Creighton Picks Up Kansas State Transfer

After having a rough season at Kansas State that ended in a dismissal, 6’2″ shooting guard Marcus Foster has committed to the Creighton Blue Jays after visiting the school this past weekend.

Foster averaged 15.5 points per game and earned All-Big 12 second team honors during his promising freshman season but instead of improving, the Texas native only averaged 12.5 points per game this past season (KSU went 15-17 overall and missed the NCAA Tournament).

As a high school senior, Marcus Foster chose the Wildcats over the Blue Jays after holding other offers from California, Lehigh, Oklahoma and SMU. The Hirschi High School recruit was labeled as only a three-star player but has developed into a willing scorer who can create his own shot at will.

Now Foster believes that a new scenery and the help of Greg McDermott, who he has had a relationship with for the last few years, will help him overcome his rough sophomore slump.

Foster was suspended by head coach Bruce Weber in February (three games) after violating team rules and he was also benched in games against Oklahoma State and Georgia.

According to the Omaha World-Herald, there could be some reasoning behind Foster’s benching and suspension.

The Kansas City Star speculated that Weber took the action after seeing a picture Foster posted on social media from spring break. The picture was of Foster, Harris and a fake iguana. Foster bragged in the caption that the pair was “lit on the beach.”

Despite the issues Foster has had with Weber, this is a huge addition, not only for Creighton but for the Big East. After the loss of Doug McDermott to the NBA, the Blue Jays struggled finishing ninth in the conference and lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament against Georgetown.

The Jays are trying to make up for the loss of their big name players, McDermott, Ethan Wragge and Austin Chatman, by showing a strong ability to connect on the transfer market (Maurice Watson from Boston University and Cole Huff from Nevada are eligible in 2015-16 after sitting out a year).

Foster is unable to play for a season due to the NCAA’s academic transfer rules but can practice and will have two remaining seasons of eligibility starting in 2016-17.

On the flip side, Kansas State is expected to have a whole new team this season as Foster was among three players dismissed this offseason, Tre Harris and Malek Harris, while two other youngsters, Nigel Johnson and Javon Thomas, plan to transfer. The Wildcats have a seven man recruiting class that is led by four-star center from Jacksonville, Eric Cobb, but they will greatly miss Foster’s production.

The State of College Basketball

College basketball TV ratings are at an all-time high, but the NCAA is failing to produce professional level basketball players due to the slowed-down style of play. Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban is among many disappointed in the current style of play in college hoops.

"If they want to keep kids in school and keep them from being pro players, they're doing it the exact right way by having the 35-second shot clock and having the game look and officiated the way it is," Cuban stated, per Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. "Just because kids don't know how to play a full game of basketball."

Cuban's points, though extreme, have statistical merit. College basketball scoring is down to its lowest rate since the pre-shot clock era. College programs see more success slowing the pace of play significantly, using most of the 35-second shot clock and stringing out the length of possessions. Out of this year's the Final Four teams, Duke was the only one ranked higher than 200 in tempo, according to KenPom.com.

Cuban went on to say that the style of college play is worse than high school. "You've got 20 to 25 seconds of passing on the perimeter and then somebody goes and tries to make a play and do something stupid, and scoring's gone down."

Before Cuban commented on the state of college basketball, University of Connecticut head women's basketball coach, Geno Auriemma called men's basketball a "joke" and that it is not doing enough to emphasize the development of offensive skills of its players.

"The bottom line is that nobody can score, and they'll tell you it's because of great defense, great scouting, a lot of team work, nonsense, nonsense," stated Auriemma.

To combat the slowed pace of play, the NCAA experimented with a 30-second shot clock in the NIT and CBI tournaments. More professional basketball ambassadors will likely weigh in on this issue to try and get the NCAA to make more rule changes to better develop its athletes into NBA ready players

Kris Bryant: MLB's Next Great Power Hitter

Chicago Cubs rookie, Kris Bryant, is looking to make noise in Major League Baseball this season. Baseball fans want to see highlights produced by stars, and Bryant is capable of just that. Baseball has seen a decline in popularity due to the recent lack of home run totals. In order for baseball to regain popularity among sports fans, transcendent power hitting talent must emerge.

Kris Bryant has the capability of joining Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Trout in being the most exciting players in baseball. Bryant, a third baseman and second overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, has put on a fantastic display of home run power in spring training just a few months after finishing a minor league season hitting 43 home runs. This spring alone, Bryant has posted 9 home runs and 15 RBI. 

What should the fans expect of Kris Bryant this season?

