DG145

Dread gallery #145, our final look at the 2012-13 season in College Basketball, covers the final two weeks of March - featuring players on teams good enough to be invited to one of the four postseason tournaments. And there will be a few special extras as well.
.
.
After a disastrous 3-game losing streak at just the wrong time ruined their chance to make it to the NCAA Tournament, Louisiana Tech took their 26-6 record to the NIT, where they were seeded #5 in one of the four regions.

1. Sophomore G and St. Petersburg, FL, native Kenneth Smith defends against G Michael Snaer as Louisiana Tech takes on #4 seed Florida State in an NIT 1st-round game on Mar. 19 at Tallahassee.

.
.

2. G Devon Bookert tries a shot - and misses - against Kenneth Smith. I know he missed because his only made FG was a 3-pointer, and with defenders both in front and back of him, this is not a 3-point attempt. Bookert had a tough night, committing 5 turnovers in 16 minutes. Smith outdid him, committing 6 turnovers, but also had 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in 33 minutes.
.
.

3. G Montay Brandon dunks between forwards Chris Anderson and Michale Kyser, tying the game at 58 with 4:57 to play. Anderson had a productive 21 minutes, finishing with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals. The Bulldogs outscored the Seminoles 9-4 in the final 2:50 to win the first meeting ever between the teams, 71-66, and make sure they would not end the season with 4 straight losses.
.
.

4. Junior F Cordarius Johnson looks like he's punting the ball while he and Michale Kyser battle against G Deon Edwin (#15) and F Jonathan Mills of Southern Mississippi for a rebound during 1st half of a 2nd-round game in the NIT on Mar. 25 at Hattiesburg, MS.
.
.

5. F Dwayne Davis tries to drive through a double team by Cordarius Johnson and G Raheem Appleby during 2nd half. Johnson played a season low 8 minutes, finishing with 0 points, 1 turnover, and 2 fouls.
.
.

6. Junior F Chris Anderson is called for a foul as he tries to guard G Neil Watson in the open floor with 3:19 remaining in the game and the Bulldogs trailing 61-48. Anderson had another good game, with 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot in 18 minutes. But Southern Miss avenged a 10-point road loss to the Bulldogs back in December with a 63-52 home victory, ending Louisiana Tech's season at 27-7.
When these teams meet next season, it will be a conference game, as Louisiana Tech is joining USM in CUSA. And with Memphis no longer in the league, they'll both likely be serious contenders for the title. Anderson, Johnson, and Smith will all be back; so if they all keep their dreads, Louisiana Tech games will once again be the best place to see dreads in Division 1 in 2014.
CORDARIUS JOHNSON (2012-13): 34 games (32 starts), 21 MPG, 7.9 PPG, 39.4 FG%, 3.1 RPG, 1.3 SPG
CHRIS ANDERSON (2012-13): 33 games (10 starts), 15 MPG, 4.6 PPG, 44.8 FG%, 3.6 RPG
.
.
Alabama came even closer than Louisiana Tech to making it to the NCAA Tournament, barely missing out on being selected to the field of 68. As a result, the Crimson Tide were picked as a #1 seed in their region of the NIT.

7. Sophomore G Levi Randolph plays defense against G David Walker as Alabama hosts Northeastern in a 1st-round game at Tuscaloosa on Mar. 19.
.
.

8. Levi Randolph dunks to give the Tide a 12-point lead with 14:37 remaining in 2nd half .....
.
.

9. ..... and on Alabama's very next possession Levi dunks again, past David Walker, to make the score 41-27, forcing Northeastern to call a timeout. Randolph hit 6 of 9 shots from the field and led the Tide with 15 points. Alabama jumped out to a 24-9 lead, only to have Northeastern pull within 28-27 after their first two possessions of the 2nd half. But then the Tide put the Huskies away with a 22-0 run over the next 8 minutes and advanced to round 2 with a 62-43 victory.
.
.

