NCAA March Madness

[Big Bunny]

It's coming up to the business end of the season and there's been some interesting motions and comments in the press regarding the top Aussies playing college basketball...


Texas A&M Head Coach Billy Gillispie on Baylor’s Aaron Bruce: "He's an NBA player, no question," Gillispie said. "He may be the best freshman in our league out of a lot of great ones. He loves to play, and I love to watch him play."

Utah's Andrew Bogut was today named as the first Australian to make the All-American team's starting 5. Whilst Bruce is likely to be on the all freshman team or take out national freshman of the year. Bogut was also named as the best Utah centre in 50 years of calling college games by now retired Ute announcer Bill Marcroft.

Old Dominion's Alex Loughton was named Player of the Year and a member of the All Conference team at the Colonial Athletic Association's annual basketball awards.

AUSSIE MOVING UP TOP-10 LIST IN SCORING AT SMC With a 3-pointer to open the game against Sacramento State on Dec. 17, Daniel Kickert became the 19th player in school history to reach the milestone mark of 1,000 points. The 3-pointer gave him 1,001 for his career and he ended the game with 12 points to bring his total to 1,010. Against San Diego, he scored 32 points, bringing his career total to 1,346 points. He's now in sole possession of sixth place in the SMC scoring annals with Rick Bernard. He needs 45 points to pass Steve Gray (1,390) for fifth.

KICKERT; SMC'S IRON MAN Following his start against LMU on Thursday, Daniel Kickert has played and started 92 consecutive games for the Gaels. The 92 consecutive starts ranks 17th in the country and third most among juniors. Since joining the team in 2001, Kickert has started every game that Saint Mary's has played over the past three seasons. He started 30 games as a freshman, 31 as a sophomore and all 31 games this season. The 92 starts by Kickert ranks as the fourth most starts by a player in the history of the SMC program.

10. Aussie vs. Aussie: They're already taking over the U.S. game, so let's give Australian big men a region of their own. It starts in the first round with No. 5 seed Utah, featuring 7-foot All-American Andrew Bogut, against 12th-seeded Old Dominion and 6-9 star Alex Loughton. The winner faces a second-round matchup with Georgia Tech (and 7-1 Luke Schenscher), followed by St. Mary's (and 6-9 Daniel Kickert) in the Sweet 16. In the region final, Charlotte (and 6-10 Martin Iti) awaits.

 

[Big Bunny]

Utah's Andrew Bogut Named ESPN.com National Player of the Year

Bogut joins Paul, Redick, Simien, May as All-Americans

March 4, 2005

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah center Andrew Bogut was named ESPN.com's Men's Basketball National Player of the Year today, as selected by ESPN's panel of analysts. Bogut was joined by Chris Paul (Wake Forest), J.J. Redick (Duke), Wayne Simien (Kansas) and Sean May (North Carolina) on the ESPN.com All-America team.

A 7-0, 245-pound sophomore from Melbourne, Australia, Bogut has led the Utes (24-4, 12-1) to the Mountain West Conference regular season title and a No. 15 national ranking this week by ESPN/USA Today. The national leader in double-doubles with 19 in 28 games this year, Bogut is also among the national leaders for scoring (15th at 20.6 ppg) and rebounding (3rd at 11.9 rpg).

Bogut led the Utes to an 18-game win streak this season, which is tied for the second-best in school history, while scoring in double figures in every game. Bogut is one of only five players currently leading their respective conference in scoring and rebounding (Simien-Kansas, Taylor Coppenrath-Vermont, Mike Bell-Florida Atlantic, Ike Diogu-Arizona State), and could become the first player in MWC history to accomplish the feat.

Bogut is a candidate for the John R. Wooden and Naismith national player of the year awards, and has already been named NABC first-team All-District 13 this season. He needs just 13 points to become the 31st player in Utah history to score 1,000 points--he would be just the third Ute to do it in two seasons.

The Utes, riding a 16-game homecourt winning streak that ranks seventh-best in the nation, close out the regular season against San Diego State on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Huntsman Center.

