Courtesy of the Kansas City Star:

Before Creswell pleaded guilty, Ornburn told the court that the prosecution was prepared to prove that Creswell had pulled a knife, pointed it at his uncle and threatened to stab him. After his uncle left the house and called police from another location, Ornburn said, Creswell held his mother at knifepoint and threatened to stab her. She eventually left the house.

Police arrived and ordered Creswell to leave the residence. He complied, and in the kitchen, Ornburn said, authorities found two knives that matched the description of weapons that his uncle had described to police.

Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 6. The plea agreement called for both sides to recommend probation with 60 days’ “shock time” in the Johnson County Jail, where Creswell is being held.

From today’s LJW:

Fans of the Border Showdown will be interested to learn that for the first time in five years, the KU-Missouri series will open in Columbia, Mo., with the rematch in Allen Fieldhouse.

The KU-MU game has been the last conference game on both team’s league schedules — in Columbia — the past four seasons. Dates of the games will be announced upon the release of the schedule.

Sometimes a bit of news needs no further comment from me. This is one of those times:

Illinois Prep Bulls-eye has learned that although 6′7 manchild DeAndre Thomas did achieve a qualifying test score on his ACT exam, he fell short with respect to meeting core requirements and as a result will be ineligible to play as a freshman next season at the University of Missouri. Rumors have surfaced that Thomas’ destination next season could be the newly formed Boys To Men Math and English Academy in Chicago, which will be coached by Loren Jackson, the former coach at Chicago’s Julian High School. However, at the present time nothing is concrete and there has been no official announcement.

hat tip to “kcjcjhawk” at the Slant

We would be remiss if we didn’t update long time Phog Blog readers on a story we broke several months ago. You may remember the twisted tale of Zachary Famuliner and Adam Thomas, Mizzou students who in an effort to win a fraternity contest, collected both live and dead O’Possumsopossums in a barrel. They were charged with animal cruelty among other things (actually Famuliner was charged with the cruelty and Thomas with possession of wildlife). Well, this sad story has come nearly to conclusion - both boys were found guilty and sentenced, the former to a couple of weeks of community service and counseling along with a fine, the latter just a fine. According to this article, the crimes won’t be on the boys’ permanent records. Says the article:

But Connie Sullivan, Boone County assistant prosecuting attorney, said the decision to keep the charge off Famuliner’s record was too lenient.

Ms. Sullivan can take solace in the fact that the boys wont escape their ignominy so easily, as any future employer or would be parents-in-law will discover when they find the pair’s deeds permanently etched into Google, Yahoo and MSN.

And Justice is Searched.

Discretion is proving to be the better part of valor for Marian Washington and Lynette Woodard, who have decided to more research before speaking to the press officially. Blue horseshoes says this is the last time we’ll hear of this.

“We are actually going to do our own research on this whole thing and have a release or press conference,” Washington said Monday. “Lynette (Woodard) will be able to speak to things once we are very clear as to what has happened. She has a lawyer. Everything will happen through her lawyer…I want to make sure to take my time in going through things,” Washington said. “Obviously, there is disappointment. In time we’ll talk about these things.”

I think that Coaches Woodard and Washington have made a great decision. Both have made tremendous contributions to the University. If they bring too much attention to this, it will be their legacy - why do that?

KU Basketball?

WE LOVE IT!

Big Babies?

WE REALLY LOVE IT!

Another Big One is Born!

We do not know her name yet, nor whether she is nicknamed after a large, yet famous Mexican dish as was her recent big baby predecessor who has Crimson and Blue both literally and figuratively running through her veins.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
-Hunter S. Thompson

Just when you thought that April of 2003 was the strangest time in the history of Kansas Basketball offseasons, 2005 comes along and trumps it like the Ace of Spades.

An odd mish mash of reactions from former KU coaches named in the self-report of violations to the NCAA. Roy Williams understandably had a tough day as a result of the “mistake” that was made. The media has treated Roy badly in this matter, as the violations were minor and didn’t result in any competitive advantage at all. A failure to report $0.14? And Kansas taxpayers have to fork over their hard earned dough to pay an Overland Park attorney hundreds of thousands of dollars so that he can find out that once a kid didn’t reimburse the school 14 cents?

That’s government math man!

More interesting to me is Marian Washington’s reaction in this morning’s paper. I hadn’t heard anyone say anything about the women’s violations except something to the tune of, “they were cheating and they weren’t winning?” That would have been it, until Marian Washington exercised her First Amendment right to make things worse by opening her mouth.

“What is really disheartening to me,” Washington said, “is this university has attacked someone who truly has been an ambassador for the university. (Woodard) is coming off her third Hall of Fame in three doggone years. To be treated like she is being treated … somebody should be ashamed of themselves. Lynette is hurt by it; I am hurt by it.”