10. Levi Randolph goes to the basket against Stanford F Josh Huestis at Tuscaloosa on Mar. 23. Randolph led all scorers with 16 points and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals. After Stanford hit a 3-pointer on their first possession of the game, the Tide went on an 8-0 run and went on to lead for the rest of the game, advancing to round 3 with a 66-54 victory.
.
.

11. Levi Randolph puts up a shot in the lane against F Dez Wells (#32) and C Alex Len of Maryland in an NIT quarterfinal game on Mar. 26. Levi made 5 of 11 shots from the field. 
.
.

12. This was one of the 6 shots that Levi Randolph missed, as his attempt is blocked by Alex Len - one of 5 blocked shots the 7-foot-1 Len had in the game - midway through 1st half .....
.
.

13. ..... Len can't block this one though, as Randolph's 2-handed slam pulls Alabama within 51-49 with 4:29 to play. Unfortunately Maryland hit 3-pointers on their next two possessions to increase their lead to 57-49 with 3:40 remaining. The Tide then finished the game on an 8-1 run but came up just short, losing at home to the Terrapins 58-57 and finishing with a 23-13 record. Randolph once again led Alabama in scoring with 15 points, and it was the first time in his career he scored in double figures in three consecutive games. Hopefully Levi can carry this strong finish over to next season, and hopefully it will be a season that ends in the NCAA Tournament instead of the NIT.
.
.

14. Eastern Kentucky G Corey Walden covers up as he braces himself for contact on a drive to the basket by Gardner-Webb senior G Tashan Newsome during a 1st-round game in the CIT on Mar. 19.
.
.

15. Tashan Newsome goes to the basket again, this time attempting a shot against G Glenn Cosey. Newsome made 6 of 13 FG attempts and finished with 15 points, 2 assists, and 4 turnovers. But it was his final game in a G-W uniform because the Runnin' Bulldogs lost at home to EKU 69-62 to finish the season at 21-13.
TASHAN NEWSOME (2012-13) (I'm including his stats for the whole season even though he had dreads for only the final 7 games of the season): 30 games (25 starts), 28 MPG, 14.1 PPG, 43.2 FG%, 5.1 RPG, 2.6 APG
.
.

16. High Point junior G Dejuan McGaughy fights through a screen set by C John Ryan of UC-Irvine as he tries to stay with G Derick Flowers during 1st half of a CIT 1st-round game on Mar. 20. The CIT matches up 1st-round games geographically, but somehow High Point had to travel all the way out to California for their game. McGaughy had 6 points (2-9 FG), 3 steals, 3 assists, and 3 turnovers as the Panthers lost to UC-Irvine to finish with a 17-14 record. It was a very disappointing end to the season for HPU. The Panthers were in 1st place in the Big South and appeared to be headed for the NCAA Tournament - until star freshman F John Brown injured his foot on Feb. 27. They lost 3 of their last 4 games after his injury. With this kind of finish, the Panthers will have some unfinished business to take care of next season. So get your tickets now; High Point basketball is going to be a blast in 2014.
DEJUAN McGAUGHY (2012-13): 31 games (19 starts), 23 MPG, 6.9 PPG, 41.4 FG%, 1.6 RPG, 2.5 APG
.
.
REDSHIRTS

17. There were players with dreads on four teams in the OVC this season, and it would have been five if Taraes Clemmons had played. This is the photo from the Jacksonville State website of the 6-6 junior forward; and reading his bio, it sounded like he was going to be a key contributor for the Gamecocks after a transfer from junior college. But he didn't play at all this season. I don't know if he was injured, or if he had academic trouble, or what; but I couldn't find anything anywhere that explained his absence from the team. The JSU website never removed his name from the team's roster, so I'm assuming he's still on the team. I guess we'll find out next season.
.
.

18. After transferring from Texas Tech to Nebraska, all sophomore F Terran Petteway could do was be a cheerleader because (by rule) he had to sit out this season. With him and David Rivers on the floor together next season, there's going to be some seriously sick dreads at NU games the next couple of years. And by the way, the player growing his hair next to Petteway in the photo (and also redshirting) is junior G Deverell Biggs; so maybe (hopefully) the Cornhuskers will have three players with dreads in 2014.
.
.

