FIU Panthers Prowl

Sources: bad news for Coleman, Perine, Jasper

An FBS football source said academic issues have ended senior wide receiver Glenn Coleman's career at FIU.

I'd been hearing that Coleman barely got himself eligible last season, during which he rebounded from a slow start to average 17.5 yards per catch on 13 receptions. He and senior Willis Wright are as talented a wide receiver duo as you'll find outside of the BCS automatic qualifier conferences -- and better than a few duos there, too -- but didn't start to really get it together until midway through last season (also, FIU didn't do enough to get either the ball earlier in their careers).

When I asked to speak to someone in the football program about the academic status of Coleman and several others, I was told university employees are prohibited from commenting on individual academic situations because of federal student privacy laws.

A week later, I heard a starting defensive player and an offensive skill position player might not be academically ineligible for just the first four games, but the entire season. And, the latter wasn't Coleman, who has removed "Florida International" from his Twitter homepage.

Also, an FBS football source says FIU has denied redshirt sophomore defensive end Denzell Perine's request to transfer to South Alabama and the denial was upheld on appeal. Perine's from Mobile, where South Alabama is located, and cited a family member's ill health as the reason he wanted to be in his hometown.

Another source close to FIU says the school denied sophomore wide receiver DeAndre Jasper's request to transfer to Appalachian State. App State's where former FIU wide receivers coach Frank Ponce landed as the quarterbacks coach.

 

 

This time, it's personnel

While Western Kentucky's Bobby Petrino all but dropped a blizzard of scholarship offers from a helicopter over Southern Broward, FIU got to work putting in face time and offers around the state.

Tampa Alonso running back Ish Witter, 5-8, 190, has and FIU offer, but 10 others also including Louisville and Missouri.

 

FIU's also sniffing around quarterback Jacob Kaiser out of St. Joseph (Mo.) Central High, a three-star recruit (CORRECTION: Kaiser isn't rated by ESPN or Rivals. I'd had another player slotted in here I'd heard, erroneously, FIU was recruiting and he was a three-star guy.)

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/627664/highlights/25355390

Two-star defensive tackle Keiwan Jones from Dunnellon High got an offer from FIU.

 

BASKETBALL

Men's basketball coach Anthony Evans said "none that I know of" when I asked him Thursday if he saw any more players transferring out of the program. Guard Deric Hill's headed for Barry and Malik Smith's following former coach Richard Pitino to Minnesota.

I asked Evans if there was consideration given to offering Hill, a walk-on who was the Die Hard battery in FIU's defense, a scholarship. Evans said he was going to wait until grades came out at the end of summer school, but Hill asked for his release.

With two scholarships left for next season, Evans remains unsure whether to use them or holster them for 2014. He didn't mention the probable postseason ban, but it's an obvious element. Unless there's a player who gives you the shivers, you want him so badly, why not get past whatever treading water will be done next season before using all the aresenal at your command. 

"If I hold for 2014, I'll have a larger class and I can build a foundation fo what I want this program to be," Evans said.

BASEBALL

Aramis Garcia is one of the 15 semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Award, given to the "most deserving Division I catcher nominated by his school." Finalists will be announced June 4.

 

Rupert Bryan signs with the Dolphins

Like Elaine Benes, the Dolphins have a need, see something they like and are thinking conversion.

Rupert Bryan started 43 games at right tackle for FIU. Now down about 30 pounds to 250, according to the Dolphins, Bryan's been signed as an undrafted free agent to play fullback. Bryan lined up at fullback for a play last season and scored against FAU in FIU's Shula Bowl win on a 5-yard run after a throwback lateral.

This is the third player from FIU signed by the Dolphins. Andy Leavine was signed as a free agent, but never played for the Dolphins. Chandler Williams did practice squad time with the Dolphins in 2007, was signed during the offseason, then cut in late April.

