text:
"This is really important to be here," Lewan said. "I'm here to give back and help out my teammate."
jordan morgan
Unverified Voracity Would Be Off The Chart
A picture of the conference. Michigan's defense isn't that much of an issue so far:
It's pretty good, and then the offense is off the charts. It's only in the context of the super-elite teams vying for a national title that it seems deficient. And with that offense… well… Gasaway's latest Tuesday Truths puts it in perspective:
It may turn out to be the case that Michigan is not in fact excellent at defense, that they're merely very good at it. But that needs to be seen in the proper context. First, this isn't a case like, say, Missouri last season, where a good many people chose to overlook the Tigers' vulnerability on D. (There was a push to give that team a No. 1 seed. I still shudder at the memory.) John Beilein's defense this season is day-and-night better, thus far, than Frank Haith's was last season.
Second, whatever Michigan's level of performance has been on defense, the Wolverines have been able to plug that in as one half of an equation whose result has been outscoring the best conference in the country by nearly a quarter of a point per possession. The Wolverines' only loss this season has come not to an offensive juggernaut that was able to exploit UM's worrisome deficiencies on defense, but to the hapless-on-offense Ohio State Buckeyes, who shut down Michigan's offense beautifully.
Lastly, the past 10 years can be ransacked profitably not only for prerequisites (and I'll be joining Luke on this beat soon -- watch for it!) but also for weirdness. I've seen a team rank No. 8 in its 12-team league in two-point accuracy and then go on to win a national championship. I've seen a team rank No. 103 in the nation in offense and then go on to make the Final Four. And do I even need to drag Gordon Hayward into this?
The most likely outcome of March is that Michigan will indeed lose to some other team in the tournament, because they are only amongst a leading group of teams. If and when that happens, people will point to the defense; I'll just be like "Michigan was the Vegas favorite and still 5 to 1 against."
Slightly more favored in the league. Michigan's huge scoring margin in the league sees them favored to win the Big Ten in SpartanDan's Bradley-Terry projection system*, which may not be a huge surprise. What is surprising is how much they're favored by.
Dan's basic system that does not take margin of victory into account says Michigan has a 69% chance of an outright title and an 85% chance of sharing. The margin-aware numbers are 80%(!!!) and 92%(!!!).
Those numbers are probably too high since Michigan is likely to have outperformed its real level of skill significantly in the opening third of the conference schedule, but… wow.
BONUS: Penn State has a 30% shot at going winless in the margin-aware system.
*[College hockey fans: this is KRACH.]
Bullet of stats-enthusiasm-dissing hypocrisy incoming. While I'm generally a fan of Big Ten Geeks, their latest foray into stat assemblage is goofy to me. They use "stops," which is a Dean Oliver formula that crams steals and blocks and rebounding statistics into a number. As with all attempts to create a catch-all defensive statistic, it waves its hand at who is in fact responsible for team defensive rebounding and how replaceable they may or may not be. Also unaccounted for is a player's contribution to the opponent's shot quality.
But they've compiled the numbers and shown you the results:
Let's look at Stops:
Player Stops per 40 minutes Adam Woodbury 11.35 Mitch McGary 10.94 Jordan Morgan 10.47 Branden Dawson 10.21 Trevor Mbakwe 10.20 Cody Zeller 10.20 Ryan Evans 9.45
Well, this is interesting—we have a couple of freshmen leading the way. Both Woodbury and McGary are tremendous rebounders (as is Jordan Morgan this season), which explains why they rate so high. And to those who complain that Stops unfairly rewards good rebounders, I think that's about as valid a point as the complaint that offensive rating unfairly rewards efficient scorers. Rebounding is defense—a big part of it.
So this works if rebounding is, in fact, defense. It's not. It has an impact but the top ten teams in defensive rebounding are 54th, 144th, 162nd, 147th, 103rd, 171st, 240th, 64th, 18th, and 25th in defensive efficiency. As I mentioned when pooh-poohing Mason Plumlee's KPOY candidacy, rebounding is the least important of the four factors. It's only its trackability that makes it so prominent. It's easy to say who got a rebound. It's really hard to credit someone for an effective rotation.
This metric thinks Jordan Morgan is a lot better this year because the team is better at rebounding. His personal DREB rate is a tick better this year, but it's still just 257th. He gets credit that other players don't because Tim Hardaway is mansome this year.
Morgan is then declared the best defensive player in the league because he fouls less often than the other guys at the top of the list, with this capper:
I can't believe I'm saying this, but Jordan Morgan has been the best defensive player in the Big Ten so far. Unbelievable. And in case you're wondering, Oladipo fouls quite a bit—4.42 fouls per 40 minutes. Talk about the eye test all you want, but the numbers suggest he's not the best defensive player (or even the best defensive perimeter player) in the Big Ten.
I accuse Big Ten Geeks of gross misuse of stats. Yes, it is unbelievable. Thus you should disbelieve it.
Victor Oladipo isn't a high-end defensive rebounder because he's frequently sticking his hand in the face of the highest-volume shooter the opposition has. His role defines his numbers. You can cram defensive rebounds into a slightly modified form all you want—notice that not one perimeter defender appears on this stops list—but all you get is a comparison between yourself and David Berri. Deployed.
Sometimes you have to go by the eye test because the stats compiled are inadequate, and until basketball stats get crazy detailed individual defensive performances are in that bucket.
BONUS WONKY STATS COMPLAINT. Most attempts to compile defensive numbers underrate the value of a steal, by the way. A defensive rebound is just the successful conclusion of a defensive possession ending in a missed shot. A steal ends a possession by itself—it's the miss and the rebound rolled into one—and frequently leads to a transition opportunity at the other end. That latter part is not well accounted for.
Morgan's ankle. Nothing broken, just a sprain, AP got a totally gross picture of it, if he can play basketball on Wednesday he will play basketball on Wednesday—I bet he cannot play basketball on Wednesday.
Zak Irvin continues rain of destruction. Last week: 26 points and 30 points in wins. One was over Arsenal Tech, both the best-named and top-ranked team in the state until Zak Irvin declared his school was now named Sharkfin Elfin 3000 and scored almost half of his team's points in a 64-59 win.
You want to watch the whole game, you say? You have free time.
If you are going to do this you probably want to start at halftime. Irvin scored 26 of his 30 after the break.
Zing. John Niyo on the Nobody Remembers #1 thing:
"It's Jan. 27," Beilein said after a 74-60 victory at Illinois last weekend, "and not one of you can remember who was No. 1 last Jan. 27."
Well, actually many of us can. It was a 20-1 Kentucky team that went on to win the Southeastern Conference and the SEC tournament and eventually the NCAA title.
But point taken.
5 to 1 against, 5 to 1 against, 5 to 1 against, repeat until you internalize the likely outcome of the season is not cutting down nets…
Etc.: You can be happy about being #1. Via UMHoops, the view on Bielfeldt from Peoria. Being back on top is nice and you should be happy. Here's an excellent primer on Beilein's 1-3-1 from the man himself.
Hoop Math: Five-Man Unit Stats, Or The Rise Of Mitch McGary
Michigan dodged a bullet today when X-rays revealed no broken bones in Jordan Morgan's ankle, but the Wolverines likely will have to make do without their starting center for the next couple games, at least. How much will his absence hurt Michigan?
If the numbers from conference play are any indication, not nearly as much as you'd think.
I spent yesterday compiling the statistics for each five-man unit John Beilein has deployed in Big Ten play (garbage time excluded) to see if I could spot any trends. The entire spreadsheet of all 40(!) different lineup combinations is available for your perusal as a Google Doc. Here are the five most common lineups the Wolverines have used, divided up by offensive statistics...
...and defensive:
The raw numbers are tough to compare, so this is where tempo-based stats come in handy. I've calculated each unit's number of possessions using KenPom's standard formula (2PA+3PA+(0.475*FTA)+TO-OR). From there, it's easy to calculate points per possession, which I've multiplied by 100 to give the standard offensive and defensive efficiency numbers. Also included is plus/minus, for those curious.
|Off Poss
|Off Eff
|Def Poss
|Def Eff
Well, then. Only the top two lineups have enough data to really rely upon (Michigan averages around 65 possessions per game, so even those have less than two full games of data)—the Horford lineup's numbers come almost entirely from the Illinois game.
