NCAA

Running Back Recruit Gets Mass Letters from Alabama In Inbox

by Josh Dhani on February 17, 2012 · 0 comments

Norcross, Georgia running back recruit, Alvin Kamara, received an interesting proposal from Alabama in his mailbox. The four-star recruit had a mass amount of letters, all from ‘Bama.

“There were 105 letters from Alabama,” Kamara told Rivals.com.

Crazy.

“I counted!” Kamara said. “And I took pictures. I was shocked. I didn’t expect there to be that many in the mailbox. When I opened it, it was overflowing and some of them fell out.”

Kamara says he will store them in a shoebox. It looks like Alabama were really roll tiding with their letters and it really looks like they want Kamara because of the mail. Kamara thinks so himself.

The 5’10,” 190-pound running back has also gotten offers from eight other schools, most recently Mississippi State.

“It’s still exciting [getting new offers],” Kamara admitted. “Every time I get one, I’m like ‘Yes!’”

Kamara came off a solid season last year with over 1,500 yards rushing, which earned him an offer to Syracuse in the fall. Who knows where he will go? I think he should take Alabama, though, if I were him. It’s not everyday when a college offers you a scholarship to your school…in 105 different ways.

Kamara says the Roll Tide are recruiting him the hardest.

“I’ll say Alabama, just based on what other schools are doing and what Alabama is doing,” Kamara said. “I went there [for junior day] and it went well. I liked the atmosphere. It’s SEC football. It’s big-time football. You can feel it when you go up there.”

Take a look at all the letters Kamara got:

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Also, if you haven’t seen this kid on the gridiron, take a look at the video below:

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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Butler, Duke Re-Match From March; Duke Wins Again, 82-70

by Josh Dhani on December 5, 2010

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It was a re-match of last season’s National Championship. The Duke Blue Devils were leading, 61-59, over the Butler Bulldogs. The Bulldogs were the Cinderella team entering this match-up, but the Blue Devils came out on top with their great veteran experience from coach Mike Krzyzweski. Gordon Hayward had a chance to win the game for Butler, almost making a half-court shot to win the game, but it barely missed!

With Hayward gone, the Bulldogs hoped to bring revenge still on the Devils. It was basically a game going back and forth. But later in the game, star-player Shelvin Mack would injury himself with cramps. He would not return. With that, the Bulldogs were in a hole. But they would bounce back. But later in the second half, Kyrie Irving would get hot, and he would help end the game for a Duke win, 82-70. The Blue Devils improve to 8-0 while Butler falls to 4-3.

This would be Coach K’s 876th career victory, passing coach Rupp on the all-time wins list.

“I’m going to win more I think than Coach Rupp, God bless him, who won’t win any more,” Krzyzewski said of the late coach. “He won a lot of them and he won them in his way and they didn’t play as many games then. Each era has outstanding achievements by individuals, whether they be players or coaches and in this era I’ve been fortunate to have some.

“It’s tough to compare,” Krzyzewski said. “I much rather would have tied him in April than today because I’m going to keep coaching and we should win more games. You get too caught up with what your own team is doing to focus on that kind of stuff.”

It’s the 18th straight win overall for Duke now. Nolan Smith had 24 points while Irving had 21, including 17 in the second half. Like mentioned earlier, Irving hit two keys three-pointers to finish the game off.

“Nolan did a tremendous job tonight. He played like a veteran,” Irving said. “He put us on his back in the second half of this game.”

Smith said, “Kyrie brings a lot. He’s a dangerous point guard.”

Butler will face Xavier next while Duke will the Bradley Braves.

By Josh Dhani

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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Are You Ready for Glendale?

by Josh Dhani on December 5, 2010

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As anyone ready for the Auburn Tigers to take on the Oregon Ducks in January at Glendale, Arizona? The Tigers notched up a 56-17 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks, led by Cam Newton’s six total touchdowns. Newton went 17-of-28 for 335 yards and four touchdowns on the air with 73 yards and two scores on the ground.
Auburn now improves to 13-0 as they hold on to the number one seed in the FBS rankings. Everyone was yelling “Heisman” in the crowd, and there is no doubt that Newton will win. Pack your bags, Cam, you’re heading to Glendale!
Meanwhile, the Gamecocks fall to 9-5, but there is no worry as they will have a bowl game in set for them. The play of the day for this game would probably be Newton’s hail mary pass to end the first half. He threw a lob into the end zone, but it would somehow end up in Darvin Adams’ hands for the score.
Take a look:
Meanwhile, for the Oregon Ducks, they rolled against the rival Oregon State Beavers in a Civil War match-up, cruising to a 37-20 victory. It was led by the strong running game with LaMichael James, who carried the ball 28 times for 134 yards with two touchdowns. Quarterback Darron Thomas was 14-of-24 for 145 yards with two touchdowns.
A key play in the game was on a fake punt, which was then handed off to linebacker Michael Clay for a 64-yard burst to but Oregon inside the ten, which would lead to a score. Oregon improves to 12-0 and advance to their first BCS bowl game ever and their first ever 12-0 year.
The Beavers fall to 5-7. With one more win, they could have possibly been bowl-eligible. Well, that’s life.
Can’t wait until Glendale!
It’s hard to decide who wins. But I wish the best of luck for both teams!

