This is so cool.
And to think that it was started by one coach last year and now it has grown to 300 coaches involved.
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Last year, IUPUI’s Ron Hunter was the only basketball coach to go barefoot on the sideline during an effort to collect shoes for needy children around the world.
This year, hundreds of foot soldiers have joined the cause.
Samaritan’s Feet, the Charlotte, N.C.-based nonprofit organization that distributes the shoes, said more than 300 youth, high school and college coaches have pledged to coach one game barefoot and collect shoes around the Martin Luther King, …read more

From yours truly, via Rush the Court.
1. Western Illinois (3-0, 6-8)
2. North Dakota State (3-1, 8-5)
3. Oakland (3-1, 10-7)
4. IUPUI (2-1, 9-5)
5. Oral Roberts (2-1, 4-11)
6. Southern Utah (2-2, 4-11)
7. IPFW (1-3, 6-9)
8. South Dakota State (1-3, 6-10)
9. UMKC (1-3, 5-12)
10. Centenary (0-3, 2-13)
Highlights
SDSU – 2 days before Christmas the Jackrabbits beat Iowa State on the road by 7. While the Cyclones are anything but a powerhouse team, props to SDSU for getting this win and holding Iowa State’s second …read more

The first installment of “Summit League Digest” is up over at Rush the Court.
Correspondent duty at its finest by yours truly.
Checking in on the…Summit League
—
Summit League Digest (NOV.21)
The first 10 days or so of the college basketball season has been refreshingly cosmic. My penchant has always been my college hoops fandom. It’s an impulse that will not die.
It’s like Rasheed Wallace snapping “Ball Don’t Lie” after an errant free throw.
It’s, you know, automatic.

Summit League Headlines
–Two days before Oakland’s opener at Cleveland St., star guard/forward Derick Nelson injured his foot. He’ll be out until late Decemberish. A huge blow …read more

–The NDSU Bison scored 74 in the first half alone against NAIA opponent Mayville St. (128-64) Mississippi Valley State spends about 2 ½ games worth of time reaching 74, usually. MVSU and Mayville St. might be competitive.
–Stephen Curry LAUNCHED 15 three’s against the Sooners yesterday in a 4 point defeat. He only made 6 of them. Taking 29 shots to score 44 points isn’t the type of efficiency a team looks for from their PG.
–Bryant Barr had a lousy game, only connecting on 1-9 field goals.
–Davidson showed their explosiveness for sure. …read more

As seen on Rush the Court.
From Yours Truly:
Summit League 08/09
Predicted Order of Finish:
North Dakota State Bison (19-10, 13-5)
Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (20-10, 13-5)
Oakland Golden Grizzlies (18-13, 12-6)
IPFW Mastodons (16-13, 11-7)
IUPUI Jaguars (16-15, 9-9)
UMKC Kangaroos (14-17, 8-10)
Centenary College Gentlemen (11-19, 8-10)
South Dakota State Jackrabbits (13-18, 7-11)
Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks (9-20, 6-12)
Southern Utah Thunderbirds (6-23, 3-15)
What you need to know.
22 out of 31- Conference RPI ranking for the Summit League in each of the last two seasons.
Oregon, Marquette, Oklahoma St., Kansas, Texas Tech, Utah- Casualties at the hands …read more

Many Summit League teams thrive off the three point shot. Last year the league had 11 players who shot at least 40% from downtown (minimum of 100 attempts). Summit League teams and players don’t necessarily make jaw dropping amounts of threes. They just consistently shoot quality percentages.
I equate 40% from the long line with a .300 batting average, or close to it. Obviously the number of at bats, or in this case, three point attempts, figures into how consistent a player performs. Usually a player who can exhibit the ability to hit threes at …read more

Stuff you need to know about Summit League hoops other than the mascot inferiority complexes that exist.
-2007/08 was the inaugural season for the Summit League.
-The league was called the Mid-Continent Conference from 1989-2007. From 1982-1989 it was called the Association of Mid-Continent Universities.
May 15th 2007
“Beginning June 1st, the Mid-Continent Conference will be known as the Summit League. The name change is part of the “Summit Plan” to try and turn the league into a premier academic and athletic mid-major conference. The Mid-Con has struggled in recent years to find an identity, as its schools are scattered throughout the country, and …read more

Last year’s Summit League championship game featured the IUPUI Jaguars and the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles won the tourney but their mascot, well, “got owned”.

And it’s worth mentioning that you gotta give it up to those YouTube commenter types.
You can’t make that stuff up.

A few weeks ago we reported that IUPUI Coach Ron Hunter and his players were going to travel to African this summer to deliver some 250,000 pairs of shoes for underprivileged children with the non-profit group Samaritan’s Feet and Shoes of Hope.
But word has it that while the shoes have already been delivered to Africa and will be distributed to the needy children, Hunter and his players have to cancel the trip due to travel concerns in Nigeria.
Hunter and his players will still travel to Lima, Peru later this month where they will deliver 150,000 pairs of shoes and …read more

As I was scanning over the latest goings on in the world of college basketball, I ran across this tidbit that made me feel like everything was good with the world today.
According to the Associated Press, the IUPUI men’s basketball team and Coach Ron Hunter are going to Nigeria to deliver nearly 200,000 donated pairs of shoes to needy children.
Some of you may remember Hunter going barefoot during a game against Oakland to raise awareness and donations, and man did it work. Hunter’s goal was to raise 40,000 pairs of shoes in honor of the 40th Anniversary of Dr. Martin …read more