 

[Big Bunny]

WHO'S HOT; KICKERT WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK Daniel Kickert was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week on Feb. 28 after leading the Gaels to back-to-back wins over San Francisco and San Diego last week. This was Kickert's second WCC Player of the Week award this season. The 6-10 forward averaged 23.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last week. He helped the Gaels post an 81-77 triple overtime win over San Francisco on Thursday by scoring 15 points and grabbing six rebounds. Then he poured in a career-high 32 points, and grabbed nine rebounds, in an 86-83 win over San Diego on Saturday. Additionally, he shot an impressive 55.6 percent (15-27) from the field, including 7-for-13 from beyond the arc.

 

[Big Bunny]

It's looking good for Australia to have its best ever year in the NCAA tournament. The leading Aussies - Andrew Bogut, Alex Loughton, Daniel Kickert and Luke Schenscher will all be playing in the big dance and all have had NBA scouts attending games specifically to see them play. The only major Aussie stars to miss out are Aleks Maric (one loss too many) and Aaron Bruce (Baylor are crap).

 

[CanadianSteve]

Aus should be very good come next Olympics.

 

[CanadianSteve]

Here are the Canadians in the tournament:

Canuck content abounds in NCAA tourneys
Brown, UConn ranked No.2
Mendez' Eagles take on Sooners


DOUG SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER

In the euphoria of the school earning its first NCAA berth in a quarter century, the cry of "We Want Duke" went up from the Niagara University fans.

They might be more pleased with what they got.

Led by Montreal's Juan Mendez, the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference player of the year, the Purple Eagles are seeded No.14 in what's known as the Austin bracket of the NCAA championship and will face No.3 Oklahoma in Tucson, Ariz., on Thursday, Niagara's first tournament game since 1970.

But while Niagara will have a difficult time making much noise in the 65-team March Madness tourney, Connecticut and Toronto's Denham Brown will have a much easier time.

The No.2-seed Huskies and Brown, a junior and member of Canada's national team, will get to stay close to home, facing No.15 Central Florida on Friday in nearby Worcester, Mass., in a first-round Syracuse bracket game.

Mendez and Brown are the two highest-profile Canadian men in the tournament, Mendez because he became the top Canadian NCAA men's scorer in history this year, and Brown for his role on the defending champion Huskies.

But they are not alone and there are others with designs on advancing deep into the three-week tournament.

Nate Doornekamp, a senior from tiny Odessa, Ont., will try to help the Boston College Eagles shrug off a so-so end of the season — they finished 4-4 after starting 20-0 — in the Chicago regional. No.4 Boston College opens the tournament Thursday in Cleveland against Penn State.

Another Canadian to watch is Levon Kendall of Vancouver, a member of the national under-20 team. Kendall is a sophomore at Pittsburgh, which is the No.9 seed in the Albuquerque bracket and will play No.8 Pacific in Boise, Idaho.

A second member of the national under-20 team who will take part in the tournament is Sheray Thomas, a sophomore at Kentucky and a native of Montreal. Kentucky, the No.2 seed in the Austin bracket, faces No.15 Eastern Kentucky in the first round.

Rounding out the Canadian men are senior guard David Hehn of Sarnia and Vermont, Gonzaga freshman Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes of Montreal and Mendez' Niagara teammate, sophomore Greg Noel of Montreal.

I don't think our group is as strong as the Aussies - we don't have anyone like Bogut for sure.

 

[Big Bunny]

I don't think our group is as strong as the Aussies - we don't have anyone like Bogut for sure.

That Brown bloke sounds like quite a handful though, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for him. Another article that I came across talks about the foreign contingent, including both Australia and Canada. It's not a bad article..



NCAA Is in the Midst of a Foreign Affair
Big Men From Abroad Are Making an Impact

By Mark Schlabach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 16, 2005; Page D01

ATLANTA, March 15 -- Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt knows he can count on Luke Schenscher, his 7-foot-1 center, to play well during the NCAA tournament. Last year, when the Yellow Jackets unexpectedly advanced to the national championship game, Schenscher scored 15 points against Kansas in the regional final and had 19 points and 12 rebounds against Oklahoma State in the Final Four.

