Hah! Early Summer Potpourri…

On By @gtmoblueIn college basketball 365Leave a comment

Hot Fun in the Summertime!

Carter Lake, Ia
Cent Park NYC

Well here we are already…Summer in the Northern Hemisphere has arrived. A few events and announcements of note to speak on.

Big 12 / College Sports Commission:

Big 12 signs participation agreements with the College Sports Commission, the agency formed last year to police name, image and likeness payments. But all 68 Power Four schools must sign the 11-page document for it to become valid. All schools had initially been asked to review and sign the document by last December. Link #1

 Protect College Sports Act

Bi-partisan bill to re-introduce rules and order. Grants some enforcement power back to the NCAA, U.S. senators introduced new and wide-sweeping legislation that aims to address many current issues in college sports, including an effort to restore some rule-making power to the NCAA and open the possibility for conferences to sell their lucrative television rights as one group. Link #2

Transfer Portal happenings.

The portal closed on the 27th. Momcilovic, Yessoufou, Amari Allen, and others withdrew from NBA Draft. Momcilovic is the top available transferee and has many suitors. Momcilovic committed to U of Kentucky on Monday, June 1, 2026. Tanner back to Vanderbilt. Yessoufou to St Johns. Allen back to Alabama

But Amari Allen‘s deadline-day decision to return to Tuscaloosa gives Nate Oats’ team a legitimate shot to be a preseason top-10 team next season. Allen averaged 11.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists as one of the freshmen who surprised nationally last season. With potential lottery pick Labaron Philon Jr. gone to the NBA, there will also be more playmaking opportunities for Allen. Oats collected a wide range of intriguing wing talent alongside Allen, including 3 top-40 recruits Jaxon Richardson, Qayden Samuels, &  Tarris Bouie. Also NC State transfer Cole Cloer.

Allen’s return also crowds the wing slot (5 again…same last year) for ‘Bama & Oats. I expect at least 1 of the 3 newbie wing recruits/1 transfer wing to decommit and go elsewhere…preferrably Richardson. Link #3

Jays News:

No moneda for Momcilovic and praying for a “Bama decommit (Richardson)! Jays are NOT UK/Louisville/St Johns – we don’t have boatloads of highrollers donors, nor a bottomless bucket in our NIL well. Momcilovic would be great, as we know his game (and lack of defense), but such a move would purely based on basketball, and not money. I hoping that dad & mom see the logjam down at Bama and help JR make a decision to move. It’s 5-deep @ SF in Tuscaloosa with 1 returnee, 1 high level transfer, and 3 frosh recruits. Link #3

HussBuss adds 2027 PF London Dada to the fold!

Jays get the commit from the 2027 #39SF-4* ESPN /#135-3* 247 / #119-4* Rivals; recruit, PF London Dada…from Omaha. The top 2027 In-state (NB) recruit. Omaha WH article-Link #4 Tipton/Rivals article-Link #5

Jim Harvey a.k.a. @gtmoBlue

LINKS:

  1. https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/48913026/big-12-first-power-conference-full-csc-participation
  2. https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/48891780/bipartisan-college-sports-bill-proposes-salary-cap-transfer-limit
  3. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48899197/nba-draft-withdrawal-deadline-winners-losers-st-johns-vanderbilt-2026
  4. https://omaha.com/sports/college/creighton/article_b01897c9-c9d4-45f4-9731-c12f7769b7f2.html
  5. https://www.on3.com/rivals/news/creighton-lands-commitment-from-local-talent-london-dada/

Who’s Gonna Step up?

On By @gtmoblueIn college basketball 365

Missing the Holy Land of Hoops (Big East site)…

…Missin’ YOU…

If you’ve ever been a member of a group, organization, frat, service org, or the military – you understand the sense of fraternity, of belonging, of fellowship, of collective ‘ownership’ within such organization(s). Such is what developed back in 2013…when the Catholic Seven broke away from the old Big East (AAC)…Ripped their heritage, history, and their name back and re-organized into the current Big East configuration. The Big East returned to their roots – their legacy…as a basketball-centric conference.

Of the many changes inherent in that shift/reformation, a few new ancillary entities emerged on the fanside. One of these new players was the Holy Land of Hoops (HLOH). The Holy Land emerged as the leader in Big East boards. Not replacing the landscape of individual university sites, but became the hub of Big East conversations – a nexxus point for all things Big East!

Something different grew here…Not only was HLOH a nexxus point, but became a growth hub as well. Things grew here –

  • Intra-conference communications
  • Comraderie
  • Friendships, and a
  • Cohesion – a ‘pulling together’ of conference foes…as One. The birthplace of the “Big East vs the rest of ’em” – the birthplace of Big East Solidarity!

This Big East solidarity – is a synergy which has never occurred before amongst conference foes, not to the levels exhibited by the current Big East conference members. The disparate group of schools, groups, fans – foes, enemies, combatants, rivals during the conference slate – openly, cheerfully, and stubbornly rooting for each other in the early season non-conference slate, and especially during the postseason (NCAA/NIT/others) tournaments.

This is unheard of, this is sacrilege! This is verboten behavior by conference foes! Generally the hatred, the venom, & the historic rivalries smother any attempts at conference solidarity, except in collective money matters (media rights, signage rights, 3rd party marketing schemes, other conference income streams).

The HLOH, together with the ‘new’ Big East marked a synchronous point in modern college hoops. An entire conference emerging in an “us against the world” mentality. Collectively, they marked a new era, a seminal moment in collegiate sports history, one that is enduring, and still unfolding 13 years later.

The Big East schools exemplify a cohesion, a belief, that everyone – wants, is hoping – for them to fail! Back in the early years of the reformation – that was highly evident, as readily and often expressed & verified by the media coverages and op-ed opinion pieces. Although that notion may be less evident today, the Big East has gone on to produce national champions in several sports, and 4 of the last 9 NCAA Basketball Champions. Winning matters.

Remarkably, the solidarity within the Big East endures, it has grown over time. Nothing shuts up one’s critics better than success, and the Big East’s critics have had to eat a whole bunch of crow these last 13 years! The Holy Land of Hoops site was a central, germinal, and collective hub for the conference fanbases to meet & greet, to talk shit, to jibe one another, and to coalesce as one when needed! HLOH supported other conference sites & players efforts (videos, season previews, discussions, etc.). HLOH was the port-o-call in the tempest, the safe harbor when the entirety of collegiate sports appeared set against us.

It’s been 2 years since the HLOH closed shop…and it is sorely missed! Miss you, baby… Will BE Energy, Barroom BE, or other entity step up to fill this void?

All Hail the Holy Land of Hoops! The Vatican of Big East message boards!

Jim Harvey a.k.a. @gtmoblue

Shoutout to all the former HLOH minions…and my buds in Radnor. PA! Missin’ YOU too!