Checking Out the ASU vs UA Alumni game

From the “why did it take so long to come up with this” file, on August 30^th there will be an ASU vs UA alumni basketball game. I think this is a fantastic idea, who doesn’t want to see past greats (greats is stretching it) of each university relive their rivalry glory again? This event is sure to stir passion because ASU-UA always does. Sure it is just an exhibition game but you can be damn sure I want ASU to win. It is probably a pretty safe bet that many other Sun Devils and Wildcats a like feel the same way. Who is going to win? Let’s check the rosters:

ASU	U of A
Eddie House – One of the most explosive scorers and best shooters in ASU history. Currently a role player for the Boston Celtics.	Sean Rooks – A veteran of 13 NBA seasons and was a member of Lute Olson’s first final four team at U of A.
Ryneldi Becenti – Center for the woman’s team in the early 90s, made All-Pac 10 first team twice. Currently in the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame.	Kenny Lofton – An All-Star baseball player that also excelled in basketball at UofA. Lofton was a point guard and played with Rooks.
Dwayne Fontana – Attended from 1990-1994, a member of the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame. High school nickname was DAW (Dunk at Will). Not to be confused with Brian Fantana.	Joseph Blair – A power forward in the early 90s. Missed out on the 1997 championship year by one season. Darn you graduation.
Rodger Farrington – Former defensive standout for ASU. Read more here.	Trung Canidate – One of the most electric tailbacks in U of A history. He is probably better known for being a draft bust.
Bobby Lazor – One of the coolest names for a basketball player ever. He was one of ASU’s best players when they were pretty bad.	Glenn Howell – A former football player. That’s all I got for ya.
Ike Diogu – We Like Ike! One of the best forwards in ASU history currently plays for the New Orleans Hornets.	Reshea Bristol – All Pac-10 first team in 2001 for the Lady Cats.
Ron Riley – Played for ASU in the mid 90s and scored a lot of points.	Corey Williams – This former forward has been playing a lot of overseas basketball since his graduation in 1996.
Awvee Storey – One of the toughest players in ASU history. Thrived in Rob Evans defensive schemes. No real offensive game. Will fight anyone.	Gilbert Areans – A NBA All-Star who is known for his blogging as well as his scoring ability. Also known for injuries and yelling “hibachi!”
Leonard Russell – Former ASU running back played six NLF seasons.
Bill Kennedy – Currently an Associate AD in Administration for ASU. Graduated in 72 . . yup 1972.
Eli Lopez – I can’t find any information about him, he must have been good.
Donnell Knight – A big time ASU recruit that never lived up to the billing. Is now his chance at redemption? Probably not.
Carlos Artis – Say it with me in a Homer Simpson voice, “I have no idea who that is”.

Who will win this game? As of now ASU has a lot more depth. Does depth ever come into to play in these type of games? Are we going to consider guys like Carlos Artis, Eli Lopez and Bill Kennedy depth? This game will come down to Eddie House and Ike Diogu against Gilbert Arenas, Sean Rooks and Kenny Lofton.

I am excited because I’ve always wanted to see House and Diogu play together, now they will get the chance in a effort to take down the hated Wildcats.

Shouldn’t Jason Braxton be in this game? It sounds like something he would do. It is probably a good thing he isn’t.

What’s the Deal with Russ Pennell?

Russ Pennell’s journey as one year coach of the University of Arizona men’s basketball team has been well documented. It didn’t take long for him to become known not only as the head coach, but as the “only for one year” head coach of UofA. Within the past week Pennell was named the new men’s head basketball coach at Grand Canyon University, which is a Division II school located in Phoenix. You might ask how the man who coached UofA to a Sweet 16 appearance, in a presumed dead season, settled for a DII job, while a man who destroyed the New York Knicks and was in the middle of an $11 million harassment lawsuit could find his way to a DI head coaching job (see Thomas, Isiah). Well, I do not have the answer, but let’s see if we can figure it out together. Come on, it will be fun.

My best guess is that Russ Pennell just loves to coach. Sure, Jim Calhoun loves to coach too, but he coaches for the wins and the titles. I’m not saying that Pennell would turn down a chance to coach a Kentucky, or a Duke, but I think it is very apparent that he just wants to be on the basketball court. He has spent about 2 decades at four major colleges (Oklahoma St, Ole Miss, ASU and UofA) already. Grand Canyon University offered him not only a chance to coach, but a chance to build a program the Russ Pennell way. Pennell will have a full allotment of 10 scholarships to work with.

Family is another reason. Pennell has 2 children, and a chance to keep them in one spot, while being able to actually be there for them, is huge. GCU offers that. The prospect of having to move a growing family might not have been something he cared to do.

Pennell has been very involved in AAU basketball. He coached an Arizona Premier team during the summer for 2 years, which gives him deep ties. Remember, this is Division II, so deep AAU ties can be very valuable. Pennell has already gotten a few kids to transfer back to Arizona and join him at GCU. Yes, they could be considered DI rejects, but they could do well with DII programs. At least one of them had played for Pennell during his AAU stint, so he receives instant familiarity.

I’ll end by saying that I am a Russ Pennell fan. I really liked the way he handled the whole UofA saga. He knew he had no chance of being there over one year so he made the most of it. He went in and told those kids that they all expected to be learning from Lute Olsen, but that wasn’t going to happen so they might as well make the most out of it. The one year stint showed that he can really coach basketball and he has the ability to reach kids on a level they can understand. He probably could have gotten another DI job had he wanted, but I think Grand Canyon University made a great hire. It could turn out to be the best thing for both parties involved. GCU gets a coach who can successfully march them through the Division II season, and Pennell gets a chance to prove he really can coach. That might lead him to another Division I program in the future. Best of luck Coach Pennell, I’m pulling for you.