Caveats aside, there's little doubt that Michigan's starters play are playing far, far better—on both ends of the court—with Mitch McGary at center than Jordan Morgan. The offensive efficiency with that lineup is off the charts*, and that defensive efficiency number would put Michigan just behind Ohio State, one of the best defensive teams in the country, at third in the Big Ten.
To see if this trend bore itself out regardless of the surrounding lineup, I calculated the offensive and defensive efficiency numbers for any lineup featuring Morgan/McGary/Horford...
|Off Poss
|Off Eff
|Def Poss
|Def Eff
|ALL Morgan Lineups
|ALL McGary Lineups
|ALL Horford Lineups
...and the team's four factors statistics when each of the three centers is on the court:
Here is where you can really see the difference between Morgan and McGary. When McGary is on the floor, Michigan rebounds over 10% more of the available misses on offense, and while they get to the line far less frequently, they shoot better from the floor. This could be chalked up as an anomaly, since the two-point shooting numbers are virtually equal for Morgan lineups and McGary lineups, while Michigan shoots 46.6% from three with McGary compared to 34.0% with Morgan.
There's a possible explanation for that, however, in the defensive numbers. The Wolverines force more turnovers with McGary on the court (19.2% to 15.6%), and of late many of Michigan's best looks from three have come off their transition game. That probably doesn't account for a 12-percent difference, but even if that's normalized there's still a gap in offensive production between the two; I consider McGary the better passer, a factor that may also contribute.
The difference between the two defensively is easier to figure out. McGary's activity defensively helps the team force more turnovers, while his excellence on the glass leads to a better rebounding rage. While McGary fouls more often than Morgan, the team fouls so rarely as a whole that the foul rate isn't affected greatly.
As for Horford, the sample size issues make it tough to take away anything concrete, but thus far the team hasn't missed a beat when he's on the floor—in fact, they're doing unsustainably well on both ends, with an eFG% of 64.5 on offense and 40.0 on defense. He's an interesting case defensively; like McGary, he's disruptive on defense, leading to more turnovers, but opponents are rebounding better with him on the floor than either Morgan or McGary.
I've said this before, but I'll make it clear in this post: John Beilein has stated repeatedly that he's very happy with the rotation as it is, and it could take some fantastic play from McGary paired with sub-par performances from Morgan for him to consider making any changes. When Morgan returns, I fully expect him to slide back into the starting lineup, and that's fine—given the physical demand of the position, regardless of who's starting McGary and Morgan are going to split minutes relatively down the middle anyway.
What this shows, however, is that Michigan has something special in Mitch McGary. Not only that, but Horford's solid work in limited time means the Wolverines shouldn't be in trouble if Morgan misses more than a couple games.
I'll have more notes from this five-man lineup data tomorrow, including insight on Caris LeVert's impact and how Michigan fares when they go to the bench.
*Michigan's overall conference-only offensive efficiency is 118.9, which is over ten points clear of Indiana for the Big Ten lead.
Michigan 62, Nebraska 47
Bryan Fuller/MGoBlog
After his team held Michigan to their lowest point total of the season, Nebraska coach Tim Miles revealed his bold defensive strategy: the power of statistics.
"We thought, hey, they've been shooting the three great. They've got to return to the mean."
Did they ever. Michigan connected on just 3-of-17 three-pointers, and the Huskers succeeded in taking away their transition game, holding the Wolverines to a single fast break bucket. The Crisler Center crowd expected a blowout; instead, they got a slow-paced affair that was closer than the final score would indicate.
While the Wolverines didn't trail after the opening seven minutes, their lead didn't reach double digits until just 4:39 remained. Up to the final stretch, Miles's plan worked to perfection, with Michigan missing an uncharacteristic number of open looks from deep and failing to get out on the run.
That changed with just under eight minutes to go, when Glenn Robinson III picked Dylan Talley's pocket near the scorer's table, then took flight from not far inside the free throw line for a highlight-reel dunk. After Nebraska responded with a three, Robinson came out of nowhere to tip-slam a missed three by Caris LeVert, snapping the crowd out of a game-long funk and opening a 15-5 Michigan run to close the contest.
Robinson was the only Wolverine to shoot better than 50% on the night, scoring 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting while adding six rebounds. Hardaway, Trey Burke, and Nik Stauskas scored 46 of the team's 48 remaining points, but they also shot a combined 15-for-39 from the field. The Wolverines could not find a rhythm in their half-court sets, tallying just six assists on 21 made shots.
Mitch McGary and Jordan Morgan scored just two points between them, but their work on the boards kept Michigan in front—Morgan finished with 11 rebounds (eight defensive), McGary six (three defensive), with the latter repeatedly hitting the deck for loose balls. With just over six minutes left and Michigan holding on to a nine-point lead, McGary threw himself into a pile of three Nebraska Cornhuskers and one orange sphere, coming away with a held ball—possession arrow, Michigan.
As he walked to the other end of the count, McGary threw his hands in the air, summoning perhaps the loudest roar of the night. Moments later, Stauskas found McGary under the hoop, and he banked home a right-handed layup. The Wolverines finally had their double-digit lead, sparked not by Burke and Hardaway, but a pair of freshmen.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, chants of "Beat Ohio" rang out from the Maize and Blue faithful. Michigan survived their first bout with regression, pulling away from a conference cellar-dweller.
If the trend continues on Sunday, they won't be so fortunate.
Picture Pages: Everyday I'm Shuffling (And Chinning)
Ace pointed out a basketball coaching site yesterday that had a bunch of Beilein stuff and one thing led to another and this happened, because apparently this is just what I do.
Trying to see stuff in a basketball game was an interesting change of pace, since even with my Analytical Goggles on there's a lot of stuff that just seems to happen because players are good or not good. This aspect of football is obscured somewhat. A lot of coaches say The Expectation Is For The Position with a straight face—I don't think you've ever ever heard a basketball coach drop that.
The initial post Ace pointed out was a couple sections of Michigan's offense called "chin" and "shuffle" in which the center moves out to the free throw line and acts as a low-pressure fulcrum connecting two halves of the floor.
What struck me about chin/shuffle is how they use the center as a conduit, opening up space without putting undue pressure on what's usually the least skilled offensive player on the floor. Meanwhile, the other four positions rotate through a variety of spots, eventually becoming interchangeable parts looking for the half-step they need to attack or shoot instead of reset.
Michigan runs a variety of looks off of this, each of which probes the defense for an easy bucket before reverting to a high ball screen on which the guy receiving the screen has three options.
I set to watching the NC State game again to find examples of how this works, and came across an example of the two-post offense getting Morgan open underneath for two (eventually).
Setting The Offense
This is a bit of an oddity since it's a two-post lineup but the principles are the same; here the offense will work around the lack of a three-point threat from one of the wings thanks to a busted NC State defensive assignment.
The above is the on-court equivalent of this:
For reasons unexplained the document consistently calls the two-guard in this offense a "trailor" instead of a "trailer" or I guess a "tailor". Supposition: he is a trailer who is suppose to tailor some offense. YEAH
So here the post has "flashed" but McGary just kind of set up at the line as Burke brought the ball up the court. The things in the document are an idealized version of the real world, I find. For instance, in one of the ways the offense starts is by dumping the ball to the center and then having the point and "trailor" cut to the basket.
The document:
Once 5 catches the pass, 1 and 4 [ed: the "trailor" yes I will eventually have to either fix that or drop the quote marks] SPRINT backdoor to the block. 5 looks for either 1 or 4.
Real life is dang perfunctory relative to an all-caps exhortation to SPRINT. The document does admit a bit later that "It is not common for either player to be open of [sic] this cut" and asks the 2—Morgan in this play—not to be "robotic". On this play the initial movements of Burke and Hardaway are soft jogs to their spot.
