The NBA Draft Combine is off and running in Chicago and based on what experts are saying, Morehead State star Kenneth Faried was one of the biggest winners on day one. 

For those who tuned into the live coverage being shown on ESPNU it was readily apparent that the 6-foot-8 (we'll see later) was one of, if not the hardest working players to take the floor in front of representatives from all 30 NBA teams. With the bigs taking part in basic drills that involved elevating for rebounds, finishing basic post moves, showing off their jumper and defending the pick and roll, the NCAA's all-time leading rebounder displayed the constant motor that makes him so appealing to pro scouts and GM's. Nowhere was this more obvious than when the players were asked to complete a simple full court sprint which Faried easily won by several strides. It was a microcosm of the morning session in which he exuded effort. He already appeals to a lot of teams given his tremendous prowess on the boards - a skill that translates well to the pro level as we've seen.

Faried also won some points during an on-air interview with ESPN's Andy Katz, proving both humble and refreshingly honest. When asked who he thinks he compares to at the pro level he stated such workhorses as Paul Millsap and DeJuan Blair (good comparisons) and when asked about possibly playing a Ben Wallace kind of role in the NBA, was humble in accepting this praise. These are little victories to be sure, but as we've seen in the past, character and perceived work ethic are definitely factors that impact decisions on draft day, be they for they positive or negative when considering the player.

According to both Jonathan Givony of ESPN and Chad Ford of ESPN, Faried definitely impressed the teams in attendance today.

All in all, a great start for a player that could very well sneak into the back end of the lottery, but almost assuredly will be a first round pick.

DraftExpress: NBA Draft Combine Participants List

The NBA Draft Combine is underway and DraftExpress has a full list of the participants this year. Among their top snubs? Damian Saunders of Duquesne and Chris Wright of Dayton.

2011 NBA Mock Draft 1.0, led by Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams - Sam Amick - SI.com
More mock's being released today following the lottery and the venerable NBA writer Amick has three non-power conference players going in the first round.

2011 NBA Mock Draft: Kyrie Irving A No-Brainer First Pick - SBNation.com
Another NBA writing heavyweight, Tom Ziller, places four mid-major stars in his first round mock draft. The surprise name here - you're going to love this CoC fans - Andrew Goudelock.

Next up for Jimmer: The NBA’s great unknown | The Salt Lake Tribune
As he prepares for life in the NBA, Jimmer Fredette suddenly finds himself in new and unfamiliar territory.

Hofstra guard Jenkins on Knicks' radar - NYPOST.com
Charles Jenkins was a New York high school star. He was a New York college star at Hofstra. Is the Garden next?

More links after the jump

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As quietly as it can be done, Rhode Island has put together four straight 20-win seasons, of course it hasn't been all good times in Kingston. The Rams have been somewhat inconsistent in the Atlantic-10, finishing 9th, 2nd, 5th and 6th during that run, though finishing above .500 three out of four years.

Despite four straight postseason tournament berths, URI fans have to feel at least somewhat frustrated by their teams tendency to start fast, but slow considerably in conference play. Consider that since the 2007-08 the Rams have gone 54-18 (.750 winning percentage) in non-conference games, but just 36-28 (.563) against A-10 competition - still solid, but obviously a drop-off in execution.

Long time head coach Jim Baron will have his work cut out for him like never before this season. URI suffers massive losses and will have to rely heavily on a promising freshman class in order to continue its reason run of success and postseason play. It won't be an easy task.

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DraftExpress: Updated Mock Draft

Jonathan Givony was on hand at the Draft Lottery last night and shortly thereafter released DX's updated mock draft. A total of 11 players from non-power conferences currently make the cut.

SDSU's Leonard shooting up draft board - San Diego Union-Tribune
One of those non-power conference stars expected be a lottery pick by almost everyone is San Diego State star Kawhi Leonard.

NBA draft analysis: Jimmer Fredette, Kanter rise on Jazz's radar | Deseret News
Could The Jimmer stay close to his college glory days and land in Utah?

Polishing for picking: UR's Justin Harper | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Justin Harper returns to the site of last summer's improvement to prepare for the June 23 NBA draft.

