In Cal we trust.The motto of the Big Blue Nation is often referred to when head coach John Calipari makes a questionable recruiting decision. Chances are, Calipari has a larger design at work when he doesn't go after a prospect, or sends a scholarship to a more unheralded recruit.One recent case where Kentucky fans might have questioned Calipari's recruiting tactics was with Montrezl Harrell. He was seen as a potentially great addition to the 2012 ...

Jabari Parker headlines college basketball's recruiting Class of 2013, which is one of the best we've seen in years.This is the class that college basketball coaches should be focusing on, which is why there are such fierce battles between programs to land these coveted recruits.These battles are ranked on importance based on the skill of the player, the need of the schools, the prestige of the schools, the effect the recruit can have and if ...

Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star reports that University of Arizona men's basketball head coach Sean Miller has been given a contract extension that will pay him a total compensation package of $2.6 million plus incentives by the contract's final year in 2016-17.U of A also added a $500,000 coach's buyout to Miller's contract.In his three years in Tucson, Miller has already established himself as one of college hoops' best recruiters, consistently pulling in ...

Kentucky has landed either the first or second overall recruiting class in each of the previous four seasons, and that trend is likely to remain heading into the 2013 and 2014 recruiting seasons. Head coach John Calipari has extended offers to some of the top players in the country, and a number of top overall prospects are strongly considering Kentucky as one of their favorite schools.The list of players considering the Wildcats is extremely long, ...

The want ad might read like this:"AIRCRAFT CARRIER FOR RENT. Seeking two basketball teams to stage game in new and unique venue only used once before. Rates negotiable. Reply to Secretary of Navy, Arlington, VA."The second annual Carrier Classic follows last year's wildly successful matchup between Michigan State and North Carolina with a meeting between Georgetown and Florida.According to ESPN's Andy Katz, the Hoyas and Gators will play off the coast of Jacksonville on next ...

William Shakespeare wrote in Romeo & Juliet that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” If you have forgotten, or only pretended to read the play when you were a freshman in high school, the play’s titular characters are a boy and a girl who fall in love. The problem is their families hate each other and always have; thus, the romance is doomed. In the line in question, Juliet is trying ...

NBA Commisioner David Stern makes some exceptional statements that grab people's attention. CBS Sports' Ian Eagle spoke with the commish recently to talk about a number of topics, including the "one and done" issue. Stern said: "We understand that players who are anxious to get to the league use the college as a training ground -- really, sort of a vocational school. I'm not sure that it's a better training ground than our NBA Development ...

It was a Saturday night in Evanston, Ill., and the crowd in Welsh-Ryan Arena was buzzing.  Northwestern was playing Minnesota in a pivotal Big Ten matchup with NCAA Tournament implications, but that did not matter at the moment.  Senior John Shurna was within reach of the school’s all-time scoring record, and after being silent on the offensive end more than 16 minutes into the game, he had exploded for a dunk, two three-pointers, and a ...

In an extremely uncharacteristic move by the NCAA, the organization has decided to deregulate phone calls, text messaging, Twitter and Facebook for college basketball coaches recruiting players who have finished their sophomore year of high school.It makes sense.  For better or worse, the majority of all teens carry smart phones and use them as their primary means of communication.Trying to regulate communication, especially social media, is far too daunting of a task for it to be done ...

Despite a rocky start to the 2011-12 season, Texas’ push to make the NCAA Tournament showed that the Longhorns have plenty to build on. This summer, though, is the time for their talented core of returning players to raise their games and make good on the promise they’ve already shown. One of last year’s standout freshmen who especially needs a strong offseason is forward Jonathan Holmes. Already a terrific rebounder, the 6’7” Holmes needs to ...