Hold’n Court: The HoopGroup Blogs

Transfers are becoming more and more commonplace in college basketball. Coming out of high school, most kids want to go to a school at the highest level they can. Many times after spending time on the bench they leave their original school, going down a level or two to another school and another conference where they have a greater opportunity to play. It seems like every year, every school has one or two players looking to transfer.

Word came out recently that University of Vermont Freshman Joe Trapani (pictured at EIBC) was transferring up, moving to Boston College. The versatile forward is leaving an America East school for the highest level of college hoops, the Atlantic Coast Conference. This is extremely rare but we do remember a few instances of this over the past 12 years. In those cases it seemed to have worked out for the student-athlete.

Heshimu Evans was MAAC Rookie of the Year at Manhattan in 1994-95 averaging 12.4 ppg and 5.0 rpg. From there, he moved on to Kentucky, another example of moving up to the highest level. Evans was a key player on the Wildcat team that won the National Championship in 1997-98. Evans averaged 8.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg and was selected to the SEC Tournament All Tournament Team. As a senior the following year he averaged 11.8 ppg and 4.1 rpg.

Alpha Bangura was selected Northeast Conference Newcomer of the Year for Monmouth in 1998-99 while averaging 18.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg. He moved up to a high level moving across the river to St. John’s University in the Big East. Bangura had some success with the Red Storm averaging 5.6 ppg and 2.2 rpg as a senior in 2001-02.

Mike Gansey was named to the All Newcomer Team in the Atlantic 10 Conference for St. Bonaventure in 2001-02. After a coaching change with the Bonnies, Gansey left for West Virginia University and the Big East. Things worked out very well for Gansey as he made All Big East first team while averaging 16.8 ppg and 5.7 rpg and led West Virginia to the Final Four.

How will it end up for Trapani? Things may work out, for the one time Eastern Invitational Most Outstanding Prospect. Only time will tell, but as we can see there is some precedent for a happy ending to the movement up.

A step up the coaching ladder seems to be a time spent as the Director of Eastern Invitational Camp. Some recent coaching moves illustrate that point once again. Coaches who have spent time with the Hoop Group with Eastern Invitational have recently moved on to new coaching positions in the past few weeks.

Former Eastern Invitational Director Mike Rice has left the University of Pittsburgh as the number one assistant to take over the Head Position at Robert Morris.

Former CBA and Penn star Andy Toole is also going to Robert Morris. Toole was also a Director at Eastern Invitational before heading to Lafayette where he was an assistant this year.

Former Maryland Asssistant Billy Hahn is at West Virginia as an assistant to new coach Bob Huggins. Hahn was the Head Coach at Lasalle and after that was the Eastern Invitational Director for the Hoop Group until heading south this week.

There are quite a few other former Eastern Invitational Directors who are on major college staffs. Chuckie Martin is an Assistant at the University of Memphis. Jimmy Carr is an assistant in the Big East at Rutgers as is Steve Sauers at Seton Hall.

The list doesn’t end there. Chris Sparks is an Assistant at Penn. Jesse Agel is also in the Ivy League at Brown. Joe Burke is an Assistant at Navy. And Ashley Howard is an Assistant at Lasalle.

Some other Hoop Group employees have also used their time at the Grass Roots level to move on to college Athletic Administration positions. Dennis Gregory, Colin Sullivan and Matt Conway are at Rutgers, Marist and Boston College respectively.

And finally former Pocono Invitational Director Mike Wolf is now an Assistant Coach at the University of Portland.

The Hoop Group is dedicated to fulfilling dreams not only for the Student-Athletes.

Former Blair Academy star and current Chicago Bulls star Luol Deng was honored this week by the NBA.  Deng was given the NBA Sportsmanship Award for the 2006-07 season.  Deng was rated as the #1 player in New Jersey in his class by NJ Hoops.  Deng was an MVP of numerous Hoop Group showcase events including the Lehigh Valley Hoop Fest.

The release from the NBA:

NEW YORK, May 3, 2007 – Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls is the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy presented to the 2006-07 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner, the NBA announced today.

Originally presented following the 1995-96 season, the Sportsmanship Award honors a player who exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court — ethical behavior, fair play and integrity. The trophy is named for former Detroit Pistons guard and Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, the award’s first recipient.

Deng, also a Central Division nominee for the 2005-06 season, was one of six divisional winners, including Atlanta’s Joe Johnson (Southeast), Houston’s Shane Battier (Southwest), the Los Angeles Clippers’ Elton Brand (Pacific), Toronto’s Anthony Parker (Atlantic) and Utah’s Derek Fisher (Northwest). Brand won the award in 2005-06.

The NBA will donate $25,000 on behalf of Luol Deng to Pacific Garden Mission, which is the oldest continuously-operating rescue mission in the country. The NBA will donate another $10,000 each to the divisional winners’ charities of choice: Toronto Raptors Foundation on behalf of Parker; Boys and Girls Club in Little Rock, Ark. on behalf of Johnson; Boys and Girls Club of Houston on behalf of Shane Battier; Fisher Fellows of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and C.A.M.P. Inc of Peekskill, N.Y. on Brand’s behalf.

For the third consecutive year, NBA players voted on this award, with eleven points given for each first-place vote, nine points for each second-place vote, seven points for third, five points for fourth, three points for fifth and one point for each sixth place vote received. Each team nominated one of its players for this award, then former NBA stars Mike Bantom, Eddie Johnson, Tom “Satch” Sanders, Kenny Smith and the 2000-01 Sportsmanship Award recipient Steve Smith, selected the six divisional winners from a pool of 30 team nominees.