Thinking out loud: It's college basketball season

Thinking out loud…while wondering what the next big thing in the competitive sports world might be?

• The anticipation is building for the start of the college hoop season, but why does it seem like we've been waiting too long to get started?

• I'll say this – when everyone started on or about October 15th with "Midnight Madness," it was a great tip-off, like a starters' pistol at the beginning of a race.  Now, with schedules adjusted and schools starting all over the calendar, much of the anticipatory fun is gone.  And said in my best Tom Petty impression, "the waiting is the hardest part."

• Fix it – by adding another exhibition to the schedule.  Really?  Yes, unlike the NFL, an extra game would benefit everyone, with now 40 days between the start of practices and the first official games.  It used to be what, 2-3 weeks?

• And make that exhibition one where charity wins, like PC and UConn played a couple of years ago.  Fans win, teams win, charities win. 

• Which means the NCAA will simply YAWN, of course.

• Ed Cooley provided an injury update on the Friars during his radio show this week – Nate Watson is still out for a while, Greg Gantt is still nursing an Achilles, Luwane Pipkins' hammy is still tight while Kalief Young is back.  Some answers could be forthcoming this weekend with PC's preseason game against Stonehill.

• The Friars' Alpha Diallo was named to the national Julius Erving Watch list, as one of the Top 20 small forwards in the country.  Two things need to happen for Alpha to be an all-American player – 1) increase his 3-point shooting percentage and 2) reduce his turnovers. 

• St. John's L.J. Figueroa was also on the Erving Watch list, as were Villanova's Saddiq Bey and Xavier's Naji Marshall.  On the Cousy list (for top point guard) was Marquette's Markus Howard and on the Jerry West list (shooting guard) were Butler's Kamar Baldwin, Creighton's Ty-Shon Alexander, Seton Hall's Myles Powell and St. John's Mustapha Heron.

• And on the Karl Malone list (for power forward), Xavier's Tyrique Jones. 

• Two big men from the Big East have also made the Top 20 contenders for the Kareem Abdul Jabbar award as the nation's top center - Providence's Nate Watson and Georgetown's Omer Yurtseven.

• Seems like we just named them all, but 34 of 50 possible starters are returning to Big East teams this season.  Which means, of course, the league is L-O-A-D-E-D.

• Florida's Kerry Blackshear, a future Friar opponent in December at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, was this week named as the preseason Player of the Year in the SEC.  That game should grab some headlines.

• URI scrimmages Boston College this weekend in one of those secret scrimmages.  Will someone tweet at me when they find out what happened?

• Rhody will hold open practices for both men and women's teams, with a couple of scrimmages, next Tuesday at the Ryan Center at 5:30 pm.

• And the Rams' coaching staff got a big boost this week, welcoming back former assistant and ex-Celtics' coach John Carroll to David Cox's staff.  Carroll will be a special assistant to Cox after taking time off last season.

• I know that guy.  Former Friar and 2nd round LA Laker draft pick Marcus Douthit is joining Rick Harris on the basketball staff at CCRI for this season.

• The results of the survey aren't yet complete, but more than half of Division I athletic directors apparently support – in some form – a college athlete's ability to make money on his or her likeness.

• Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed apparently wanted to avoid – at all costs – a repeat of what happened at Kansas' "Late Night at the Phog" with Snoop Dogg a couple of weeks ago. 

• He cancelled a scheduled appearance by Fabolous at "Hoya Madness" after students complained about the rapper's history of domestic violence.

• Massachusetts' Governor Charlie Baker appeared Thursday on The Greg Hill Show, and suggested the state legislature will take up the issue of sports wagering before the end of the current legislative session – or, by next summer.  Doesn't sound like a front-burner issue.

• While Rhode Island has rolled out mobile wagering for Sportsbook RI, revenue projections have fallen short of initial expectations.  The Commonwealth's entry into the field for 2020-21, and as a next-door neighbor, is certainly likely to water down future projections.

• But it's working in other places, like Pennsylvania. State take for September was $194.5 million, of which $158.1 million came from mobile gambling.

• Injuries are always a problem at this time of the year, and the Patriots are no exception in the NFL.  But if Isaiah Wynn can't come back from Injured Reserve, that offensive line is in a world of hurt.  And TB12 may be, too.

• Ben Watson's return was needed with Jakob Johnson going on IR.  But if you're expecting him to provide an immediate answer at tight end, you may be disappointed.  Otherwise, why did they have no room at the Inn just a couple of weeks ago?

• N'Keal Harry's return from IR was expected, but to put too much expectation on his shoulders – he caught what, three passes in the preseason? – is ridiculous.  I still expect the Patriots to kick the tires on a few trade possibilities before the deadline next week.

• And that also includes Michael Bennett, who was suspended by the team this week before the game against the J-E-T-S Monday.  As I've said all along, Bennett wants to play one way, the team wants him to play another – and in between the two may not meet. 

• The rumor of Bennett-for-Amendola sounds great, but it takes two to tango.

• Did Rob Gronkowski really shut the door on a return to football this week during his appearance on The Greg Hill Show?  Rookestradamus says no.  Maybe not for this season, but next year? 

• Road teams are more than just holding their own this season in the NFL.  50-40 over the home teams thus far, through Week Six.  While the Patriots may remain dominant, the rest of the league's parity (parody?) is showing.

• Getting ahead of ourselves, but Bill Belichick is Coach of the Year in the NFL.  Isn't he?  Shouldn't he be?  Finally?

