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RIP Bill, one of the Best to play the Game

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place lawyer Michael Avenatti's conviction for plotting to extort up to $25 million from Nike.

The justices did not comment in rejecting an appeal from Avenatti, who rose to fame representing adult film actor Stormy Daniels in litigation against former President Donald Trump. The timing of the court's action, while Trump is on trial in New York over a hush money payment to Daniels, is coincidental.

Avenatti's involvement with Nike stems from a whistleblower's allegations that the athletic footwear and clothing company was paying amateur basketball players.

Avenatti's lawyers argued that the fraud statute under which he was convicted is unconstitutionally vague. They also contended that Avenatti cannot be criminally charged with plotting to extort money from Nike because he was engaged in settlement negotiations.

The conviction and sentence had been upheld by the federal appeals court in New York.


The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Avenatti's claim that there was insufficient evidence to support his February 2020 conviction on charges of extortion and honest-services fraud for threatening to smear Nike in the media if he didn't get paid.

Avenatti, who was based in California, had been sentenced to 2½ years in prison in the Nike case. He also has been convicted of stealing book proceeds from Daniels and was sentenced to 14 years in prison for stealing settlement funds from clients and failing to pay taxes for a coffee chain he owned.

He is scheduled to be released from prison in 2035, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh did not take part in the court's action Tuesday. Avenatti represented Julie Swetnick, one of the women who publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when he was nominated to the court in 2018. Kavanaugh denied the allegations.

THE FUTURE OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS?​

Having read the attached article, I wouldn't be surprised if many universities eliminate non-revenue generating sports. The unintended consequence may be a massive loss of education opportunities for athletes of the so called "olympic sports".

A future where university scholarships and pay exist for a maximum of 2 male sports and 2 female sports. The remaining sports would exist as Club teams with a combination of financial aid and scholarships.

The NCAA needs to figure this out quickly!

Debbie is retiring from the band after 37 years of service. Met her a few times, what a wonderful lady. I wish her well in retirement.

Can't recall the outcry when DOJ investigated and charged him in NC

Congrats to Mike Rice who will be the HC of Linden Basketball. I always thought he would be a perfect addition to the staff of Shaheen Holloway. He deserves a second chance. Good luck Coach Rice.https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports...s-to-the-sidelines-at-linden-high-school.html

NYPD on alert

Pete Thamel, ESPN

DESTIN, Fla. -- The most jarring sight at the SEC meetings in Destin has been John Calipari walking through the hotel lobby with an Arkansas logo on his pullover.

The most jarring sound Wednesday came from Calipari admitting it will take a new "formula" to win in the NCAA tournament after persistent postseason failures in recent seasons at Kentucky.

Calipari, in his first SEC meetings as the coach at Arkansas, referenced No. 3 seed Kentucky's loss to No. 14 Oakland in the first round of the 2024 NCAA tournament. It included a 32-point outburst from a 24-year old Division II transfer named Jack Gohlke.

"The lesson was you can't do this now with seven freshmen," he said. "You just can't. You're going to hit a team that's 25 years old on average, one was 26, and that team is physically going to get you, and so now we have a couple transfers that are older, some kids that transferred from Kentucky that went through it, and they're a year older, and some freshmen."

While Calipari's age estimates contain some of his penchant for exaggeration, the point of him addressing his postseason failures and making a concise pivot in his team building is significant.

Calipari left Kentucky after just one NCAA tournament win in the past four seasons and a feeble 1-4 mark in SEC tournament games over the same period. The NCAA tournament lowlights included a loss to No. 15 seed Saint Peter's in the first round in 2022.

In the wake of those postseason flops, Calipari admitted his formula of collecting a bevy of top high school talent doesn't work in modern college basketball. He's making a direct effort to skew older and take more transfers.

"We're not going to take six, seven freshmen now," Calipari said. "It'll be three or four. Hopefully retain a few, get a couple transfers, and that is the formula."

He added with a smirk: "Now that may not work. And then you'll say, 'Well, you said ... ' Well, I changed my mind. I didn't like how it looked."

Calipari said he's been energized by the new job at Arkansas, calling it a "breath of fresh air." He called his time at UK "15 great years" and defended his final season at Kentucky, saying "we got a lot done" amid the 23-10 season that included a second-place SEC finish.

Calipari reflected on his term at Arkansas, which officially began April 10. He said there was "no team" and "no schedule" when he began, stressing that there were zero players.

He joked that he got happy when the roster jumped up to five players, as that meant Arkansas could field a team this year. He said the Razorbacks are at eight players now and potentially looking for one more.

The incoming class includes three top-40 players in the ESPN high school recruiting rankings, led by Boogie Fland, a guard from New York who is ranked No. 15.

The transfer class includes three Kentucky transfers, highlighted by guard D.J. Wagner, who arrived at Kentucky as a top-five player in 2023 before an underwhelming freshman year. He averaged 9.9 points.

Calipari defended the idea of not filling out all 13 scholarships with recruited players, as he said they are likely to finish at nine.

"The ninth? It depends on who it is," he said. "That's what we're looking for. Is it a shooter? Is it a 4-man that could shoot? Is it a strong physical [presence]? Is it a defensive guy? Or just right now I can breathe because we got eight and I'm hoping there'll be nine. But what if there's not? Somebody said, 'Well, what if you have injuries?' If the wrong guy gets injured on any team in this country, you're done."