Bryant will likely spend the first two weeks of the MLB regular season back at the triple-A level in order for the Cubs to keep him with the club for seven seasons before reaching free agency. Though this means that Bryant is going to miss a few games in the first month of the season, he should start enough games following his call up to post and plate appearance numbers close to those posted by other everyday MLB starters.

Bryant's raw power should allow him to reach the 30 home run crest this season. His power is the most sure thing about his game. Bryant has struggled significantly on reducing his strikeout totals in the minor leagues, but his walk rate is high which indicates he is a selective hitter. Nevertheless, Bryant's strikeout rate being higher than 25 percent in the upper levels of the Cubs' minor league system is definitely concerning.

Bryant compares similarly to Giancarlo Stanton with both his size and ability to hit for power. Both players stand tall and athletic with the strength to be able to drive the ball to all fields. This spring, Bryant has shown a shorter swing path to the ball compared to Stanton's swing. This part of Bryant's game raises his ceiling of potential higher than Stanton's was at this point in his career. However, Bryant has yet to prove himself against legitimate MLB competition. 

Adding Kris Bryant to the mix of an already strong, young team in a big market like Chicago will help to make baseball more popular. Bryant's ability should complement teammate, and rising star, Anthony Rizzo on the path toward an ever elusive World Series title.

Pre-Season MLB Predictions

Baseball's most burning question this pre-season is who will make the playoffs and win the World Series. Multiple teams made major off-season moves to better their chances of winning a World Series.

Baseball is unbelievably unpredictable, and there are billions of different ways a season can come out. That being said, here are my nearly worthless playoff and World Series picks for the 2015 season.

AL East: Boston Red Sox
With the acquisitions of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, the Red Sox will dominate all hitting statistical categories. This year's AL East is the weakest in years, especially since the Yankees will pose no threat, and the Rays lost mastermind manager, Joe Maddon.
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
The Tigers added powerful Cuban, Yoenis Cespedes to their 2015 roster this off-season. Cespedes has played on 3 teams in less than a year. Verlander will return to his sub-4.00 ERA form to create a nearly unbeatable one-two punch with David Price and lead the Tigers to an AL Central crown in the closest division race in baseball
AL West: Los Angeles Angels
This season's AL West race will be much closer than last year's when the Angels ran away with it. The Angels will still take the AL West crown despite a potential Josh Hamilton suspension. Mike Trout will continue to prove he is the most valuable player, leading the Angels to the best record in the American League.
AL Wild Cards: Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians
NL East: Washington Nationals
The Nationals got their cake this off-season and will eat it all year too. Max Scherzer will continue to put up Cy Young quality numbers along side four other aces. With one of the strongest rotations in baseball history, expect a 100+ win season for the Nats. Bryce Harper will have his best season yet if he remains healthy, and Antony Rendon will be a breakout offensive force as well.
NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals
A healthy Yadier Molina and a strong outfield addition in Jason Heyward gives the Cardinals the edge in the NL Central. The Cardinals' biggest downfall this season is their pitching rotation. The Cards haven't had to deal with a shallow rotation in a long time, but their more powerful lineup will carry them to the playoffs once again.
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers may be threatened by a new-looking Padres team and defending champions Giants in their division, but their regular-season dominance will continue thanks to one of the best line-ups top to bottom and the reigning Cy Young, Clayton Kershaw.
NL Wild Cards: Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres

World Series: The Washington Nations will run away with this year's World Series over the Los Angeles Angels. Both of these teams will have the best regular season records, and will roll over everyone all the way until the World Series. A rotation as deep as the Nationals' will be impossible to beat in a 7-game series. The Nationals will have the most dominant regular-season and post-season in MLB history.

Florida State Freshman Explodes for 30 points in Last 4:38

On Wednesday, February 25, Florida State University freshman basketball player, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, carried the struggling Seminoles in the closing minutes. He scored 30 points in the final 4:38, but it wasn't enough to overcome the 18-point lead the Miami Hurricanes built. Miami won the contest 77-81 despite their
defensive collapse.

Rathan-Mayes' efforts not enough for FSU
(Photo: Hector Gabino/AP)

Rathan-Mayes scored 26 consecutive points without missing a shot. In the final 4:38, he shot 8-for-10, knocking down six 3-pointers, a pair of lay-ups and 8 free throws. Rathan-Mayes, a Canadian guard, played along side Andrew Wiggins in high school. With his 30-point explosion, expect to see Rathan-Mayes' name to climb on mock draft boards if he decides to declare for the 2015 NBA Draft.

"It was a crazy feeling just to be locked into a zone like that," Rathan-Mayes said Thursday,"I was telling my dad earlier that I'd never been in a zone like that."