19. Junior G Dwight Smith, shown here in practice on Oct. 12, mostly a key reserve in his first two seasons for Colorado State, did not play this season for the Rams - by coach's decision. With an abundance of depth on the roster, new Coach Eustachy decided to save Smith for next season rather than have him not playing much this year. Unfortunately it meant Dwight was unable to be on the floor with his older brother Greg (#44 in background) for Greg's senior season. Details from the Rocky Mountain Collegian (link below, and wait a few of seconds for it to load).
http://www.collegian.com/2013/03/13/dwight-smith-and-greg-smith-help-csu-basketball-in-different-ways/
.
.
The following is a list of players with dreads who did not appear in any dread galleries this season - because I couldn't find any photos of them. They either didn't play, or they hardly played. In fact, other than Brandon Bolden, I can't confirm if any of them actually still have dreads. I'm just going by their pictures on their teams' websites. Stats listed aren't averages, they're the actual totals for the entire season.

• Brandon Bolden - Georgetown freshman C - 4 games, 5 minutes, 0-1 FG, 0 points - is transferring to Kansas State, where he'll sit out next season
• Steven Davis - Wright State freshman F - redshirted in 2012-13
• Terrance Linton - South Carolina State freshman G - 10 games, 42 minutes, 4 points (1-10 FG), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 5 turnovers - I'm expecting those numbers to greatly improve in the future
• Sidki Muwallif - Troy freshman F - 5 games, 10 minutes, 0-1 FG, 0 points, 1 assist
• Aron Nwankwo - Pittsburgh junior F - redshirted in 2012-13
• Bryan "Freddie" Scott - Delaware State sophomore C - 1 game, 1 steal, 1 turnover

.
.
Now let's take a look at a couple of players who appeared in dread galleries from previous seasons but who were not on Division 1 rosters in 2012-13.
.

20. Junior Paul Larsen, 6-6 F for USC-Aiken, puts up a shot against G Devonte Thomas during 1st half of a 56-50 victory over rival Augusta State on Feb. 27. Larsen found a great deal of success in his first season in Division 2 after two seasons in Division 1 at Mercer. He had 13 double-doubles and was a 2nd team all-Peach Belt Conference selection, and USC-Aiken finished with a 25-8 record.
PAUL LARSEN (2012-13): 33 games (33 starts), 27.5 MPG, 12.9 PPG, 58.7 FG%, 9.0 RPG
.
.

21. Junior Lonnie Boga, 6-3 G for Drury, attempts and misses a short jumper against the defense of Paul Larsen and another USC-Aiken player during 1st half of a quarterfinal game in the Division 2 NCAA Tournament on Mar. 28 at Louisville. Larsen had 7 points and 15 rebounds in his final game of the season. Boga had only 2 points and 4 rebounds, but Drury advanced with an 84-75 victory. 
.
.

22. Lonnie Boga takes it to the basket against Metro State G Derrick January during the D-2 national championship game on Apr. 7 at Atlanta. Lonnie had a good game, finishing with 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in 14 minutes. Drury trailed almost the entire game - by as many as 17 points in 1st half - but caught up and finally took the lead on 2 free throws with :23 on the clock and held on to defeat Metro State 74-73 for the school's first national championship. Boga was a 'key role player' (those are the exact words in his bio on the team's website) in the Panthers' 31-4 season in his first season after transferring from UW-Milwaukee.
LONNIE BOGA (2012-13): 26 games (1 start), 14 MPG, 4.5 PPG, 45.6 FG%, 2.0 RPG, 1.4 APG
.
.

