DG140

I do not like to keep falling back on the old excuse of "better late than never;" but sadly, that's the way things are in the House of Dread. I simply do not have the time to do everything I'd like to do in this blog, and the things that I do do are hardly ever done in a timely fashion. All I can do is say I'm sorry and hope that you please bear with me.
The calendar says summer is about to begin, but in the HOD it's basketball season. So let's take a look at some photos from the recently completed 2012-13 College Basketball season (which I will still refer to as this season), starting with the month of November here in dread gallery #140.
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FOR OPENERS .....

1. William & Mary sophomore G Marcus Thornton prepares to launch a jump shot over Hampton C Emmanuel Okoroba on Nov. 9. Thornton, whose 18.8 PPG scoring average was tops among Division 1 players with dreads (and 31st among all players), had 24 points along with 4 rebounds on opening night in W&M's 69-51 home victory.

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2. UNC-Wilmington senior F Keith Rendleman goes to the floor while battling for a loose ball against UNC-Asheville G Marcus Neely on Nov. 11 at Wilmington. Rendleman, whose 10.5 RPG rebounding average led D-1 players with dreads, had 9 rebounds on opening night, along with 14 points, 4 steals, and 5 fouls in 27 minutes as UNCW beat UNCA 67-59. 
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3. Senior G Sherwood Brown of FGCU defends as G Troy Daniels looks to pass on Nov. 9 at Richmond. Brown, who led D-1 players with dreads in total points this season with 574, scored 16 in the opener and added 4 rebounds; but Dunk City got off to a humbling beginning with an 80-57 loss to VCU. 
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4. FAU freshman G Stefan Moody and teammate G Greg Gantt battle for the ball against G Marcus Paige of North Carolina during 1st half on Nov. 11 at Chapel Hill.
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5. With a 40+-inch vertical leap, 5-foot-9 Stefan Moody puts the jump in jump shot, as demonstrated on this attempt against the Tar Heels. Moody, who was NOT the leading scoring among freshman with dreads in D-1 (as I thought when I did my dread news report three weeks ago), had 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 6 turnovers as FAU lost their opener to UNC 80-56.
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6. Sophomore G Kenneth Smith, one of 3 players with dreads for Louisiana Tech this season, tries to catch up to Texas A&M G J'Mychal Reese on opening night at College Station. Smith scored only 2 points, but added 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals in the Bulldogs' 71-59 loss to A&M.
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7. 6-8 senior C Jon Nwannunu has to crouch as he plays defense against 5-10 G Rhett Harrelson of Western Carolina during 1st half of UNC-Asheville's home opener on Nov. 9. Nwannunu started but played only 18 minutes, finishing with 4 points and 3 rebounds as the Bulldogs defeated WCU 71-61.
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8. Sophomore G Rod Hall joins the block party Clemson held in the season opener on Nov. 12, knocking a shot by Presbyterian G Khalid Mutakabbir out of bounds with 7:48 remaining in 1st half and Clemson leading 25-7, one of the Tigers' 10 blocks on the evening. It was the 1st career blocked shot by Hall, who also had 6 points and 5 assists in 23 minutes in an easy 77-44 home victory.
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9. 6-5 junior F James Thomas attempts to shoot against Arkansas F Marshawn Powell during 1st half on Nov. 9 in his debut in a Sam Houston State uniform after transferring from junior college. It was a strong debut for Thomas, who had 14 points and 8 rebounds, but the Bearkats lost to the Razorbacks 73-68.
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10. Another JC transfer, 6-7 F Hunter Harris, throws a pass to F Kinard Gadsden-Gilliard in his first game for East Tennessee State, as Virginia Tech F Jarell Eddie defends on Nov. 10. Harris had 4 points and 6 rebounds in 18 minutes as the Buccaneers lost to VT 80-62. 
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11. Unbanded and unrestrained, the dreads of freshman G Russell Wilson fly all over the place as he makes his debut in a Samford uniform on Nov. 9, here trying to keep up with Austin Peay G Herdie Lawrence. Wilson had a typical freshman debut with 2 assists, 3 rebounds, 4 points, and 5 fouls in 15 minutes in a 75-64 road loss to APSU.
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12. One of the newcomers with dreads that I didn't know about when I did my First Look post back in January, Radford F Juwan Wells gets faked off his feet while defending F Arnaud William Adala Moto on Nov. 9 at Wake Forest. Wells, a 6-6, 190-pound freshman, had 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals in 14 minutes in his debut as the Highlanders lost 79-67.
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13. 6-9 freshman F Jalen Robinson gets the starting nod on opening night at Dayton on Nov. 10, as the Flyers take on Arkansas State.
