Orangeyes Daily Articles for Thursday for Basketball

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Welcome to International Day of the World's Indigenous People!

On 23 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided, in its resolution 49/214, that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on 9 August every year. The date marks the day of the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations.
On this day, people from around the world are encouraged to spread the UN’s message on the protection and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples.
Events at the UN headquarters in New York include messages from high-level UN officials, governments, indigenous peoples and other key leaders; performances by indigenous artists; and panel discussions on emerging issues. Other events are also held worldwide to celebrate the day.

SU News

https://basketballrecruiting./news/wednesday-s-leftovers-latest-on-syracuse-ohio-state-and-more (rivals; Evans)

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Who do you think Syracuse gets for 2019?
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Syracuse sits in a fine spot for Rivals150 guard Joseph Girard III, and while the expected commitment following his official visit to campus prior to the July evaluation periods didn't happen, the Orange remain a factor. In the frontcourt, the Orange have made Isaiah Stewart, Akok Akok and Kai Jones priorities. I do not see Stewart choosing Syracuse as his college home, but I do believe the Orange have a strong chance with Akok and Jones.

If they do whiff on all three, somehow, do not discount the Orange's chances in the race for Qudus Wahab, a 6-foot-10 center that recently cut his list to a group of 12. Lastly, Quincy Guerrier, a high-end four-star prospect, will make an early commitment and enroll in college prior to the spring semester. The Orange and Oregon are thought to be the top contenders, although, Minnesota, Creighton, Illinois and South Carolina should not be discounted, either.

ACC schools are now spending $110-120 million to prepare for ACC Network launch (awfulannouncing.com; Bucholtz)

ESPN and the Atlantic Coast Conference are still gearing up to launch the ACC Network as a linear channel next year (it already exists as a digital brand), but that’s going to be expensive. At Sports Business Journal, Michael Smith dove into the ACC schools’ preparations for the network launch, which are now expected to cost $6 to $10 million per school (up from the $5 to $7 million reported last summer) and $110 to $120 million overall, four times what SEC schools spent ahead of the 2014 SEC Network launch. That launch saw some schools like Arkansas spend up to $7 million, but others like Florida spend less than a million. So why are things so expensive for the ACC?

Well, many of those costs are about higher requirements at launch. Schools are expected to be capable of producing multiple linear-quality broadcasts at once, in addition to digital broadcasts and videoboard content. Each school will have four to five control rooms, with at least two with linear capabilities, and there are plenty of further costs out there, ranging from $100,000 for a camera platform to $1 million to run fiber-optic cable from the venues to the control rooms. Oh, and at some schools like North Carolina, there are major construction or renovation costs (around $4 million in the Tar Heels’ case) just to get suitable space for these control rooms.

And that’s to say nothing of the workforce needed. For example, Virginia Tech has already hired operations manager Eric Frey and chief engineer Sam Jones from Arkansas given their experience with the SEC Network. And schools are all putting together staffs of students who can handle production duties, with some of those staffs including up to 60 people. So that all adds up. It’s not the same cost for every school, as some already had more advanced production facilities and some are choosing to invest more than others, but it’s a hefty cost; Smith notes that Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Notre Dame (which competes in the ACC in most sports, but not football and hockey) and Virginia Tech are all expected to spend around $10 million, and in Virginia Tech’s case, that’s a 40 to 100 percent jump over the $5-7 million they’d initially planned on. There are some interesting quotes in Smith’s piece on that front:
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ACC commissioner John Swofford said he has "great confidence" in Louisville with the new leadership moving forward (247sports; Demling)

The University of Louisville athletic department has been through plenty of tough times in recent years.

Two scandals within the basketball program led to the replacement of longtime athletic director Tom Jurich and Hall of Fame basketball coach Rick Pitino. The school hired Vince Tyra as the full-time athletic director in late March and he proceeded to hire Chris Mack as the new basketball coach.

U of L then hired Neeli Bendapudi as the 18th President in April and she started in mid-May.

All of the changes that have taken place at Louisville have been closely monitored by Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford. In an interview I conducted at ACC Media Day in Charlotte on 790-WKRD, Swofford said he’s been keeping a close eye on things that have transpired at Louisville since last September when the FBI scandal broke and Pitino and Jurich were let go.

Swofford said the school had to make some “very tough decisions,” but he’s excited to see the direction of the athletic department at Louisville.

“I am very comfortable with the leadership moving forward and that’s important,” Swofford said. “When an institution goes through the difficult times that Louisville has gone through, and other institutions have been through it, in my mind one of the most important things is the faith and trust and respect of what’s being done has to be restored with your colleague institutions - in this case the other ACC schools - and with the fan base and your supporters.
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How the NCAA's new college basketball reforms affect UVa, Charlottesville (dailyprogress.com; Blum)

Each June, Charlottesville becomes the temporary home to many of the top college basketball prospects in the country when the NBPA Top 100 camp comes to John Paul Jones Arena.

Everything about the event screams college basketball. The top prospects, many with top Division I offers, are playing in the home venue of the nation’s No. 1 team. Pretty much every player at the camp will see their next step at the college level.

But up until Wednesday, the event was closed off to college coaches. Now, because of sweeping reforms announced by the NCAA, the Top 100 camp, among other similar events, will be open to college coaches.

The rules are based off of the Rice Commission report from April, which suggested several of the changes that were announced on Wednesday.

“I’m pleased the NCAA Board of Directors made the decision to implement the recommendations of Dr. [Condoleezza] Rice and the Commission on College Basketball beginning this fall,” ACC commissioner John Swofford said in a statement. “This is another step that is critical to the future success and integrity of college basketball. It’s important to be mindful that we won’t reach perfection; however, we can’t let that stand in the way of significant progress. I’m sure there will be unintended consequences as we move forward, and we’ll need to evaluate and perhaps make adjustments along the way, but these are necessary actions that should enhance the culture within the sport.”

Virginia head coach Tony Bennett was unavailable for comment on the rule changes, per a team spokesman.

Here’s a look at the specific rules changes, all per the NCAA’s official release.

Undrafted players can return to school

It was only several years ago that the NCAA allowed players to declare for the NBA Draft, then opt to return to college prior to the draft if they hadn’t hired an agent within 10 days of the NBA Combine’s conclusion. Now players’ rights in this area will expand greatly.

Athletes can enter the NBA Draft and return to the school without penalty should they go undrafted. This is a significant step, meaning basically any player can enter the NBA Draft any season.

This past season, UVa forward De’Andre Hunter elected not to test the NBA Draft waters. And there’s no reason to think that if the new rule had been in place, he would have gone. But it’s safe to say that this new rule will encourage more players attempt to play professionally earlier on in their career.
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Other

Behind the scenes of the Syracuse Crunch's War Memorial upgrades (PS; Kramer)

The Syracuse Crunch's War Memorial is getting a major facelift this summer.

Dust is flying around the building as workers plow through the punch list of an $8.5 million renovation.

All of the upgrades are expected to be finished by the time Syracuse's season begins in October.

Here's a peek at how the project is coming along:

Supports on the north end wall of the War Memorial are in place to brace six new suites.

Behind the scenes of the Syracuse Crunch's War Memorial upgrades

The Syracuse Crunch's War Memorial is getting a major facelift this summer.

Dust is flying around the building as workers plow through the punch list of an $8.5 million renovation.

All of the upgrades are expected to be finished by the time Syracuse's season begins in October.

Here's a peek at how the project is coming along:

Supports on the north end wall of the War Memorial are in place to brace six new suites.

A closer look at the scaffolding and structural suite supports.
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