On this play Michigan is running "shuffle" instead of chin. Shuffle looks like chin when they start the play, but starts like this:
dotted line is a pass
Once Morgan receives the pass, Burke and Hardaway jog to the spots they're supposed to get to…
…and McGary extends to the top of the key to receive a rote pass from Morgan. No one has made a decision yet.
Meanwhile, a conveniently-timed graphic notes that eight minutes into the game Hardaway has more points than the rest of Michigan combined. Naturally he is going to receive lots of defensive attention. The guy checking Hardaway is CHECKING HARDAWAY in his brain.
McGary now has a rote pass to make of his own, this one a swing to Stauskas.
"5 pops high, 3 reverses through the 5 to 2," sayeth document
Hardaway sets a "shuffle screen" on Morgan's man; Hardaway's man is looking at that graphic and going "oh man I better check Hardaway"; Morgan gets hand-wavingly wide open underneath the basket.
Stauskas dumps it down; Morgan misses, gets his own rebound, and finishes.
Meanwhile, Michigan has already executed the next part of the play with McGary screening whoever shows up on Hardaway.
If NC State had covered Morgan appropriately this was likely to be a quality three-point look for Hardaway.
"5 [McGary] sets the down screen for the 4 [Hardaway],
4 comes off the screen looking to shoot or curl it for a mid-range jumper.
2 [Stauskas] looks for 4.
After the screen 5 can look to slip to the basket or straight cut the FT line. 2 looks either for the lob[!] or at the elbow."
As it is, it's a layup for Morgan, eventually.
Things And Stuff
There aren't really many player takeaways on a short open layup that Morgan misses, gets back, and puts back. If we're trying to figure out some things about how Michigan runs offense, a lot of these broad early strokes are going to be off, as well. But…
A lot of the early movement in the offense is the process of getting into a play. On this play Michigan makes three passes and sends four players in motion before anyone has a decision to make. When Michigan dumps it to the center and then runs around and whatnot they're not really expecting to get a shot out of that, they're just moving into a variant of one of their standard looks.
Whoever is open is open. In half-court sets the guy who gets the ball is just going to be the guy who is open until nothing works and Burke has to create or die off a pick and roll.
Probe, reset, probe, reset. This is not a good example because Michigan just gets a quick easy bucket, but the document suggests the rhythm you can pick up watching Michigan play sometimes as situations happen over and over on the same possession as Michigan searches for the edge.
Alpha Dog
12/8/2012 – Michigan 80, Arkansas 67 – 9-0
mgouser Blazefire wins a cookie for being inside my brain / Dustin Johnston/UMHoops
A guy named Kikko Haydar popped off the bench, and John Beilein wondered who he was. So did the rest of Crisler. It turned out we already knew him: Haydar is from the Merritt/Lee school of useful walk-on that Michigan fans know so well. He hit a three, and then another, and then another, and when Michigan lost him again in the second half Kikko Haydar got a Nik Stauskas Memorial Road Crowd Groan. It was warranted. He hit it.
This is a problem. Some walk-on jumping off the bench to pick up 12 points on 5 shots throws a wrench in many of your victory plans, especially when this is part of a team-wide 60% effort from behind the line. For most teams, it is a problem that affects your win-loss record and makes everybody sad. For Michigan, it affects their Kenpom ranking in a displeasing way and just makes super-nerd subscribers to Kenpom slightly annoyed that Pitt has jumped Michigan and I mean seriously Ken let's get some margin of victory capping up in here. I may or may not be in the latter group.
Anyway. When an overeager Haydar picked up the blocking foul in the shot above, he laid on the floor theatrically for a moment, and then Tim Hardaway Jr. helped him up. Haydar smacked his hands together and smiled. Dollars to donuts he thought something like we are going to lose but at least I've got a story to tell about the time I rained on future NBA players. His parents are both professors, I mean.
Arkansas did lose. By a lot, while shooting 60% on 17 threes.
Arkansas made a push in the second half thanks to a bunch of Michigan turnovers and their unconscious three-point shooting, and I had an experience I only recognized as strange afterwards: I was annoyed. Not frightened or despairing or waiting for the inevitable thing that always happens to happen, like any sports fan who's watched a frustrating outfit has. Annoyed.
Like when Penn State scored on a screen to bring the Pit Bull game to within a touchdown. You know, this game:
Annoyed because the scoreboard isn't going to reflect what happened here today.
I thought back to watching Beilein's first team against Boston College, 3-3 on their way to 10-22. The BC game was the first one against a real opponent in Crisler, and I remember thinking the second-half run the Eagles used to put the game away was something bound to happen to this collection of young guys without much direction. A few players who saw the floor for at least 25% of Michigan's minutes: Zack Gibson, Jevohn Shepherd, Anthony Wright, Ron Coleman. Lee and Merritt were still a year away from maximum playing time. At some point you're going to have a collection of players out there that loses the plot, and then that's that.
Saturday I had the exact opposite experience. This team is too good and too deep and just too damn efficient to let a middling team keep it close even when they execute their impression of Beilein's first team.
So: here we are. It took nine games of watching these guys to go from thinking they're overrated to comparing them to the 2006 football team's defense. The capital-e Expectations have arrived, and are settling in for a long stay. This is going to be a different thing for all of us.
I spent large chunks of last year talking about how lovely it was to be able to appreciate a Michigan team with Novak and Douglass for exactly what they were, and be content with how they ended up as soon as they got that banner in Crisler. The loss to OHIO in the tournament sucked but it didn't suck in that way I know so well from hockey fandom:
The guys leaving brought Michigan from a program that hadn't been to the tournament since my dad was wearing his preposterous multicolor neon ski jacket to one that had been there three of four years, from a program that hadn't won the league since Joe Paterno was only kind of old to a sleeping giant with the alarm blaring in its ear. Their story is not Brandon Graham's. Their story isn't even Mike Martin's or Ryan Van Bergen's. It's better…
The loss doesn't erase the previous 34 games, or the previous hundred and change that saw Douglass set a record for the most games played in a career and Novak near it. The story of the outgoing guys is one of construction and triumph in the face of doubt. DJ Cooper going ham doesn't change that. Novak and Douglass have the luxury of exceeding all expectations, still and always.
These gentlemen do not have that luxury. They are too too good at basketball to lose to a short guy nailing a bunch of threes, as OHIO did last year. They are too too good to get flustered by a full-court press, or even see much of one.
This is no longer a scrappy program. This is a program that will step on your throat. It took nine games.
They are the hunted now.
Shots from Bryan Fuller:
Forty minutes of mildly annoying warmth with mosquitoes. Arkansas's vaunted press was rarely applied in this game, in part because Arkansas rarely got an opportunity to set it up because they weren't making many baskets—they stayed in it by making most of their makes worth three. When Arkansas did get a make and set up, Michigan broke the press with a couple passes and that was it. I don't recall a single turnover forced by the press.
That's another example of the growth on the team after they got flustered and behind 17-4 last year. This time out they were calm and prepared; they've now got four guys on the floor who are above-average handlers for their position most of the time, and a plan. Once Michigan got it to Burke it was over, and Arkansas knew it. Nice to prove that.
BOX OUT! …is something Mike Anderson must scream in his sleep. Michigan—which I remind you is Michigan, a historically rebound-allergic team—outrebounded Arkansas. On Michigan misses. Yes. Michigan had 16 offensive rebounds to 15 Arkansas defensive rebounds. On the other side of the ball, it was 5 to 23.
This is something you could have predicted as Arkansas is horrendous at defensive rebounding and meh on offense; it's still something to marvel over. It's hard to remember that Mike Anderson took three Missouri teams to the tournament before moving to Arkansas, because the team Michigan just went up against looked Amakerian in its inability to do anything right. Just year two for him, I guess.
[@ right: Fuller]
Ruthlessly hacked to the bench. Matt Vogrich, we'll always have the 2011 Tennessee blowout in which you went 5-5 from the floor for 11 points in 16 minutes and got a gritty offensive rebound and a gritty steal and generally contributed to a huge fun tourney blowout that eventually produced this picture:
He'll probably show up in a game or two this year when injury or foul trouble forces him to but it really looks like short of that he's joined the McLimans brigade. Which is something, because though he'd had a dismal start to this year Vogrich had some bonafides coming in and now he's seemingly done save for extenuating circumstances.