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14. Jalen Robinson goes up for an easy shot between F Kendrick Washington and G Ed Townsell. Robinson hit 3 for 7 from the field, finishing with 7 points and 2 rebounds in 16 minutes in his debut ..... It's difficult to see Washington's dreads in this shot .....
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15. ..... Here's a better look at them, as he and G Cameron Golden defend a shot by G Kevin Dillard. Washington, a 6-7, 274-pounder, who redshirted last season after a transfer from Houston, led the team with 15 points and 9 rebounds in 37 minutes in his debut for ASU - numbers that held up as his season highs in all three categories - but the Red Wolves lost to Dayton 74-61.
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16. Two players with dreads made their debut for Lamar at the Little Apple on Nov. 12. Freshman G Donnell Minton's dreads flow freely as he drives against G Angel Rodriguez of Kansas State. Minton, listed at 6-0, 145 pounds, had 2 points and 5 assists in 14 minutes in his first game.
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17. And here's F Amos Wilson, a JC transfer, losing the battle for this rebound to freshman F D.J. Johnson during 1st half. Wilson finished with 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers in 23 minutes in his first game for the Cardinals. Johnson, 6-8 and 250 pounds, who made his debut three nights earlier with 4 points and 9 rebounds against North Dakota, had 5 points and 8 rebounds against Lamar in Kansas State's 79-55 victory.
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18. Bucknell G Bryson Johnson, who had been growing his hair throughout last season, converted it to thicker (than normal) dreads, which made their debut in the Bison's season opener at Purdue on Nov. 9. A 6-2 senior, Johnson here gets fouled far away from the basket by G Raphael Davis with 12:22 remaining in 2nd half. It was Purdue's 7th team foul already, and Johnson made both FT to tie the game at 43. Bryson finished with 14 points and 3 assists in the 70-65 road win, the first of 5 wins in a row to start the season for the Bison.
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19. Junior G Bryant Allen begins the season with his super long dreads reduced - much to my chagrin - as he drives to the basket against UCSB on Nov. 12 at Normal, IL. Allen had 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals as ISU won their opener 100-72. 
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20. By the end of the season, Morehead State senior G Devon Atkinson made my Dread all-America team; but on opening night his sick dreads were reduced, as he defends LIU-Brooklyn G C.J. Garner on Nov. 9 at Barclays Center. Atkinson finished with 13 points and 4 assists, and Morehead State won 77-74 when Garner missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
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Yes, of course, there was some action from the rest of the month too.
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21. Devon Atkinson, still with reduced dreads on Nov. 21, tries to get a shot over star freshman F Nerlens Noel during an 81-70 loss at Kentucky. Later in the game .....
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22. ..... "But coach, if you don't like reduced dreads, you should have told me earlier. I can unbraid them." ..... No, I don't think that his dreads had anything to do with this ugly confrontation that Atkinson had with Coach Woods with 5:51 remaining in the game. If you're one of the few people who haven't seen it, here's the link to the video (and be sure to read the text that goes with it for some more info):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EMbZB37ctI ...... Well, one lesson to be learned is that you never talk back at the coach, especially a coach in as highly an agitated state of mind as Woods was. But I feel for Devon. He was probably thinking, "I didn't sign up for this." He wasn't recruited by Woods, who only became coach after Coach Tyndall left for Southern Mississippi after last season. But there were no hard feelings. Atkinson was still in the starting lineup the next game and in all 33 games this season for the Eagles.
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23. More reduced dreads here, and it's a shame too because Alabama State senior G Anthony Price would have been on my Dread all-America team if he had let his dreads hang loose this season. Price is defended here by Florida G Braxton Ogbueze during the Gators' 84-35 romp on Nov. 11 (it was 47-9 at halftime). Price had assists on 5 of the Hornets' 12 FG in the game. Anthony played at least 10 minutes in all of ASU's first 5 games of the season but then hardly at all the rest of the season. I don't know if he was injured or not. For the season he averaged 1.4 PPG and 2.1 APG in 8 games. He had 17 assists and 4 turnovers this season compared to 9 assists and 17 turnovers in 2011-12. ASU finished with a 10-22 record.
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OK, I promise, no more reduced dreads.
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24. Another team from the SWAC wearing the black and gold, Grambling, had 2 players with dreads on the roster this season. Here 6-4 sophomore F Roman Higgins defends as F Matt Kamieniecki looks to shoot for Ball State on Nov. 11 at Muncie, IN. Higgins had 3 rebounds, 4 points, and 5 fouls in 18 minutes.
