Script: /jherwitt/blog/cat/joe_mazzulla
Owner:
Subdir: jherwitt
    Writer

    And more offseason stupidity...

    Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 12:57 PM EST [Joe Mazzulla]

    Well folks, it's seems like we keep seeing the same stories pop up every day or two, and unfortunately there aren't many other headlines to discuss, so this is what we've got to work with at the moment.

    And for that you can thank Joe Mazzulla and Cameron Thoroughman, two members of West Virginia's basketball team who were
    arrested Monday night for underage drinking and fighting with police at PNC Park during a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game.

    According to the criminal report, the incident started after police smelled alcohol on the two players and asked to see their IDs. But when the officers requested identification, Mazzulla and Thoroughman both began arguing with them.

    Thoroughman, for one, said that he did not have his ID with him, but police say that he lied about his age and even threatened a security guard. It wasn't long before, though, that he was tossed to the ground after refusing to put his hands behind his back.

    Mazzulla, meanwhile, thought it would be good idea while his teammate and friend getting handcuffed to shake things up by throwing a punch at the police sergeant (did Bob Huggins teach them that move in practice?).

    Anyway, the 6-foot-2 junior from Johnston, R.I., who helped lead the Mountaineers to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament this past year, was charged with aggravated assault, hindering apprehension and underage drinking, while Thoroughman, a 6-foot-7 sophomore from Portsmouth, Ohio, was cited for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and underage drinking.

    Of course, what else do you expect from a Bob Huggins program after what went down at Cincinnati through the mid-90s and then Kansas State less than two years ago.

    Well, in case you forgot...

    Over his 16 years at Cincinnati, Huggins graduated roughly 30 percent of his players. In 1998, the Bearcats were placed on probation for lack of institutional control.

    In August of 2005, Cincinnati president Nancy L. Zimpher forced Huggins to resign, claiming that his program did not fit in accordance with the school's academic plan. But the other reason that Zimpher wanted Huggins out was his DUI conviction in 2004.

    After taking a year off from coaching yet still staying busy on the recruiting trail (Huggins was close with O.J. Mayo, Bill Walker and Michael Beasley throughout their high school basketball careers), he returned to the sidelines in 2006 to take over a struggling Kansas State program. While the Wildcats finished fourth in the Big 12 with a 23-12 overall record, the team fell short of an NCAA Tournament berth before Huggins would abruptly leave Manhattan, Kan., for a chance to take over at his alma mater, West Virginia. But what transpired in a matter of days left many KSU fans disgusted and bitter at the longtime coach for giving up on their program so quickly.

    With that said, I think that's all you need to know about Huggins at this point.

    In other college basketball news...

    Jordan Crawford is the second Indiana recruit to transfer to Xavier in the last three months after accepting a scholarship with the Musketeers Monday.

    As a freshman in Bloomington, Ind., Crawford averaged 9.7 points and 2.3 assists and will join Terrell Holloway, a highly-touted talent from Harmony Prep School in Cincinnati who initially committed to the Hoosiers but then went against his decision when coach Kelvin Sampson resigned amid his infamous phone-call recruiting scandal.

    In the meantime, let's wish the best of luck to first-year Indiana head coach Tom Crean because after all, he's sure going to need it with Kyle Taber standing as his only returning player.

    0 (0 Ratings)