Sparty, J-Ho, Jereme

With the NCAA basketball championship game set to tip off in less than two hours, you’ve probably had your fill of the ‘Michigan State’s performance in Detroit could mean so much to the beleaguered state of MI’ storyline.  Me, I could care less about that aspect of the game; wouldn’t matter to me if Michigan were the wealthiest most carefree state in the union – I’d still be pulling for Sparty tonight.  Why you ask?

Something about the two uncalled charges on Sean May in the first half back in 2005 continues to make me a little ill when I see powder blue.  I’m kind of like that Cop in the F*#$ing Nike commercials.  I’ll be bitter about that game for all time.

But you’d either have to be a Tarheels fan or have a serious problem with the ineherent t evilness of Sparty the Mascot to not have a rooting interest for Izzo’s troops.  UNC is an official NCAA Sacred Cow (TM) and we all know the Beemsville policy on sacred cows:  slaughter ‘em and serve up kabob-style.

In other sacred cow news, it seems that Kentucky, with newly-minted sleaze-peddler Calipari at the helm, has already taken a run at Jerrance Howard.  J-Ho is an up-and-comer on the recruiting scene and probably the best assistant coaching hire Bruce Weber could’ve made.   Somebody should’ve told Calipari that Jerrance bleeds Orange & Blue.  But Kentucky seems to feel it’s their right to win, even if it means paying bags of cash to a coach who will have them facing sanctions in 3-5 years.

Coach KY is interested in Jerrance, because Jerrance is the lead on Illini commit Jereme Richmond, an awesome basketball talent from Waukegan.  Richmond verballed to Coach Weber as a Freshman, yet he’s continued to receive overtures from various coaches, street agents, and other slime.  Read about it here. (Warning: written in a melodramatic pseudo-creative nonfiction style, wherein the writer,  mimicking the Playboy-cum-Sports Illustrated method, seeks to make your heart bleed…)

Richmond will be a great player at the next level, and from that article it’s clear he’s a student of the game.  But the amount of attention, the attempts of hangers-on, the criticism hes’ received – they are all sobering when you realize he’s a 17 year old junior in high school.  Fortunately, he comes from a strong family and doesn’t live in Indianapolis.  Illini nation is on the clock with Jereme:  T-minus seven months and change until signing day, and we can all relax about the sleaze element (and lay to rest the recruiting nightmares of years previous).