Rathan-Mayes entered Wednesday's contest averaging 13.6 points and finished with a career high of 35.

Wilt Chamberlain's 100, Kobe Bryant's 81, Tracy McGrady's 13 in 35 seconds and Pete Maravich's 69 are all notable scoring performances, but where does Rathan-Mayes' outburst rank among these NBA legends?

Maravich holds the NCAA career record for points with 3,667 at LSU. In a career filled with consistent 50+ point performances, Maravich's most notable game came in February 1970 at Alabama, where he poured in 69 points on 26-for-57 shooting. Though Rathan-Mayes hasn't shown this level of production, who knows what he is capable of?

View Rathan-Mayes' historic performace here.

Dominic Struckhoff's Busy Offseason

Year in and year out Borgia athletes receive high honors, win championships and sign letters of intent to continue play in college. Dozens of state boards plaster the gym walls with the names of memorable high school athletes. This year is no different.

With multiple student-athletes having either committed or signed already, the class of 2015 might have one of the most successful set of athletes in recent Borgia history. Senior Borgia football standout, Dominic Struckhoff, has continued to compete even though his senior season ended a few months ago.

Struckhoff was invited to play in the Under Armour Blue-Grey All American Bowl in Tampa Bay, Florida on January 10, 2015. In the All American Bowl Dominic played along with and against college-ready athletes from all over the country. Though he was listed as a running back, he was mainly positioned as a fullback during the game.

“The game gave me the opportunity to display my talents against other recruits and prove college coaches I am able to compete at the college level”, described Struckhoff. “The players at the All American game were at the same playing level I am going to play at next year.”

At the time Struckhoff didn't know where he would be playing in college; however on January 22, he verbally committed to William Jewell College, an NCAA Division 2 school in Liberty, Missouri. Dominic believes it is a perfect decision.

“From grade school all the way to high school, small schools were always my scene”, he explained. “I had some bigger D1 schools that I had the opportunity to walk on to, but whenever I visited Jewell, it had the feel and education level I wanted.”

Dominic is a hard worker and it shows on and off the field. He is a consistent honor-roll student and is always working to get stronger and faster. Dominic’s work ethic and attitude has shaped him into a leader on and off the field.

Teammate and recent Truman State football commit, Drake Raftery, expressed, “Dom is a guy that everyone looks up to and aspires to be like. His constant work ethic allows him to be a great leader everywhere he goes.”

Raftery has no doubts in Stuckhoff’s ability to compete at the next level, “For a high school athlete, he is very well prepared. He should have no problem at Jewell.”

Struckhoff noted that he owes his dad a lot of credit for his success. “He helped me all along the way by giving me opportunities to look at a bunch of schools. When it came down to it, he helped me weigh my options and eventually choose William Jewell.”

Injuries Plague NBA

The 2014-15 NBA rookie class came in with higher expectations than any other set of rookies in NBA history. However, no other rookie class has experienced so many injuries. Could it be that the work-load is too much, or are the expectations too high? Regardless, injuries have become a major problem this season for all players. 

Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker, the draft's No. 2 overall pick, was the projected Rookie of the Year before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in December.  He joined No. 3 pick Joel Embiid, No. 4 pick Aaron Gordon and No. 7 pick Julius Randle on the sidelines. The result is a wide open but ugly Rookie of the Year race, one of the worst in NBA history.

Along with the rookies, multiple superstars have battled injuries all season. Kevin Durant has missed 27 games this season and is not expected to return until the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony will miss the rest of the season after having a knee surgery. Anthony Davis continues to combat a reoccurring shoulder injury. Even Lebron James's season has been hit with injury. As a result of multiple superstars' injuries, the NBA MVP race is wide open.

The reason most NBA players get injured is that the games are too long and there are too many of them. An 82-game season is a lot to ask of an basketball player, especially since the game is more physical than ever.  Also, a 48 minute game of constant jumping and lateral movements causes an indescribable amount of wear and tear on the athletes' bodies. 

The most successful players this season are those whose minutes have been limited out of caution. Stephen Curry and James Harden have remained injury free this season and are the leaders in the MVP race. Curry is averaging 33 minutes per game and is putting up career high numbers. Harden is only in his 3rd year as a starter, which has actually benefited him. He has experienced no injuries this season, and is at the top of his game.

NBA teams should be careful with how they use their star players. Maybe if Lebron James played a few less minutes each game, his performance would improve like Curry's has. It appears that limiting the amount of minutes a player plays is the best way to keep them injury free.