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April 2008
REPORT: Lawson to declare, won’t hire agent
Fox Sport’s Jeff Goodman is reporting UNC guard Ty Lawson will enter the NBA Draft, but will not hire an agent.
Not hiring an agent means Lawson can go through the draft process, then pull his name out of the pool of available players and return to college. It’s a smart move to do so, since Lawson’s draft status is up in the air (most analysts will tell you that Lawson is a mid-to-late first-round pick). If things go well, and he feels he confident in his status, Lawson could hire an agent and start his professional career.
No word yet on Wayne Ellington or Tyler Hansbrough.
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Tidbits from Wolfpack Club Caravan event
Members of N.C. State’s athletics program were in attendance Thursday at Benvenue Country Club, as part of the Wolfpack Club Caravan.
In addition to athletics director Lee Fowler, there was Wolfpack Club Executive Director Bobby Purcell, football coach Tom O’Brien, women’s golf coach Page Marsh and women’s tennis coach Hans Olsen.
Overall, it was what Fowler said he wanted - a positive night.
Marsh said the Benvenue golf course was “wonderful.” She also said the school’s new golf course would be open by Spring 2009.
O’Brien spoke for 15 consecutive minutes, which is the longest I have ever seen him speak without interruption. He broke down what led to the team’s 1-5 start, then each game afterward. He said the team has seen “addition by subtraction” and there “seems to be a greater sense of trust” among the team since the start of the spring semester.
“You could sense a different attitude,” O’Brien said.
As far as any news, there was little. He said that Mike Glennon, the team’s heralded quarterback recruit, will have a chance to win the job this fall but that he doesn’t know if Glennon is ready to compete. Do not read too much into that statement, because that if fairly typical O’Brien, always downplaying obvious positives.
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UNC players spotted with agents
DISCLAIMER: Take this with the appropriate grain of salt. …
Former Daily Tar Heel sports editor Brandon Staton is reporting on his blog that UNC players Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson will leave college for the NBA.
He doesn’t back up the Ellington claim, but puts Lawson in a Durham-area Outback Steakhouse with an agent Thursday night.
Now, UNC did hold its athletic banquet Thursday night so Lawson was either at the restaurant before or after the banquet, or did not attend (very, very unlikely since he did “win” the award for most assists).
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UNC to play at Ford Field
No word from North Carolina yet, but Clemson media relations just sent out an e-mail noting the 2008 ACC/Big Ten Challenge games.
The marquee matchup is North Carolina vs. Michigan State, at Ford Field in Detroit. That’s the home of the NFL’s Lions and is a massive facility (65,000 for football). The NCAA played a regional final there this season, on a raised court.
The Final Four will be played at Ford Field in 2009. The Tar Heels could get an advance look at the facility, and more importantly figure out how to shoot the basketball in a football stadium.
Duke will have to play an actual road game, as the Blue Devils will head to Purdue on Dec. 2. N.C. State is the odd team out, since the ACC has 12 teams and the Big Ten 11.
2008 ACC/Big Ten Challenge Schedule
Monday, Dec. 1
Wisconsin at Virginia Tech
Tuesday, Dec. 2
Ohio State at Miami
Clemson at Illinois
Duke at Purdue
Virginia at Minnesota
Iowa at Boston College
Wednesday, Dec. 3
Indiana at Wake Forest
Penn State at Georgia Tech
North Carolina vs. Michigan State (Ford Field, Detroit, MI)
Florida State at Northwestern
Michigan at Maryland
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The sky is clear
At about 3 p.m. today, as I left the ol’ apartment, I was thinking we would not get tonight’s Carolina Mudcats game in. The rain was just pouring down from the skies and the lightning had caused several golfers to retreat to my building for shelter.
But somewhere the baseball gods have shined down on us, and the weather is actually quite nice at Five County Stadium. A strong breeze, to be sure, but it’s blowing out to straight center field (a home run hitter’s dream) and could create an offensive show.
On the mound for the Mudcats will be Rick Vanden Hurk, making his 2008 debut. Vanden Hurk was the No. 2 starter to begin last season (behind Gaby Hernandez, who is now in triple-A) and was a quick call-up to Florida. He bounced back and forth for most of the season, but made the Marlins rotation out of spring training. The plan changed when he was horrible in two starts, giving up 12 hits and seven runs in 5 1-3 innings.
We do have a pair of roster moves. Brett Hayes and Lee Mitchell have both been sent down to Carolina from triple-A Albuquerque, with second baseman Kevin Randel moving from the Mudcats to single-A Jupiter. First baseman Grant Psomas is headed to extended Spring Training. The move essentially means the parent organization is not sure where to put you, likely because of a lack of roster spots.
Tonight’s starting lineup: 1. Cameron Maybin (CF); 2. John Raynor (LF); 3. Chris Coghlan (2B); 4. Gaby Sanchez (1B); 5. Lee Mitchell (3B); 6. Alberto Concepcion (C); 7. Brad Davis (C); 8. Manuel Mayorson (SS); 9. Lorenzo Scott (RF).
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Seven was enough for the Mudcats
Last night, in the home opener, the Carolina Mudcats scored seven runs. A solid amount, good enough to win most nights.
But that was the team’s highest run output this season. They scored six in game two against Mobile, and five runs twice.
Yet, the Mudcats are 4-2 — because of the starting pitching.
Ryan Tucker, a 6-foot-2 righthander, gets the start tonight. He’s been compared by some to Bartolo Colon and is another of the fearsome foursome of pitchers the Mudcats drafted in 2005.
I asked third baseman Gaby Sanchez about the pitching last night, namely how it affects the hitter’s approach.
Obviously, Sanchez said, you want to score as many runs as possible every night. But Sanchez, who played with the foursome last year in Jupiter, admitted it is reassuring to go the ballpark knowing three runs might be enough to get the win.
Anyways, here is today’s starting lineup: 1. John Raynor (LF); 2. Chris Coghlan (3B); 3. Cameron Maybin (CF); 4. Gaby Sanchez (DH); 5. Andrew Jenkins (1B); 6. Kris Harvey (RF); 7. Brad Davis (C); 8. Kevin Randel (2B); 9. Manuel Mayorson (SS).
Jenkins and Randel get the start tonight, in place of Lorenzo Scott and Grant Psomas. Coghlan moves over to third base, the position he played coming up.
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Opening day at Five County Stadium
The Carolina Mudcats have already played five games, but we are minutes from the home opener.
The Mudcats took three of five from Mobile last week, and top prospect Chris Volstad is on the mound for the home team. He’ll be facing Jake McGee, the Montgomery Biscuts’ ace and also a top prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays system.
Tonight’s starting lineup: 1. John Raynor (LF); 2. Chris Coghlan (2B); 3. Cameron Maybin (CF); 4. Gaby Sanchez (3B); 5. Kris Harvey (RF); 6. Grant Psomas (1B); 7. Brad Davis (C); 8. Manuel Mayorson (SS); 40. Lorenzo Scott (DH).
That’s a dramatically different lineup than last year’s, which is good since Carolina was awful last season. Psomas is back, and so is Davis. But Lee Mitchell is up at triple-A, Dante Brinkley is in single-A and the absolutely awful Rex Rundgren is not with the Marlins organization.
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