Junk from the football trunk

After the Giants rookie minicamp, safety Junior Mertile went from rookie tryout status to signed for training camp. So he'll get a shot. A longshot, but a shot.

Meanwhile, the Ravens jettisoned cornerback Jose Cheeseborough after rookie camp.

Although Monique Garcia's still listed as the athletic department's Assistant Director of APR on the FIUSports site, a few different sources said Garcia left weeks ago. They seem to think it portends even more trouble than expected on the APR front for football and basketball.

 

Rainy days and Mondays

FIU threw an offer at Baker County defensive tackle CeCe Jefferson. Jefferson's 6-3, 265, already drawing interest from national powerhouses...and just entering his junior year.

What the heck, can't hurt to ask.

FUND-RAISING

If you've got an extra hundred or 10K sitting around or you can scounge up that scratch with your friends, you can get involved in the 4th annual FIU Athletics Golf Tournament June 14 at Doral. Chunks of football season tickets come with some packages.

Call 305-348-4263 for more information.

TRACK & FIELD

The FIU women finished seventh with 46 points, 90.5 behind winner North Texas, and the men were ninth with 34 points, 77 behind winner Arkansas State in the Sun Belt Conference meet hosted by FIU this weekend.

Obviously, when the recent past looks unimpressive, you look at the future. For FIU's men, that means the freshman jumpers. Marcus Ghent picked up 11 total points from a third in the long jump and a fourth in the triple jump (49 feet, 7 inches). Freshman Chris Sullivan tied for sixth in the high jump at 6-6 3/4.

Senior Aubrey Smith finished third in the triple jump (49-11). Smith's six points and Ghent's 11 points means exactly half of FIU's total points came in the long and the triple.

On the women's side, freshman Oriel Anu picked up points in the 100 hurdles (fourth, 13.90 seconds), the 100 (seventh, 12.30) and, with freshman Phillicia Fluellen, sophomore Desmika White and freshman Maya Balfour, in the 4x100 relay (eighth, 47.08). White was with junior La'Shae White (no relation), senior Juliette Normil and freshman Jaylaan Slaughter on the fourth place 4x400 relay (3:45.92).

In the field, freshman Tiffani Hernandez threw the javelin 136-4 and came in third. Freshman Miriam Pierre hurled the hammer 167-3, good for fifth place behind senior teammate Kimberly Dekrey's best, 169-5. Pierre totaled nine points in the hammer throw, shot put and discus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Football futures? Golf, softball, track postseasons...

FIU swung by Tampa Wharton recently to visit and extend an offer to quarterback Chase Litton. Litton's 6-6, rated at three stars, but reportedly already has a poker hand of offers, including one from LSU.

 

FIU also dropped by Oviedo, where they showed some love to quarterback Chris Davis, more a runner than  a passer (future wide receiver?) and defensive end Tyree Owens, a 6-4 recruit ranked at zero to three stars by the recruiting services.

FIU also offered 6-3 Orlando University tight end Brandon Pylar.

WOMEN'S GOLF

FIU sits 18th, 27 shots back of leader, No.2 Alabama, in the NCAA East Regional after Thursday's first round.

Freshman Meghan MacLaren and Shelby Coyle came in with FIU's best rounds of the day, 3-over 75s. Tania Tare and Yolecci Jimenez each shot 5-over 77. Sophie Godley finsihed 7-over 79.

SOFTBALL

A pair of losses, 8-7 to Louisiana-Lafayette Wednesday and 14-9 to Troy Thursday, ended FIU's Sun Belt Conference tournament and season.

TRACK & FIELD

The school leaving the conference in a month and a half hosts the track championships even though they don't actually have a track facility: FIU, Sun Belt Conference championships, Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar.

Senior Daniela Espino has the best chance for a first place on the women's side, as she comes in with a 5,000 meter best time of 17:12.24, second in the Sun Belt. On the men's side, check out Sun Belt Indoor Track Freshman of the Year Marcus Ghent in the long jump or triple jump. Ghent's out of Northwestern and it never hurts to have a big meet near your home turf. 