23. Instead of going to Little Rock, you had to find your way to Trinidad, CO (about 200 miles south of Denver) to see the sick dreads of freshman G Tre'von Wilkerson this season. After redshirting at UALR last season, the 5-7, 150-pound Wilkerson played this season in junior college for Trinidad State, here defending against Deshon Portley during a 115-114 triple-overtime victory over Laramie County on Dec. 4, a game in which Tre'von had 13 points and 10 assists. Hopefully we'll see these dreads back in Division 1 someday, but Wilkerson still has another season to go at TSJC, trying to improve on this season's 14-15 record.
TRE'VON WILKERSON (2012-13): 27 games (25 starts), 19 MPG, 9.6 PPG, 50.0 FG%, 2.7 RPG, 4.6 APG
.
.

24. In photo 34 of DG140, we didn't really get a good look at just how awesome the dreads of Yada Demisse are; but here we do, as the 6-2 junior G for Division 3 team Fontbonne defends against G Dee Oldham of Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 14. These probably are the best I've seen all season (on a basketball court, that is). Unfortunately the quality of Yada's play didn't quite reach the same level as the quality of his dreads. He was a part-time player on a team that finished 8-17.
YADA DEMISSE (2012-13): 24 games (15 starts), 16 MPG, 3.9 PPG, 36.3 FG%, 1.7 RPG, 1.0 APG
.
.

25. 6-7 senior F Kwame Alexander of Cal State-San Bernardino dunks against G Cameron Severson (right) and F Anye Turner with 6:33 remaining in 1st half, cutting Western Washington's lead to 27-26 during a regional semifinal game in the NCAA D-2 tournament on Mar. 18.
.
.

26. One more time - and one final time in a CSUSB uniform - Kwame Alexander dunks in front of F Paul Jones in the final seconds of CSUSB's season-ending 86-77 loss to Western Washington. It was the last points and the last of many dunks for Alexander in his college career. The link below from the team's website lists his season and career accomplishments.
http://www.csusbathletics.com/news/2013/3/27/MBB_0327131256.aspx
Of course, Kwame is better known and more famous for his flashy slam dunks. And as you can see from the video (link below) from a few weeks ago, he's wasting no time taking advantage of that ability.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f5A5km9qu8
Yes indeed, Kwame has incredible athletic ability, especially for someone who weighs 240 pounds. Almost certainly he has a future in pro basketball; and I'm hoping that someday we'll be able to see that ability in the NBA.
.
.
SENIOR DAY/NIGHT
A look at some (not all) of this year's seniors with dreads as they were honored at the final home game of their careers.

27. 6-7 G Dijon Farr is honored along with F Djordje Stojanovic (right) and G Jalynn Mitchell on senior night at UAFS on Feb. 16 - UAFS standing for (as I'm sure you already know) University of Arkansas-Ft. Smith. After playing two seasons at junior college and then his junior year last season at Utah, Farr played this season at the D-2 school and had 19 points and 4 rebounds in 22 minutes in his final home game as UAFS whipped Oklahoma Panhandle State 92-50. The Lions finished the season with a 16-12 record.
DIJON FARR (2012-13): 28 games (14 starts), 24 MPG, 11.1 PPG, 43.6 FG%, 4.9 RPG
.
.

28. F Jon Nwannunu is honored between G Jeremy Atkinson (#15) and G Josh Seligson on senior day at UNC-Asheville on Feb. 23. Hmm ..... That looks like Atkinson's mother standing next to him, and Seligson's parents next to him, and next to Nwannunu, what, a couple of old guys? If any of you knows the story behind that, please let us know. Even stranger, this wasn't even UNCA's last home game. For some reason they held their senior day ceremony before their second to last home game. Nwannunu scored 2 points in a 71-69 loss to Jacksonville State on senior day, then had 6 points and 3 rebounds in 22 minutes on his real senior night on Feb. 27 as the Bulldogs defeated Presbyterian 74-62.  
.
.

29. Here's G Bobby Austin with his family and Coach Jackson on senior day at Furman on Mar. 2. After 6 seasons with the Paladins, Bobby is already 25 years old, so I'm thinking that's his son (not brother) standing in front of his parents. But I'm not sure. Austin played 35 minutes in his final home game, finishing with 10 points and 7 rebounds, but Furman was whipped by Charleston 74-50.
.
.