"Luke always plays his best in the biggest games," said Hewitt, whose No. 5 seed Yellow Jackets will play No. 12 seed George Washington in an NCAA tournament first-round game Friday in Nashville. "You're talking about a kid who left home when he was 14 or 15 years old. What's to get nervous about? He's 3,000 miles from home. What's to get shook up about?"

Schenscher is one of an unprecedented number of foreign-born players in the tournament. Seventy-one players from 32 foreign countries and Puerto Rico are playing on the tournament's 65 teams, including 10 from Australia, 10 from Canada, five from Brazil and four from Germany. Against George Washington, Schenscher will be matched up against Pops Mensah-Bonsu, from London, and his backup, junior Alex Kireev, from Ukraine.

"I think guys want to have the whole college experience and want to play a different kind of basketball and learn how to play in a tougher league," Schenscher said.

Schenscher will get to see another of his countrymen playing in Nashville. No. 13 seed Louisiana-Lafayette has a small chance of upsetting No. 4 seed Louisville on Friday in part because the Ragin' Cajuns have Chris Cameron, a 6-11, 270-pound senior center from Melbourne, who is averaging 8.1 points and 3.4 rebounds.

The NCAA first-round game between No. 7 seed Charlotte and No. 10 seed North Carolina State in Worcester, Mass., will feature three pretty good foreign players -- Wolfpack forward Ilian Evtimov of Bulgaria and guard Engin Atsur of Turkey, and 49ers center Martin Iti, another 7-footer from Melbourne, Australia. Arizona, the No. 3 seed in the Chicago Region, has players from Australia, Mali, Serbia-Montenegro and Puerto Rico.

"That ought to tell you something," said Randy Bennett, coach at Saint Mary's in Moraga, Calif. "The international competition has evened up a little bit. The guys in Europe are catching up with us."

For mid-major programs such as George Washington, Old Dominion, Pacific and Saint Mary's, landing a skilled player from a foreign country can be the difference between playing in the NCAA tournament and staying home.

Pacific Coach Bob Thomason calls it "dumb luck," but one of the main reasons the Tigers are one of the most dangerous mid-major teams in the tournament is because junior forward Christian Maraker got on a bus in Sweden more than five years ago. Maraker was attending high school a couple of hours from his parents' home and decided to visit them one weekend during the summer of 2000, at the same time Pacific was playing a tour of games in the country.

Maraker learned that an American basketball team was playing at a local gym and talked his way into a spot on the Swedish team that was playing the Tigers. Maraker made all seven of his shots in the game, and Thomason started recruiting him. Maraker visited the college in Stockton, Calif., and, when the Tigers had another open scholarship during Maraker's freshman season, he brought along his best friend, Jasko Korajkic, whose family had fled Bosnia and Herzegovina for Sweden.

The Tigers have two other foreign-born players: center Guillaume Yango, a senior from Paris, and guard Marko Mihailovic, who was born in Belgrade but attended high school in Santa Monica, Calif. Together, the international players have led the No. 8 seeded Tigers to a 26-3 record. Pacific, which will play No. 9 seed Pittsburgh on Thursday in Boise, Idaho, won 22 games in a row before it was upset by Utah State in the final of the Big West Conference tournament last weekend.

"It has been great for our team," Thomason said. "This mixture of players has really worked out well. The American kids don't understand me when I'm coaching anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter if the other kids do, either."

Bennett, whose No. 10 seeded Gaels will play No. 7 seed Southern Illinois on Friday in Oklahoma City, has four players from different countries. Saint Mary's forward Daniel Kickert might be the second-best player in college basketball from Australia. The 6-10 junior is averaging 16.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and has made 64 three-pointers. Utah center Andrew Bogut, a star player on Australia's Olympic team last summer, is expected to be named national player of the year after averaging 20.7 points and 12.3 rebounds.

