Ivan comes to Isiah

Got the wife off to jury duty, the kid off to camp, hit the Cap'n Crunch with Crunch Berries (two bowls), dishwasher going, now down to business.

While I was scouring for the "Give Me the Night" video for my post on the swimming and diving recruiting class, the men's basketball team's scouring for talent paid off with a 2013 verbal commitment from Ivan Canete, a 6-3 point guard out of Boca Raton Grandview Prep. Canete's on MaxPreps.com's 2013 Players to Watch and has been designated by the site as a Top Underclassman. He averaged 12.1 points, 4.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks and 7.9 rebounds per game last season for Grandview's 27-3 team. 

While they're still trying to pull in kids for 2012, Isiah Thomas' staff has picked up what appears to be an early flower for 2013. To paraphrase Carl the assistant greenskeeper, "So they got that going for them. Which is nice."

I'll have more about Mr. Canete later. 

 

Pool report (with some old school summer cool)

The folks at http://www.collegeswimming.com have judged FIU's 2011 swimming and diving recruiting class as No. 23 in the nation.

Now, let's just say this up front: even these days, when a stud high school athlete's meets/games have more camera coverage than the cocktail party scene in Traffic, I regard recruiting ratings with an Internal Affairs officer's skeptical eye. If they were so darn accurate, Texas and Notre Dame would've been trading football championships for about the last 20 years and The Fab Five would've won something on the court other than applause for lengthening shorts.

That said, recruiting analysis in the basic human games -- track, swimming, lifting -- tends to be more prescient. So, throw some dap FIU's way for their class, which includes a few young women with a shot at making their 2012 Olympic teams. 

The top-ranked recruit, German Carolin Rademacher, owned the 200-meter breaststroke on her nation's junior level, reeling off four championships from 2005-08. Spaniard Sonia Perez Arau, a transfer from the University of Bridgeport (yes, the collegeswimming.com folks counted some transfers -- hey, it's their list), won the 100 and 200 backstroke at the Spanish Junior Championships. At Bridgeport, she finished fifth in the 200 individual medley and sixth in the 200 back at the 2011 NCAA Division II Championships. Another back and IMer, Johanna Gustafsdottir, has been on Iceland's national team since 2003. The FIU recruits ranked next, Sweden's Klara Andersson and Ukrainian Valeriia Popova, swim breast and IM and freestyle and butterfly, respectively.

The No. 1 rank among recruiting classes went to 2011 national champion Cal, two spots up on arch rival Stanford. Splitting the Bay Area playmates was Georgia at No. 2.

Since we're posting on a summer night, we'll close it out with an old school summer playlist favorite...  

-- David J. Neal

Summer baseball update; softball coach Torina named head coach at LSU

I have been working on some projects in the office and have been away from the FIU sports world for a few weeks. A few updates on what's been going on in Panther land.

Summer baseball update

Cape Cod League

Cotuit Kettleers

Sophomore LHP Mason McVay is 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA in five game appearences. McVay has pitched 6.2 innings, giving up seven hits, four walks and a run.

Junior lefty R.J. Fondon is 1-0 in three games started. Fondon has pitched 18 innings, giving up 17 hits, six runs and recorded 13 strike outs.

 Brewster Whitecaps

Junior first baseman Mike Martinez is hitting .206 in 34 at bats with seven hits and three RBI.

Harwich Mariners

Sophomore outfielder Jabari Henry is hitting .267 in 45 at bats with 12 hits, 10 RBI and two home runs.

Orleans Firebirds

Sophomore Rudy Flores is hitting .250 in 32 at bats with eight hits, a home run and two RBI.

Coastal Plain League

Moorhead City Marlins

Junior RHP Christian Malbrough is 0-1 with a 11.05 ERA in 7.1 innings pitched.

Junior shortstop Garrett Wittells was signed to the Marlins on June 23 and is hitting .182 in 11 at bats with two RBI.

Alaskan Summer League

Sophomore infielder/outfielder T.J. Shantz is hitting .083 in 12 at bats.

Valley Baseball League

Luray Wranglers

FIU outfielder Pablo Bermudez, who was scheduled to play in the Cape Cod league this summer, was activated by the Luray Wranglers of the Valley Baseball League in Virginia on June 24. In two games started/played Bermudez is hitting .500, with five runs, two RBI and two home runs in six at bats.