And here comes the really crazy part:

“There’s no way in the world I would ever violate any NCAA rules. If 50 cents turned up, I’d turn it back. If there was an extra sandwich, I’d not allow players to eat it. For this to come out the way it has, questioning my program, I can’t allow it to happen.”

Hence the upcoming news conference, in which Woodard and Washington will address allegations.

“I am in the process of looking at each violation,” Washington said, who indicated the news conference might even be in her driveway or backyard.

I’m going to have to pull a “Susan Powter” here and scream “STOP THE INSANITY!” With all due respect, Coach Washington, you are bringing more attention to yourself, not less. The least of the violations, those which occurred under Roy Williams, have beckoned for national attention, while those which allegedly occurred under your watch, and are more severe, have been virtually invisible, obscured by the brilliant glare of Williamsian headlines.

Don’t do it. Don’t have a backyard barbeque press conference. It will only make you unhappier. Count on it. You could ask Hunter S. Thompson, but he’s dead, and now Willy Flipping Wonka is going to belch his ashes over Thompson’s Colorado estate with a cannon. Is that really what you want?

If you are wise, you will listen to me.

Which reminds me, anybody see the latest Wonkavision? I’m holding out for Imax.

CNNSI waxes Royic in their coverage of the newest scandal of the off season, which can be read here.

The headline is enough to get a Tarheel a little hot under his or her baby blue collar.

KU reveals Williams violations
Former coach OK’d payments to graduating players
Posted: Friday July 15, 2005 3:24PM; Updated: Friday July 15, 2005 3:57PM

Bob Rosato/SI

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — An internal review at the University of Kansas says former basketball coach Roy Williams approved payments to graduating players and other players who had exhausted their eligibility, in violation of NCAA rules.

Diamond Lew Perkins said that Roy had been notified of the findings. According to CNNSI, Roy will be releasing a statement about the events sometime tomorrow.

There’s a little ambiguity here in what is being claimed by the respective sides. It will be interesting to watch that play out, methinks.

You can read more complete points here, but below you can read the straight dish on what the actual consequences are. The good news is that none of the violations have occurred under Self’s watch, and that the violations that occurred in the men’s basketball program were probably secondary, pending the NCAA’s verification of the internal investigation.

Men’s Basketball

Violation:

With the approval of then head men’s basketball coach Roy Williams, at the completion of the 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03 men’s basketball seasons, three representatives of the University’s athletics interests (Dana Anderson, Joan Edwards and Bernard Morgan) provided gifts of cash and clothing to graduating men’s basketball student-athletes and men’s basketball student-athletes who had exhausted their eligibility.

Corrective measure:

The University will provide additional rules education for all of the men’s basketball coaches and student-athletes regarding gifts after eligibility has been exhausted.

Women’s Basketball

Violations:

During the summer of 2002, then University assistant women’s basketball coach Tim Eatman made arrangements for two prospective student-athletes to receive housing and employment at Naismith Hall, an off-campus, privately owned dormitory used by the

University’s women’s basketball student-athletes. The arrangement required that they work in the dining facility of the dormitory in exchange for the cost of housing and meals. The value of the work they performed was insufficient to pay the cost for the time they lived at the dormitory.

During the summer of 2002, then University assistant women’s basketball coach Tim Eatman made arrangements for two prospective student-athletes to attend Kaplan Test Preparation Center to help them achieve scores on the standardized tests that would enable them to participate and receive institutional financial aid at the University.

During the late summer and early fall of 2002, two prospective student-athletes participated in out-of-season pickup games and workouts with then current members of the University’s women’s basketball team at University facilities. Additionally, they were permitted to utilize these facilities for their personal training, workouts and practices because of their status as prospective women’s basketball student-athletes.

During the summer and fall of 2002, then University assistant women’s basketball coach Tim Eatman made arrangements for transportation for two prospective student-athletes with two former student-athletes.

During the fall semester of 2002, then University assistant women’s basketball coaches Tim Eatman and Lynette Woodard provided transportation to a prospective student-athlete on two separate occasions to a location on the University’s campus where she was scheduled to take a standardized test.

Penalties and corrective measures:

The University will reduce the number of initial grant-in aid awards by two (13) for the 2005-06 season.

The University will reduce the number of permissible off-campus recruiting coaches by one (from 3 to 2) for a one-year period (2005-06).

The University will provide additional rules education for all members of the women’s basketball coaching staff on the permissible activities in dealing with prospective student-athletes.

Football

Violations:

During the summer of 2003, seven former football prospective student-athletes were provided with assistance in enrollment and scheduling correspondence courses in order for the prospective student-athletes to obtain required course work to graduate from their respective two-year institutions.

