My first several months of running Mid-Major Madness have far exceeded my expectations of what this experience would be like because of the many of you who read this site. You guys are the ones that power this content, I'm merely a facilitator. But to those of you who visit this site either regularly or one in a while, I thank you. 

I've been lucky in that my first three months here have been busy with March Madness, coaching moves, then NBA Draft talk, so there's rarely been a lull in quality material to cover. We're slowly moving towards the true slow point in the year for college basketball, so with that I'll be taking a short vacation of sorts. It's been about 15 months since I've been home to see family and friends and I plan on taking full advantage of my time with them, so there won't be any updates to the front page content wise starting tomorrow until next Wednesday. 

I'll be back in time for Draft Night, meaning plenty of analysis on where non-BCS stars land and how they can contribute right away. From that point on, it'll be full speed ahead with our team previews for next season. As you can tell those have slowed down somewhat with all of the draft discussion, but my full time will be devoted to those moving forward towards the start of the season. They have generated a fair amount of discussion thus far which is exactly what I was hoping for.

Finally, I ask that you guys continue to contribute as much as you want. Toss up fan posts and fan shots, leave comments in this story if there's anything specific you guys are looking for in the coming weeks and months. Any and all ideas and suggestions are welcome. Thanks again for reading everyone and I'll see you all in about a week.

On the heels of a visit to the campus on Sunday, former Arizona point guard Lamont "MoMo" Jones is reportedly transferring to Iona where he will be eligible starting in the 2012-13 season after sitting out a season. The report comes courtesy of John Rothstein of CBSSports who had the news confirmed to him by sources.

Jones played two seasons for "Point Guard U" and averaged just under 10 points per game as a sophomore, producing a couple of electrifying performances including a 27-point effort in a win at Cal last season.

For Iona this is a strong addition for a Gaels team coming off a 25-win year and really couldn't come at a better time. Scott Machado is coming off a tremendous season at the point guard spot, posting averages of better than 13 points and seven assists as the team's primary facilitator. He will be entering his final season of eligibility with the program, meaning Jones can spend a year improving his skill set before taking over in a year. The New York native was a highly touted prospect coming out of famed Oak Hill two years ago, ranked 68th nationally and 11th among all point guards by Rivals. He was originally expected to make visits to Hofstra and UMass as well prior to making his final decision.

It's been a decade since Hofstra last reached the NCAA Tournament and the Pride have to deal with the massive loss of guard Charles Jenkins to graduations and the NBA. Yes, the 2011-12 season could be a difficult one for fans to swallow. With that said, there's suddenly a pair of reasons to be excited about the 2012-13 campaign if the program gets a couple of favorable bounces. 

According to various sources, both Jamal Coombs-McDaniel and Lamont "Momo" Jones will be making separate visits to the Hofstra campus with the possibility of each transferring into the program.

Coombs-McDaniel was a member of the national championship Connecticut team this past season, but saw limited minutes as a sophomore. The lanky 6-foot-7 win certainly shows potential though even with a somewhat shaky jumper. In a few instances he has shown the ability to be a big time scorer hanging 25 and 23 points in back-to-back contests against Providence and Georgetown. Aiding the Pride in this developing story is the recent addition of Patrick Sellers to the coaching staff as an assistant after he had served that same role with the Huskies up until the conclusion of this season.

As Adam Zagoria reported, Momo Jones has already been in the area, having visited Iona, but Hofstra is up next on the list. The former Arizona guard is a New York product who averaged just under 10 points per game in his second season out west. The 6-foot floor general has also shown some scoring tendencies, going for 27 in a win at Cal and a pair of 20-point efforts in games against Oregon State and BYU. 

Neither individual has played a leading role in the past at the college level, but were both to land with Hofstra, the Pride would suddenly find themselves with a perimeter duo that could cause a lot of problems for opposing CAA defenses. Stay tuned for more updates.

Unless a sudden dark horse comes out of the woodwork or the man in question turns down an offer, it looks like Pat Chambers is the last one standing for the Penn State job. According to TMJ4 (NBC in Milwaukee) sports anchor Lance Allen, Rob Jeter will be staying with the Panthers.

Jeter, along with Boston coach Pat Chambers and Duquesne's Ron Everhart all interviewed for the position with the Nittany Lions on Tuesday. Everhart withdrew his name from consideration yesterday, leaving just two names in the running. Reports surfaced yesterday that Chambers was going to be named the new head coach, but were later ruled as premature, despite the heavy indications the Terriers coach was on the move.

Now in light of this reported decision by Jeter, it appears more certain than ever that Chambers will be that new coach at Penn State while BU will have to begin the search for his replacement. 