 

 

 

 

 

TV football, a transfer, an All-American, some All-Sun Belts

FIU's Sept. 7 game against Central Florida will be a noon affair at FIU Stadium on CBS Sports Network. So get out your sunscreen and pace your consumption or else, well, the barfing in the heat won't be confined to the field.

Also on the Conference USA TV schedule announced Monday, the Shula Bowl at FAU will be at 3 p.m. on Fox Sports on Black Friday. Try not to get trampled.

The Saturday before, Nov. 23, Fox Sports will have FIU's home game against Marshall. The time for that game, as well as Comcast Sports Southeast games at Southern Mississippi (Oct. 5) and home to Alabama-Birmingham (Oct. 12), remain undecided.

Marshall wide receiver Jermain Kelson has transferred to FIU with one season of eligibility left. Kelson played quarterback at Southridge before switching to wide receiver at Marshall. Over the last two seasons, he caught 30 passes for 277 yards.

SAND VOLLEYBALL

FIU's Kate Stepanova earned All-America recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

SOFTBALL

On the eve of FIU's Sun Belt Conference tournament opener against Louisiana-Lafayette, FIU seniors Brie Rojas (second base) and Amber Curry (at large) were named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team.

For 27-26 (10-13) FIU, Rojas hit .275 with a team-high nine doubles, five home runs and 65 total bases. Curry had a team-high .417 on base percentage and .462 slugging percentage.

And, because it's a May night...

 

Coming, going on grass & winning in sand

When you've got a small roster that might be getting shorter after grades say some guys had trouble with the "student" part of student-athlete, you start recruiting the next class as soon as possible.

FIU's thrown out offers to Neptune Beach Fletcher quarterback/punter Luke Medlock (brother of Jake Medlock), Jacksonville Bishop Kenny John Wolford....

  

Davie Western defensive back Juwon Dowels and Vero Beach wide receiver Will Dawkins.

 

 Grades posted Thursday. I'm hearing the football Panthers either ineligible for the first four games (at least) or in need of summer savings number at least eight. Most of the names I've heard are on defense, but three are offensive skill position players.

Of course, considering FIU's looking at a 1-3 record in the first four games -- going to Maryland in the first game for a new coach, hosting Bethune-Cookman and Central Florida, going to Sugar Bowl-champion Louisville -- not much harm there. But there won't be much time to integrate those players heading into the Conference USA schedule.

SAND VOLLEYBALL

Meanwhile, FIU exported two pairs to the 16-pair "Best of the Rest" tournament at the American Volleyball Coaches Association Sand Volleyball National Championship. Each went 2-0 Friday.

Jessica Mendoza and Maryna Samoday, the No. 3 seed in their group, today face No. 2 seed Kelly Reeves and Meg Norton from UCLA and Bethanie Thomas and Kariana Hirini from Alabama-Birmingham. Kate Stepanova and Ksenia Sukhareva No. 2 in their group, will face No. 1 Tylor Nyquist and Sammie Strausbaugh from Jacksonville U. That's in the afternoon, after they get Loyola Marymount's Felicia Arriola and Litara Kell earlier in the day.

BASKETBALL

Leading scorer Tymell Murphy announced via Twitter that he'll be staying at FIU for his senior season.

 

 

 

Moving Days

That's what this weekend was. Students moving out. Students moving in. Players getting told where to move next.

And guys moving from here to there in 10.63 seconds. That's how long it took FIU football signee Wilkerson Myrtil, out of Orlando Jones, to win the Class 2A state championship in the 100 meters Saturday. Myrtil finished fourth, with a 21.49 in the 200.

