Just so you know …

Nothing urgent here, only a little something for the just-in-case-anybody-was-wondering file.
You may be aware of all the hub-bub over Billy Gillispie, who has sued Kentucky over his firing. The dispute is over how much Gillispie is owed, since the ex-coach did not actually sign his contract, only a memorandum of understanding. (Gillispie claims it’s just [...]

Future SEC tourney sites

If you enjoyed Atlanta and Nashville, get ready for more.
If you liked Tampa and wanted to go back (I did), well, wait a little.
The SEC announced Wednesday that the men’s basketball tournament will return to Nashville in 2013, and Atlanta in 2014.
The tournament was already scheduled for Nashville in 2010 (which according to my calendar [...]

Deadline roundup

Now that we know who’s coming back to school and who’s not, all sorts of lists are being churned out today by college basketball writers. Winners and losers, who made the right call and who didn’t, preseason top 25s.
We made our own contribution this morning with our way-too-early SEC preseason predictions. For those of you [...]

Meeks pulls out of Kentucky

So you had to wonder, was anybody from the SEC going to stay in the draft? At least one, and it’s a big one.
Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks defied the trend in the league by deciding to stay in, even though he’s far from a likely first-rounder. Meeks, a junior, leaves after an incredible scoring season, including [...]

Downey to pull out of draft (updated)

Devan Downey is pulling out of the NBA draft and plans to return for his senior season, USC announced Saturday afternoon.
The news is a big boost to the Gamecocks, and the second piece of good news in three days. Junior forward Dominique Archie announced on Thursday, also through the school, that he was pulling out [...]

Downey in Milwaukee

If you wanted to know how Devan Downey’s last NBA workout went, the Milwaukee Bucks are here the help. The team has a story on its web site, along with pictures and video, of Downey’s workout with five other players, notably Pittsburgh’s Dejuan Blair.
Downey was interviewed, with quotes posted on the above link. Here’s the [...]

Vols' Smith returning too

Dominique Archie isn’t the only SEC player announcing his return to school today.
Tennessee’s Tyler Smith is expected to do the same at a 3 p.m. news conference, according to various reports out of Knoxville. That leaves USC’s Devan Downey and Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks as the only league underclassmen with their name still in the hat.
Well, [...]

Archie to withdraw from draft

Dominique Archie has decided to withdraw from the NBA draft, according to the South Carolina basketball team.
Archie will withdraw today and intends to return to school, the team said.
The move caught some people close to Archie by surprise, as they expected him to leave, either for Europe or the NBA summer leagues. But Archie apparently [...]

Downey "still deciding"?

Devan Downey texted his high school coach today, saying it was “50-50” he would return to South Carolina.
That’s according to DeAndre Scott, the coach at Wilson High School, who coached Downey at Chester.
Scott was on Phil Kornblut’s afternoon show, and when pressed, the coach said he would put it at about 50 percent that Downey [...]

Latest on Downey and Archie

Here’s the latest on South Carolina’s two draft-eligible juniors:

- Devan Downey is scheduled to have a workout in Milwaukee Thursday, and that is set to be his last one. He also worked out in Chicago on Tuesday, after going through a session in Houston on Monday.

- Europe might be a possibility for Downey, according to [...]