By Josh Dhani

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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Michael Jordan’s Son Enjoying an Early Start to His Sophomore Season at UCF

by Josh Dhani on December 3, 2010

 Not many have heard much about Michael Jordan‘s son, well, as far as performance on the hardwood goes.


Marcus made ESPN last year when he refused to put on a pair of Adidas before suiting up for a UCF basketball game. UCF eventually bought out their contract with Adidas and are now a proud partner with Nike.

Jordan made another appearance on ESPN again in August of this year after tweeting that he had spent more than $50,000 on alcohol. He also was seen in a picture at a 21 year old and older night club.

Aside from his two minor incidents, Jordan has played stellar basketball for head-coach Donnie Jones and the UCF Knights this season.
 
In six games thus far Jordan is averaging 17 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.5 SPG. The 6’3″ guard is shooting 56.0 percent from the field and 48.0 percent from three-point territory.

Needless to say, the Knights are currently undefeated on the early season, holding a 6-0 record, and recently won arguably the schools biggest victory in its history (defeating No. 16 ranked Florida).

Jordan leads UCF in points per game as well as steals per game and has seen a vast improvement in his overall game as compared to his freshman campaign.

The lefty guard has made ESPN’s top ten two times during his college career and continues to impress night in and night out.

Being Michael Jordan‘s son, you’d expect the young gun to carry a ton of weight on his shoulders knowing that if he doesn’t live up to the supreme expectations of his dad he will inevitably be a failure.

But that doesn’t seem like the case for the sophomore as he looks calm, cool, and collective on the court for UCF this season.

Whether you’ve heard of him or not, Marcus Jordan is slowly beginning to turn heads and make a name for himself.

Expect big things from the son of the all-time great Michael Jordan.

For more of Brandon’s content be sure to check out NBAPrimetime.com and follow him on twitter @_nbaprimetime

By Brandon Ribak

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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Alex Zendejas Has A Terrible Day for Arizona, Shanks Zero-Yard Punt

by Josh Dhani on December 3, 2010

Gotta feel bad for this guy. Zendejas was punting and it was shanked for zero yards. It was followed by a bunch of other miscues, leading to the team’s loss. Ouch.

By Josh Dhani

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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Trump Stumps For Leach

by Josh Dhani on December 2, 2010

Donald Trump is getting in the agent business. Kind of. He has been politicking for former Texas Tech head man Mike Leach to be hired for the vacant Miami job. Trump wanted school president Donna Shalala to hire Leach when they canned Larry Coker. Trump also sent this to Shalala.

When did Trump get involved in the coach hiring process. If all it takes to get some backing is to post his mug on the wall and quote him in a halftime speech or a speech of any kind maybe I ought to do the same. Maybe the Donald can get me hired at Eastern Michigan or a Division III school. 
Trump thinks Leach was wrongly fired at Texas Tech and says that Leach might not be the easiest guy to get along with but is a brilliant guy and a brilliant coach. Leach thinks it would be a great job and a great fit for him. He’s already promising ACC championships and full stadiums.
My question is why Minnesota hasn’t jumped on this guy yet. That is a team that can really use him. Maybe he doesn’t cheat enough for them since it seems that’s the only time they’re good at anything.
By Chris Edwards

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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Shannon Was The Fall Guy For The Losses

by Josh Dhani on December 2, 2010

My personal opinion. Randy Shannon was fired unjustly by Miami. I know there are lots of folks who will disagree, especially fans and supporters of The U. 
Shannon simply didn’t win enough to satisfy the appetite of school president Donna Shalala and I would guess numerous boosters. This was after he got the dreaded vote of confidence that seems to doom every coach that gets it. Here’s the problem with college athletics, especially football. The president wants to win big. He or she will have boosters and regents in their ear telling them how much the school needs to win. All the while they don’t want too much off field controversy and want a decent graduation rate. Shannon fulfilled the last two ( 1 arrest and 3rd best graduation rate), but couldn’t win when it mattered most. I’m no great game planner or x’s and o’s master, but the players were just as responsible for the losses as he was. I know the coach is ultimately the fall guy for what happens on the field. Think about it, the players have admitted they were at fault for Shannon being fired. It wasn’t Shannon who threw the game away at Ohio State. I know there was an embarassing loss to Virginia, but if Jacory Harris doesn’t get hurt they win that game. The only game I question is the Florida State game where it looked like they didn’t show up.

Shannon will get another oppurtunity he will definitely get a look as a defensive coordinator. I think he deserved one more year at Miami.  

 
By Chris Edwards

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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Spartans Need A Good Showing vs.Duke

by Josh Dhani on December 2, 2010

I know Tom Izzo doesn’t really put a premium on early season games, such as the one against Duke tonight. Well Mr. Izzo, this team has to acquit itself well or win tonight. There’s one reason and one reason only I feel this way. They gte blown out in these early season showdowns. Think about the North Carolina games the last two years.