I can't say that's wrong—Vogrich was really not playing well. I'm just pointing it out as another example of Beilein changing his mind in ways some other coaches would not.
Now. Now. Now. That Caris LeVert hasn't done a whole lot in Vogrich's stead is actually evidence that the coaches are planning for this to be the year. LeVert has a lot more upside, and if he doesn't get there this year you can always try Vogrich again in February and make a decision as far as march goes. But Beilein went into this year thinking about LeVert's redshirt senior season; now he's thinking about ten to fifteen possessions in a game this march. That's the right call, I think.
Let's hear it for Horford. Another game without a shot attempt in which Jon Horford comes out seeming like a potentially key piece in some game down the stretch when Michigan is struggling with a post player. UMHoops highlighted this defensive possession that is an I be like dang moment:
Three blocks, four rebounds, and a steal in ten minutes on the floor is exactly what Michigan needs from Horford when the starting lineup is pouring in at least twelve per person. McGary and Horford are producing a lot of extra possessions, and the offense doesn't need that many more to be lethally efficient.
Little Big Dog is also a highly efficient peripheral scorer. He lead Michigan with 17 in this one and did it in two ways, mostly: on wide open shots from behind the line and on layups/dunks other people set up. Robinson has the athleticism to make those assisted interior buckets extremely high percentage and is beginning to finish through contact effectively, but Michigan doesn't really run anything from or through him. He's there to finish, clean up, and shoot when you sag off him, and he's doing all of those exceptionally well: he's got a top 100 ORtg, a low TO rate, and a top 250 OReb rate.
Part of the reason this team is playing so well is it has guys who are extremely effective without the ball, and Robinson is probably the best example of that.
BONUS DAWSON COMPARISON CHECK-IN: Creepy, in fact.
- Rebounding rate (O/D): Robinson 11.6/14.3, Dawson 11.2/13.2
- Twos: Robinson 32/53, 60%. Dawson 47/77, 61%
- FTs (FT rate/FT%): Robinson 39/76%, Dawson 28/45% (he was 60% last year FWIW)
- A/TO rate (A/TO): Robinson 7.3/13.8, Dawson 13/25.6
Dawson has a higher usage rate by a few points and seems to be in a situation where he's being asked to generate some offense of his own. The big differences are in shooting (big edge to GRIII, who's hitting 38% from three and is a non-liability on the line) and defense (statistically a big edge to Dawson, who is blocking a ton of shots and getting a ton of steals; in this case I think those statistics bear out a real difference since GRIII is not an impact defender by any stretch of the imagination).
Hardaway complete player watch. Michigan's an extraordinarily good defensive rebounding team this year, currently fourth behind some small schools. They'll come back to earth some in the Big Ten like they did last year. I don't expect that will be nearly as harsh that decline to ninth in the league, though, as you've got Robinson replacing Novak, McGary and Horford replacing Smotrycz, and Tim Hardaway's massive improvement in this category pushing things over the top. Hardaway is mere decimal points away from passing Jordan Morgan in DR%.
Spike! Albrecht isn't giving Burke much more of a rest than he had last year—Burke minutes have dropped only 5%—but he is proving a nice player to have around. In this game he hit a key three and pushed a partial break off the press to set up GRIII for one of his layups. On both plays he showed a confidence that belied his class status if not his years—he's actually a few months older than Burke.
He's probably never going to be a starter aside from a few games at the beginning of next year before the Derrick Walton era gets under way, but he's an excellent guy to have around steadying the ship for the next few years. Burke and Beilein on Spike:
"There was a time around the seven- or eight-minute mark (of the second half) where it was just up and down for about six or seven possessions," Burke said after Michigan's 80-67 win over Arkansas. "I don't know if I had gotten a foul or what, but there was a dead ball and I was pretty tired because it was just non-stop.
"But Spike did a great job. And coach Beilein did a great job of getting guys in and out."
And, sure enough, moments after entering the game with under eight minutes to go Saturday, Albrecht made a difference. The freshman backup point guard nailed a 3-pointer to push Michigan's lead up to seven.
The next trip down the court, he found Glenn Robinson III for a layup. When he left the game two minutes later, the Wolverines were up nine and things were basically in hand.
"Spike was terrific, wasn't he?" Beilein remarked afterward. "I don't think he had a turnover, his numbers were terrific and they continue to be. He really helps us."
John Beilein is good at talent evaluation. E-fact.
Morgan silly foul re-evaluation watch. Repeating myself here but when Morgan shot out to the perimeter to get a silly foul on a screen hedge late in the first half, my reaction would have been…
…last year and has now become…
…and this was a game that Morgan was dominating. I was just like "okay McGary or Horford will maintain approximately this level of play" and that was basically right. I like depth! It's fun.
Three headed-center totals in this one normalized to 40 minutes (they got 49): 15 points on 53% shooting, 16 rebounds, 8 of them offensive, 3 blocks, 3 TO, 2 steals. That center spot may be the least glamorous on the team but it is producing as well as any of the other starters.
UMHoops recap plus five key plays. Also more photos from Dustin Johnston. He got a goodun of the hanging on the rim tech:
I was not surprised when they called that, FWIW, and don't care if it was slightly unsportsmanlike. (Neither does anyone else.) Look how much joy he is bringing Mitch McGary. Mitch McGary only feels that much joy six to eight times an hour. Would you rob him of that?
There's a new ceiling for Michigan basketball these days, and it figuratively extends from the top of the polished Crisler Center straight to the shiny floor. You could argue the structure, from the arena to the team, looks as good as it ever has — and expectations are higher than they've ever been.
The Wolverines aren't some quick-shooting oddity anymore. They're deep, talented and feisty, and here's the notion that should warm Michigan fans — they're getting tough in the trenches, with the size and gumption to rebound.
John Beilein is not impress. Dave Telep hypes up Derrick Walton. Recruiting roundup. Hardaway's not shooting well but other things he's doing mean no one's noticed. Nesbitt column.
Basketbullets: Western Michigan
Some games are just games. When there are just games we just write the bullets. Don't forget Ace's instant recap.
12/4/2012 – Michigan 73, Western Michigan 41 – 8-0
So Michigan gets 7 and 9 points from Robinson and Hardaway as both shoot 3 of 10 from the floor and they win by 32. The new normal: better than the old normal. That was offset by a monster night from Trey Burke: 20 points on 11 shots, 7 assists, no turnovers, three steals. And onward.
Pick your sloppy point. Michigan is still working through long sections during which they look pretty sloppy, which probably shouldn't be a surprise with two or three freshmen on the court at all times. In this game it was early; in the previous two the rough patch was down the stretch. The net effect was about the same adjusted for level of competition.
To some extent that is basketball, but if they can just smooth out a couple of the rough patches by March…
/picks up paper bag
Tempo still slow, slow, slow. Michigan is 324th in tempo. I don't get it. It seems like Michigan is pushing the ball as much as makes sense for them to do. The Daily has an article headlined "Transition becomes Michigan's best option on offense" and I thought that was reasonable. A couple times in this game I thought Hardaway was going into two or three players when pulling it out and setting up the half-court offense was a better idea. And yet Michigan's tempo has barely budged. They're up under a possession a game from last year.
All I've got is this: Michigan takes care of the ball so well (13th in TO%) and doesn't force a whole lot of turnovers, leading to fewer short possessions that tend to lead to yet more short possessions when an open-court turnover turns into a fast break.
Supporting evidence: Beilein's teams at West Virginia forced a ton of turnovers and were a bit faster, ranked in the 270s and 280s instead of the 320s as Michigan's last four teams have been. Beilein's fastest team since 2003 was his first one at Michigan; that outfit had a lot of TOs, at least relative to Beilein averages.
It should be noted that the differences here are not huge: Michigan is about four and a half possessions away from the national average.