30. Carl Hall still had his dreads on senior night, but with them reduced it's hard to tell as he poses with fellow seniors Demetric Williams (#5), Malcolm Armstead (#2), and 7-0 C Ehimen Orukpe on Feb. 27 at Wichita. Hall had just 9 points and 4 rebounds in 31 minutes as the Shockers suffered a shocking 59-56 loss to Evansville.
.
.

31. I couldn't find any photos of his senior day ceremony at Central Arkansas, but I had to include Jarvis Garner. Here Garner celebrates with fans after hitting a long 3-pointer with less than a second remaining to send his final home game into overtime on Mar. 9. Jarvis hit 13 of 24 from the field and had 34 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists as the Bears upset ORU 86-84. If you click on the link below, Garner and fellow seniors Anthony Borden and Robert Crawford step in front of the camera for a few thank-yous. And stay tuned for the next video in the loop, which shows his game-tying shot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNzW9nGL5_Y&list=PLXQ2huXX0lch-_ySVxZVdawMi1NM7X4iS
Jarvis didn't have dreads until his senior season; hopefully we'll be seeing them on a pro basketball team somewhere in the years ahead.
.
.

32. Robert King the third, 6-3 F, is honored during senior day at UCF, certainly a very special moment for a walk-on player who rarely played this season. Robert played 6 minutes all season (none on senior day, because UCF was playing Memphis) and finished with 1 point (0-3 FG, 1-2 FT) and 2 rebounds. The link below is to an interesting little video about King and the Knights' other walk-ons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UcvmH9_2Wo
.
.

33. G Tashan Newsome admires the poster presented to him (left photo) on senior day at Gardner-Webb on Mar. 2 - because it's a poster of his dunk (right photo) against North Carolina in the season opener, a couple of months before he converted his hair to dreads. Newsome and F Kevin Hartley and families pose with Coach Holtmann in the middle before G-W took on Presbyterian. Newsome made 6 of 10 FG attempts and had 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists in 17 minutes in a 76-57 victory. Newsome played once more at home as Gardner-Webb hosted a game in the CIT (photos 14 and 15 above).
.
.

34. From one Tashan to another. It's G Tashan Fredrick, both with his family and Coach Williams on senior night on Mar. 2, as well as with F Robert Covington on graduation day at Tennessee State's spring commencement ceremony on May 11. Although not picked in the NBA draft, Covington recently signed a contract with the Houston Rockets. But Fredrick is going to need his degree. I'd be shocked if any pro team signs him. Tashan tried to score but didn't on senior night (0-4 FG) and finished with 1 rebound and 1 assist in an exciting 85-81 overtime victory over Eastern Kentucky.
.

35. One of the all-time greats at UNC-Wilmington, F Keith Rendleman poses with manager Casey Matthews and F Matt Wilson on Feb. 27. Despite 24 points (9-13 FG) 11 rebounds, 3 steals, and 4 blocked shots in 39 minutes by Rendleman, UNCW lost on senior night, 73-72 to William & Mary. If you want to see the entire senior night ceremony (a 3-minute video), please click on the link below and then under the picture click on the first link in the Article Audio/Video section, the one that says "MBB: Senior Night". I like how it takes forever for the public address announcer to get through all of Rendleman's career accomplishments.
http://www.uncwsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=92931&SPID=11332&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=19800&ATCLID=206553860 
I'm kind of disappointed to not be seeing Rendleman playing in the NBA Summer League games currently underway; but Keith will be playing somewhere, if not the NBA, in 2014.
.
.
And finally, on senior night at UMass .....

36. Remember that music group from the 70's, "MFSB"? Well, this is just MSB - mother, sister, and brother (no father) - with G Freddie Riley before the game against Butler on Mar. 7. I don't know how they decided, but the athletic department picked uniform #4 to put on Riley's poster. He wore #24 his first two seasons, #4 as a junior, and #23 this season. Unfortunately Freddie had one of his worst games of the season on senior night, finishing with 5 points and 1 rebound in 32 minutes as the Minutemen fell to Butler 73-62.  But as was mentioned in DG144, it was not his last appearances at Mullins Center .....
.
.

