Philly Streetball Strong ...

Former Temple University stars Mardy Collins and Dionte Christmas, along with former NBA star “Flip” Murray are among the list of talented Philadelphia-based basketball players to compete in the inaugural 12-team, $100,000, winner-take-all Summer Remix Tournament.

AND1 and event partner IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, are staging the four-day event, featuring the largest prize in Streetball history, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University during Labor Day Weekend (August 29 – September 1).

 

Collins played four years at Temple, from 2002-06 and averaged 15.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 125 collegiate games. He was a first round raft choice (29^th overall) by the New York Knicks in 2006 and went on to play in the NBA from 2006-10 where he played in 189 games, splitting time with the Knickerbockers and LA Clippers. Murray, who played college ball at Shaw and Meridian Community College, played eight years in the NBA after being selected as a second round draft choice (42^nd overall) by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2002. 

Murray played with seven NBA teams and averaged 9.9 ppg, including strong years of 2003-04 with Seattle and 2008-09 with the Atlanta Hawks where he averaged in double digits.  

Philly Hoops Summer Tourney Heating Up ...

Lance Stephenson and his AND1s

Former Big East rivals Anthony Glover of St. John’s University and former Rice High School and University of Cincinnati star Kenny Satterfield are among the list of talented New York City-based basketball players to compete in the inaugural 12-team, $100,000, winner-take-all Summer Remix Tournament, according to spokespeople for the AND1 basketball shoe brand.

AND1 and event partner IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, are staging the four-day event, featuring the largest prize in Streetball history, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University during Labor Day Weekend (August 29 – September 1). 

Glover and Satterfield are the latest additions for “Bingo’s All-Stars” team, a legendary NYC playground and former AAU traveling squad to join the previously announced streetball teams led by NBA legend Shawn Kemp, who will form a team of players from the Seattle area, Indiana Pacers star and AND1 athlete Lance Stephenson, who will coach a team of players from Indiana.

Glover, a 6-4 forward from The Bronx, played for two State championship teams at Rice HS in Harlem before his collegiate days at St. John’s from 1999-2003 when he averaged 11.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. In two seasons at University of Cincinnati from 1999-2001, Satterfield played 68 games, averaging 11.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Satterfield also played in 75 NBA games, 58 with the Denver Nuggets in 2001-02 and 17 with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2003.

In addition “elite dunkers” will compete in a Slam Dunk contest on Sunday, Sept. 1, including: Justin Darlington, also known as “Jus Fly,” winner of the 2012 Nike World Basketball Festival Dunk Contest in Washington, D.C.; Guy Dupuy, a 6-foot-3, 22-year old star from France, known as “The Best Dunker In The World,”; Brandon “Werm” Lacrue, winner of the Sprite Slam-Dunk Showdown; Haneef Munir, known by the nickname of “Young Hollywood”; and former Globetrotter star Chris Staples, known to many by the nickname of “Hoopstar,” are all scheduled to compete for an additional $10,000 “winner- take-all” prize. 

Wouldn't Give Them a Nickel

Football rules in the new Big East

The football conference will pocket a grand $250,000 a game for up to 12 gridiron tilts a year, according to a posted report on CBS Sports last night.

Yippee. 

However, when you look at the 2014 basketball lineup, it's just a complete farce. The lineup of schools, which includes UConn and Cincinnati with both looking for the first train to the Krzyzewski-ville, might make Big EAST founder Dave Gavitt do a cartwheel in his grave, never mind what it'll do to Larry Brown, the new SMU hoops coach.

Please note:

Starting in 2014, the league's basketball lineup will include Connecticut, Cincinnati, Temple, South Florida, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, SMU and Tulane. The football side will include 12 teams by 2015 with the addition of Navy and Tulsa.

My viewpoint:

1. Poor Temple. Aside from the fact the "Little East" already has Philly-based Villanova, the addition of Temple to the basketball-centric new conference would've been a nice fit, to me much better than the likes of Creighton (Omaha, Nebraska) or St. Louis, (well, St. Louis!).

2. UConn is going backwards. A year or two from now, the basketball tradition of UConn will be on par with the basketball tradition at NYU. That is once great, but now - GONE. Thus, the new name - U-GONE.

3. No auto berth?

4. Where - on earth - is this conference going to play its basketball tournament and how will it possibly draw a single soul? New Orleans might be the only chance to attract fans for travel.

5. It's a total disaster.

See this CBS Sports story by football columnist Dennis Dodd which was posted last night:

The soon-to-be renamed Big East will collect $3 million per year from CBS for the network to televise up to 12 games beginning in 2014, according to industry sources.The seven-year deal in basketball will total $21 million to $22 million, and comes after the announcement of a $126 million contract with ESPN to televise football for the new league. Both deals are for seven years.

ESPN.com reported there is an out clause in the football deal for the network if the league loses two members. It is not known if the same clause exists with CBS. ESPN.com also reported that language was put in an original deal with NBC Sports Network that stated Connectiuct and Cincinnati are "next in line" to move to the ACC if that league loses any more members to the Big Ten, SEC or Big 12. The language passed to the ESPN deal when it matched NBC's offer.
Cincinnati and UConn officials have not been shy about wanting to join a higher-profile conference. The reconstituted Big East does not get an automatic berth in the upcoming playoff era beginning in 2014.

Starting in 2014, the league's basketball lineup will include Connecticut, Cincinnati,Temple, South Florida, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, SMU and Tulane. The football side will include 12 teams by 2015 with the addition of Navy and Tulsa. CBSSports.com reported on Tuesday that the addition of Tulsa was "a matter of when, not if."

The league said it will rename itself this spring. CBS will have the first selection from conference and non-conference games, including those played at neutral sites.
Half of those games will be league games.

Ahhhh!