Big shooting: more spread out but more of it. A game like the WMU game stands out because Michigan's bigs were collectively 9/11 from the floor and took zero jumpshots to get there. Most of their efforts were throwing it down off the pick and roll, with a coast-to-coast Morgan steal and layup thrown in for good measure.
Anyway: though the bigs' collective usage is never going to approach the 2010-11 version of Morgan, Morgan only played 60% of Michigan's minutes that year. He got up 225 shots, which he made at a 63% clip. This year Morgan and McGary are collectively getting 87% of Michigan's minutes and are collectively 43/66.
Since there are two of them the lower usage is made up for by more efficient minutes. Michigan played 35 games two years ago. If they get the same number this year those two bigs shooting 64% will have gotten up 289 attempts. Michigan keeps sucking bad attempts out of the offense.
Given that, what is the weak spot on Michigan's offense? Is it GRIII? I think it is. GRIII would have been the best or second-best player on almost every Michigan team since the Fab Five exited, and he's the perimeter-ish guy on the floor who has low usage and isn't Stauskas. His ORtg is 126, which is near the top 100. In this game I got a little annoyed at him because of context.
/breathes into paper bag
Speaking of context. Trey Burke, who has been only okay shooting so far this year, was 8 of 11 and scored 20. I wrote that sentence and then looked it up to check. Burke twos are going in at an excellent 57% clip, which places him… fifth on the team.
/paper bag no longer works
Stauskas crazy stats watch. After missing two of four free throws he's down to an almost-human 89%, but going 3/4 from behind the line pushes his 3PT% on the year to 64%(!!!) and keeps that efficiency off the charts: 2nd in true shooting, 3rd in eFG, 3rd in ORtg. He picked up four assists in this one, too, including a couple of those pick and roll jams.
Western largely got the message about Stauskas and was able to limit his attempts to six—eight if you count the free-throw generating events, but one of those was off an offensive rebound. The beneficiaries of that were the bigs.
I'd like to see a little more of the offense run through Stauskas putting it on the floor. A couple of buckets in this game came when he drove, passed it out to the perimeter, and then Hardaway or Burke drove again, passing to a post for an easy layup or and-one. Both are in that highlight reel above. Reason this seems to work so well: you have to close Stauskas out so hard that help defense has to come over really early—on the and-one Stauskas only takes a couple steps—and then when the second guy gets the ball he gets an extra rotation and by that point if you're still effectively covering a post player well that's pretty dang impressive.
Stauskas also had a couple moments on the pick and roll, one a quick-release three, the other a Burke-like bounce pass for a McGary dunk. What I am trying to say is that Stauskas is really good. He could play some spot minutes at the point even.
Defense? It's hard to complain too much when the opposition shoots under 30% but Jim Jackson kept pointing out that Michigan's hard hedging put them in bad positions when opposition players were allowed to make easy passes for a series of layup-type-substances in the first half, and I was like "yeah" and grumbly.
Michigan adjusted shortly thereafter and then Western was close to helpless. I still think there's something just not there with the defense yet. I can't quite put a finger on it. Overall they're probably better because they've got the athleticism to rebound a lot more consistently, so it's got to be a lack of a guy who seems like a really good perimeter defender to harass the opposition's best player.
Horford helps out. No shots from Michigan's third big in ten minutes but five rebounds, one on offense, plus a couple other plays that didn't make it into the box score: he deflected an interior pass that led to a fast break, got a tap-out that led to an offensive rebound that I think gets credited to someone else and D-ed up on a couple of other possessions.
A good night for SOS. NC State came out on top of a nip-and-tuck battle against UConn; Northwestern went to Waco and beat Baylor. The rest of the Big Ten held serve against low-level competition, though Illinois had a scare against 3-6 Western Carolina. Their chances of beating Gonzaga: not great.
Albrecht > McDonalds AA (Detnews)
Speaking of NC State. I watched the second half of that game and still can't get over Tyler Lewis, their hobbit backup PG, being a McDonald's guy. When he came in Ryan Boatright's eyes got wide and he got to the lane for a couple easy buckets before Gottfried yanked Lewis. He's 5'11" and is truly indistinguishable from Albrecht; his one contribution to the offense was missing a tough jumper from around the free throw line after failing to get past Boatright.
Sanity checking the eye test with season stats: a third of NC State minutes, 17% usage, huge TO rate, 5 of 13 on the year from two and 0 of 3 from three. Albrecht is in fact a much better player statistically.
How anyone could look at Lewis versus Stauskas and rank the guy seven inches shorter way above the 6'6" assassin is inexplicable. The hobbit was at Oak Hill and Stauskas is Canadian. End of plausible explanations. I even find that dubious since Stauskas was all over the AAU circuit.
I can't wait for Lewis to be an okay player as an upperclassman and for this section to be used in an article on how he has Overcome The Critics.
Photos. From Bryan Fuller:
ANN ARBOR -- Midway through the first half Tuesday, Michigan fans got a first-hand glimpse at the eccentric personality of freshman big man Mitch McGary.
During a media timeout, McGary was featured during a pre-recorded, university-produced question and answer spot on the arena's large video screen.
But in the process of answering questions like "what's your favorite movie" and "who is your favorite singer," the 6-foot-10, 260-pound power forward broke out into song.
But not just any song, a Justin Bieber song.
Recaps from Holdin' The Rope, the News, and UMHoops. Baumgardner on Burke. Interviews with McGary and Burke. Bielfeldt sprained his ankle in practice, wore a boot on the sideline last night, and will miss a week or two.


text:
Today, Katie West is on the cover of a book: THE UNINVITED GUEST by John Degen.
5 thoughts on "The Weekly Katie West"
I propose we ban the letter 'N'.
All those with me say 'aye'.
I couldn't believe my eyes, but then I read the synopsis, and, yes, that is a shadow of the Stanley cup.
So the famous cup of Lord Stanley has finally succumbed to its throbbing primal urges and taken to the night in search of nubile women to "score" with. The lack of genitals and his glaringly obvious lack of an invitation will not allay him from satiating his dark unholy lust. All this is just further proof that hockey is the sport of the Devil, and Canada is Hell on earth. All hail our sterling cup-lord of blitzkrieg buggery!
…by gods, that IS the Stanley Cup!
I like Katie West…
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64 year old man | Marina del Rey, CA, USA | Seeking women 40-54 within 50 miles
Active within 24 hours
I hope you will read on, but I must confess...
I hope you will read on, but I must confess that I am 63, but felt the need to "mislead" to help with search requests. I'm a fun guy with a good personality and people tell me I'm attractive (and I certainly believe them). I keep fit and work out regularly. I like to go out and have a good time. I enjoy, movies, shows, fine dining, golf, riding my Harley, good wine. I like classic rock but still listen to my old vinyl collection which includes the real classics. I enjoy holding hands (I know it's corny, but it's true), concerts, shows, sporting events and sunsets. I haven't traveled much outside the country, but now have the time and ability to do so. I used to like long walks on the beach, but so many others are doing it that the beaches have become too crowded. I'm pretty easy going and am almost always in a good and positive mood. I'm not interested in a lot of drama. I think I am a good communicator and want to be with someone with whom I can have open and honest conversations about what we are thinking, feeling, etc. I enjoy going out but can be quite happy staying home, enjoying good food, (especially if you cook-but I will clean up). I do, however, make great reservations. I like to give and get good hugs and a long kiss (well, not just one long kiss, but many, at least with the right person). I would like to find someone who likes to hold and be held. Common interests are important to me but so is physical attraction. I'm hoping to find someone where the chemistry takes over. When the buttlerflies are flying in the midsection, you know it's the right person. I am affectionate, honest and want someone who can be the same with me. I want to find a best friend, a traveling companion and someone who I can't wait to see.
Dining out , Movies/Videos , Museums and art , Music and concerts , Exploring new areas , Performing arts , Playing cards , Playing sports , Travel/Sightseeing , Watching sports , Wine tasting
Baseball, Dancing, Football, Golf, Tennis / Racquet sports, Weights / Machines
I exercise 3-4 times per week.
