Top Ten Stories in College Basketball 2008

[tornado]

Everyone is welcome to give their lists, then if there's enough to compile, we can add up the totals...and see what is the fan consensus...
They can be either local or national but the local ones might just carry more weight which is why I have a few local stories.

TOP STORIES OF 2008
10-(three-way tie) NJIT hasn't won a game since the 2nd half of 2006-2007 - losing streak at 42 in a row (just whose idea was it to let these guys become DI?)/Andrew Warren hurts foot, may redshirt/Braves land Ned Goertzen!

9-BU lands nice recruiting class for 2009 (Prosser & Knezevic) plus we have John Wilkins coming...

8-BU lands nice recruiting class of freshmen and jucos for 2008 (McCain, Norris, Brown, Dunson, Roberts)

7-Jamar Smith slips up one final time and is dismissed

6-Kansas wins NCAA title while on probation for major NCAA violations and succeeds using the very players they were deemed to have cheated to land.

5-DRuff lost to injury and other issues for substantial period in 2007-2008 and it really hurt the Braves.

4-Bradley finishes runnerup in CBI and has a nice run at the end of the season.

3-Bruce Weber, with the help of Jerrance Howard, ends 5 years of sub-par recruiting, and lands numerous top Illinois prep players.

2-Jim Molinari hired as head coach at WIU

1-Cheating and mess at Indiana dominate headlines, cause Sampson to be fired, Hoosiers tank their season, and the players are all dismissed or bolt.

[Da Coach]

You forgot to list the "Bradley gets good start on 2010 recruiting with Sean Harris" story.

[tornado]

that one probably was actually the other one tied at #10, I threw in the Ned listing for year-end fun.

Come on Coach...gimme your top 10!

[tornado]

the #1 story just won't go away....

now in interviews as he is getting out of Dodge, Athletic Director Rick Greenspan is repeatedly lying and saying it wasn't his decisiopn to hire Kelvin Sampson, and he's trying to defledct the blame for the terrible judgement onto the trustees and university president.

Oddly, in many older articles and interviews, Greenspan was more than willing to take credit...
also the trustees gave it to him..
BUT the real fault for the debacle can easily be spread between Greenspan, the trustees, the local media and of course the grads and the fans, who all seemed happy to do whatever it took in order to land blue chippers and win games, and so they welcomed Sampson despite the cheating.

http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/3198.html

[tornado]

WMBD does their version of the Top 10 local Sports stories...

http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=38701

http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=38711

a minor league baseball fight gets the #1 spot and an NIT appearance at ISU makes top 5....


10) Seven area high school sports teams win state championships: Flanagan girls basketball, Olympia baseball, Limestone softball, U-High boys golf, Elmwood boys cross country, Notre Dame boys soccer, Central Catholic football.

9) Three area athletes make the U.S. Olympic team: Mason City's Vic Wunderle, Bloomington's Christin Wurth-Thomas and Normal's Ogonna Nnamani, who wins a silver with the women's volleyball team.

8 ) Former Bradley coach Jim Molinari hired by Western Illinois.

7) Peoria Chiefs win first ever minor league game played at Wrigley Field.

6) Eureka grad Andy Studebaker makes the National Football League.

5) Illinois State basketball program has big year in both men's (NIT) and women's hoops (NCAA).

4) University of Illinois disappoints in both men's basketball and football.

3) Eureka's Ben Zobrist starts in World Series for Tampa Bay Rays.

2) Iconic Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse torn down after providing Peoria with a half-century of sports memories.

1) Peoria Chiefs brawl with Dayton Dragons, Chiefs pitcher arrested for hitting fan with thrown baseball.

[tornado]

The PJ Star lists their Top 10 stories....they have it differently....the demolition of the Fieldhouse is #1
the PJS does make a BU mention and a Jamar Smith mention also...

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x1647206592/Bringing-Down-the-House

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x1647206590/The-good-the-bad-the-ugly

[tornado]

10-(three-way tie) NJIT hasn't won a game since the 2nd half of 2006-2007 - losing streak at 42 in a row ....

NJIT is about to lose to Vermont, to go 0-14, and also push their losing streak to 47 in a row.
This is really sad....

[Bravesfan]

WMBD does their version of the Top 10 local Sports stories...

http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=38701

http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=38711

a minor league baseball fight gets the #1 spot and an NIT appearance at ISU makes top 5....


10) Seven area high school sports teams win state championships: Flanagan girls basketball, Olympia baseball, Limestone softball, U-High boys golf, Elmwood boys cross country, Notre Dame boys soccer, Central Catholic football.

9) Three area athletes make the U.S. Olympic team: Mason City's Vic Wunderle, Bloomington's Christin Wurth-Thomas and Normal's Ogonna Nnamani, who wins a silver with the women's volleyball team.

8 ) Former Bradley coach Jim Molinari hired by Western Illinois.

7) Peoria Chiefs win first ever minor league game played at Wrigley Field.

6) Eureka grad Andy Studebaker makes the National Football League.

5) Illinois State basketball program has big year in both men's (NIT) and women's hoops (NCAA).

4) University of Illinois disappoints in both men's basketball and football.

3) Eureka's Ben Zobrist starts in World Series for Tampa Bay Rays.

2) Iconic Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse torn down after providing Peoria with a half-century of sports memories.

1) Peoria Chiefs brawl with Dayton Dragons, Chiefs pitcher arrested for hitting fan with thrown baseball.

Wow! They didn't even mention the CBI in their top ten!