In the postdraft frenzy of collecting undrafted free aget clamshells hoping to find a pearl (or, in the case of most, collecting bodies to beat up in training camp, then cut), Current Cleveland Browns signed offensive tackle Caylin Hauptmann and Former Cleveland Browns (Baltimore) signed cornerback Jose Cheeseborough. Junior Mertile's size and athleticism got some NFL scouts attention this season and the Giants signed him.

 

Tourek to San Diego in 6th round

FIU defensive end Tourek Williams heard his name in the big NFL choose-up when San Diego picked him in the sixth round, 179th overall.

Now the Norland High graduate gets a shot at making a team in one of North America's most beautiful cities. Williams' training camp mission (and you know he'll decide to accept it) is simple: Get to the quarterback, perhaps as an outside linebacker in the 3-4, or get to the returner on special teams. As a sixth round pick, he's got to do one or the other or don't bother sending for his boxes of stuff.

Kind of funny that the two drafts that FIU's seen two players taken, 2007 and 2013, followed seasons of 0-12 and 3-9. And Antwan Barnes is entering his seventh NFL season. It reinforces something forgotten all too often these days when people thump "Well, how many titles/games did HE win?": you can't confuse an individual with the whole. Good players, even great players, can be found on bad teams at every level.

Cyp taking a short trip

  

And, as agent Drew Rosenhaus pointed out, by going in the second round, FIU safety Johnathan Cyprien will get a four-year contract instead of a five-year one. Back to the Jacksonville bank earlier if he plays well.

Jacksonville finished last season 2-14. Second round picks should be starting on teams coming off 2-14. New head coach Gus Bradley opined recently that the Jaguars didn't have a true strong safety on their roster. NFL Network scouting analyst Mike Mayock sees Cyprien as similar to Seattle's Kam Chancellor, if not as long, but able to play the "enforcement safety" in the defense Bradley brings with him from Seattle. NFL Network's Charles Davis, a former player, thinks Cyp's got more range than Chancellor.

Bradley mentioned Cyprien's angles to the ball. In almost every radio interview I've done discussing Cyprien, I lauded his closing speed to the ball while also noting it's faster than his 40 time would indicate. That's why. A half-step saved in an angle is the different between a tackle and a cameo in a highlight film. 

Cyprien goes to Jacksonville

Safety Johnathan Cyprien's party got started quickly Friday night as Jacksonville took him with the first pick in the second round of the NFL Draft. I'll have video from the party on the blog later. Right now, I've got to crank out the story, edit the photos and video, blah, blah, blah.

But rarely will you see a public release of joy such as Cyprien let out after getting off the phone with ESPN.

No First Round for Cyprien

Oh, well. The draft watch party's tomorrow anyway.

NFL Network's Mike Mayock, the best of the draft analysts, had FIU safety Johnathan Cyprien as the third best safety in the draft. One of the two he rated better was Florida's Matt Elam, who went to Baltimore with the last pick in the first round. So, Cyprien's right where Mayock figured he'd be.

He should go during the second or third round Friday. If defensive end Tourek Williams gets picked, it'll be during Saturday's last four rounds.

Where Will Cyp Go? and Golf Stuff

San Francisco, Green Bay, Dallas, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Washington, over to 27th Avenue and turn north to the Dolphins...all have been mentioned as possible landing spots for safety Johnathan Cyprien either Thursday or Friday in the NFL Draft.

I like that Cyprien's holding his draft watch party Friday, the night of Rounds 2 and 3. That way, the party's either going on when he gets picked in the second round or a celebration of being taken in the first round Thursday night.

What's interesting to me is instead of climbing draft charts based on being a workout warrior -- he did only the vertical jump among the decathlon-type measurements at the combine -- Cyp impressed draftniks enough at Senior Bowl practices to send draftniks back to the game tape on him. Seeing Cyprien as first two rounds material comes from football analysis, not athleticism-birthed hope.

All the buzz could be wrong. But you'd rather bet on analysis than hope.

GOLF

Sun Belt champion FIU predictably dominated the Sun Belt conference's awards, which were announced Thursday.