I like Cats, Dogs
When my children were growing up we always had a dog, first a Bichon and later a Wheaton terrrier.
Middle of the Road
Hawaii, especially Maui, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Napa and the "coast."
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
My favorite music is still classic 70's rock, although I enjoy an eclectic mix of music and still listen to vinyl records. TV shows I enjoy, include Breaking Bad, Homeland, Dexter, and some of the sitcoms.
I enjoy fine dining, good wine, watching sporting events, live concerts, theater, movies, spas and resorts. I am also close with my family/children.
Recently read some science fiction, and enjoyed some of the early Steven King books. Read several papers daily.
Z{{Cta}} {{#if HasMoreInfo}} ?{{CtaSecondary}} {{/if}}
|What he is looking for
|6'2" (187cms)
|5'4" (162cms) to 6'0" (182cms)
|Body type:
|Athletic and toned
|Slender, About average, Curvy, Athletic and toned
|Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Green, Hazel
|Dark brown
|Auburn / Red, Black, Light brown, Dark brown, Blonde, Salt and pepper, Dark blonde
|No Way
|No Way
|Social Drinker, Regularly, Moderately
|No preference
I'm an attorney and a partner at one of the large LA law firms.
|No preference
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|Have kids:
|Yes, and they live away from home (2)
|No preference
|Wants kids:
|No, but it's OK if my partner has kids
|No, but it's OK if my partner has kids
|White / Caucasian
|No preference
I grew up on the East coast, Philadelphia, and moved to S. Cal in the mid-80's.
|Spiritual but not religious
|No preference
I was raised in the Jewish religion and enjoy the traiditionss and holidays, but am not otherwise an active participant :)
|PhD / Post Doctoral
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Do Dish and Direct offer the 10 minute recaps of all the games like Comcast on demand?
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NFL Network on demand??
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1811 $5 Small 5 MS63 PCGS. BD-2, R.3....
2013 July 11 - 14 US Coins Signature Auction - Orlando #1187
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Orange County Convention Center
9800 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32819
|Printable auction results for all items in the 2013 July 11 - 14 US Coins Signature Auction - Orlando.
1811 Half Eagle, MS631811 $5 Small 5 MS63 PCGS. BD-2, R.3. Bass-Dannreuther Die State e/a with a die crack between stars 9 and 10. The two 1811-dated half eagle varieties share a common obverse die that shows more space between the 18 than between the 81, and all the 1's in the date appear to lean slightly left. The Tall 5 reverse, BD-1, is actually a holdover from the 1810 BD-1, while the Small 5 reverse uses the same digit punch as that for 1810, but the die is unique to this year. This well struck example has good luster and only minor grazes on the cheek and obverse field. The reverse is well preserved save for a faint mark near the E in UNITED. Population: 36 in 63, 21 finer (6/13).(Registry values: P2) (NGC ID# 25PH, PCGS# 8109)
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By Best dressed in the WEST!
from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
I purchased this top, along with the matching pants, and am very happy with it. It is cool and silky to wear, even on a hot day. I feel very pretty wearing this top, and haven't any complaint about it at all. Way to go Marallis, you hit the mark again!
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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By DS
from Mississauga
Purchased the Grey/Taupe combination as an extra top for the pantsThe style of the top is great, but the pocket fabric detail looks very cheap & flimsy
Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Beautiful top!!
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I bought this top in both colours and I am extremely happy with the purchase. The top is very slimming and looks wonderful with crops, jeans or dressier pants. I highly recommend and the fit is true to size shown on the guide.


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Comment: Re:Has anyone asked.... (Score 1) 775 775
Comment: Re:The key to not getting beaten up as a nerd (Score 1) 480 480
Comment: Re:Why, oh why do they do these studies (Score 2, Insightful) 316 316
Comment: Re:Priceless (Score 1) 96 96
Comment: Re:When we confirm much of it is coming from China (Score 2, Insightful) 177 177
Comment: Re:Congratulations (Score 2, Funny) 430 430
Comment: Re:Sorry to hear about that, but... (Score 1) 356 356
Yeah, it's not too good at being your music library tool. I did find it useful when exploring for music on blogs and such.
It can parse a webpage and puts all the mp3 links it finds into a playlist, downloading them to a configurable directory as it plays them. A pretty useful feature, imho.
Comment: April Fool's!! (Score 0, Troll) 110 110
Comment: I'm sooo lucky! (Score 1) 115 115
Comment: So what's this thing supposed to do again? (Score 1) 149 149
Comment: Re:A point to note (Score 1) 565 565
Based on your other post above, it seems that, if not "an idiot and an inoramus", you were at the very least being a troll.
"You atheists seem to be a very hostile and angry group yourselves!"
That's painting with a fairly broad brush, don't you think?
Comment: Re:I Agree With The Mighty Floyd... (Score 1) 601 601
Spoken like a true dinosaur.
If the only modern music you've been exposed to is Top 40, then I guess I understand your POV, but trust me old timer, there's a lot of good music still being made.
I guess the difference between now and back in the day is that the cream tended to make it into the mainstream back then. Now the mainstream is mainly determined by marketing budgets, so you have to do a bit of work to find the good stuff, but it's out there.


text:
On a private tour of Back to the Wild on Tuesday, a group of kids with local ties got a peek at the rehabilitation work their family helps sustain.
Several years ago, Jerry and Sherry Wertz began making donations to Back to the Wild in lieu of traditional presents to his brother's grandchildren. But because the children live in the Columbus area, they had never visited the wildlife rehabilitation and nature education center.


text:
|For Immediate Release
|September 14, 2007
Ann Arbor Public Schools
Receives U.S. Department Of Education
Readiness and Emergency Management Grant
AAPS will receive $244,624. With this funding the Ann Arbor Public Schools will address these four areas for improvement in the district's Readiness and Emergency Management Response Plan: plans and protocols, coordination, training and attention to special needs students. The district's Crisis Planning Team will take the leadership role in implementing this grant, which includes training, communications, review and measurement, all to ensure the health and safety of school children in the Ann Arbor Public School district.
The grant requires districts to use the National Incident Management System and to design preparations for a possible disease outbreak such as influenza pandemic.
This grant will include bringing outside organizations to the district for threat assessment and preparedness, addressing diversity and bullying, planning and coordination for Avian Flu and its effects on schools, critical incident management as well as simulation training for emergency events in district schools. Implementation of the grant will begin this fall and go through February 2009.
AAPS is committed to providing students and staff with the best emergency readiness plan, which includes policies, actions and support teams to address emergency situations that may occur during the school day. This also includes collaboration with local and regional law enforcement, local hospitals and support teams. In 2003 AAPS, in conjunction with the City of Ann Arbor and surrounding support services, conducted a one-day full-scale response to a staged emergency situation in a district school. This full-scale exercise included over 300 participants with on-scene assessments and follow up tabletop exercises to ensure that the district is working closely to continue to enhance and assess the security and response efforts on our campuses.
The Ann Arbor Public School District serves the City of Ann Arbor and parts of eight surrounding townships covering 125 square miles. The district has 20 elementary schools, one K-8 open school, five middle schools, two comprehensive high schools, three alternative high schools, one pre-school and one adult education program. As of September 2006 enrollment totaled 16,680 (excluding adult education and a portion of pre-school). The district employs 3,000 full and part-time staff members. Approximately 76 percent of the teaching staff holds a master's degree or above. 100 percent of district teachers are highly qualified according to No Child Left Behind regulations. The district serves a diverse ethnic and socioeconomic population of students with over 36 different countries represented by students in the district. The Ann Arbor Public Schools has opened a new preschool and family center and looks forward to opening a new comprehensive high school with magnets program in September 2008. Every school in the district will have facility renovations and updates to be completed over the next two years.
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text:
Magic waive Doron Lamb
Updated: 06/30/2014 - The Orlando Magic have waived guard Doron Lamb.
Updated: 06/30/2014 - The Orlando Magic have waived guard Doron Lamb.