37. ..... Freddie Riley defends against the braids of G Dave Coley during 2nd half as UMass hosts Stony Brook in an NIT game on Mar. 20. Riley played well in his final game, finishing with 16 points (topping the 1,000-point mark for his career - he ended up with 1,006), 3 rebounds, and a career high 4 steals. But Stony Brook, seeded #7 and led by Coley's 20 points, went on a 17-0 run in the final 7:05 of the 1st half to take a 38-25 lead and went on to defeat 2nd seeded UMass 71-58. There was a very interesting article on Riley from the Hampshire Gazette (first link below) late in the season, which I hope you'll be able to access (you should be OK the first time you click on it, but after that you might need a subscription). Under that is a link to an interesting video on Riley that covers some (not all) of the same things in the article.

http://www.gazettenet.com/sports/umasssports/5058392-95/riley-umass-senior-game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PSg2J9GICc

Hope to see you continue your playing career somewhere in the future; but if not, good luck, Freddie, in whatever it is you decide to do.
.
.
And now, some players who made it to the Big Dance, aka the NCAA Tournament.

38. Bucknell senior G Bryson Johnson tries to make Butler F Roosevelt Jones miss this shot during 2nd half of a 2nd-round game in the NCAA Tournament at Lexington, KY, on Mar. 21.
.
.

39. Bryson Johnson drives against guards Alex Barlow and Rotnei Clarke trying to give Bucknell the lead during 2nd half. After taking Johnson's elbow to the chin, Barlow blocked Johnson's shot out of bounds with 6:10 to go. And after Johnson missed another shot with 6:04 to go, Butler went on a 10-0 run to take a commanding 53-42 lead.
.
.

40. Bryson Johnson launches a 3-pointer over Alex Barlow and Rotnei Clarke. Plagued by foul trouble, Johnson played only 24 minutes and didn't score his first points until there was 2:14 remaining in the game.
.
.

41. With Bucknell down 10 in the closing seconds, F Kameron Woods is fouled by Bryson Johnson and F Joe Willman (the foul was charged to Johnson) after Johnson missed the final shot of his career. Johnson scored 9 points in the final 2:14, but it was too little too late. After cruising to the Patriot League tournament championship with three home victories, Bucknell found Butler a much tougher obstacle and lost 68-56 to finish with a 28-6 record. In addition to hitting 39.7% from 3-point range, Johnson led the Bison in assists, made my all-America with dreads team, and made the all-Academic team (which, in the Patriot League, is impressive) in his final season in a Bucknell uniform. 
.
.

42. Junior G Jordair Jett of Saint Louis tries to keep up with New Mexico State G K.C. Ross-Miller during 1st half of a 2nd-round game at San Jose on Mar. 21.
.
.

43. Using a couple of his dreads to tie back the rest of his dreads, Jordair Jett and teammate Jake Barnett double team G Daniel Mullings during 1st half on Mar. 21.
.
.

44. Jordair Jett takes it to the basket against C Sim Bhullar and (no surprise) has his layup rejected by the 7-foot-5, 360-pounder midway through 2nd half, keeping SLU's lead at 44-34. Jett scored only 2 points but had a game high 7 assists as the Billikens never trailed in an easy 64-44 blowout of New Mexico State. 
.
.

45. Oregon G Johnathan Loyd drives to the basket between Jordair Jett and F Cory Remekun during a 3rd round game on Mar. 23. For real, I was so disappointed to see Jett with his dreads reduced that I didn't even watch the game. SLU fans probably turned the game off too. Oregon, seeded #12, outscored the Billikens 21-4 in the final 10 minutes of the 1st half to take a 35-19 lead and led by at least 10 points the entire 2nd half in a 74-57 demolition of 4th seeded Saint Louis. It was the Billikens' worst defeat of the season. Several key players return next season, including Jett, but it's going to be hard to better this season's 28-7 record. 
.
.