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25. And here senior G Derron Hobbs, who made my Dread all-America team, tries not to lose the ball as F Chris Bond tries to knock it away from him. Hobbs had 4 turnovers in the game (this might have been one of them) along with 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists in GSU's 78-51 loss.
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26. G Daylen Robinson tries to get off a shot against Derron Hobbs during Texas Tech's 91-56 home win over Grambling on Nov. 20. Hobbs, back in action after redshirting last season, had 3 points and 4 assists, but also 6 turnovers in the game as the Tigers fell to 0-5.
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No doubt the most glaring omission from my dread news report was my failure to report on the 2 players with dreads for the High Point Panthers. But hey, I didn't even know about them until after I did the report.

27. Handling the ball against ASU G Tab Hamilton is junior G Dejuan McGaughy, a JC transfer. And in the background is freshman F John Brown with the beginner dreads. McGaughy, who played in all 31 games for the Panthers (starting 19) had 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals; and Brown contributed 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots as HPU improved to 2-0, picking up their 1st road win of the season in an 86-64 romp over Appalachian State on Nov. 13.
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28. Must be some sort of new defensive strategy I'm not familiar with: trying to block the shot with your back to the shooter. John Brown had 34 blocked shots this season, but I doubt this was one of them, as Western Michigan F Darius Paul goes to the basket during 1st half on Nov. 29. Brown had 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals, but the Panthers lost a tough one 54-53 to finish the month at 3-3.
Earlier I mentioned that Stefan Moody wasn't the leading scorer among freshmen with dreads. That's because Brown was. Brown was also named freshman of the year in the Big South Conference and would have been on my all-America with dreads team had I known about him three weeks ago. But he was no ordinary freshman. He turned 21 years old during January after having redshirted last season and going to a prep school the year before that.
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29. Keith Rendleman slams home one of his two dunks against Wofford on Nov. 24. Rendleman scored a game high 16 points (on 7 of 12 FG shooting) in 27 minutes as UNC-Wilmington snapped a 3-game losing streak with a 49-37 home win.
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30. Sophomore F Angelo Chol slams in his 2nd dunk of the game for Arizona in front of UTEP C Hooper Vint late in 2nd half on Nov. 15 at Tucson. Chol had 6 points and 2 rebounds in the Wildcats' 72-51 win.
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31. In Arizona's next game on Nov. 19 Angelo Chol pursues a loose ball at the expense of Long Beach State F James Ennis. Chol played 17 minutes (one of his highest totals of the season), finishing with 2 points and 4 rebounds in Arizona's 94-72 win. Next season look for Ennis in the NBA (he's a possible 1st round draft pick), and look for Chol no longer in an Arizona uniform (he transferred).
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32. You can almost count the exact number of dreads that Montana State freshman G Marcus Colbert has here as he tries to poke the ball away from Pepperdine G Caleb Willis on Nov. 29. Colbert finished the game with 6 points, and MSU finished November with a 1-4 record with the 76-66 home loss to Pepperdine.
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33. Junior G Justin Childs of Tennessee-Martin tries to drive past G JaQuon Parker during 1st half on Nov. 11 at Cincinnati. Childs, a JC transfer, scored 10 points (the first of 10 times he scored in double figures this season) and had 3 steals, but the Skyhawks trailed by 26 at halftime in their 80-57 loss to UC.
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34. It wasn't often that Justin Childs didn't have the best hair on the court, but one of the occasions came on Nov. 14, as he drives past the sick dreads of Fontbonne senior G Yada Demisse. After starting out 0-2 on the road, UTM wanted to assure a victory in their home opener, so they scheduled a Division 3 team. Demisse outscored Childs 5-4 in the game, but Childs also added 6 rebounds and a season high 8 assists as the Skyhawks won 84-58. 
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35. Earlier we saw Kenneth Smith, now here are Louisiana Tech's other two players with dreads in action, as junior forwards Cordarius Johnson (#15) and Chris Anderson (#5) try to defend a shot by UT-Chattanooga F Drazen Zlovaric on Nov. 20. Johnson played a season high 34 minutes but scored only 7 points (on 2 for 10 FG shooting), while Anderson hit his only shot for 2 points in 8 minutes as the Bulldogs came away with a 71-63 road victory to improve to 4-1.
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36. Morgan State senior F DeWayne Jackson defends a shot by South Carolina G LaShay Page on Nov. 16 at Columbia. Jackson had 11 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 8 turnovers (yikes!) in an 87-71 loss to the Gamecocks.
