Eleven Warriors

JB: PIT MVP

Jamar Butler has probably locked up an invite to the NBA's pre-draft camp in Orlando after a strong showing in this weekend's Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

Butler earned tournament MVP honors leading his Tidewater Sealants squad to the PIT championship with 18 points (7/16 FG, 4/9 3FG) and 5 assists against 0 turnovers in the title game.

In the semi-final, Butler recorded 15 points (7/13) and 2 assists with 0 turnovers in 19 minutes. Draft Express noted Butler drove the lane more than expected finishing with various pull ups and runners.

Othello Hunter wrapped up his tournament with a 12 point, 13 rebound effort in Saturday's consolation game.

Hunter opened some eyes averaging 12 rebounds and 15.7 points on 68% shooting (19/28) in three games. Draft Express thinks what we think - Hunter's not gonna be drafted because he's so raw but teams should keep him on the radar. Assuming he can polish his game overseas or in the D-League, he could crack a roster in a few years. As we know, he's got the athleticism to play in the NBA.

In other news, Thad Matta continues to look for help JUCO help. After offering a scholarship to wing Devan Dumes last week, Matta has now offered a scholly to 6'9" forward Josh Harrellson.

As DTI notes, Harrellson originally signed an LOI to play at Western Illinois but several issues led him to go the JUCO route where he averaged 15 and 8 last season.

Numerous schools including Kentucky and Indiana are pursuing Harrellson while the Buckeyes are said to have been scouting the front liner since last December. I can only assume Matta's increased push is an indicator that Koufos has informed the coaches he plans to bolt for the pros so playing time for Harrellson would be just as likely in Columbus as in Bloomington or Lexington or St. Louis.

Allegedly

That 2008 Buckeye defense we've all been daydreaming about just took a bit of a hit. The rumors from earlier in the day proved to be correct and Donald Washington, Jamario O'Neal and Eugene Clifford are in a bit of trouble.

The three have allegedly been caught with weed-flavored urine and are facing suspensions or outright dismissals from the team. All three were held out of spring practice and were seen conditioning while the rest of the squad participated in pads.

The coaching staff and athletic department officials aren't saying anything, but the following quote from Hartline seemed to give away the offense:

"And I know the kind of guys they are, and they're great guys. But it just like dumbfounds you, because I hang out with them all the time but I never see it happen, so it's like, `When?'. . .

The buzz is that Clifford is gone, Washington may be and O'Neal will probably stick around -- but on thin ice.

The loss of Clifford would be no real surprise, considering he was suspended for the MNC game for likely the same offense. A tremendous talent, we were hoping a move to safety would be the fresh start he needed to get his groove-on. His loss would suck, but it's not like he's Beanie, you know.

Washington's loss, on the other hand, would be a tremendous blow to the team. A junior with a ton of quality starts under his belt at corner, his future was bright. All of the snaps that Chekwa received last year are huge all of a sudden.

O'Neal had always been more hype than ability. He is a senior backing up a junior, after all, but you never like to see anything like this happen in a guy's final year.

If things unfold as expected, the current secondary features Jenkins, Chekwa, Coleman and Russell. Three returning starters and the nickel guy from last season. The team should still be in incredible shape back there, but if that group gets hit with injuries, things could get delicate.

What a week -- the entire Brew Crew is on the shelf and now this. Any chance these guys can get the Manningham treatment and see the field before USC?

(On a side note, props to Dotting the "I" for breaking this before everybody. And I mean everybody. Blogs, FTW!)

You think this gig cost Mike $3,000?

Would you play through these seasons? We have all wondered what could have been if either or both Michael Conley and Daequan Cook would have stayed for one more year, but when it comes down to it you can't blame them for leaving.

The dynamic duo have endured a combined 121 losses and sit 82 games out of first place. Considering they also took home a combined 5 million dollars, don't feel too sorry for them.

Conley made 3.4 million this year, suffered through a couple of injuries and has started 42 of his 49 games. He leads the Grizzlies with 4.1 assists per game and a 2.38 A/T ratio. The Grizzles are one of the youngest teams, playing 7 dudes under the age of 25 who log at least 13 minutes and Conley has averaged almost 26 minutes a game. With 4 games left on the season, Conley has scored 12.3 points in his last four and raised his season average to 8.8 a game.

