The Halfcourt Trap Vol. I, No. 5

Sitting in the San Francisco Airport after spending a day wondering which defensive performance was worse, Saturday night’s debacle or the 1988 annihilation at the hands of Washington State, I reviewed the last couple of weeks worth of college hoops happenings. Here are six that caught my eye:
1. Memphis Blues. Shawn Taggart and Jeff Robinson were arrested for, among other charges, Inciting a Riot. I would like to think it was simply a case of Taggart celebrating a little too much after seeing himself mentioned in a recent edition of the The Trap. Whatever the cause, this isn’t the best way to start off a season where anything short of a trip to San Antonio will be a major disappointment for the Tigers.
2. Down In Mexico. OJ Mayo and his highly touted classmates made their debut south of the border. By all accounts, Mayo’s play did nothing to temper the lofty expectations being placed on him.
3. The Full Circle Monty. Mike Montgomery, off a disasterous run with the Warriors, returned to Stanford this week as a fundraiser and advisor. Trent Johnson gains a valuable sounding board with Monty’s return to the Farm.
4. Send Cal An Angel. Memphis continued its run of fabulous recruiting with a commitment from Angel Garcia. If the Tigers can cash in on Coach Cal’s relationship with William Wesley and land Tyreke Evans, it will be another monster class for the Men from Bluff City.
5. Ouch, Canada. Syracuse lost Andy Rautins for the season as the result of an injury suffered while playing for the Canadian National Team. While not a crippling loss for the Orangemen, it does take a versatile option away from Jim Boeheim as he tries to get the ‘Cuse back on track.
6. Sweet Home, Alabama. One can justifiably question Mark Gottfried’s abilities as a tactician. What one can’t do is dispute his ability to recruit top notch in state talent. The Tide’s commitments from JaMychal Green and Andrew Steele continue a trend of successful recruitments of local stars by Gottfried.
Some people have questioned my use of the word “humble” in my parting words in the first batch of columns. The irony of my use of that adjective is not lost on this writer. That said, I’ll see you all hear next week. Same hoops time. Same hoops channel.
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