“I was a free agent and it was natural to explore my options,” Nash said, according to ESPN.com. “Some people said I was a little crazy going back to Phoenix because I wouldn’t have as good a chance to win. I liked the team and coaches and I was comfortable.”

Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns are on the rise after going 4-1 during a five-game road trip.

From the outset, it looks like Nash made the right decision. The Suns are on the rise in the West, wrapping up a five-game road trip with a 4-1 record. Last night, in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Nash registered the first 20-20 in points and assists in the NBA since  Jan. 2, 2006, at New York (where he totaled 22 assists — the highest in his career).

Life with out Shaq on the court seems much brighter as well, as the Suns are back to their high-flying, quick-scoring ways.

The college basketball season also got underway last night. Here are some quick highlights:

• Jim Boeheim reached his 800th win at Syracuse.
• North Carolina is ranked #4 in the nation, even though they lost four starters to the NBA.
• Isiah Thomas lost his first game as head coach for FIU against the defending champs, UNC.

Post from: EveryJoe

Looks Like Nash Made The Right Decision

Image: sxc.hu

The orginal plan was to launch the programs to be playable n 2013. Right now, however, the pre-sale of ticket for that year is lower than expected, and the board of trustees is considering changing the launch to 2014 or even further into the future.

The first plan for the new program was approved in November, but in February, it already faced budgeting cuts from $45 millon to just $20 million. With the new plan, the school would add more seating to an existing stadium, rather than buildin a new stadium. With this second plan, though, the school needs to sell 5,000 seats and raise another $3.6 in donations.

Right now, they stand at just 1,693 seat licenses sold, and fundraising hasn’t yet started. The trustees have said that they still want to go ahead with the plan, but perhaps 2013 is too soon, given the current economy.

There are some ideas the athletic program has to make the original 2013 goal. For example, they’ll be recruiting a team of 175 supporters who wil all be responsible for selling a small number of licenses, and they’re offering payment plans to buy these seats.

Still, come this fall, we might here that UNCC isn’t getting a football program after all…at least not yet.

Post from: EveryJoe

UNCC Faces Football Delays

Those individuals that decide to stay in college for all four years are few and far between.

Tyler Hansbrough stayed at UNC and amassed numerous national accolades as well a national championship. Add a college degree to the mix and I’d say that he made a smart decision.

Stephen Curry is now wrestling with the same decision. According to SI.com, the main thing holding him back from hiring an agent is the college degree.

Stephen Curry has until Sunday to declare for the 2009 NBA draft.

Knowing that Curry is a well-rounded kid and that the hype and attention he has garnered since Davidson’s 2008 NCAA Tournament run hasn’t gone to his head, I’m not the lease bit surprised that he has yet to make a decision about his basketball future. I could see him returning to Davidson for his senior year. And I would respect him for it.

Photo provided by Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Stephen Curry Still Undecided About The NBA

In the postgame press conference Tyler Hansbrough nonchalantly said that he guessed the decision to come back for his senior season was a good one.

Was it not quite refreshing to see the Tar Heel studs put winning a collegiate title over making millions?

It's All Good (Image:Newscom)

Post from: EveryJoe

In A League Of Their Own

Once he arrived in Detroit, Lawson headed straight to the casino to try his luck.

Ty Lawson is the good luck charm for UNC.

It looks as though his lucky streak is a hot one. Lawson won $250 playing craps.

Some media outlets are already passing judgment on Lawson and suggesting that NCAA gambling regulations be enforced.

But Lawson is of legal age and playing craps for about an hour hardly qualifies as a gambling problem. It’s not like he’s the next Charles Barkley or anything.

Cut the kid some slack and let him ride his luck a little bit further. I’m sure that  UNC fans all around the country are hoping his lucky streak carries them through to an NCAA Championship.

Photo provided by Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Ty Lawson Has Already Won At The Final Four

Best Story

Forget about Villanova’s impressive run to The Motor City—featuring a ‘why the heck did people pick this team to go to Detroit’ (when they were trailing American by double digits) and ‘this Scottie Reynolds is stinking up the joint’ comments from yours truly—Michigan State takes the cake here. Me hailing from Michigan, what a surprise, huh? Well, Tom Izzo and Co. deserve it. MSU is far from dominant, but they’re a fun team. Fun to watch interact with each other, fun to see plead with an irate Izzo, fun to watch on a fast break, fun to analyze which big man (there’s 5) Izzo will usher into the game, and extremely fun to witness pound a ‘powerful’ Big East team into the ground.  Jump on the MSU bandwagon now national media, yeah, own up.

Spartan Fever (Image:Newscom)

Player Most Instrumental To Team’s Success

Villanova- One guy has been playing way over his head. Senior guard/forward Dwayne Anderson. He’s scoring and rebounding over his season average. He does not want to play his last collegiate game.  Give me more Dwayne says.