His last game against Phoenix was perhaps his best all year, going for 19 points, 7 boards and 5 assists. His season high of 20 came against LeBron back in January and he has shot a respectable 42 percent from the floor. Conley is rumored to be honing his skills in Cbus this summer, so he should be able to tutor PJ Hill and Evan Turner in their fight to settle the newest 11W debate.

Daequan has suffered through a bit more, but has seen a recent increase in playing time. Dizzy is bringing home 1.1 million, so experiencing 64 losses and a stint in the NBDL seems worth it. Cook has shot only 37 percent from the floor and just 32 percent from deep, leading to 8.2 points a game, but his lack of an overall game shows in his 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists averages.

There is no doubt Daequan would have benefited from another year at OSU, but I think he has always wanted to be called a millionaire and the NBA made it happen. I hope his summer workout routine is exceptional, because the Heat are a mess and no job is safe next year.

These two face off tonight in Miami, so the ladies of South Beach better be ready, a couple of former Buckeyes might be clubbing afterwards. Make it rain fellas, make it rain.

The 56th annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament tipped off yesterday featuring the top 64 seniors trying to improve their stock in front of NBA scouts.

Othello Hunter started off on the right foot with 17 points (8/10 FG) and 13 rebounds last night before adding another 18 points (6/9 FG), 10 rebounds and 3 blocks in just 19 minutes in game two earlier today.

Meanwhile, Jamar Butler began play last night with a 9 point (3/10 FG), 3 assist, 0 turnover effort in 24 minutes.

Butler's next opportunity comes Friday night at 7pm. The tournament wraps up Saturday night. The complete schedule can be found here.

Draft Express offered praise for Butler's ability to run the offense but left Hunter out of their day one write up.

Good luck to both as they perform in front of a large crop of prominent NBA execs including my boys Bird, McHale and Ainge. Remember those 80's Celts/Lakers clashes? The NBA never had it so good.

Mizzou runs better than OSU

If there was any doubt after the past two BCS Championships and Rose Bowls, the Big Ten is now officially a slow conference.

At least according to Illini linebacker Martez Wilson. The Tribune caught up with the sophomore linebacker at spring camp and he dropped the following bomb on his conference mates:

"I chose not to redshirt. I told them I'd work hard and get as much playing time as possible. I got a starting spot on special teams as a gunner, and it helped me a lot to adjust to the speed. Some teams were very fast."

Such as the first and last teams the Illini played last season, he said.

"The fastest games I played were Missouri and USC," he said.

Now, I'd prefer a guy with more than 2 tackles against the Buckeyes be the one to evaluate their team speed, but the Illini have scoreboard on us, so what is there to say.

Then again, how fast does a guy need to be when he can stiff-arm you two feet into the turf?

(Via the FanHouse)

One and done?

Buckeyes Finish 35th in Final Coaches Poll Not exactly what I had in mind heading into the season but strides were made down the stretch. The extra games and practice time can only help what will be an even younger squad next fall. Assuming Koufos bolts for the NBA or Greece with Butler, Hunter and Wiggler already history, three starting jobs and four of the top seven spots in the rotation would be up for grabs.

That sets up next year's squad to be even younger than the '08 group as Anthony Crater, William Buford and BJ Mullens enter the fold expecting to see immediate action alongside a slew of soph's in Turner, Lauderdale, Diebler and Wallace.

Somewhat scarily, Lighty will be the elder statesman on the squad. Hill and Madsen will also be juniors but they won't provide any on court leadership from their seats on the sideline. You know Matta's gonna challenge Lighty to polish his game and leadership ability over the summer and I expect Turner to be the #2 in that regard.

OSU: Scholarship Hit Appears Likely As stated in previous reports, it now appears certain the Basketball Buckeyes will be forced to give up a scholarship for a year due to a below 925 Academic Progress Report (APR) score.

Ohio State created an academic improvement plan and mailed it to the NCAA along with a dozen no-bake cookies and two Asian strippers in hopes the Evil Empire will choose not to invoke a penalty.