Bennett signed Kickert to a scholarship before seeing him play in person. Finally, during the spring before his freshman season at Saint Mary's, Bennett flew to Australia to watch him play. Bennett was pleasantly surprised. The Gaels had not uncovered an NBA player, but they had found someone to build their program around.

"He wouldn't have been in the NBA, but he'd have been at Kansas or Duke if he was from the U.S.," Bennett said.

Old Dominion also found a good player when former Chicago Bulls center Luc Longley recommended forward-center Alex Loughton of Perth, Australia. Loughton, who is 6-9, averaged 13.9 points and 8.1 rebounds.

Old Dominion also has players from Ivory Coast, Canada and Lithuania. The 12th-seeded Monarchs will open the tournament against fifth-seeded Michigan State on Friday in Worcester, Mass.

"A lot of those kids are attending high schools in the U.S. now, so it's easier to find them," Old Dominion Coach Blaine Taylor said.

But, if coaches are willing to travel, they can stumble on a great player, as Pacific did when it found Maraker.

"There aren't a lot of players over there," Thomason said. "You've got to get lucky."

 

[CanadianSteve]

Good article. I liked Schenscher when I saw him in the final last year. I kept thinking how good that team would've been if Chris Bosh had stayed in school. Even now he would only be a junior (3rd year) if he'd stayed in college. Oh well, he's hopefully the future of the Raptors so I guess it's good we've got him.

 

[Big Bunny]

An interesting comparison was made in an article this week, for the life of me I can't remember which player it was though. But basically it compared one of the top 4 Aussies to your man in the signature, Steve Nash. I'm guessing it was Aaron Bruce, certainly a comment that made me sit up anyway.

A few more articles from today:



Basketball: Aussies have huge impact in US basketball's "March Madness"

ST. LOUIS, United States : Ten Australian players will compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's basketball tournament that begins and leads to a Final Four showdown here next month.



A total of 393 players from outside the United States, an average of more than one for each school, played this season for US colleges, all of them seeking a berth in the tournament, the annual American passion dubbed "March Madness".

Aussie legend Andrew Gaze was the first notable US college star from Down Under, sparking Seton Hall into the 1989 NCAA Finals.

This year 26 players, twice as many as a decade ago, played for US schools. Only Canada and Lithuania produced more.

Georgia Tech senior 7-foot-1 center Luke Schenscher averages 10.4 points and 7.5 rebounds a game for the Yellow Jackets, finalists last year but only 19-11 this season. Schenscher said US colleges help develop Aussie talent quickly.

"The other option is turning pro in Australia, but some guys want to work on some stuff maybe they couldn't if they were playing in a professional league," he told USA Today.

Georgia Tech, a fifth seed, opens against 12th seed George Washington on Friday in Nashville, Tennessee.

Andrew Bogut, a 7-footer seen as a potential top-10 pick in June's National Basketball Association Draft, will lead the University of Utah, 27-5, against Texas-El Paso, 27-7, on Thursday at Tucson, Arizona.

Bogut led the nation with 23 "double doubles", double-digit statistics in points and rebounds, and averaged 20.7 points and 12.3 rebounds a game, hitting almost 63 percent of his shots as the Utes won 22 of their past 24 games.

Aussie Daniel Kickert had 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds a game while connecting on 54.7 percent of his shots to help spark St. Mary's, 25-8, reach a first-round game Friday at Oklahoma City against Southern Illinois, 26-7.

Alex Loughton averaged 13.9 points and 8.1 rebounds for Old Dominion University, which went 28-5 and opens against favored Michigan State, 22-6, at Worchester, Massachusetts.

Center Chris Cameron contributed 7.8 points a game for Louisiana-Lafayette, 20-10, which opens Friday at Nashville against Louisville, 29-4.

Charlotte, a 21-7 club with Aussie 7-footer Martin Iti coming off the bench for 5.2 points a game, opens Friday against North Carolina State at Worcester.