North Carolina- Tywon Lawson is a top 5, top 10 draft pick?  Probably working himself into the former based on this three game tear where he’s shooting above 50% from inside and outside the long line, feeding and turning over the rock at a 10/1 ratio, and out potty mouthing Ari Gold. If I didn’t know any better I’d say Ty is healthy.

Connecticut- Lanky 6′9 Stanley Robinson sans the opening round game when he scored 24, has just been pretty good, nothing legendary, but he hasn’t needed to be. When Jerome Dyson went down with season ending injury, UConn needed someone to step up, play more minutes and be a threat to consistently score in double figures, and Craig Austrie sure wasn’t going to be that guy. Stanley Robinson is that X-factor guy.

Michigan State- The 6′10 Bosnian senior Goran Suton has been PUURRRE! the last two games, totaling 39 points (5-10 from deep), 19 rebounds, and 6 steals. Don’t know if he’ll be able to be so PUURRRE! against Mr. Thabeet, but if he is, MSU will be playing on Monday for the title.

Prediction For The Final Four

Ford Field will be a Green and White madplace for the Saturday 6:07 tip v. UConn and then for the Monday rematch with UNC.

Prepare.

Post from: EveryJoe

Round 3 & 4 Wrap

Calhoun’s response is here.

Roy Williams everybody…

Hat tip: College Hoops Journal

Post from: EveryJoe

Roy Williams… calm and collective

[ A trick only a fluff high school coach would use. Classless. Weird. Primitive.] Deuce of Davenport

[ Looks like first place North Dakota State is the sexy pick to be the Summit League rep in the Big Dance. Oakland and Oral Roberts might have something to say about that.] Rush the Court

[Kyle Whelliston finally shows some love to the Summit League by awarding the NDSU @ Oral Roberts game tonight at 8 as his Game! Of! The! Night! Couldn't be better timing, I'm tired of hearing about the Missouri Valley so often (I could be imagining it). ] The mid-majority

[ You may or may not be surprised which team will give the Tar Heels the most fits come tourney time.] Hoops Addict

[Howard Salwasser is doing his best to set things straight in this world of rampant hoop misinformation.] Bracket Watch

Post from: EveryJoe

Fast Breakin’

So remember, read these and then consider yourself more in the know as a result. Plus, make sure to leave the poor sick monkeys alone, they’ve got more problems than Utah State’s strength of schedule (172).

[Are teams finally realizing how to contain Wake Forest hybrid guard Jeff Teague?]

[I share the frustration of March to Madness on this one. Damn Houston Baptist University]

[ k.u.chebag's doing k.u.chebag kinds of things. March 1st should be a blast]

[ Some interesting notes from A Sea of Blue on Kentucky's lackluster contest against Vanderbilt on Wednesday,

"In his last 47 minutes played, Michael Porter has committed nine turnovers, and dished out three assists (he had four turnovers in only 15 minutes of action against Vandy).”

&

“From 14:54 to 13:52 of the first half, Kentucky was whistled for FOUR fouls -- From the 14:52 to 14:21 mark of the second half, UK was again called for FOUR fouls: 1:03 of clock-time = Eight UK fouls"]

[Quiet confidence, likable cockiness, a jumper to die for, the last Curry apple sure didn't fall far from the tree]

[ Back in action for the first time in 13 weeks, UNC freshman Tyler Zeller on what a standing ovation felt like and why he fouled 4 times in 8 minutes]

[The Michigan Wolverines are now firmly back on the bubble thanks to a thorough thrashing of the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Thursday evening, a squad going in the wrong direction (in midst of losing 4 of 5). Michigan put up 74 big ones despite only 8 points in 22 minutes from Manny Harris]

[Todd Bozeman currently is the head coach for the MEAC's first place team Morgan State (11-2). Todd has been around the block. He was once regarded as one of America's hot young coaching minds--in 1993 he led the Cal Bears (Jason Kidd) to an upset over Duke in the 2nd round but 3 years later found himself virtually banned from coaching for 10 seasons because he committed a major NCAA no-no. Now coach Bozeman is in the process of turning Morgan State around and in his spare time he dabbles in the blogosphere at Blogging with Doze]

[I don't know what exactly I was thinking at the time, but whatever intuition was seeping throughout my noggin during a muggy day in July certainly wasn't the ideal grade it needed to be]

Post from: EveryJoe

Fast Breakin’

After the game Jay Bilas said Duke is still top 10 quality but not a likely contender for the Final Four.

I concur with Bilas on this one.

By the way, anybody see the elbow lick Singler gave Hansbrough?

But let it be known, Singler does have a gentle side.

And don’t you forget it.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Dook Crew Prove They’re Not That Good