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37. A teammate reaches to help up DeWayne Jackson, but he's not ready to get up yet after hitting the floor right in front of the camerman on Nov. 16. Jackson was OK. He played 37 minutes in the game at South Carolina and played in all 32 games for the Bears this season. Jackson made my 2013 all-America with dreads team and would have been on my Dread all-America team too had he not been on the court with his dreads reduced so often. This was one of the few games I saw pictures from where he didn't have his dreads reduced.
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38. Jon Nwannunu is rejected at the rim by North Carolina State F C.J. Leslie at the 14:13 mark of 1st half at Raleigh on Nov. 23. Nwannunu finished the game 10 points (on 5 of 8 FG shooting) and 4 turnovers before fouling out. UNC-Asheville led for most of the 2nd half, but the Bulldogs fell short in their bid for an upset, dropping to 1-4 with an 82-80 loss to the Wolfpack.
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39. After being drubbed in their season opener, it was a much happier time for Sherwood Brown and the FGCU Eagles in their home opener on Nov. 13. Brown celebrates with the record crowd of 4,552 after FGCU upset the Miami Hurricanes 63-51. Brown had 14 points and 7 rebounds in the game as the Eagles, after trailing 15-5, finished the 1st half on a 27-10 run and went on to win.
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40. Sherwood Brown is called for an offensive foul as Duke G Rasheed Sulaimon takes the fall with 4:58 remaining in 1st half on Nov. 18. It was one of Brown's 3 turnovers in the game.
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41. It looks like the Cameron Crazies want to touch Sherwood's dreads, but they actually act like this whenever any player from the opposing team inbounds the ball. Brown finished with 14 points (on just 4 of 13 from the field), 6 rebounds, and 3 assists; but FGCU fell to 0-2 on the road with an 88-67 loss to Duke.
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42. Marcus Thornton takes it to the basket past Miami (Ohio) C Vince Legarza on Nov. 21. Despite Thornton's 15 points, William & Mary lost for the first time, after starting 3-0, losing to the RedHawks 72-59.
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43. Marcus Thornton fires a jump shot over G Cedrick Lindsay on Nov. 28 at Richmond. Marcus tied his season high with 21 FG attempts in the game.
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44. Marcus Thornton looks like a running back breaking a tackle as he drives to the basket against Richmond. Thornton led all scorers with 22 points, but W&M dropped a tough one to the Spiders 86-78 in double OT and finished the month at 3-3.
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45. Junior G Jordair Jett is called for an offensive foul as F Kevin Young of Kansas goes down with 18:54 to go in 2nd half at Kansas City on Nov. 20. It was Jett's 3rd foul of the game, and he sat out the rest of the game to rest after suffering a groin strain in 1st half. Jordair went scoreless in a season low 9 minutes as Saint Louis dropped to 2-2 with a 73-59 loss to KU.
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46. Sophomore F David Rivers of Nebraska defends as G Randal Holt goes up for a shot for Kent State on Nov. 24 at Lincoln.
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47. David Rivers uses those long arms of his to reject a shot by G Kris Brewer early in 2nd half on Nov. 24, one of 2 blocks he had in the game. David also had 6 points (on 1 of 6 FG shooting) and 2 rebounds in 23 minutes, but Nebraska lost for the first time after a 4-0 start, falling to Kent State 74-60.
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48. What we like the most about David Rivers - and wish a lot of other players would do - is that he bands his dreads close to his head, allowing a large portion of his dreads to flow freely. Here on Nov. 27 Wake Forest G Madison Jones goes to the basket between Rivers and C Andre Almeida during 1st half. Rivers was called for a foul on the play. David played 32 minutes and had 7 rebounds, which at that point of the season were career highs, and scored 5 points as Nebraska avenged last season's home defeat to Wake Forest with a 79-63 road win over the Demon Deacons.
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49. And speaking of dreads flowing freely, freshman G Donnell Minton of Lamar didn't band his at all this season, which is why I included him on my Dread all-America team. Here Donnell defends as F Raeford Worsham drives to the basket during Arkansas State's 93-53 romp over Lamar on Nov. 25. Sorry, but I couldn't find this photo any larger than this.
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50. Donnell Minton fouls Alabama G Retin Obasohan to prevent an easy basket midway through 1st half and with Lamar surprisingly leading by 3 on Nov. 27 at Tuscaloosa. Minton finished with 2 assists, 3 rebounds, 4 points, and 5 turnovers as the Cardinals lost to the Crimson Tide 75-47 to finish November at 1-6.
I would like to have had more photos from this game, but Amos Wilson didn't play for Lamar, and Alabama G Levi Randolph had his dreads reduced.
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51. Another game featuring a player with dreads on both teams came on Nov. 16, when Clemson made the 35-mile trip east to take on their old (very old) rival Furman for the 149th time (and the first time at Furman in 20 years) ...... G Adonis Filer is fouled by senior G Bobby Austin on his way to the basket with 4:02 remaining in 1st half. The 3-point play by Filer increased Clemson's lead to 35-16. 