Tragic accident changes program - Andy Glockner - SI.com
A tremendous feature on Houston Baptist assistant Steven Key overcoming enormous tragedy.

Video: Bryce Drew on taking over at Valpo - ESPN
Former March Madness hero Bryce Drew, who is taking over for his father Homer at Valparaiso, joined SportsCenter to talk about his new job.

Follow after the jump for recruiting news and coaching moves.

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The 2011-12 season will be an infinitely interesting one to follow in our Nation's Capital as GW begins the Mike Lonergan era. Karl Hobbs tenure with the Colonials had ups and downs, most noticeably three NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of Atlantic-10 Tournament championships, but his ride ultimately ended after an extended run.

Lonergan takes over after serving as head coach at Vermont for six seasons, leading the Catamounts to four postseason berths during that stretch. His run with GW has already sparked some controversy, as top recruit  Erik Copes recently was released from his letter of intent with the program, only to announce his intentions of attending George Mason. Whether or not this move is resulting from George Washington's academic standards or Lonergan's decision to not retain Copes' uncle who was on the Colonials staff is still somewhat up for debate, but it's already proven to be a tumultuous start for the A-10's newest coach.

Still, GW returns a surprisingly large percentage of its production from a team that finished at 10-6 in the conference. 

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Bryce Drew taking over for his father Homer Drew at Valparaiso | The Indianapolis Star

Bryce Drew is taking over for his father, Homer Drew, as Valparaiso men's basketball coach, multiple sources said Monday.

Daily Word: Murray State Racers coaching position will provide a nice opportunity for someone -- college basketball - ESPN
Andy Katz with a nice write-up on the surprising weight coaching at Murray State carries on a resume. In all, three of the last four Racer coaches have made the jump to a power conference job.

Source: Radford University, Brad Greenberg to part ways - The Roanoke Times
Sources say the school could announce the departure of its men's basketball coach as early as today.

Xavier's Pat Kelsey Steps Down as Associate Head Basketball Coach For Personal Reasons - XAVIER OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
As we first posted yesterday, Xavier University men's basketball associate head coach Pat Kelsey is stepping down for personal reasons. The death of former Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser plays a significant role.

UNLV forward Chace Stanback arrested Friday on suspicion of DUI - Las Vegas Sun
So much for a low key first off-season for new Rebels coach Dave Rice as UNLV's top returning scorer and rebounder faces some serious legal issues.

Ohio Valley Conference headed in right direction - CBSSports.com
Over at CBS's Eye On College Basketball, Eric Angevine with a nice post on the positive impact of Belmont's move to the Ohio Valley Conference for the 2012-13 season.

Rush The Court " Belmont Leaves Atlantic Sun for OVC
The guys at RTC weigh in on the move as well.

DraftExpress: West Coast Workout Swing Part One: Joe Abunassar's Impact Basketball
My good friends at DraftExpress (I moonlight there as Features Editor) have begun their annual tour of pre-draft workouts. Stop number one takes them to Joe Abunassar's Impact Basketball where San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard and Fresno State's Greg Smith are training. The guys at DX have plenty of good things to say about both, including a pair of video interviews.

Early Entry Good/Bad Decisions | NBADraft.net
In somewhat of a surprise, Jonathan Wasserman calls Tu Holloway's decision to return to Xavier a bad move. Most have gone the other way on this issue.

Jackson makes all-star team; Mason, VCU land elite prospects – Wilmington Star News
The venerable Brian Mull with an update on CAA recruiting for a pair of conference heavyweights and a nice accolade for a future member of the UNC-Wilmington basketball program.

Damien Wilson commits to Memphis over Wake Forest and South Carolina - ESPN

Tyrell Corbin of West High Commits to UC Davis | Utah Sports Action
New Aggies head coach Jim Les lands himself a great first recruit. The 5-foot-11 point guard was also being recruited by Louisville, Utah and Miami.

VCU's Smart wins another coaching award - WSJ.com
More good news for the Colonial Athletic Association as Shaka Smart earns another postseason award.