Members of the football coaching staff monitored the daily studies of several prospective student-athletes in their completion of online correspondence course work. Also, prospective student-athletes were permitted to use the graduate assistant coaches’ offices and computers in completing their course work.

Three former prospective student-athletes were allowed to share answers in completing their online course work for correspondence courses.

Several prospective student-athletes received improper assistance through the arrangements of academic assistance at the University’s coaches’ offices and for a test proctor. Also, some of the prospective student-athletes received improper transportation from campus to the high school and back to campus on a few occasions.

On August 7, 2003, a former football staff member served as a proctor for two or three prospective student-athletes and administered, on the University’s campus, an examination for correspondence courses being taken by the prospective student-athletes.

On approximately August 7, 2003, a former football staff member provided two prospective student-athletes with tutoring, study assistance, and answers to a correspondence course examination.

Former football staff members mailed correspondence examinations to Brigham Young University on behalf of several prospective student-athletes who had taken the examinations.

Former assistant coach Tyrone Dixon provided clothing to a former student-athlete on two separate occasions - once when he was a prospective student-athlete, and once when he was an enrolled student-athlete.

Penalties and corrective measures:

A letter of admonishment has been issued to assistant football coach Clint Bowen for his involvement with the correspondence courses.

A letter of admonishment has been issued to head football coach Mark Mangino because of his overall responsibility for the program.

The University will restrict the number of two-year college transfer student-athletes into the football program to 3 per year for two years (2005 and 2006) based on the average number of two-year college transfers for the past three years (9 per year).

The University will reduce the number of initial grant-in-aid awards in football by one in 2005-06 (24) and one in 2006-07 (24).

Additional rules education on academic requirements will be provided to all members of the football coaching staff.

Additional Penalties and Corrective Measures:

Chancellor Robert Hemenway has imposed a two-year probation on the University’s athletics department. The probation does not carry with it any television or postseason sanctions. During this period the University will provide to the NCAA semi-annual compliance reports indicating the progress made with each program and documenting its compliance with the self-imposed penalties.

The University has restructured the academic advising office to centralize responsibility for academic support for all prospective and enrolled student-athletes under the Associate Director of Athletics for Student Support Services.

The University has prepared an in-depth compliance manual it will send to all representatives of the University’s athletics interests reminding them of NCAA rules and regulations.

The University has increased its compliance staff by two full-time and one part-time position and will add one additional full-time position prior to the 2005-06 academic year. Additionally, the athletics department has budgeted for one additional full-time position beginning in the 2007-2008 academic year.

The University has contracted with an outside firm to have annual athletics department-wide compliance reviews performed.

I am very very glad that we’ll never have to play against Gerald Green, or as the Journal World’s Chuck Woodling inadvertantely called him “Gary Green”.

I am borrowing this NBA.com clip for your viewing pleasure, because it was not working too well where I saw it, at CNNSI.com. I sue for the mercy of the NBA’s flesh eating lawyers. IF you must CD me, please do so on fine paper which I can frame.

In any case, here’s Gerald Green spinning and throwing down a horrifying dunk.

Click here to download.

This story hits particularly close to home, given that I have inexplicably suffered cardiac arrest (and now have a pacemaker as backup). We will keep the O’Neal family in our prayers.

COLUMBIA, Mo. A Missouri football player died today after collapsing during a voluntary workout with teammates, according to a hospital official.
University Hospital spokeswoman Mary Jenkins confirmed the death of 19-year-old linebacker Aaron O’Neal, a redshirt freshman from suburban St. Louis. The cause of death wasn’t immediately available.

O’Neal was listed third on the Tigers’ depth chart at middle linebacker. His high school coach says O’Neal showed no signs of a serious medical problem in high school.

From the AP, via Yahoo News:

Matchups Set for Loaded Maui Invitational

14 minutes ago

A matchup between Arizona and Kansas highlights the first-round pairings for the EA Sports Maui Invitational, which has five schools in its eight-team field that were ranked in the top 15 of the final poll last season.

The other game in the lower half of the bracket, which was released Wednesday, has Connecticut against Arkansas.

The other bracket has Gonzaga against Maryland and Michigan State facing Chaminade, the Division II host of the tournament that starts Nov. 21 at the 2,400-seat Lahaina Civic Center. The semifinals are Nov. 23 and the championship game is Nov. 23.

Arizona, at No. 9, was the highest of the five ranked teams with Gonzaga (10), Kansas (12), Connecticut (13) and Michigan State (15) the others.

All five were in the NCAA tournament last season, with Michigan State reaching the Final Four and Arizona falling one game short.

Michigan State (1991), Kansas (1996) and Arizona (2000) are all former Maui Invitational champions.

All 12 games in the tournament will be televised live on one of the ESPN networks.

Chaminade has a 4-57 record in the previous 21 tournaments.