46. Also with his dreads reduced (but this was no surprise because they were reduced all season), here's Iona sophomore G Tavon Sledge defending as Ohio State G Aaron Kraft misses a driving layup midway through 1st half of a 2nd-round game at Dayton on Mar. 22. Tavon scored a season high 20 points and had 3 rebounds, and 2 assists but didn't get enough help from his teammates as 15th seeded Iona fell to the Buckeyes 95-70 to finish at 20-14. We can only hope that we get a better look at Sledge's dreads next season; but I don't know - he might be one of those unfortunate few who grow dreads just to keep them braided all the time.
TAVON SLEDGE (2012-13): 34 games (26 starts), 25 MPG, 6.1 PPG, 50.3 FG%, 2.9 RPG, 3.2 APG
.
.

47. F Jonah Travis (#24) and G Laurent Rivard of Harvard try to keep Arizona sophomore F Angelo Chol away from a rebound during 1st half of a 3rd-round game on Mar. 23. The Wildcats, who finished at 27-8, played 3 games in the tournament, and Chol played a total of 8 minutes - all in the 74-51 win over Harvard. Angelo finished with 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot in his final game in an Arizona uniform. With his playing time not expected to increase in the next two seasons, he has decided to transfer. And I'm very excited to report that he has transferred back home - no, not to Sudan, but to San Diego, where he moved to when he was 7 years old. Chol may not be good enough to play much for Arizona, but he'll get all the minutes he can handle at San Diego State. Hopefully he'll still have his dreads when he next takes the court in November 2014; but in the past Coach Fisher hasn't exactly been a fan of having long hair on his team. We'll see.
ANGELO CHOL (2012-13): 28 games (0 starts), 8 MPG, 1.9 PPG, 44.7 FG%, 2 RPG
. 
.

48. Freshman F Xavier Johnson of Colorado puts up a shot against Illinois F Sam McLaurin during a 2nd-round game on Mar. 22 at Austin. Johnson had a quiet finish to a very good freshman season, with 7 points and 4 rebounds in 27 minutes. After trailing by 16 at the half, the Buffaloes began the 2nd half with a 23-2 run to take a 44-39 lead, but then suddenly went cold, scoring only 5 points in the final 9 minutes of the game as Illinois came back to win 57-49. I'll list Xavier's stats for the whole season, even though he had dreads for only the last 10 games. And below that are links to two articles on Johnson that mention that while he was good as freshman, the best is yet to come in the seasons ahead.
XAVIER JOHNSON (2012-13): 33 games (18 starts), 24 MPG, 8.9 PPG, 51.5 FG%, 4.8 RPG

http://www.denverpost.com/cu/ci_22586189/cu-buffs-getting-more-production-out-freshman-xavier

http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-college-sports/ci_23228465/mens-basketball-cu-buffs-counting-xavier-johnson-help

Let's hope to see Johnson star in the NCAA Tournament in the near future. As for the undisputed dread star of this year's tournament .....
.

49. FGCU senior G Sherwood Brown takes one off the forehead while battling for the ball against Georgetown F Otto Porter during 1st half of a 2nd-round game at Philadelphia on Mar. 22. Porter recently was the 3rd player picked in the NBA draft; but he struggled in his final game for the Hoyas, finishing with 13 points (3.3 below his average) on 5 for 17 FG shooting.
.
.

50. Sherwood Brown drives to the basket against G Jabril Trawick during 2nd half. Sherwood made 6 of 13 shots in the game, including 3 for 6 from 3-point range.
.
.

51. It's all good for Sherwood Brown and FGCU near the end of the game. FGCU, seeded #15, introduced themselves to the country with a 21-2 run in a span of just 4:55 in the 2nd half - during which they had 3 dunks and hit 3 3-pointers - to take a 52-33 lead over 2nd-seeded Georgetown. The Eagles held on from there. Brown led all scorers with 24 points and added 9 rebounds as FGCU advanced with a 78-68 victory.
.
That set up a 3rd round matchup with San Diego State, a team I really like a lot. And it was kind of tough to watch, because I didn't want either team to lose. 
.
.