Freshman Meghan MacLaren, medalist at the conference championship tournament, was named Freshman of the Year, and Joe Vogel received Coach of the Year honors. MacLaren, Shelby Cole and Sophie Godley comprised half the All-Sun Belt First Team. Yolecci Jimeez and Tania Tare were voted to the Second Team by the league's head coaches.

 

 

 

 

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Saturday in The Cage

About an hour into Saturday's scrimmage, public address announcer Jay Rokeach announced a first down for the offense. It jarring me into a realizing how rare I'd heard JayRo make that announcement today.

Even the one touchdown shouldn't have been. A cheap pass interference penalty when Jake Medlock overthrew a covered T.J. Lowder extended the drive before Medlock zipped the 29-yarder to Willis Wright.

That and an earlier 18-yard completion to a sliding Wright amidst three defenders were Medlock's two best passes of the day. You could almost see he and second string E.J. Hilliard thinking the progressions. Certainly defenders could -- they were hijacking routes like Jimmy "The Gent" Conway all day. Jugglers and butterfingers on the defensive side let the offense get away with only one interception, Sam Gervais' clutching of a tipped pass.

The offensive line got stampeded, making the defensive line look like the 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers and putting the running backs in the role of victims. Jakhari Gore, Shane Coleman and Lemarq Caldwell sometimes did well to get back to the line of scrimmage.

Though certain units were rotated with others (say, second team defensive backs with first team everything else), here's the two-deep as best as I could determine from Saturday as FIU leaves spring (none of this says who'll be academically eligible come August):

First team offense: QB Medlock; RB Kedrick Rhodes; FB (when FIU uses one) Lemarq Caldwell; WRs Willis Wright, Glenn Coleman, Dominique Rhymes; TE Ya'keem Griner; LT Aaron Nielsen; LG Delmar Taylor; C Donald Senat; RG Trenton Saunders; RT David Delsoin.

Second team offense: QB Hilliard; RB Jakhari Gore; RB Shane Coleman; WRs T.J. Lowder, Jairus Williams; TE Zach Schaubhut; LT Dieugot Joseph; LG Edens Sineace; C Michael Montero; RG Ian Koch; RT Aaron Nielsen.

First team defense: DEs Paul Crawford, Giovanni Francois; DTs Fadol Brown, Greg Hickman; LBs Davison Colimon, Patrick Jean, Luis Rosado; CBs Richard Leonard, Sam Miller; S Demarkus Perkins, Antwoine Bell.

Second team defense: DEs Lars Koht, Denzell Perrine; DTs Leonard Washington, Darrian Dyson; LBs Derrick Jones, Jr, Markeith Russell, Michael Wakefield; CBs Sam Gervais, Jeremiah McKinnon; S Justin Halley, Mitch Wozniak.

(Saturday, the second team linebackers played with the first team most of the day, but Turner's comments and the previous practices indicate the above is accurate.)

Special teams: K Sergio Sroka; P Jake Medlock, Chris Ayers; PR Richard Leonard, Jakhari Gore.

Medlock said of punting, "I've got to get back into it. I've got to take lessons from my little brother. He's been kicking the crap out of it so I've got to go back home and learn from him."

Medlock's two punts were just as good as Ayers three Saturday. At the practices I've attended, that's the way it's been all spring. Saturday, both Leonard and Gore muffed a punt, running counter to how well they've been fielding punts this spring.

When I asked Hickman to conpare the present coaching staff with the previous staff, he said, "It's similar. All the coaches are tough on you and want you to be the best you can be. Then again, Coach Turner brings an NFL mentality to it, which Coach Cristobal didn't have as a coach."

Turner often references the NFL when talking to the team. As Dire Straits said, them guys ain't dumb. Coaches know nothing gets a college player's attention like bringing up the names of the players and teams they grew up following or still follow. Sometimes, coaching's not so much about conceptual innovation as getting the player to listen, understand and put to use what you're saying. Often, that first hurdle, listening, is the high hurdle.