• Who is left for the Red Sox to hire as General Manager?  I vote for SpongeBob.  He'll have analytics at his disposal, and John Henry/Tom Werner to make all the decisions for him, anyway.

• Shh. Don't want to offend my Yankee-fan friends, but 'Go Astros!'  Seriously though, Houston is the better team, better pitchers, better pretty much at everything.

• Washington is in a World Series for the first time 86 years.  That number rings a bell, doesn't it?

• And yet, ratings for baseball in the national capital last weekend lagged well behind a crappy NFL game on local TV.

• The Redskins and Dolphins pulled a 14.2 in Washington, while the Nationals received an 8.7.  Nah, no problems in baseball.

• Not for nuthin', but have you wondered about the overall TV ratings for baseball with the Red Sox not a part of the dance this year?  Down.  Way down.  Lowest numbers in a decade.  But baseball playoffs still won the nights' involved for TBS against other cable networks.

• URI football goes for its' first CAA win this weekend against Albany and men's soccer improved to 8-3-2 on the season with a win at Brown.

• Speaking of the Bears, football gets 16th ranked Princeton at home this weekend and women's soccer is 9-1-1 with its' best record through 11 games in 35 years.  They're ranked 13th nationally in the latest poll.

• Bryant football got its' second straight win last weekend against LIU with senior Tomas Wright named as the NEC Defensive Player of the Week.  The Bulldogs play at #25 Central Connecticut Saturday, and Bryant's women's soccer team is unbeaten in the NEC and face Fairleigh Dickinson in Brooklyn this weekend.

• PC's men's Cross-Country team claimed the New England Championships at Franklin Park in Boston last weekend…with 25 teams running in the meet. 

• PC Field Hockey hit the national rankings this week at #25, and the Friars will test that new ranking against Quinnipiac and Merrimack on campus this weekend.

• The Hockey Friars, still a bit green behind the gills, lost to Holy Cross but defeated the US National Development team last weekend and slipped in the polls to #13/12.  Tough road trip to upstate New York for games at St. Lawrence and #9 Clarkson this weekend, too.

• The Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame nominees for the Class of 2020 were announced this week, and while there are some obvious choices for induction, excuse me – exactly when did Whitney Houston and Notorious BIG become rock 'n roll stars?  They're on the list.

• My must-haves for 2020:  The Doobie Brothers, Todd Rundgren and Pat Benatar.  I've seen the Doobies a few times in concert and have never been disappointed.  Hate Rundgren's politics, love his music – especially from the 'Yes' days.  Pat Benatar?  If only because all the good-looking chicks in high school once looked like her.

• Our friend and Boston Globe/Rhode Island reporter Dan McGowan pointed out this week some trends within schoolboy/girl sports in Rhode Island that seem to be bucking the national numbers.  Nationally, high school football participation is down, and RI's participation is at a 17-year low in the sport.

• But while the national numbers remain low (baseball) and flat overall for some sports (basketball, soccer), numbers within Rhode Island prep athletics are pretty solid.  Boys' soccer and basketball are up in Rhody.  Baseball is down.  And girls' soccer, volleyball and lacrosse are all on the rise.

• And in related news:  Okay, Little League, Hockey, Pop Warner and soccer mom's and dad's – listen up.  The National Athletic Trainers' Association has come out with a list of recommendations for your young stars-to-be.

• Delay specializing in one sport for as long as possible.  Play for one team at a time.  No more hours per week than age in years.  No more than eight months of competition in a single year.  And at least two days of rest and recovery per week.

• Don't kill the messenger.  But trainers are also saying to some of you…get real, and don't kill the kids…so maybe they can get to high school before burning out.

• My buddy "Big E" sez he was golfing with a good friend last week, and while they normally play just for fun, they decided to put a 'fiver' on the line for the lowest score.  On the last hole, "Big E" slices into the woods and can't find his ball, so he asks the friend to help him look for it.

• They can't find it.  So 'E' pulls out a ball, drops it on the ground and says "here it is!  I found it!"  To which his friend says, "all this time we've been friends and you have to cheat me out of five lousy bucks?"  'E' replied, "what do you mean cheat?  My ball is right here!" 

• "And you're a liar, too," his friend said.  "Because I've been standing on your ball for the last five minutes."

• The American Cornhole League, governed by something known as the "American Cornhole Organization" is a real thing.  It was established in 2005.  You can 'go pro' by tossing bags into a hole, people will watch you do it and you can get paid for it, with tournaments offering prize money all over the country.  It's a whole 'notha level on top of the parking lot-tailgating thing.  ICYMI.

• There are even American Cornhole (ACO) World Rankings.  And you could be on that list. 'Merica.  Just sayin'.

• @cscutari tweeted from Arizona this week, on the lackluster Friars: "Can you ask @CoachCooleyPC if the @PCFriarsmbb will need to redshirt @Nate156 (Nate Watson) and/0r @juuune_ (Greg Gantt) this year?"

• Chip:  I cannot imagine, under any circumstances, that either would fall into that category if healthy.  But if either are going to miss extended time due to their injuries (Watson – knee, Gantt – Achilles) it is a consideration.  Gantt more so than Watson, only because he's a freshman and can continue to grow and learn within the program.  If Watson can come back at any point – and he IS expected to be back, unless there's a setback – they'll need him.  There's more depth at Gantt's spot.

• Interested in having your questions on local Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send 'em to me! It's your chance to "think out loud," so send your questions, comments and local stories to jrooke@weei.com. We'll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Follow me on Twitter, @JRbroadcaster…and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...

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