Posted: 06/30/2014 - John Calipari covered a variety of subjects on Monday's SEC basketball coaches conference call, inlcuding a UK roster that includes - gasp - veteran players.
Updated: 06/28/2014 - Defensive end Darius Fullwood and wide receiver Jabari Greenwood
Posted: 06/27/2014 - The Phoenix Suns have extended qualifying offers to point guard Eric Bledsoe and forward P.J. Tucker.
Updated: 06/27/2014 - The Los Angeles Lakers didn't expect Julius Randle to be available when they went on the clock with the seventh pick in Thursday's NBA Draft.
Updated: 06/27/2014 - Reed honored as nation's top dual-threat player by College Baseball Hall of Fame
Updated: 06/26/2014 - Former Kentucky players Julius Randle and James Young were selected in the opening round of the 2014 NBA Draft on Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., becoming the 14th and 15th Wildcats taken in the draft's opening round in the last five years. Randle was selected seventh overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, while Young was taken 17th overall by the Boston Celtics.
Posted: 06/26/2014 - Young joins former Wildcats Keith Bogans and Rajon Rondo.
Updated: 06/26/2014 - Julius Randle was chosen by the Lakers, his favorite NBA team.
Updated: 06/25/2014 - Julius Randle says he's not nervous about Thursday's NBA Draft and he has a sense of where his name will be called.
Posted: 06/25/2014 - ESPNU and the soon-to-launch SEC Network will televise the six-game University of Kentucky men's basketball team's Big Blue Bahamas tour live from Nassau's 2,500-seat Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium August 10-12 and August 15-17. All six games will now tipoff at 1 p.m. ET.
Posted: 06/25/2014 - Vanderbilt and Virginia will play for college baseball's national championship. Kentucky this year beat both.
Posted: 06/24/2014 - Jazz center Enes Kanter is undergoing platelet-rich plasma treatment to help with tendinitis in his right knee.
Updated: 06/24/2014 - When the Kentucky men's basketball team travels to the Bahamas this summer for a series of exhibition games, two Wildcats won't be playing.
Posted: 06/23/2014 - a new 15-year, $210 million dollar multimedia rights contract
Updated: 06/23/2014 - In one of the most valuable partnerships of its kind in college athletics history, University of Kentucky officials announced Monday that JMI Sports has been awarded UK's athletics and campus multimedia marketing rights with a 15-year, $210 million agreement.
Posted: 06/23/2014 - 15-year, $210 million agreement one of the most valuable in college sports marketing
Posted: 06/22/2014 - Cobb healthy coming off knee injury
Updated: 06/21/2014 - Randall Cobb, one of the most popular football Wildcats to play at Kentucky, was back in Lexington on Saturday, hosting his Inspire 18 football camp for young players.
Updated: 06/19/2014 - The last time Commonwealth Stadium underwent renovation was back in 1999. This year's work on the 42-year-old facility is underway and is in full swing.
Posted: 06/18/2014 - Austin Cousino, a native of Dublin, Ohio, won his third career Golden Glove Award, also earning one as a high school star at Dublin Coffman High School.
Posted: 06/18/2014 - Two-way Kentucky star AJ Reed has been named National Player of the Year and first-team All-America, Austin Cousino earned his second consecutive Rawlings Golden Glove Award, and Max Kuhn has been tabbed second-team All-Region, it was announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association on Wednesday afternoon.
Posted: 06/18/2014 - Continues to deny reports of injured foot
Updated: 06/16/2014 - Spradlin joins MSU staff after five years with UK basketball.
Posted: 06/16/2014 - The annual Kentucky-Louisville rivalry has been scheduled for Dec. 27 in Louisville's Yum! Center and will air on ESPN2.


text:
Naval Academy
A woman at the center of a sexual assault case involving a former U.S. Naval Academy football player was expected to take the stand for a second day Wednesday at the man's court-martial.
Naval Academy sexual assault case to begin Tuesday
A prosecutor says a woman who accuses a former Naval Academy football player of sexual assault was so drunk at a party that she blacked out and was not able to consent to sex.
Winter weather delays sexual assault trial of Naval Academy football player
Joshua Tate is accused of sexually assaulting a female classmate during a 2012 off-campus party.
Jury selection begins Friday in Naval Academy case
Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the case of a former U.S. Naval Academy football player accused of sexually assaulting a classmate during an off-campus party.
Prosecutors told to explain Naval sex assault case
A military judge overseeing the case of a former U.S. Naval Academy football player accused of sexual assault told prosecutors Tuesday he wants them to explain how they plan to prove their case, an indication it may not hold up.
Naval Academy sex assault case: Former defendant scheduled for deposition
A former U.S. Naval Academy football player is scheduled to speak publicly for the first time in a case in which a teammate is accused of sexual assault.
Naval Academy sex assault case: Suspect's lawyers argue political pressure influced prosecutor
Attorneys for a former U.S. Naval Academy football player accused of sexual assault are back in court to argue that political pressure influenced the decision to prosecute him.
Naval Academy sex assault case: Academy head set to testify
The head of the U.S. Naval Academy is set to testify Friday as part of a hearing for a student charged in a sexual assault case.
Naval Academy sex assault suspect has charges dropped
Charges against one of the Naval Academy sexual assault suspects have been dropped, leaving just one defendant left in the explosive case.
Military academy students put up with sexist behavior, report shows
Students at the U.S. military academies often believe they have to put up with sexist and offensive behavior, a Pentagon report finds.
Military Bowl 2013: Maryland to play Marshall in Annapolis
Maryland won't have to cross the state line for its first bowl appearance since 2010. The Terrapins (7-5) will face Marshall (9-4) in the Military Bowl on Dec. 27. The game will be held at the home stadium of the Naval Academy.
Naval Academy expelling Midshipman who set bathroom fires
The U.S. Naval Academy says it is in the process of expelling a midshipman accused of setting 11 small fires across the campus.
Naval Academy sexual assault prosectors face 'difficult' task
Military prosecutors have the "difficult, if not impossible," task of proving two former U.S. Naval Academy football players sexually assaulted a midshipman because the woman's contradictory and misleading testimony damaged her credibility.
Naval Academy case: Bias alleged
A lawyer for a U.S. Naval Academy student accused of sexual assault is asking a federal judge to remove the superintendent from deciding who will serve on a court-martial panel that will decide the case.
Eric Graham, Joshua Tate to face court martial
Vice Adm. Michael Miller on Thursday said he has referred the cases of Midshipmen Eric Graham and Joshua Tate to general court-martial. He decided not to refer Midshipman Tra'ves Bush.
Debt Ceiling 2013: Wall Street rebounds on news that government default could be averted
Stocks on Wall Street rebounded on news that Republicans and Democrats could be approaching a deal to avoid a U.S. government default.
Naval Academy sex assault suspects to face court-martial
2 of 3 ex-football players at US Naval Academy to face court-martial in sex assault case.
Government shutdown 2013: Naval Academy back to normal
The Naval Academy is back up and running Monday after the Pentagon declared all of its civilian employees, including staff and professors at the service academies, essential and therefore unaffected by the government shutdown.
