USF Question

I haven't been following too close, but what was the reasoning behind Kellogg leaving USF? I didn't find any detail on it in my cursory look over. Is there a big/bad story behind this, or is it just an issue with academics?

It seems to be an issue of academics, from what I am reading online (so it has to be true, right?!)

Remember that Kellogg had to stay home from a USF road trip last year to "catch up" on academics... so there were warning signs.

Kellogg had some baggage from UConn when he transferred... I hope this is just a matter of academics and not some other disciplinary-type dismissal. Evans might start finding the seat he is sitting on to be getting a little warm if so....

Yeah... I'm pretty sure it was academics too. Honestly, I think it's a similar situation to what happened with Jamie. A good guy and a good player, but just not interested in school or going to class.

Unfortunately for USF, that leaves them VERY short at the guard position. They've got Quezada, who is nails as a shooter, but after that, all they've got is a sophomore walk-on (Hernandez) and an incoming freshman. Of course, Ito and Bouldin showed last year that freshman guards can play in the WCC, but still... not really too promising for the Dons.

But but but... it does get me thinking. If by some miracle the Pilots turn out to be scrappily decent next year (Rev pretty much has all his own players now, so I think he can really start to mold the team into how he envisions it)... who knows? Pepperdine is appearing to be abysmal - they've got maybe two returning guys who played any kind of minutes (Kinglsy Costain and Jarrad Henry... oh boy!), even more players have departed, and their recruits, while two are highly rated, are academic risks... I'm not sure if they are even elligible yet.

LMU is lookig weak too... no Knight, Worthy, or Miller. Marko Deric and Corey Counts seem to be their best returning players. Ouch. And they didn't even play any freshman from last year and don't have any particularly good recruits coming in. I think the Lions are looking very weak.

And Santa Clara, well... who knows? They lost so much and have a new coach... they could be vulnerable too. They've got a good combo with Angley and Bryant, but if Dougherty doesn't come back (has he decided yet?) they don't have a whole lot to work with.

And now that USF has lost Kellogg... I know they've got a big-time stud coming in Dior Lowhorn, but they still have their seemingly chronic weakness at center and now they are real thin at the guard position.

Could the Pilots possibly be a middle-of-the-pack WCC team and even flirt with the top half? If Raivio and Hannibal turn out to be players, I'm going with a bold yes. I believe in Ito and Smeulders, and I really think that Watson will be a good leader and a solid performer. He quietly improved a lot last season... just watching him play at the end of the season, he had good confidence and was really causing some havoc out there.

So I'm thinking that if Raivio can step right in and play 25-30 minutes and score 10-12 points, Stohl can come in and knock down some shots off the bench, Porter can come off the bench and provide some athleticism at the two or three... yeah... I'm starting to get an OK vibe about 2007-08. It would be a much better vibe if we had Jones coming back, but hey... I'm an optimist!