Several outlets are reporting that a major change will be taking place tomorrow afternoon at Valparaiso: long-time head coach Homer Drew will be stepping down. The other part of that equation - and somewhat less surprising - is that his son Bryce Drew (of buzzer beater fame) will take over the program.

Homer has served as the Crusaders head coach for the last 23 seasons, a tenure that has produced a 371-304 record, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and a magical run to the Sweet 16 in 1998 on the heels of his son's mythic shot.

Bryce of course has quite the basketball resume. Prior to attending Valpo, he was Indiana's Mr. Basketball in 1994 and following his graduation, moved on to a brief career in the NBA. He was the 16th overall selection of the Houston Rockets (a first-rounder out of the Horizon League before Butler - imagine that) where he played for two seasons, before spending time with the Bulls and Hornets. He has served as an assistant coach alongside his father at Vaparaiso since 2005.

Homer has amassed a total of 640 wins in his career, a mark that puts him in the top 10 for active head coaches in Division 1 and 41st overall amongst all college coaches historically.

Ron Everhart's five-year run at Duquesne has been somewhat of an up and down ride, but unquestionably it has been the best stretch for the program in a very long time. The Dukes have reached a postseason tournament each of the last three seasons, something they haven't accomplished since the late 1960's. Their 21-win season in 2009 was the first 20-win campaign since 1981 and the team's 4th place finish in the Atlantic-10 standings last year was the highest since a 3rd place showing in 1994. Yes, Everhart is earning his keep in Pittsburgh, despite often being overshadowed by larger, more prominent local programs. 

The challenge now will be if the long-time head coach (entering his 18th season overall) can allow for a smooth transition of power this season. Duquesne was undoubtedly led by seniors Bill Clark and Damian Saunders with a strong supporting cast surrounding them. Newcomers T.J. McConnell (A-10 Rookie of the Year) and Mike Talley showed that they are the future for the Dukes - but is that future now?

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After an active and swift coaching search that featured such non-power conference coaches as Josh Pastner and Ben Jacobson, Texas A&M hired Murray State's Billy Kennedy to replace the departed Mark Turgeon. The former Aggie assistant told the Houston Chronicle he is happy to be heading back to. College Station.

"I can't wait to get back to Aggieland," said Kennedy, an A&M assistant during the 1990-91 season. "Even though I was there only for a short time, I could tell Aggieland is a special place. Aggies have great pride and passion for their school and their athletic programs. I have watched with interest the recent success and the NCAA tournament appearances the past six years. I look forward to meeting the team and working toward a seventh NCAA bid, as well as even deeper tournament runs."

David Harris of the Dallas Morning News says that while Kennedy may be excited to return to a former school, his work will be cut out for him. Ultimately though, nothing beats winning, even if he wasn't a big name hire.

Of for every school that hires a new coach, there is one that must find a replacement - such is the case for Murray State. The Racers have had a tremendous run under Kennedy, but in the early hours following his departure, Athletic Director Allen Ward says assistant Steve Prohm is an early favorite.

More links after the jump.

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The Atlantic Sun is losing it's marquee program and the Ohio Valley Conference is significantly improving its basketball profile as the Belmont Bruins will be joining the OVC starting in the 2012-13 season. 

Per Joe Biddle of the Tennessean:

At that time the OVC had a rule that every member school had to field a football team, leaving Belmont out. Even though former OVC Commissioner Dan Beebe played in a regular noon pickup game at Belmont with Bruins Coach Rick Byrd, friendship didn't outweigh rules. The OVC no longer has that stipulation, as two of its 11 member schools currently do not have a football team in the league. And, frankly, Belmont's men's basketball résumé has become enviable to the OVC. Thus, the decision for the Brentwood-based conference to welcome Belmont was a win-win.

This move favors everyone involved - save for the Atlantic Sun of course. For the OVC it's the addition of a 30-win program considered to be among the best programs outside of the power conferences. The Bruins have been to the NCAA Tournament four times in the past six seasons. For Belmont, it will mean easier travel and massive savings. The team will no longer have to fly for conference games, players will miss fewer classes and according to Athletics Director Mike Strickland the school will save upwards of $250,000 a year in travel expenses. 

Overall this seems like the perfect situation for Belmont - what do you think?