Turner was talking about the quarterbacks and the new offensive system when he said, "They'll have a summer to digest it, a summer to work on it on their own, to study it. We'll put all the cutups on film and make it available to them. They can come in and watch that. Watch themselves instead of watching Peyton Manning do it or Jay Cutler or Kyle Orton. We've been showing them those kind of films to watch those guys do it. Now, they'll watch themselves. That's the best way you can learn."

And it's a long way to fall.

 

 

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Quick hits from Saturday afternoon at La Cage

A few things from Saturday afternoon's scrimmage. I'll expand on this post or have an entirely new in-depth post later after writing my news story on the scrimmage.

There was one touchdown, Jake Medlock zipping a line drive to Willis Wright on a post for 29 yards; one interception, redshirt junior Sam Gervais picking off a Medlock pass that sophomore linebacker Michael Wakefield tipped; and one fumble, running back Lemarq Caldwell on the second play.

That fumble was recovered by the star of the scrimmage, sophomore defensive tackle Fadol Brown. Brown also had four sacks, innumerable tackles and just took advantage of FIU's immature offensive line.

FIU coach Ron Turner said running back Kedrick Rhodes has had one of the best springs of any individual player, but didn't play Saturday because he was "banged up." He said had Saturday been a real game, Rhodes could've played. (Heck, anybody who follows FIU knows that. Whenever Rhodes played last year after the third game, he did so on two imperfect ankles).

Kicker Serge Sroka made five of six field goals with a long of 47 yards. Medlock punted almost as well as Chris Ayers. 

 

 

Friday at Camp Mitch

A few things from Friday morning's football practice, occasionally in cooling rain:

Wide receiver-turned-strong-safety Adrian Jenkins picked off E.J. Hilliard in team drills. But when working in the red zone, Hilliard looked like he had a better day than Jake Medlock.

"I think both of them right now are just focusing on learning the offense, knowing exactly what we're doing so they can react," head coach Ron Turner said. "Neither are to the point where they can react yet. Every play they're thinking. That's going to happen for a while."

Turner said he doesn't know whether his offense exceeds FIU's previous offense in complexity or diversity, but knows "it is as opposite as it can be. So, it's completely different. Terminology, schemes, techniques, fundamentals, there's not one thing that's similar."

Freshman linebacker Patrick Jean and redshirt freshman wide receiver Dominique Rhymes, at separate times over the last few days, complimented the coaching staff on its teaching ability and attention to instructional detail.

Jean said linebackers coach Tom Williams, "explains
football to us in a way we understand, so that we actually know the game.”

When I asked for an example, Jean said, “In meetings, he showed us the mannerisms of the back. That’s something I never knew before. I never looked at the footwork of the back, I never saw his
shoulders. I always watched the o-lineman in front of me. He’s training my eyes instead of my feet. The physicality, that’s going to come. The technique, that’s going to come. I can work on that. But if I get it right with my eyes, I can play faster now.”

Wide receiver Raymond Jackson hasn't been at the last few practices. Turner gave the almost euphemistic explanation that Jackson is "taking care of some personal stuff, focusing on academics" but also said, "We'll get together at the end of spring and see where we go." I suspect offensive lineman Prince Matt's in the same boat.

BASKETBALL

I'm hearing that Tymell Murphy, last year's leading scorer, will wait to see who the new coach is before deciding whether or not to transfer.

Local native Tony Pujol, now an assistant at Alabama, has been in the mix the last couple of times this job came open. Pujol worked at Virginia Commonwealth and Alabama under Anthony Grant, another Miami native. Also, at Appalachian State, Pujol helped with a multi-year team APR that was consistently above 970.

