got in one little fight and my mom got scared.....

This is pretty much a classic story about Aaric Murray, a big kid who is getting recruited by the big 5 schools.

The soon-to-be-senior center from Glen Mills has Temple, Villanova, La Salle, Saint Joseph's, Pittsburgh and West Virginia very, very interested. He's no longer a secret, no longer the gangly curiosity who first played organized basketball only a few years ago. He's way beyond that.

He's someone growing in stature, not just physically - he has sprouted another inch so far this summer to 6-11 - but on the court as well. Where Murray was once a toe-in-the-water big man, unsure around the basket, he's now become a force, rebounding, blocking shots and intimidating shooters.

So yeah, it'd be great to have him. He's 6-11 and he's already wearing La Salle colors.


Aaric's mother, Latoya, has got more than basketball on her mind.

"The main reason why I wanted Aaric to stay at Glen Mills is the way the streets are today in Philadelphia," said LaToya, who once was a 2-year starter herself at Gratz as a 6-foot center. "Aaric is a big kid, but I don't care, I don't want anyone hurting him. Glen Mills has great structure. Glen Mills always has something for him to do.

"The murder rate in this city is high, and we're talking about a kid who is 6-11 walking down the street. I won't see anything bad happening to my son like that. He stays in school all week and comes home on the weekends. That's fine with me. We don't live in the best neighborhood. But he's safe at Glen Mills. Aaric has a future now."

Eeek. Can Philly please hire Rudolph Gulianani and fix crime like New York has? Honestly, step your game up.

An Abusive Relationship

Vernon Goodrige seems to be the real deal. Especially if he's abusing NBA Draft picks. Here's a proxy report from GoExplorers on Scout.com

* GoExplorers
* Rasual Butler Status

Posted: Yesterday 11:39 AM
RE: Vernon Goodridge
Yesterday on ESPN 950, Michael Bradley, filling in for Jody Mac, talked about how DeAndre Jordon was in town to work out for the Sixers and how he was over at La Salle playing against Vernon, and how Vernon abused him. I couldn't be more excited to watch this guy play. I just hope he knows how to avoid foul trouble.

Rasual, Pimps, Mercedes, Waffle House

Walter Heard. Honestly. WTF.

So if you don't the patience to watch that video, here's the story via the local newscast.

1) Dude drops off girl in a Mercedes.

2) Girl is a prostitute.

3) Dude goes to the Waffle House.

4) The John is a vice officer.

5) The Mercedes is registered to Rasual Butler.

So this is why Rasual got caught with a burner? Because some dude named Walter Heard was pimping and sitting in a waffle house?

Honeslty, somebody call Kale Beers and make him Rasual's agent.

Where's Turtle When You Need Him?

Sual got caught flashing the whistle. (That's not a picture of Rasual Butler. That's a famous celebrity.)

A witness told investigators that Butler pulled out a gun near a South Beach club early Monday, according to a Miami Beach police report. Butler was sitting in an SUV when officers arrived and found a loaded gun in the vehicle.

“We take these matters very seriously and we’ll work with all appropriate authorities,” Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said in a statement.

I generally think guns are bad. While they make awesome shirt designs, they seem to kill people moderately often and that's not cool.


That being said, Sual is a millionaire. And occasionally millionaires, especially tall ones, garner a little too much attention from troublemakers.

Javon Walker, Antoine Walker, Eddy Curry, Sebastian Telfair, (he's not that tall) etc, etc. The list goes on and on and if I was a rich athlete, I might abide by the old "I'd rather be caught with my gun than without it." Marvin Harrison does.

So fair enough, you've got a burner. But why are you holding? Where's your weed carrier? Where's your boy from Roman who gases up the SUV? What's he doing?

Your shitty friends will sometimes put you in a tricky spot. Ask Ray Lewis. But every once in a while, they handle your shit so you can keep your nose clean. Rasual is not just an nba player. He's not a businessman he's a business, man. (More Jay-Z later)

Businesses usually have some sort of security. Maybe it's a laser eye scan, maybe it's that bulletproof revolving thing at your corner deli. Sual went out and brought his security system with him. The only problem is that the CEO of the business should not be on security detail. Outsource that baby.

Take it from Hov. Here's the end of La-La-La

But get a pen, I can tell you pricks my plans for the future
I'll never make the news again, my man will shoot ya

Wisen up.

John Johnson

First of all, John Johnson is a dope name. I assume that's not the only reason we've got our eye on him though. From CAAinsider.com....

A

The freshman guard can already attack off the dribble, shoot from the outside or distribute the ball. This past season, he lead Girard College to the PIAA Class A Quarterfinal round. In Class A, he was a second team all state selection as a freshman. He averaged 20 points per game for Girard College......

As he progresses on, look for John to see his recruitment pick up. Thus far, he told us he has city school St. Joe's, La Salle and Villanova tracking his progress.

Paradise Jam

"Hey guys, let's have a preseason tourney."

"Yeah, that'll be cool."

"Where?"

"I don't know. Maybe the Garden? Or like the Carrier Dome or something?"

"Nah, nah."

"How about the Boston Garden? Or maybe the Hoosier Dome!"

"Nah nah."

"How about the Field from Field of Dreams!"

"What?"

"The Palestra?"

"No. Check it out - we call it something like Basketball in Paradise, you know, like Cheeseburger in Paradise."

"Go on."

"And we basically all go on vacation in key west or something."

"How about the Virgin Islands?"

"Now you're thinking! The Paradise Jam! You know how much Cruzan rum is down there? Like $4!""

All City

The best high schoolers in Philly came out for Rasual's All City Classic. Hopefully we'll see some of these dudes at 20th and Olney shortly.

Nice writeup from Brian Crownover at caainsider.com here.

No note to whether or not the kids went out after the game and bombed all five boroughs.

New Boss in the A-10

Bernadette McGlade is the new A-10 commissioner.

Long story short - she's from the ACC and knows about television.

From 1995-2000, McGlade served on the NCAA Women's Basketball Selection Committee and chaired that Committee in 1999 and 2000. Additionally, McGlade served on the NCAA Working Group to Study Basketball Issues (1998-2000), as well as the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Marketing and Promotions Group (1997-1999). During that period, she also participated on the eight-person NCAA Television Negotiating Committee. This group secured the largest television contract for any sporting event, totaling $6.2 billion in revenue from CBS for the NCAA men's basketball championship. Additionally, the group secured the current ESPN contract for the NCAA women's basketball championship and numerous additional National Championships' rights, in excess of $162 million.

It'll be interesting to see if McGlade can bring some additional television exposure to the A-10. It's a little bit of a chicken and egg situation. TV brings exposure and interest. Interest and exposure brings TV. My thoughts - pack your gyms and the cameras will follow.

(Unrelated note - the Red Wings just played Kenny Loggins "Highway to the Danger Zone" during a stoppage in this neverending game. If I was the music coordinator, I'd play the whole Top Gun soundtrack. "Playin'! Playin' wiht the boys!")

Rip, you can bid on these

A few days ago we posted a link to about Lionel and Richard Hamilton. Rip attended Lionel's baskeball camp, won a free throw shooting contest, and was supposed to win Lionel's sneakers. For some reason, Rip never got the shoes.

Well, here you go.


Buy It Now is at $50 with $15 shipping.

Devon White Video

Here's a link to a video of Devon White. Firefox couldn't handle this so good luck. If Devon's offense is as hard to handle as his videos, then we're in good shape.