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Seton Hall women's basketball team will participate in the 11th annual Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase to be held on December 17 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Invesco QQQ is the title sponsor. The Pirates will face national-power LSU in the second game of a double-header.

"We are honored to play in an event designed to further showcase the women's game," said Seton Hall head coach Anthony Bozzella. "For us, it's an opportunity to compete against a tremendous opponent, hosted by a world-class organization, the Basketball Hall of Fame, in a first-rate venue that we know well."

Seton Hall is no stranger to Mohegan Sun Arena as the BIG EAST Conference Tournament has been held at the venue for the last four seasons.

UConn will face Iowa State in the first game of the event.

Tickets for the 2024 Invesco QQQ Women's Showcase will go on sale Friday, September 6, via Ticketmaster and on sale at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office starting Saturday, September 7.

Details surrounding the game time, broadcast information, and credentials will be announced at a later date. For more information, please visit hoophall.com.

I'm sure for many here (especially us older dudes) having a drink/getting served was a right of passage to being an adult. The fear and anticipation of walking into an establishment and ordering. I penned a piece about the brand relationship with have with our favorite establishments. I have many from my Setonia days in South Orange - including the "pub" on campus, Shenanigans, Corcoran's, Bunny's. Feel free to share some memories - beats political chatter. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dive...oms-watering-holes-joints-us-bill-field-ukhie

Out of curiosity, what is the official offseason workout program allowed now by the NCAA until school resumes in August?

I believe the next season sort of kicks off with June team practices? Then a bunch of regulated sessions?

Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer

Alex Karaban announced Wednesday that he is withdrawing from the NBA draft and will return to UConn for his junior season, boosting the Huskies' chances for a third straight national championship.

Karaban made his announcement with a post on X: "While I've enjoyed the draft process, Storrs is home. Let's run it back."

A 6-foot-9 forward, Karaban becomes one of the highest-ranked prospects to withdraw his name and return to college. He averaged 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds last season, shooting 37.9% from 3-point range while starting 39 of 40 games for the Huskies.

Karaban scored at least 20 points on eight occasions, including 23 points and five 3-pointers in a key early March win at Marquette. He also came up big in the Final Four, making a pair of 3-pointers and finishing with 14 points and eight boards against Alabama to help UConn advance to the title game.

It was a step forward from his freshman campaign, when he started 38 games and averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds.

Karaban is the lone returning starter for the Huskies, as projected lottery picks Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan left early for the NBA draft and senior guards Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer used up their eligibility. All five players were invited to the NBA draft combine.

Coach Dan Hurley reloaded the UConn roster in the offseason, adding transfers Aidan Mahaney (Saint Mary's) and Tarris Reed (Michigan) as well as signing top-10 prospect Liam McNeeley last month. Rotation players Samson Johnson, Hassan Diarra, Solomon Ball and Jaylin Stewart are all back and expected to make strides next season.

Karaban was ranked No. 36 in ESPN's NBA draft rankings, and his return likely vaults UConn into the top five of ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top 25.

South Orange, N.J. – The Seton Hall men's soccer team has announced its full schedule for the 2024 season. The Pirates will face a challenging slate of 17 fixtures consisting of nine non-conference opponents and eight BIG EAST foes.

The Pirates will face three teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season, including in the season opener as Seton Hall will travel to Miami to face FIU on Thursday, Aug. 22. It will be the second all-time meeting between the two schools. The Panthers have reached the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons and received a national seed in 2021 and 2022.

One week later, the Pirates open up their home schedule against UAlbany on Thursday, Aug. 29. Three days later, The Hall welcomes Manhattan to Owen T. Carroll Field on Sunday, Sept. 1 for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The homestand wraps up with a Friday night clash against Columbia on Sept. 6.

On Monday, Sept. 9, the Seton Hall-Rutgers rivalry will be renewed on the pitch for the first time in 15 years. The storied rivals have squared off 57 times in their program histories, but the series has remained dormant since the 2009 season. The match is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff in Piscataway.

The 2024 slate features four more non-conference matches, including home dates against Harvard (9/14) and Lehigh (9/24). The Pirates will also travel to Stony Brook (10/8) and Princeton (10/29).

BIG EAST play begins for Seton Hall on Friday, Sept. 20 up in Providence, R.I. as the Pirates face off against the Friars. The two sides met in the regular season finale last year, a game which saw The Hall tough out a 1-0 win to clinch a BIG EAST Tournament berth. The Pirates will also pay visits to UConn (9/28), Georgetown (10/19) and Xavier (10/26) in conference play.

The first BIG EAST home match of the season for the Pirates takes place on Friday, Oct. 4 when Marquette comes to South Orange. Other home matches against BIG EAST opponents for Seton Hall include Butler (10/12), St. John's (10/23) and Villanova (11/2).

Eight teams will qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament, the second year the conference has utilized the postseason format. The top team from each division will receive the top two seeds in the tournament, with the remaining six seeds determined by conference point total regardless of division. The BIG EAST quarterfinals will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9 at campus sites, while the semifinal and final will be held at Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md. on Nov. 14 and 17, respectively.

Schedule

FWIW, Alexander was on campus today.