Eastbayri.com

EAST BAY — With word emanating out of Texas that TCU has been offered and will likely accept a spot in the revamped Big XII, might as well hearken back to an idea I posted in column way back on Feb. 4, 2010.

That was about the time the Big 10 made known its desire to get to 12 schools so it could run a football championship game. Soon after, Nebraska left the Big XII and the conference realignment dominoes began to fall.

I had to look back into my own archives for the column I wrote then about what might be feasible for the basketball-only schools if the Big East were to implode, which undoubtedly should happen with this latest development.

Here’s how it went to print...

February, 4, 2010: Why bring this up now, you may ask? Was recently thinking what would ever happen if the Big East blew up again with the pending Big 10 expansion. Just kicking it around. It’s probably been done in other places, but here’s how an All-Catholic conference might shape up if/when the day ever occurs. Considering the importance of television, the main market follows the team.

Name: Catholic Athletic Conference

EAST DIVISION — Providence, Providence, Notre Dame, Metro Chicago, St. John’s, NYC, Seton Hall, Metro NY, Villanova, Philadelphia, Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

WEST DIVISION —DePaul, Chicago, Marquette, Milwaukee, St. Louis, St. Louis, Duquesne, Pittsburgh, Xavier, Cincinnati, Dayton, Dayton

Still think this is the best-case scenario for all involved, especially with Notre Dame's recent announcement it's joining Hockey East and has signed a TV deal with NBC to broadcast the games.

The conference remains in all the major media markets in the East and can piggy-back Notre Dame onto Versus/soon-to-be NBC Sports Net for basketball, hockey and the so-called "Olympic" sports.

Clarification

I want to clarify a remark I attributed to St. Andrew’s coach Mike Hart in a recent column when he was asked about the prospects of former Saint Ricardo Ledo going to Providence.

Hart doesn’t think it’s a good fit, not because of the program or new head coach Ed Cooley. Hart, who opined on the subject during Ledo’s time in Barrington, is concerned with the ancillary factors surrounding his decision to play at PC. He’s worried about Ledo being negatively influenced by “hangers-on,” which could impact his performance both in the classroom and on the court.

PC's profile

Anyone who doubts the resonance of the Providence College brand in the college hoops world should look no further than the attention being paid to Cooley.

ESPN and, more recently, Sports Illustrated have profiled the new Friars' head coach. His personal history is well worth the attention, but the cache of being the Providence coach is a major part of the reason why so many insiders are intrigued by his story.

Layman anecdote

Hart gave a bit of insight into how he does things at St. Andrew's.

Jake Layman, the highly-touted big man from Wrentham and King Philip Regional, made a visit to Barrington with his parents earlier this year to seek Hart's advice.

They asked, should he go to prep school for a year or go right college?

Hart's reply, go to college. His parents didn't need to waste their money paying for a prep year. Layman's grades and basketball ability were college-ready.

Layman, a target of former PC head coach Keno Davis as well as several of the nation's premier programs, eventually chose to attend Maryland where he'll join the Terps next fall under new head coach Mark Turgeon.

SHS girls’ hoops update

Nothing concrete to report as of yet, but Seekonk athletic director Ray Grant said the search for a new girls’ head basketball coach is well on track and should be done by his targeted time of mid-October.

Summer hoops

Belatedly passing along a recap from Barrington High boys’ head coach Pat Sullivan about the Eagles’ effort during the summer in the North Providence League.

The Eagles competed against North Providence, LaSalle, Smithfield, Hendricken, Cumberland, Lincoln, Ponaganset and Scituate.

Barrington finished as the 7th seed with a 3-6 record. In the playoffs, the Eagles knocked off LaSalle (No. 2 seed) in the quarters,.Smithfield (No. 3 seed) in the semis before losing to Hendricken (No. 4 seed) in the finals by 12 points.

“I had a total of 16 guys on the roster, ranging from incoming freshmen to incoming seniors. In addition to Ben Engvall, we had solid contributions from Jesse Brown (11th grader), Jack Wenzel (12th grader) and Corey Daugherty (9th grader),” said Sullivan.

Clinics/leagues

The following is a list of upcoming clinics and leagues taking place in the East Bay area...

* St. Andrew’s School Varsity 1 boys’ head basketball coach Mike Hart is currently conducting preseason individual and small group skills clinics. Sessions stress development of offensive skills: shooting, dribbling, moving without the ball and positioning on the floor. The clinics are open to players ages 8-to-15. Ask for pricing. For more information contact Hart at 401-578-7664.

* One on One Basketball presents a series of preseason clinics for players ages 6 to 16 at the Providence Country Day School in East Providence leading up to the start of the 2011-12 season. The clinics run on consecutive Sundays, Oct. 16, 23 and 30. Clinics are directed by Frank Luca, Ramel Moore and Jackie Cromer. Cost of the clinics are $60. Class size is limited. Separate instruction will be provided for both boys and girls. Clinics include Back to Fundamentals, which focuses on athletes learning the basic fundamentals of basketball. We will teach athletes the proper methods to dribble, pass, shoot, defend, rebound, as well as help them better their court awareness; and Basketball Bootcamp, which is high intensity and prepares athletes for their upcoming tryouts. Athletes will be challenged mentally and physically as they are conditioned with higher level drills to prepare them for team competition. For additional information call Frank Luca at 639-0814 or Jackie Cromer at 336-392-8083 To register on-line visit www.1on1basketball.com.

* Registration for the Bayside YMCA’s Youth Basketball League season is now open. Have fun, build skills and character. Children are grouped by grade level for both the instructional clinics and teams. Early registration (before Oct. 15) fees are $99 for members and $198 for program members. Standard registration (after Oct. 15) fees are $139 for members and $238 for program members. Clinics and games are on Saturday mornings. Coaches and sponsors are also being sought. Please contact Michael Squatrito at msquatrito@gpymca.org or 245-2444 for more details.

* A Men’s 30-plus Basketball League is a competitive 5v5 league open to players age 30 and over. Games are two 20-minute halves once a week. Start times are on a rotating schedule of 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 or 9:30 pm on Wednesday evenings. The league is limited to 56 players. The season length and fees are same as volleyball. A Sunday morning league (6 a.m. to 9 a.m.) is also expected to take place. Instructional archery is scheduled. The sport’s basic history along with instruction is covered in a safe, controlled setting. Classes are coed and meet Saturday from 10 to 10:45 a.m. or Thursday from 4:15 to 5 p.m. Space is limited to 12 participants. The fee is $49 for members and $98 for non-members. Financial assistance is available. For more information, or to register, call the Bayside YMCA at 245-2444.