The Pitino-Donovan connection: Grant coached under Billy Donovan during Donovan's first 10 seasons at Florida before heading for VCU and Bama, five of those seasons as associate head coach. Donovan thinks highly of Grant who thinks highly of Pujol.

GOLF

FIU enters next week's Sun Belt Conference tournament with the best team stroke average and the individual with the best stroke average, freshman Meghan MacLaren.

RIP

Jonathan Winters, an artist as a comedian and a comedian who was a funny artist -- some of his paintings possessed smarter wit than a season of average sitcoms. Winters might've been the most complete comedian we've seen. He could bring down the house and leave other comedians in awe doing stand up, prop, improvisation as well as comic acting, a comic cycle few attempt.

Winters reminds me of Dave Letterman in that some people just didn't get him, but those that did laughed very hard. For a very long time. He died Thursday.

 

Hump Day humpin' to please

A few things from Wednesday morning's football practice:

Quarterback Jake Medlock has done the quick kick out of the shotgun formation in games. Wednesday, he punted out of a normal punt formation. FIU head coach Ron Turner said Medlock is definitely in competition for that job and might very well be the punter come fall, although redshirt freshman Chris Ayers has improved lately.

Medlock got picked off by junior cornerback Richard Leonard during one-on-one drills. But the star fo the day was redshirt sophomore wide receiver Dominique Rhymes, who beat Leonard on one bomb and caught another 30-yarder as well as made some nice mid-range catches.

DeAndre Jasper Tweeted last week the coaches had talked to him about playing cornerback and he wasn't into it. I'm hearing he might be transferring to Appalacian State, where former wide receivers coach Frank Ponce landed.

Another sophomore, Adrian Jenkins, made the switch from wide receiver to defensive back. Turner said Jenkins, who is now at strong safety, suggested the change himself. 

Turner said the on-field activity at next Saturday's PantherFest, which will include a select-a-seat and meet-and-greet with some players, will be a scrimmage more than an spring game. With only 15 practices and coming in brand new, they need to use every session they can for practice.

Musings about basketball's house

FIU athletic director Pete Garcia fairly gushed over departing coach Richard Pitino Thursday.

“What he did with this basketball team and these players, I’ve never seen a job like that in
my 25 years,” Garcia said. “I rank him right up there as far as talented coaches, and I’ve been fortunate to be around some very good  ones, with (formerUniversity of Miami football) Coach (Butch) Davis, Greg Schiano, Rod Chudzinski, Leonard Hamilton, Chuck Pagano. He’s got it all.”

Names float around when it comes to this job. Every college assistant tired of being Spock or McCoy and want a shot at being Kirk (or, for those of you younger readers, tire of being told "Make it so" and want a chance to be Picard.) will send an application. Some veteran college coaches need to cleanse their name with a few years of peaceful penance in steerage class of D-1 hoops. And some who've been to the truly big time don't mind some lower rung time. It makes them feel like they're back to their roots. More coaching and bonding with kids who share the desperate love of a game and less handshake-and-grin with adults with whom they have only vitamins and Viagra in common.

FIU's pay, $250,000 per year for each of the last two coaches, isn't high end for the job, but allows a single coach to live comfortably in South Florida. And there's all the other issues that come with being a hoops coach at FIU. Potential coaches know at least the broad strokes of all that. Nobody confuses Camp Mitch with Kentucky or Stanford, although Stanford assistant and former FIU assistant and player Charles Payne might be interested.

The Academic Progress Rate issue could be a one-year problem or, depending on how many players transfer after this coaching change, get extended by a year or two. If FIU gets another semi-miraculous season and looks like it could qualify for postseason play, the school could petition the NCAA for relief as a program showing APR improvement in 2012-13.

A member of the Isiah Thomas administration gave me a call Thursday afternoon to say that while the APR numbers for 2010-11 being reported were accurate, the why isn't as simple as kids not going to class under Thomas, but rather two kids not going to class under Thomas.