Jeter just completed his sixth season as head coach at Milwaukee where he has compiled a record of 101-89, with an NCAA Tournament and NIT appearance as well.

 As the Texas A&M coaching search continues to swirl, Brent Zwerneman continues to be the go-to source for information regarding the latest rumors. According to the Houston Chronicle/San Antonio Express-News reporter, Murray State's Billy Kennedy is the latest target for the Aggies.

None of this should really come as a surprise to anyone. Kennedy is relatively young (47), has guided the Racers to a pair of postseason tournament appearances and an NCAA Tournament win in the past two years and generally been regarded as a guy who knows how to rebuild a program. Keep in mind, prior to his current run at Murray State, Kennedy helped get Southeastern Louisiana to the NCAA Tournament as well, easily his most impressive accomplishment to date.

Granted, the Aggies are nowhere near where Murray State or Southeastern Louisiana were when Kennedy took over, but that's a good thing isn't it? Shouldn't a coach known for his ability to build winners out of thin air be able to achieve big things in the Big 12 with greater resources and recruiting power? It's also worth noting that as a Louisiana native, Kennedy grew up not all that far from College Station, Texas.

Things remain in the preliminary stages according to reports, just the simple fact that contact has been made. But Kennedy is certainly deserving of a chance to move up to a bigger program given his resume and the Aggies might be the team.

According to a press release from New Mexico State, junior Troy Gillenwater has declared for the NBA Draft but has no signed with an agent. The 6-7 power forward was a first team All-WAC selection after leading the Aggies in scoring (18.9 ppg) and rebounds (6.3 rpg). In all likelihood this is just an opportunity to test the waters as he isn't projected on any major draft boards and has a great deal to overcome as far as improving his overall profile as a pro prospect.  

Physically, Gillenwater leaves something to be desired as a power forward, lacking ideal size and explosive athleticism. What he does present is a versatile package that could ultimately lead to transitioning to the small forward position if he improves his overall quickness and first step.

While early in his career his primary means of scoring was operating in the post, Gillenwater has grown more comfortable in spot-up sets, with 21.6% of his overall possessions coming in this play-type last season according to Synergy Sports. He primarily operates as a catch and shoot player here, connecting on a respectable 36% of his attempts from beyond the arc (at nearly four attempts per game) and ranked in the 90th percentile nationally in spot-up efficiency. What scouts will like the most is the improvement the forward has made in operating off the dribble, not only opting to create for himself more frequently than in years past, but also finishing at a higher rate now.

Gillenwater is an equally efficient scorer in the post and around the basket in general. He possesses a strong base, soft hands and a nice touch around the rim, finishing an outstanding 63% of shot attempts in the immediate vicinity of the basket. He displays solid footwork and instincts, but his lack of explosive leaping often yields difficult shots inside despite his sound fundamentals, something that will only be further augmented against pro defenders. 

Defensively the junior is a mixed bag. His 225-pound frame allows him to hold his position and body up opponents in the post, but his average lateral quickness hampers him elsewhere. Gillenwater is only an average defender in spot-up and isolation situations, particularly when it comes to closing out on perimeter shooters, something he tends to do in a somewhat out of control nature.

 Again, long term this is likely an opportunity for Gillenwater to get familiar with the draft process and possibly receive some feedback from teams before returning for his senior year. Even then, barring a big final season, he is a long shot to get drafted by an NBA team. That isn't to say he isn't capable of earning a summer league invite or an opportunity to showcase his abilities in training camp (especially with more performances like the 25 points he put up on Arizona), but playing overseas is likely in the cards for the Aggie star.

Over the years the Portsmouth Invitational has slowly faded in popularity as a means of scouting potential NBA players as the draft process has been minimized to simply a series of private workouts held by the pro organizations. Still, the PIT isn't a completely dead entity as each year one or two seniors manages to use it as a launching point for a pro career, with New York Knicks rookie Landry Fields and Washington Wizard rookie Hamady N'Diaye being two of the more recent examples having played at Portsmouth last year.

This year's event features a handful of mid-major prospects that have the capability of landing on an NBA roster, be it as a second round selection on draft night or through an opportunity to play in the summer league. Top prospects like Richmond's Justin Harper (a potential first-round pick) have withdrawn their names from the event as agents typically like to let these higher rated players show off their skills in a workout setting, but for others, Portsmouth can be their foot in the door. 

So while certain power conference seniors like Washington's Justin Holiday and Syracuse's Rick Jackson may be drawing the initial headlines at this year's event, here are four mid-major prospects to make note of over the next few days in Virginia.

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