Good morning! If you’re reading this, you’re clearly starting your day off right with an effort to better yourself by becoming more educated about the goings-on in the mid-major world.
In a landscape so dominated by the biggest schools and conferences, it’s quite hard to winnow down the information you want and need to hear about your favorite mid-major programs.
Thankfully, Mid-Major Madness is here to aggregate the news and links for you, providing you with a brand-new, daily post about the world of mid-major hoops.
#Content to Read
Princeton’s schedule puts every other team to shame (Princeton Athletics)
Princeton has been hyping up its schedule release for a while, promoting it like crazy on Twitter and Instagram. After Thursday’s announcement, I can understand why.
Princeton is scheduling tough matchups, and they’re clearly looking to make their RPI shoot through the roof.
Butler. BYU. Saint Joseph’s. Miami. Monmouth. USC.
Princeton will face each of these teams next season. Clearly, they’re committed to producing an entire two months of entertaining mid-major basketball for us to enjoy. Kudos to them for being brave enough to schedule as tough as they can. Praise this program.
St. Francis Brooklyn has a new court design (News 12 Brooklyn)
Alright, so I suppose I’m cheating a bit by adding this to the ‘read’ section, since this is essentially a news video, but I’m going to count it because this is my dominion, and I make the rules here.
For too long, St. Francis Brooklyn has had to deal with being conflated with St. Francis (PA), a fellow NEC squad. Now, that time is over. With their new name and new court decision, let there be no confusion: St. Francis Brooklyn is its own school, okay?
Regardless, the players are apparently very excited about the new look, according to the SFC officials interviewed in the video.
Killian Tillie is killing teams at the U-19 World Cup (Slipper Still Fits)
Regular readers know that I like Gonzaga big men. And let me tell ya: I like Killian Tillie. The French forward is busy rolling over opposing squads in Egypt right now, hitting shots from basically anywhere he wants. Don’t believe me? Check out his shot chart, and read what Peter Woodburn had to say about his play thus far:
The Zags aren’t exactly deep in the post next season, and Tillie will generally be more useful in the paint instead of loitering around the three point line. He has an ability to run the ball, but his ability to crash the offensive glass (10 of his 29 rebounds so far in the tournament are offensive) is just as important for Gonzaga.
With Tillie and Rui Hachimura firing teams up at the FIBA U-19 World Cup, Gonzaga fans have reason to be excited for next year despite the exodus of talent they just witnessed.
Emanuel Dildy hired by Valparaiso (Valpo Athletics)
Matt Lottich will have a new coach on his staff come next season, and that man is none other than Emanuel Dildy, a former assistant for the Loyola Ramblers. Dildy has a rich basketball career, and the school’s press release reflected the excitement that Lottich feels about the arrival of his new assistant as he heaped praise upon him:
“We are extremely excited and blessed with Coach Dildy’s addition to our staff,” said Lottich. “Coach Dildy brings a tremendous amount of experience to our program as we join the Missouri Valley Conference. He helped Loyola make the transition from the Horizon League to the MVC, and he was instrumental in putting together a roster which has improved that program greatly.”
...
“Coach Dildy has proven to be a great recruiter with deep Chicago ties,” said Lottich. “He will also help greatly with our player development on and off the court. I know he is excited to be at Valpo and to help continue to build on our championship tradition.”
Tony Paul has some Oakland and Detroit Mercy updates (Detroit News)
The Detroit News’ Tony Paul did a Q&A with Central Michigan’s new athletic director, but near the bottom of the post he included some news about two Michigan mid-majors. First, he wrote about Jaleel Hogan and whether or not we’ll see him suit up for the Titans this fall:
There’s still no definitive word from Detroit Mercy whether Jaleel Hogan will be on the basketball team this fall. He tweeted out a while ago that he was leaving, but that tweet was quickly deleted. The 6-foot-7, 260-pound forward would be a big loss for a young team. He led the Titans, averaging 15.2 points.
He went on to provide us with some news about Oakland, a team that we totally don’t have a beef with on here:
Former Oakland basketball player Ryan Hoover has joined the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks as vice president of global scouting. He comes from the Pistons, where he was director of corporate partnerships and contributed on TV and radio broadcasts.
Tweets of Interest
Since the extent of my sandcastle-building skills are stacking bucket-shaped piles on one another, I am immensely impressed by this.
Question: Have you ever seen a better looking sand castle? pic.twitter.com/CYptk5fdWu
— Monmouth University (@monmouthu) July 5, 2017
Two opponents announced for George Mason
ICYMI: Two non-conference games announced today. #GetPatriotic #PSU #NCCU #NCAAM
— GMU Giant Killer (@GMUGiantKiller) July 6, 2017
Read more on https://t.co/rrfa0cYybL pic.twitter.com/8KNKOT4BAh
Someone’s getting a new office
Nicholls' Richie Riley has hired Henderson State's Amorrow Morgan as an assistant coach, per a source.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 6, 2017
The Ivy League has entered the 21st century
Nothing to see here. Just Dartmouth picking up a 3-star PG from California. Another day in the new normal of Ivy recruiting. https://t.co/J2vkKOaCjp
— Mike James (@ivybball) July 6, 2017
/heart eyes emoji
One of my favorite Sites out there #AreYouAllHiring
— Evan Bradds (@EasyBreezy_35) July 6, 2017
Kevin’s high on George Mason. I like that move.
George Mason loses Marquise Moore, but I still like the Patriots. Strong recruiting class coming in to compliment a solid returning core.
— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) July 6, 2017
Coach Menzies is keeping up with his former players
Great to see a couple of my former New Mexico State Aggies practicing with their Summer League teams tonight! @pskills43 #IanBaker pic.twitter.com/UzeqifywM4
— Coach Marvin Menzies (@MarvinMenzies) July 6, 2017
*this isn’t D-I, but I don’t care. Bellarmine now has a coach for life
Bellarmine coach Scott Davenport signs extension that "essentially assures his position ... until his retirement" https://t.co/YtNdloA5ZV
— Courier-Journal.com (@courierjournal) July 5, 2017
Our site’s 4 E’s are excellence, egregiousness, eldritch, and esoteric.
#WednesdayWisdom - The 4 E's of Nevada Basketball pic.twitter.com/ep0UlGY1Kz
— Nevada Basketball (@NevadaHoops) July 5, 2017
Get this through your brain: Gonzaga players will never stop doing good basketball things
We see you @NigelWG5! #UtahJazzSL pic.twitter.com/sgTfmGn8gX
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 6, 2017
Recruiting News
Congrats to Our 1st 2018 Commitment @Milesmatthew2 @ArmyWP_MBB is Getting a Tremendous Young Man from a Fantastic Basketball Family pic.twitter.com/zzkHPSX2sd
— POWERHOUSE HOOPS (@PowerhouseHoops) July 6, 2017
Former UC Davis/Cal Baptist (DII) commit F Mikey Henn (FR) is reopening his recruitment. https://t.co/3E4LidiU37
— Verbal Commits (@VerbalCommits) July 5, 2017
After talking it over with my family and coaches, I'm excited to say that I have committed to Dartmouth College! #GoBigGreen #GPnation pic.twitter.com/KxL6djTTcW
— Taurus Samuels (@TaurusSamuels) July 5, 2017
2018 Lake Region State College (ND)/Mercer commit C Harvey Barr is reopening his recruitment. https://t.co/yUPjjwyhvX
— Verbal Commits (@VerbalCommits) July 5, 2017