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Cherry Rocker with Hickory Bark Woven Seat
This cherry rocker has a hickory bark woven seat.view details
Danish-Inspired Teak Chair1 comment
This chair was inspired by Danish designer Finn Juhl.view details
Une berceuse en chêne
Another Maloof inspired rocker for my son oak.view details
Tim's lounge chair3 comments
This is a high back chair with spindles. The curve of the back and seat makes it a very comfortable chair. Material: Black walnut Size:78cm*78cm*100cmview details
Tage Frid stool and writing desk3 comments
Tage Frid's 3 legged stool with some of my own detail changes along with my wall mounted writing surface/shelfview details
Mahogany Dining Chair
Mahogany chair is inspired by dentil details on Egyptian furniture.view details
Dining Chair - Walnut & Curly Maple
Sculpted Dining Chair using Walnut & Curly Maple Designed and built as a client prototype, this chair design has quickly become a hit with anyone who finds them self taking one for a test driveThe...view details
Occasional Chair2 comments
Walnut hand-sculpted occasional chair Heavy teardrop crest rail Unconnected backrest spindals Captured turned front leg, bent lamination rear legsview details
Kids stools1 comment
Kids stools made by pinewood of used pallets, covered with lacker, with written initials.view details
maple rocker- sam maloof inspired
maple rocking chair, inspired by sam maloof. all joints are through mortised and wedged, however. crest rail and rocker accents are cherry. pins through crest rail and accents in the back splats are...view details
tage frid inspired 3 legged stool3 comments
all maple stool, carved seat and back, sam maloof style. all wedged through mortise and tenon joints.view details
Let's Rock2 comments
This rocker was an idea I had for something different from a slat back but with a lot of comfort. The back is completely sculpted to conform to the shoulders and for lumbar support. The walnut and...view details
Modern Adirondack Chair4 comments
I was never a fan of the traditional adirondak chairs but when I found this plan online I had to make them.view details
Prairie Home Companions
A friend wanted a pair of craftsman style side chairs for his home's "day" room. I interested him in a design drawn from the Stickley 416 Prairie style with a few modifications readily developed...view details
Upholstered Wing Chair
Cherry legs, maple and poplar frame using mortise and tenon joinery. Fabric is Historic Deerfield Flame Stitch.view details
Windsor arm chair
Windor arm chair, carved volutes on end of crest rail and hand holds, milk paint finish followed by oil topcoat, Legs and stretchers are maple, spindles and bent parts are red oak, seat is pine.view details
Bent Lounge Chair4 comments
The idea for this chair was to use bent laminations to create a sleek and modern lounge chair. The seating position is low and relaxed without being too reclined for reading or conversation. The...view details
Walnut and paduak dining table, bench and chairs1 comment
This was one of my early designs and builds and my first chair design from scratch. There were many plublic resources from the web that were used to influence the design style. All curved shaping was...view details
Bridge-Inspired Chair1 comment
The construction of this hard-maple chair reflects Yoshimitsu Motoyama's admiration of the stylish strength of bridges.view details
Curved Leg Table and Chair
The curved legs on this dining table and chair are made with bent-laminated hard maple.view details
Black Walnut Chair
As a student in the furniture department at the Rhode Island School of Design, Prioli was given five weeks to design and build a piece of furniture that included bent lamination or steam-bending.view details
Gerspach Lounge Rocker1 comment
16 months in development, creation, invention and self expression. The Gerspach Lounge Rocker is my own, original design. Built by use of bent lamination and extensive hand sculpting. Genuine...view details
Cascade dining chairs1 comment
Handmade figured walnut dining chairs. I made these chairs starting with the standing tree.view details
Fine Woodworking - Seatings and Beds1 comment
Seatings and Beds - Chairs - Settee - Rockersview details
Snaker Style Walnut Decorative Hallway Chair
For some time now I have wanted to try and create a snake chair. The chair is made from walnut. The 56 inch high back features a cobra up the middle, flanked by two rattle snakes. They form the...view details
folding muskoka chair
simple chairs with a few upgrades the curent capacity for chair is 600 lbs.view details
School project1 comment
This is a school project we had to design and build a chair. It is built from bleached red oak and finished in tung oilview details
Southern Comfort
This is a Maloof inspired low back side chair made of walnut. This piece received first place in the large furniture division of the 2011 NC State fairview details
High chair revisited
Made this high chair for my daughter 32 years ago (others also sat in it). Here it is again for my granddaughter, refinished and with a new tray.view details
Shaker No. 3 dining chair1 comment
Shaker chairs ranged in size from 0 to 7, so the No. 3 is at the small end of the scale. However, it makes for a fine dining chair, especially if the room and table are relatively small too. For...view details
Sam Maloof Rocker1 comment
This is a Sam Maloof style rocker constructed during class at Marc Adams Wood Working School. Finish sculpturing and finishing was completed at home. Material is Walnut.view details
Ginkgo Chairs, Kotatsu Table, and Shodo Shelf2 comments
These pieces were created mainly with hand tools. The finish includes sumi ink, oil pastel (red portions), gold leaf, and amber shellac. The inspiration comes from Japanese cultural concepts such as...view details
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My Life
Algebra Wasn't As Scary As I Thought
Santa Barbara woman on overcoming a fear of math that kept her out of college. TD: Santa Barbara woman overcomes fear of algebra that kept her out of college. Read story.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
My Life: Heiress
The author remembers her mother — what she taught her, what she left. Read story.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
My Life: The Mule in My Garden
After intense research (Wikipedia and a few other sites), I discovered that there are two ways to get seedless watermelons. Read story.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
My Life: The Cracker and Its Fixer
Fixing a macadamia nut cracker reminds the author to slow down. Read story.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
A Very Special Fiesta Lady
Jeanice Lugo's sister continues the traditional Fiesta letter. Read story.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Kids on Bikes
Bici Centro's summer bicycle camp is accessible to everyone, from private school kids to homeless downtown students. Read story.
Friday, June 20, 2014
My Life: Outrigger Canoeing
I've achieved many solo racing scores in endurance events, but competing as a team upon the salty waters of the Pacific amplifies the thrill. Read story.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
My Life: 16 Days of Yoga
Learning yoga in the Santa Ynez Mountains. Read story.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Van Man
How did I go bust? Slow, then fast. Read story.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Mountain Drive Memories
Bill Richardson and Ann Johnston were among the many big characters who lived on Mountain Drive. Read story.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Spring Training in Arizona
It was actually Willie Mays who started my love of the Giants. Read story.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
My Life: The Restaurateurs' Daughter
A seventh grader looks at growing up with two restaurant owners as parents. Read story.
Monday, December 30, 2013
My Life: Xmas Music
On this balmy Christmas afternoon, we went into the backyard and sat behind the garage transistor radio, trying hard to feel the spirit of the season. Read story.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
My Life: Christmas Memory
On top of the tree in our living room today was a luminous white angel from my sister, and dangling among its branches were little mementos of my daughter growing up. Read story.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
My Life: So This is Christmas
I went to visit my 90-year-old mother and found her in the multipurpose room of her assisted living facility watching an old Andy Williams Christmas special. Read story.


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The Ellipse - Problem 10FREE
Alissa Fong
Alissa Fong
MA, Stanford University
Teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area
Alissa is currently a teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area and Brightstorm users love her clear, concise explanations of tough concepts
Half of the length of the major axis will tell us the value of "a," and half of the minor axis will tell us the the value of "b." If the major axis is vertical, the x^2 binomial will be above b^2, and if the major axis is horizontal, then the x^2 binomial will be above a^2. An ellipse equation will always be equal to one. Here we also look at how to represent decimal values as fractions in the ellipse standard form equations.
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Alissa Fong
M.A. in Secondary Mathematics, Stanford University
B.S., Stanford University
Alissa has a quirky sense of humor and a relatable personality that make it easy for students to pay attention and understand the material. She has all the math tips and tricks students are looking for.
Your tutorials are good and you have a personality as well. I hope you have more advanced college level stuff, because I like the way you teach."
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MA to CO and Back: The Anti-Adventure Ride
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Hero of the Stupid
Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Adams, MA
Oddometer: 747
OK...rebooted and ready to rock.
Air temperatures hovering around 100...tarmac temperatures considerably higher...and me dressed from head to toe in black...even my helmet. Rookie mistake. The temp gauge on the GS was reading 1 bar higher than normal...still in the middle of the range, but a little warmer than usual nonetheless. I imagine that I was sweating pretty good, but through the magic of high altitude and low humidity, any moisture was evaporating just about as quickly as I could make it. I suspected that we might be dehydrating as we rode - my suspicions would be confirmed later in the evening.
After our less than plush accomodations at the Motel 666 in Adaire the night before, I was looking to step things up for our first night in Colorado. I searched the gPS and found a Hampton Inn in Golden...three soft pillows...icy cold AC...a down comforter...and right at the foothills of the Rockies....PERFECT! Too bad it was still a few hot, dusty hours away...at least we had something to look forward to.
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