There are people that will say “Izzo always wins in March so it doesn’t matter”. To me it does matter. I understand wanting to measure yourself against the best in the nation. There just has to be a point that you actually start winning some of these early season games. There are some that want to be there in March. I want to be there and win all year. I want to set a tone of dominance. I want my team to feel they can’t be beat. Michigan State doesn’t have that confidence to be a dominant team. They’re good, but they’re not as good as they can be. I don’t want State to win just because I hate Duke. I want them to tell the rest of America that they are a force to be reckoned with.  

By Chris Edwards

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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Wolverines Notch Good Road Win

by Josh Dhani on December 1, 2010

By Chris Edwards

After two tough early season losses, the Michigan Wolverines went on the road and beat a pretty good Clemson team 69-61. The game was reminiscent of the NCAA tournament game they played two years ago. Michigan jumped on them early and withstood a second half Clemson surge to get an eight point win in their first true road game of the season.

Freshman Evan Smotrycz and Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Wolverines with 18 and 15 points respectively. Smotrycz also chipped in with six rebounds. Jordan Morgan had eight points and six rebounds, but six of those points came when Clemson mounted a serious charge.

This was the first win for the Wolverines after four straight losses in the Big Ten/ACC challenge. This was a game I had expected them to lose and a game that last year they probably would’ve lost. Hopefully they can build some momentum off this win and put together a solid season. No one expects them to challenge the upper echelon of the Big Ten, but they also shouldn’t be a bottom feeder.

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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What I Saw In College Football

by Josh Dhani on December 1, 2010

By Chris Edwards

Out of all the craziness in college football that happened over the weekend, I’ll start with the obvious. Auburn. The Tigers staged the comeback of comebacks this season against Alabama. They took Bama’s hardest shot, withstood it and pulled out a great win over the Tide. This game reminded me of Drago/Balboa, how Bama started out and rode the home crowd to a 21-0 lead. Then the Tigers came back and stunned all of Tuscaloosa by stealing the win. I don’t care what the circumstances are, just give Cam Newton the Heisman already. I’m telling you, this is what Terrelle Pryor should’ve been. My only concern is that Auburn does show signs of a suspect defense, but somehow gets it together long enough to get some key stops and let the offense takeover.

It’ll be strange to not see the Texas longhorns going to a bowl game. Texas A&M was more than happy to drive home that point on Thanksgiving. The Aggies were somehow were relegated to the Cotton Bowl even though they did thump Oklahoma.

Speaking of the Big 12, it’ll seem like old times when Nebraska faces Oklahoma in the championship game. The Sooners topped Oklahoma State 47-41 to win the South, which ended in a three way tie. Nebraska drilled Colorado to claim the North. This rivalry has been on the back burner since the Big 12′s inception and now we get to see both go into it highly ranked like those great games in the 80′s.

Oregon once again overcame early defensive trouble to beat Arizona 48-29. All the Ducks have to do is win the Civil War game against Oregon State to roll into the national championship game undefeated.

UConn, yes UConn is in position to claim the Big East’s BCS bid. Thsi is bad business. If they had a rule that a team with more than 3 losses can’t participate in a BCS game or rotated the automatic bid to someone with the best record or highest ranking, we wouldn’t have this bulljive like TCU going to kick around the Big East for the next five years. No disrespect to UConn, but they got beat by Michigan. Does this mean Michigan is BCS quality? Insert laughs.

Virginia Tech will face Florida State in the ACC title game. All will be right in this conference when Florida State and Miami start kicking everyone around. Viriginia Tech isn’t bad, but if you lose to James Madison, you shouldn’t be in a BCS game either.

The Big Ten ended in a three way tie only to see Michigan State, get pimped by the system. Under the old rules they’d be going to Pasadena. Under the current set up they get the Texas A&M treatment. Hello Florida. I can understand why Mark Dantonio is upset.    

Michigan get two more weeks of practice. They need all they can get. That game against Ohio State was an embarrasment. In the last three games under Rich Rod’s watch they’ve been outscored 100-24. I believe Rodriguez could’ve turned this around,but he’s too stubborn to realize his own mistakes. If Lloyd Carr left the cupboard bare, he’s gonna leave the whole damn house empty.

Nevada picked off Boise State 34-31. I said this would be a difficult game for Boise and I was proven right. I just didn’t think their defense would collapse or that kicker Kyle Brotzman would channel his inner Neil O’Donoghue and shank two field goals that would eventually cost the Broncos the game. I guess they’ll get an extra home game on the smurf turf.

Notre Dame beat USC for it’s first win in 8 tries after Trojans’ receiver Ron Johnson dropped a sure touchdown that would’ve  won the game. Oh well.

A loss to South Florida earned Randy Shannon the axe in Miami. The Canes finished a disappointing 7-5 after starting the season with championship aspirations.

Josh has been writing since January 2009 and founded FootBasket in April 2009. He also owns the websites, Hardcourt Mayhem and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani

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