Junior catcher Isomel Leon joins Bermudez on the Wranglers. Leon is hitting .250 in eight at bats.

Junior LHP D.J. Swatcheno is also on the Wranglers and has a 7.71 ERA in 4.2 innings or work. Swatcheno has had five game appearances, giving up five hits and four runs.

Haymarket Senators

Sophomore RHP Alberto Cardenas has a 2-0 record and a 3.60 ERA in five innings pitched. Cardenas has four game appearances, giving up five hits and two runs.

Freshman infielder/outfielder David Vazquez is hitting .273 in 33 at bats. Vazquez has started nine games and has nine hits, seven runs and four RBI.

Freshman catcher Jeff Kammer is hitting .209 in 43 at bats. Kammer has driving in 13 runs.

Covington Lumberjacks

Freshman RHP Eddy Pidermann is 0-0 in 0.1 innings pitched.

Staunton Braves

Junior RHP Logan Dodds is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA. in 19 innings pitched. Dodds has started three games, giving up 19 hits and six earned runs, while striking out 13.

Softball update

Former FIU softball coach Beth Torina was introduced as the new head coach for LSU softball last week. Torina compilied a 129-111 record with the Panthers in four seasons. There is still no word on who will replace Torina, a two-time Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year recipient, next season. 

"Beth Torina has done a tremendous job building the FIU softball team into a top program," FIU athletic director Pete Garcia said in a statement. "We want to thank Beth for all that she has done for FIU and wish her the best of luck with LSU. Our goal is to now bring in the best possible candidate to continue the success of Coach Torina and take FIU softball to the next level."

Justin Azpiazu

Follow me on twitter @JustinAzpiazu

Breaking news: Report: Wittels' case to be dropped

Miami Herald writer Adam H. Beasley is reporting that the case against FIU baseball player Garrett Wittels will be dropped.

Excerpt below.

Prosecutors announced in Bahamian court Wednesday that rape charges filed against Wittels, FIU’s star shortstop, and friends Robert Rothschild and Jonathan Oberti will be dropped Monday, his lawyer Richard Sharpstein told The Miami Herald.

Full story here.

 

2011 womens' soccer schedule

Date                             Opponent                           Site                              Time (ET)

August 

19 (Fri.)                         at Stetson                           DeLand, Fla.                  7:00 p.m.

21 (Sun.)                      FLORIDA                            Miami, Fla.                  7:00 p.m.

27 (Sat.)                       AKRON                               Miami, Fla.                  7:00 p.m.

September

2 (Fri.)                          UMKC                                 Miami, Fla.                  7:00 p.m.

9 (Fri.)                          FLORIDA GULF COAST      Miami, Fla.                  6:30 p.m.

16 (Fri.)                         at Oregon State                   Corvallis, Ore.                10:00 p.m.

18 (Sun.)                       at Oregon                            Eugene, Ore.                 2:00 p.m.

23 (Fri.)                         at UALR*                             Little Rock, Ark.             8:00 p.m.

25 (Sun.)                       at Arkansas State*               Jonesboro, Ark.             2:00 p.m.

                                    Alumni Weekend

30 (Fri.)                        TROY*                                Miami, Fla.                  7:30 p.m.

October

2 (Sun.)                        SOUTH ALABAMA*             Miami, Fla.                  2:00 p.m.

7 (Fri.)                           at WKU*                             Bowling Green, Ky.        7:00 p.m.

9 (Sun.)                         at Middle Tennessee*           Murfreesboro, Tenn.       2:30 p.m.

                                    Parents Weekend

14 (Fri.)                        NORTH TEXAS*                  Miami, Fla.                  7:00 p.m.

16 (Sun.)                      DENVER*                            Miami, Fla.                  12:00 p.m.

20 (Thurs.)                     at ULM*                              Monroe. La.                   5:00 p.m.

23 (Sun.)                      LOUISIANA*                       Miami, Fla.                  12:00 p.m.

28 (Fri.)                        FLORIDA ATLANTIC*          Miami, Fla.                  7:30 p.m.   

November

2-5 (Wed.-Sat.)              at Sun Belt Conference Tournament