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.

J.J. Barea and Brian Cardinal: Unassuming Stars of the NBA Finals - TIME 
How could I not include at least one link about former Northeastern star J.J. Barea following the Mavs NBA Championship?

Charles Jenkins draft profile - Chicago Bulls Confidential
Kevin State of Bulls Confidential (great site Chicago fans), gives a breakdown of how Charle Jenkins could fit into the rotation next season.

The Hoops Report | NBA Draft Chatter: Draft Range for Top 15 Prospects
San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard could go as high as No. 6, BYU's Jimmer Fredette as high as No. 7.

Scouting The Draft: Jimmer Fredette " Buckets Over Broadway
B.O.B. breaks down The Jimmer and how he could possibly fit the Knicks high-octane attack.

BYU star Jimmer Fredette headlines Phoenix Suns’ best draft workout group - The Arizona Republic
Speaking of The Jimmer, he'll be the chief attraction today in Phoenix.

LeBron Saving His Best For Last? - Hoopsworld
Towards the end of this post from Yannis Koutroupis is a list of potential second round sleepers in the upcoming NBA Draft including Justin Harper and Shelvin Mack.

More links after the jump.

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UR's Harper gets feedback from NBA workouts | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Justin Harper has completed eight workouts for NBA teams and he has just two left as he prepares for the NBA draft on June 23. So far, so good.

NBA DRAFT: Thanks to pre-draft work, Leonard's pro stock is on the rise
It's been a steady rise up draft boards for the San Diego State star and now he seems firmly entrenched in the top ten.

Draft profile: Keith Benson - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston
ESPN Boston continues its breakdown of potential fits for the Celtics. The Oakland center is the latest to go under the spotlight.

Rush The Court " RTC NBA Draft Profiles: Shelvin Mack
Interesting comparison in this breakdown as the Butler star is compared to current Laker floor general Derek Fisher.

14 biggest question marks of 2011 NBA draft - NBA News | FOX Sports
Kenneth Faried's potential and Jimmer Fredette's scoring ability crack the countdown.

Marquette transfer joins Kat basketball - Sam Houston State Bearkats Athletics
Sam Houston State makes a great addition to their program with the 6-foot-7 forward eligible for two more years.

French National Team Standout Signs With NT Hoops - North Texas Mean Green Athletics
Johnny Jones goes overseas with the addition of Nikola Stojiljkovic, a talented 6-foot-8 forward.

Ex-BYU's Fredette willing to move Jazz workout date for Walker, Knight | The Salt Lake Tribune
I really can't remember the last time one player was willing to rearrange his schedule to compete against other high profile players in a pre-draft workout - I love it.

Pistons work out eight this week including potential lottery picks Kemba Walker and Alec Burks | MLive.com
Also included in Detroit workouts this week will be Fresno State's Greg Smith and VCU's Jamie Skeen.

Jenkins Wants NBA Paycheck to Provide for Niece | ZagsBlog.com
As if you needed another reason to root for a guy like Charles Jenkins. This feature from Adam Zagoria is worth your time to read.

Pepperdine's Leading Scorer Tripping to Missouri - CBSSports.com
Keion Bell has one year of eligibility left and he plans to use it somewhere other than with the Waves. According to Jeff Goodman, Bell will visit Mizzou and possibly Texas A&M. He has the talent to play and play meaningful minutes at either program.

D.C.-Area Colleges Prep for a Recruiting War - Washington City Paper
Great, great read from Dave McKenna on what should be a very hotly contested recruiting game in Washington D.C. with a slew of new coaches including Mike Lonergan at George Washington.

More links after the jump.

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Sometimes you get lucky and the Twitter universe tosses you up a gem. 

This is one of those cases.

I was curious as to what the latest chatter was surrounding Charleston's Andrew Goudelock as far as his preparation for the NBA Draft and I found these comments listed back-to-back.

That my friends is about as perfect of a microcosm of Goudelock's stock as one could ever hope for. He presents intrigue, he creates more questions than answers and he could seemingly be a nice addition for the Boston Celtics, but there are almost as many detractors as there are supporters as evidenced by Mr. Seth Davis. So what do we know?

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Hofstra's Jenkins confident after Knicks workout - New York Post
Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins went toe to toe with Georgia Tech’s Iman Shumpert on Thursday at the Knicks practice facility in a battle of two big, physical point guards. Jenkins came out feeling good about his performance.

Numbers show true value of Derrick Williams, Charles Jenkins - SI.com
For those who follow the CAA this certainly isn't news, but as Luke Winn reveals in this solid read, Charles Jenkins may be the single most efficient scorer in the 2011 Draft Class.

Source says Fredette 'doubtful' to work out with Bucks - JSOnline
The title pretty much says it all.

Cowbell Kingdom.com - Cowbell Kingdom Draft Profile: Jimmer and Co.
A nice breakdown (with interviews!) of yesterday's Kings workout featuring The Jimmer and UTEP's Randy Culpepper.

NETS: 2011 NETS Draft Central June 9th Workout
Thursday at the PNY Center, the Nets held their final pre-draft workout of the week, welcoming Justin Harper, Derwin Kitchen, Shelvin Mack, Josh Selby, Nolan Smith and Nikola Vucevic. NJNets.com has video highlights and interviews.

Sources name USD player who declined bribe - SignOnSanDiego.com
Big big news in the San Diego point fixing scandal as the San Diego Union-Tribune has learned the identity of the active Toro's player who was allegedly solicited by former USD star Brandon Johnson.

More links after the jump.

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After a strong junior season and another improbable run to the Final Four, Butler star Shelvin Mack was left in the difficult position of deciding between his senior year or the allure of the NBA. He chose professional basketball. As we detailed several weeks ago while the 6-foot-3 guard was still mulling his decision, the biggest question mark surrounding Mack's game is his ability to play the point at the professional level. Thus far in individual workouts, it appears as though that has been the case. 

Following a strong effort in front of Knick's executives on Monday, Mack turned in another solid outing in Washington today in front of members of the Wizards front office. A year after selecting a franchise player in point guard John Wall, would Washington take a flood general again in 2011? The team owns the 6th, 18th and 34th picks overall, meaning wouldn't even be considered until their second-round selection was up, but at that point it's a definite possibility. Wall is the only true point guard under contract for next season and early reports indicate that organization wouldn't be opposed to drafting another.

Mack's projected draft position varies widely in many mock drafts, but he won't be a consideration for the Wizards at No. 6 or 18. Washington's other pick is 34th, and there's a possibility Mack lasts that long, although some mock drafts have him going late in the first round. At 6 feet 3, Mack would be an undersized NBA guard, but the Wizards certainly are in need of depth in the back court, and Mack said he and John Wall, last year's top overall selection for Washington, already know one another well. The Wizards also could use a winning disposition in the locker room after years of being relegated to the draft lottery.

Via Gene Wang, Washington Post

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