The most international team in the field, European-filled Pacific University, went 26-3 and opens at Boise on Thursday against Pittsburgh, 20-8.

- AFP


from USA TOday:

Aussies lurk down under the basket
By Andy Gardiner, USA TODAY
This year's NCAA men's tournament will have a decidedly "Down Under" flavor. Eight teams in the field have a total of 10 players from Australia, part of a recent surge in Division I players from that country.

Luke Schenscher's play in the NCAA Tournament will be key to the success of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

There were 26 Australians spread among 21 D-I rosters at the start of this season. There were 13 in 1994-95, the first season the NCAA began tracking foreign players, and only nine in 1999-2000.

"It's a good opportunity for guys to still be in a developing kind of situation," says Georgia Tech senior Luke Schenscher. "The other option is turning pro in Australia, but some guys want to work on some stuff maybe they couldn't if they were playing in a professional league.

Melting court

There were 393 foreign players on Division I men's basketball rosters at the start of this season, more than one for each of the 326 teams. While the number has leveled off the last two years, there were 178 in 1995 and 285 in 2000. Most widely represented countries this season:
Canada — 75
Lithuania — 27
Australia — 26 (figure seems wrong)
Germany — 14
France — 14
Senegal — 14
Cameroon — 14
Brazil — 12
Puerto Rico — 12

Source: NCAA






"Also, to experience the (American) lifestyle and playing in college in front of big crowds (is an attraction). It's a different kind of basketball, but it's a personal preference."

Australian players have filled central roles in the NCAA tournament as far back as 1989, when guard Andrew Gaze helped Seton Hall reach the title game, averaging 14 points in six games. Schenscher, Utah's Andrew Bogut and Daniel Kickert of Saint Mary's are Aussies likely to shine in the coming weeks.

• At 7-1, Schenscher has become a versatile center who can score (10.4 points), rebound (7.5 a game) and run the floor. His play is crucial if Tech hopes to return to the Final Four.

• Bogut developed into a 7-foot offensive monster in his sophomore season and probably has played his way into an NBA lottery pick. He averages 20.7 points and 12.3 rebounds.

• At 6-10, Kickert was an inside presence for the Gaels, averaging 16.3 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 54.7%. The junior also hit seven three-pointers in the West Coast Conference title game against Gonzaga.

Other Australian big men: Alex Loughton (6-9) averages 13.9 points and 8.1 rebounds for Old Dominion; Martin Iti (7-0) comes off Charlotte's bench to average 5.2 points while shooting 52%; and Chris Cameron (6-11) scores 7.8 points a game for Louisiana-Lafayette.

 

[CanadianSteve]

Melting court

There were 393 foreign players on Division I men's basketball rosters at the start of this season, more than one for each of the 326 teams. While the number has leveled off the last two years, there were 178 in 1995 and 285 in 2000. Most widely represented countries this season:
Canada — 75
Lithuania — 27
Australia — 26 (figure seems wrong)
Germany — 14
France — 14
Senegal — 14
Cameroon — 14
Brazil — 12
Puerto Rico — 12

Source: NCAA

Many of those Canadians of course will never play for our national team. But the main dream for a Canadian basketball player is to get the US scholarship. There is Canadian university basketball, about the level of NCAA D2 or D3, but our schools don't give scholarships, so the best players go to the US.

In other countries, especially Europe, the best young players don't necessarily come to the US, they go right into their domestic professional club system. I've read that Europeans think it's better for their development to stay home because they practice and play more there.

What about Australia? It looks to me like the best young players do go the US scholarship route, is that right?

 

[Big Bunny]

I'd say it's about 1/4 of the best young players who go straight into the NBL these days. Below the NBL in the CBA the number is probably a lot higher but those players wouldn't be considered our best anyway.

Of the top 10 talents at an age where college is an/the option only a couple stand out as having chosen the NBL over the NCAA.