(The low APR under Thomas surprised me. Though Thomas left Indiana University for the NBA after his sophomore season, he came back each summer until he finished his bachelor's degree in 1987. I spent that summer in Bloomington and saw him passionately speak to incoming minority freshmen on not blowing this great chance they had. He was taking University of California graduate classes while coaching at FIU. So why would a Hall of Fame player who values his own education and played his college ball under a coach who benched or booted key players just for missing a few classes be lax about his own players going to class? That made about as much sense as the Chewbacca Defense.)

Anyway, this former staffer said Eric Frederick, FIU's second leading scorer at the time and a junior college transfer, got jettisoned by Thomas for refusing to be a student in 2010-11. Frederick transferred to Texas Wesleyan. Antoine Watson crashed academically in 2009-10, but had remained in school. Thomas gave him a year to get his grades together. When Watson failed to do so and was gone by the holidays, the staffer said, that and Frederick kneecapped the APR for 2010-11. 

FIU knew that would happen, he claimed, just as they've known the 2011-12 APR would stink after a number of players transferred following the Thomas firing. Nobody at FIU can dispute that Pitino knew the likelihood of a 2014 postseason ban when he got hired. As the new triage officer of the program, however, that got low worry priority behind just finding players to put on the floor for 2012-13. (Then, the obvious question: how much did Pitino tell the players he was bringing in who would have only one or two years at FIU?)

Word around FIU doesn't argue the 2011-12 APR, once official, will be low less because of absenteeism because of players transferring after one or two years. But the talk in certain halls is Thomas encouraged players to transfer after his firing, so it's still his doing. A couple of players definitely kamikaze'd themselves academically over the last month last spring, but not at Thomas' urging.

Scholarship athletes transferring or getting booted after one or two years slashes at your APR. It's part of Ron Turner's dilemna over at football. Turner's too old for headaches, but can't just wish the leftover headache players into the cornfield without crippling the APR. Football doesn't have much wiggle room with its APR this year after an 897 2010-11 and one of the worst fall semesters in years in 2012.

Coley Honorable Mention All-America again; Tuesday morning at La Cage

Junior guard Jerica Coley, the nation's leading scorer and the biggest all-around good guy since Tom Slick, was named Honarable Mention All-America by the Associated Press for the second consecutive year.

Coley scored a school record 840 points, a nation-leading 26.3 per game, this season. That as 42.9 percent of FIU's offense, a ridiculous total. She also led FIU in blocked shots and steals.

FOOTBALL 

After handling birthday duties and searching for wireless access (old AT&T antenna doesn't fit new laptop), here's some tidbits from this morning's football practice:

Linebacker Leroy Owens seems back in the fold. Sources from the previous administration said Owens was suspended last season, but not booted from school. I'd heard he probably would transfer. Head coach Ron Turner said Tuesday that Owens was taking some time away from the team to "take care of personal matters" and "focus on academics." Tuesday was his first practice with the team after two weeks of conditioning. Owens might be the most talented of the linebacker recruits from 2012. Retaining him would be a big plus.

As I'm writing about for tomorrow's Herald online and print story, increasing the raw numbers of offensive linemen is a priority. Dieugot Joseph, recruited in 2012 as a defensive end, has been moved to left tackle and was taking second team reps. Other conversions might be coming.

Best catch of the day went to DeAndre Jasper's diving grab of a bomb from E.J. Hilliard behind three defenders. That prompted a yell of "Nice catch, 83! Can't wait to see you on Saturdays!" from the defensive sideline.

The number of false starts and fumbled snaps, the latter particularly between Donald Senat and Jake Medlock, more than irked Turner and prompted some afterschool work by the quarterbacks and centers.

Cornerback Jeremiah McKinnon picked off a pass that looked like a throwaway. In one of those "Yep" moments, wide receiver Rocky Vann caught a short cross, got hit, fumbled and safety Justin Halley showed his tendency for coming up with turnovers by scooping up the ball.