Though many will point a finger in Oden's direction for pulling the infamous O'fer 2 (leaving during a term and being ineligle for next season at time of withdrawal) Bob Baptist noted the four year rolling score was also hurt by the early adios' from five players though Conley and Cook are said to not have hurt the APR score since they finished spring quarter before taking their skills to the NBA.

Hopefully, Koufos won't follow in Oden's footsteps with his own O'fer 2.

Look, coming up with questions for polls is no easy task. Sometimes the questions come right to you, but other times you have to think about it for at least 10 seconds. That's why we don't want to pile on the WWL too hard for this poll they put up recently:

I know they have Butch and the ACC is the ACC, but come on. That's a 94% fail ratio.

Since you guys had fun with the last two Woody caption contests, I thought it was time for another.

No ladies on each arm this time around but I'm sure you'll make do.

As usual, the winner receives only the props of fellow readers. We already give up more booty than Dashiki. In that vein, I'll start it off - "Hey, Arch...smell my finger!"

Not a gentleman

It's been a couple of days since Tressel's "only between gentlemen" comment about whether there was a gentleman's agreement in the conference when it comes to recruiting. I personally think it was the Vest just trying to be clever and not really a dig at Rodriguez, and those in the Wolverine community seem to agree for the most part.

Well, the comment finally made its way back to Ann Arbor:

"Huh well, maybe I'm not a gentleman," Rodriguez said. "I never heard of that (gentlemen's agreement). In that regard, I would be guilty as charged. I know as soon as I took the job, there was a commitment to the University of Michigan who changed his commit and went to another Big Ten school. I didn't blame the coach for doing that. Until the guy signs, he's out there, particularly if he visits.

"If the young man is committed to your school, yet he's still visiting other schools, he's not truly committed; he's just very, very interested. You have to understand the difference in that. I've been doing this a long time, (and) I never heard of such a thing. I don't get caught up in all the he said, she said. One thing I've had to learn to develop, thick skin over the years as head coach. I'm proud of the way we recruit. We certainly aren't going to break any NCAA rules when we recruit. As far as a gentlemen's agreement, I've never heard of such a thing."

As I mentioned when the whole Tiller/Rodriguez issue first blew up, there might have been a gentlemen's agreement back in the day, but not in this era of text messages and bulk email applications.

At any rate, it's good to see that The Rivalry won't miss a beat -- even in this transition season. As much as I hate to admit it, I like the way Rodriguez handled that. Could you imagine Carr saying anything other than "I'm not going to get into that," and declaring the interview over before storming out of the room?

News out of camp has Eugene Clifford making the switch to safety. Clifford, you may recall, may have or may not have run into a little trouble with the tree last season and was subsequently suspended for the LSU game. Here's to fresh starts.

In other secondary news, linebackers Jermale Hines and Tyler Moeller are getting looks at strong safety as the staff experiments with ways to stop the spread. The thought of putting a little more size at the position is intriguing and it put a smile on my face knowing that Tressel was game-planning for Michigan in April.

Continuing their excellent series, Better Know a Buckeye, Vico and the guys at Our Honor Defend present the complete Mike Adams story. I have to check Wikipedia for the parting of the Red Sea story, but I'm pretty sure it's true.

I'm a little late on this but as most of you know, Dan Potokar headed to Indianapolis a few weeks ago to undergo extremely intensive treatment for cancer. Based on comments from the family there's no guarantee he will even survive the 6-8 week treatment.

To help with expenses, Ohio State has set up a fund so Buckeye fans can show just how much they care about every player, not just the stars.

The 11W crew will be making a donation and we urge you to do the same. Donations can be made through Ohio State and a Bowl-A-Thon is also set up for April 26 at Grove City Lanes.

While I'm at it, though not Buckeye related, I would also like to urge everyone to consider giving to The Nationwide Children's Hospital Heart Center (P.O. Box 16810 Columbus, OH 43272) in the name of Jackson Brown.

Jackson was laid to rest Monday after battling through two heart transplants in 3.5 months in addition to reminding folks like me what's really important in life. God Bless Jackson and his incredible parents.