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The Secondary Break: Thursday’s Links

johnson

Meet the most-marketed 12-year old basketball player in the world (Tampa Bay Times)
When it comes to the discussion of basketball players who have yet to hit their teenage years, there’s no shortage of opinions in the recruiting world. While some lend credence to the ranking of middle school players and see little harm in publicizing those prospects, there are many others who find the actions to be counterproductive. 12-year old Julian Newman has received a lot of publicity over the last year or so, but will it end up doing more harm than good in the end?

Arizona’s Nick Johnson learns complete game (ESPN)
Arizona junior guard Nick Johnson has been a vital cog in the attack for Sean Miller this season, with his versatility being one reason as to why. Where did that versatility come from? His father, known for his high-flying exploits, put Nick and his older brother Chris through the paces when they were young in hopes that their respective skill sets wouldn’t be confined to one particular box.

Happy at ESPN, Bruce Pearl isn’t ruling out a coaching comeback (USA Today)
With the Tennessee Volunteers fighting to escape the middle of the SEC standings and earn an NCAA tournament berth, the natives are getting a little restless when it comes to current head coach Cuonzo Martin. And there’s a sizable contingent that would like nothing more than to have Bruce Pearl return to his last coaching job. However Pearl is happy with his current job, working as an analyst at ESPN, although he won’t rule out a return to the sideline.

Point guard Trey Davis has flourished at UMass (Boston Globe)
Chaz Williams gets most of the attention when it comes to the UMass Minutemen and that’s perfectly fine given his production and status as team leader. But he isn’t the only point guard to factor into UMass’ success this season, with sophomore Trey Davis becoming a more effective option both when Williams is resting and when they’re on the court at the same time.

Louisville’s Terry Rozier owes a lot to two women in his life (Louisville Courier-Journal)
Louisville freshman guard Terry Rozier has proven to be a valuable member of the rotation for a team looking to repeat as national champions this season. But his path to Louisville wasn’t traveled alone, with his mother and grandmother working hard to make sure that he remained on the right path.

NCAA document: EA Sports and CLC sought to use players’ names in video games (AL.com)
On Wednesday many of the legal documents in the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit were unsealed, and some of the details proved to be quite interesting. One such detail was the fact that Electronic Arts and the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) wanted to be able to use player names/team rosters in video games in order to make the games more realistic. Those two entities agreed to settle out of court with the plaintiffs months ago, leaving the NCAA as the lone defendant.

As the Bubble Turns (Run The Floor)
Wednesday night was an interesting night for bubble teams, with the majority playing games they could not afford to lose as opposed to opportunities for quality wins. Falling into that category were SEC schools LSU, Ole Miss and Tennessee, as well as Richmond. Not all were successful in their quest to keep on the right track either.

Back on his feet and leading a new team (New York Times)
George Washington is moving towards its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007, and one reason why is the addition of Indiana transfer Maurice Creek. After enduring an injury-plagued career at Indiana Creek’s fully healthy now, and the result is one of the best stories in college basketball this season.

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