April 13th News and Notes

According to the Chicago Tribune and the Associated Press, DePaul sophomore forward Wilson Chandler has announced that he will enter the NBA Draft. Chandler said, “Together we all decided this was the best decision for me at this time based upon personal circumstances.” He also added, “This decision did not come easily for me because of my feelings for DePaul University.” Coach Jerry Wainwright backed Chandler’s decision, saying “Wilson had made tremendous progress in his two years at DePaul as a player, but much more importantly he has made greater progress as a person.” It is unclear as to whether he will hire an agent or not, although DraftExpress.com says that sources have told them Chandler is likely to hire an agent in the coming days and will not return to DePaul. Chandler averaged 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game this past season. Most mock drafts have Chandler somewhere in the second round.

According to The Sports Network and the Associated Press, Oregon State junior forward Marcel Jones has announced that he will enter the NBA Draft. However, he is not going to sign an agent, leaving open the option of returning to the Beavers. "My plan is to come back to Oregon State," said Jones. "But I'd like to test the waters and see what happens.” He also said, “If I don't stay in the draft, then when I come back to OSU I know people will have raised expectations for me. I'll come back a better player and ready to make us a better team." Jones averaged 15.3 points and 7.9 rebounds this past season. The announcement comes only a day after Beavers coach Jay John said that five players will not return to the team next season.

According to the Burlington Free Press, Vermont freshman forward Joe Trapani has announced that he will transfer to another school. Trapani said it was for “personal reasons” and “It was not completely related to basketball. I was thinking about it for a while but it was a very difficult decision to make.” Coach Mike Lonergan did not expect this announcement. “I was surprised, shocked,” Lonergan said. “He told me it had nothing to do with basketball or the team.” Trapani averaged 11.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this past season. Coach Lonergan said, “It will be hard to ever find another Joe Trapani."

According to the Kansas City Star, Missouri-Kansas City has ended their search for a new coach, and has hired West Virginia assistant Matt Brown to replace the fired Rich Zvocek. Brown was an assistant under John Beilein for the past ten seasons, five at West Virginia and five at Richmond. He was also an administrative assistant under Billy Donovan at Florida. UMKC athletic director Tim Hall said, “We are excited to get him. He’s a consummate professional.” In a press release, Hall also added, “I am confident Matt will work with great enthusiasm to graduate our men's basketball student-athletes, while building a program that will win championships and become one of the finest programs at the mid-major level.”

According to the Associated Press, Oregon junior forward Malik Hairston has announced that he will return to the Ducks for his final season. Hairston averaged 11.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game this past season, and missed ten games due to injury. His scoring numbers went down from his sophomore season (15.0 ppg), but his all-around game improved across the board.

ESPN.com’s Andy Katz makes his revised pre-preseason Top 25 after a wild week of player defections and coaching changes. North Carolina moves up from #3 to the top spot, and Davidson, North Carolina State, and Southern Illinois make the rankings this time. He says that he will continue to make adjustments to the Top 25 as the personnel and coaching changes become clearer.

Ken Tysiac of the Charlotte Observer gives his take on the 2007-2008 season with his Preseason Top 25 and All-American team. He also projects the ACC standings and makes his picks for the All-ACC team. Kansas is #1 in his Top 25 and North Carolina leads the way in his ACC predictions. Interestingly, he has Georgia Tech guard Anthony Morrow on the All-ACC team.