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52. Clemson G Rod Hall tries to prevent F Bryant Irwin from passing the ball to F Colin Reddick.
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53. C Landry Nnoko has this shot blocked before the ball even leaves the hand of Bobby Austin midway through 2nd half. Furman kept possession after the ball went out of bounds.
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54. Bobby Austin and Colin Reddick defend Rod Hall on a drive to the basket. Hall finished with 9 points (4-6 FG) and 6 assists in 28 minutes. Austin didn't do as well with 6 points (1-5 FG) and 2 assists in 32 minutes. Clemson defeated Furman for the 29th straight time, 72-55.
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55. It looks like freshman G Ronnie Johnson of Purdue must have gotten a bit too close while playing defense against Rod Hall on Nov. 28 and ends up having a close encounter with Rod's elbow. Hall shot better from the field (3-6) than the FT line (3-7) and finished with 9 points as Clemson, playing at home for the first time since opening night, lost to Purdue 73-61 to finish the month at 4-2.
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56. A couple of 270-pounders clash on Nov. 24 at Baton Rouge as Mississippi Valley State 7-0 junior C Montreal Holley, a JC transfer, fouls LSU F (and ex-dread) Johnny O'Bryant in the act of shooting with 3:26 remaining in 1st half. O'Bryant hit 1 of 2 free throws after the foul to give LSU a 27-18 lead. Holley had 0 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals, and 2 fouls in 9 minutes as LSU won easily 75-50.
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57. Fans attending Mississippi Valley State games in November may have had a bit of a hard time seeing Montreal Holley's dreads, but no way could they not notice these dreads, falling halfway down the back of freshman G Cameron Dobbs. Here on Nov. 15 Dobbs applies pressure as Northwestern G Reggie Hearn looks to pass the ball during 2nd half. Dobbs, a no-brainer selection for my Dread all-America team, had 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 blocked shot but no points in 10 minutes (the first of 6 scoreless games he had this season) as the Delta Devils fell to 0-3 with an 81-68 road loss to Northwestern. MVSU finished 0-4 in November. 
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58. Another Dread all-American, Tennessee State senior G Tashan Fredrick gets clobbered by Minnesota F Trevor Mbakwe as he tries to shoot a layup with 11:03 to play in 1st half at Minneapolis on Nov. 15. Fredrick made 1 of the 2 ensuing free throws to pull TSU within 18-7. For the game Tashan had 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals in 22 minutes as the Tigers got drubbed by the Gophers 72-43.
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59. Like Fredrick and Dobbs in the previous two photos, Wright State 6-9 sophomore F Tavares Sledge also made the starting five on my Dread all-America team. Here on Nov. 24 at Salt Lake City Sledge prevents Utah from adding to their 15-point lead by fouling C Dallin Bachynski with 4:02 remaining in 2nd half. But only for a moment, because Bachynski made both free throws. Sledge had 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 fouls in 19 minutes as the Raiders finished the month at 4-2 after losing to Utah 66-54.
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There were 4 players with dreads in uniform for Louisiana Tech's home opener on Nov. 14 - the three for the Bulldogs ......

60. ..... and also 6-1 freshman G Josh Hagins, playing his 1st road game for UALR. Here Hagins and G Kemy Osse try to steal the ball from Tech G Brandon Gibson.
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61. All eyes are on F Cordarius Johnson as he shoots a layup. Johnson hit 7 of 11 shots from the field in the game.
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62. Sophomore G Kenneth Smith had 6 steals in the game. This looks like it might be one of them, as he controls the ball behind F Michael Javes. Smith also had 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists for the Bulldogs.
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63. Josh Hagins is unsuccessful in stealing the ball as Cordarius Johnson drives to the basket between him and F Taggart Lockhart. Hagins finished with 4 points (1-7 FG), 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in 23 minutes. Johnson was the game's high scorer with 17 points despite playing only 21 minutes. Sorry, but there are no photos of F Chris Anderson, because he played only 1 minute all night.
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64. The photographer must be a fan of free-flowing dreads because he took eight shots of this sequence as Kenneth Smith dribbles upcourt against Josh Hagins early in 2nd half of Louisiana Tech's 70-52 victory. Actually this whole photo gallery on flickr.com was a dread gallery by itself. In addition to the 8 photos of Hagins guarding Smith, there are 49 other photos with Smith, Hagins, and Johnson in them. So if you want to see more, please click on the link below and enjoy.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/louisiana_tech/sets/72157632015705723/