My ratings would go roughly along the lines of (and these change quite often):

1. Andre Bogut - Utah (NCAA)
2. Brad Newley - Townsville Crocodiles (NBL)
3. Aaron Bruce - Baylor (NCAA)
4. Alex Loughton - Old Dominion (NCAA)
5. Daniel Kickert - St. Mary's (NCAA)
6. Luke Schenscher - Georgia Tech (NCAA)
7. Matthew Knight - Loyola-Marymount (NCAA)
8. Luke Kendall - Sydney Kings (NBL) previously at Metro State (NCAA)
9. Aleks Maric - Nebraska (NCAA)
10. Adam Quick - Townsville Crocodiles (NBL)

It's hard to figure out just where to rate some of these guys because there others who could just as easily sit on the list. Steve Leven was averaging 20pts at Wyoming before he was injured early in the season and Martin Iti was projected as a potential NBA player before his form slump this season. Schenscher is listed higher but with lower numbers because he plays in a tougher conference and Alex Loughton plays below his best as an individual in order to make his team better, even though he's done it himself in the past and hit 45pts in a game.

Anyway, I watched the Utah game this morning. They were lucky to get away with a 6pt win over UTEP after having let their 13 point dwindle down to a 2 point defecit. Bogut put on a show though, pulling in 17 points and 6 rebounds in the first half. I think his final tally was 25, 10 and 4 blocks. Tomorrow's game on ESPN here is Schenscher vs. George Washington.

 

[Mr Saab]

bogut hit for 24 points and 11 boards.
he also hit 2 threes from the top of the arc in the 1st half.
When you have a 7 footer who can stroke it from downtown you have a dirk nowitzki type player.
He will go in the top 3 in the 2005 draft EASILY.

 

[CanadianSteve]

I also thought Bogut looked great in that game. He seems to have a bit of an edge or temper, but that's probably good. What were his free throw stats in that game, I saw him go 1-2 and 0-2 late in the game.

 

[Big Bunny]

Not sure on those stats, a few days passed now and I haven't had much of a chance to jump on the forum.

With Bogut looking like a no.1 draft pick more and more, having also picked up the highest number of votes for all American when the team was announced I've got a pretty wild prediction.

Next year I reckon he'll be joined by another two top 10 picks. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Alex Loughton this year averaged 13.9 points and 8.2 rebounds. That's pretty good but not bogut like figures. Well let's take into account that Bogut plays an average of 39 minutes per game. Loughton's number.. well that's only 28 minutes. If you up that by a quarter you don't get Bogut's numbers but you do get bloody close, which is even more impressive since Loughton isn't a 7 footer. He's something like 6"10. On top of that you have Aaron Bruce, who was the highest scoring freshman in division 1, despite having a team that did nothing to support him.

Australia's NBA stocks are looking a lot better than people might have thought.

On Luke Schenscher, well he might sneak into the second round. More likely he'll go to Europe before eventually finding his way there, especially if he improves those weak hands of his. He has another shot at the NBA though, when he goes to a seniors invitational tournament coming up soon.

 

[aqua_duck]

Andrew Bogut will go down as our best ever player when he retires. The bloke can do anything, he more than held his own against (IMO) the best centre/power forward in the world in Tim Duncan, he can shoot 3's, he can post up, he's a monster on the boards and he's a superb ball handler for a guy that size, he's going to be a real good player.

 

[Big Bunny]

Well Bogut is more than likely off to the NBA now after his team went missing in action around him against UK. There's only one Aussie left in the big dance at Arizona (Daniel Dillon) and he only gets rubbish minutes, being a freshman in a star studded team.

Actually, scratch that. Arizona is out as well after losing to no.1 Illinois.

 

[CanadianSteve]

Bogut is going to enter the NBA draft:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article.jsp?content=20050328_165546_4592

 

[Big Bunny]

Bogut is going to enter the NBA draft:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article.jsp?content=20050328_165546_4592

Another interesting thing is that his replacement is now being talked about as a player with NBA potential as well. Luke Nevill redshirted this season with Utah but was the only bloke to be able to handle Bogut during practices. A few ute fans and coaching staff have a lot of faith in the guy, so it bodes well for Aussies in the Utah program.