52. Perhaps a bit too fired up at the start of the game, Sherwood Brown bites on a pump fake by G Chase Tapley on San Diego State's opening possession 22 seconds after the opening tip on Mar. 24 ......
.
.

53. ..... and ends up crashing into Tapley and running him over to pick up the first foul of the evening.
.
.

54. A minute later Sherwood Brown reacts as only he does after scoring FGCU's first points of the game on a 3-pointer to make the score 3-2. Sherwood hit 2 of 3 from 3-point range in the game.
.
.

55. Early in 2nd half Sherwood Brown picks up his 3rd foul of the game as he is called for a blocking foul while trying to draw a charging foul against G Jamaal Franklin. Brown took a seat on the bench, but FGCU still outscored SDSU 16-13 in the 6:24 span he was out of the lineup. And when he returned with 11:30 remaining, he scored 8 points during a 17-0 run that made the score 71-52 and put the game away.
.
.

56. Sherwood Brown and teammates celebrate the 81-71 victory as time expires. SDSU senior F Deshawn Stephens (#23) was so despondent that he had to be consoled by a teammate as the Aztecs left the court.
.
.

57. F Chase Fieler and Sherwood Brown hug as FGCU becomes the first ever #15 seed to win two tournament games and advance to the sweet 16. The two combined to hit 11 of 15 FG attempts. Brown finished with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
.
.

58. Jamaal Franklin takes in the FGCU celebration after playing his final game in a San Diego State uniform. Moments later Franklin had an emotional meeting with Brown on the court, which remarkably was missed by all the photographers. If you missed it too, you can click on the first link below to read about it in a short article from Yahoo! Sports. And the link below that is a video that shows a couple of seconds of their meeting along with Sherwood's other theatrics after the game.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/jamaal-franklin-classy-postgame-message-fgcu-sherwood-brown-035342173--ncaab.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8UFj98vR1M 
.
The back-to-back upsets made FGCU the most popular team remaining in the tournament and made Brown instantly famous. During the days before their next game everybody wanted to meet Sherwood, or get an autograph, or have their picture taken with him. And I mean everybody .....
.

59. ..... Even the cheerleaders and dance team from Florida made sure they didn't miss their chance to be seen with Brown before the Gators faced FGCU in a 4th-round game on Mar. 29 at Arlington, TX.
.
.

60. Sherwood Brown dunks with two hands to give FGCU a 9-4 lead over 3rd-seeded Florida with 15:44 to go in 1st half, part of an 11-0 run that put the Eagles in front 15-4.
.
.

61. Sherwood Brown loses the battle for this rebound to F Erik Murphy during 1st half. The game began exactly the way FGCU wanted. But they couldn't maintain their momentum. After taking the 15-4 lead in the first 6 minutes, the Eagles scored only 6 points in the next 7 minutes, although they still led 21-11. But with the score 24-14, Florida finished the half on a 16-2 run in the final 5:23 to take a 30-26 lead.
.
.

62. Sherwood Brown tries to find a way out of a triple team by (right to left) 6-10 F Erik Murphy, 6-9 C Patric Young, and G Mike Rosario. The Eagles remained cold at the start of the 2nd half, going 2 for 9 from the field and scoring just 4 points in the first 8:30 of the half as the Gators moved out to a 41-30 lead. From there the Gators led by at least 7 for the rest of the game.
.
.

63. Sherwood Brown can only watch as F Will Yeguete puts the icing on the cake for the Gators, dunking home the final 2 points of the game with 22 seconds to play.
.
.

64. There's no celebrating by Sherwood at the end of this game, as the 62-50 loss to Florida ends FGCU's remarkable season with a 26-11 record. The Eagles actually shot much better from the field than the Gators (46%-39%) but had twice as many turnovers (20-10). Brown played 38 minutes, finishing with 14 points (7-13 FG) and 6 rebounds in his final game in a FGCU uniform.
Hopefully this will not be the last time Brown is featured in this blog. But the truth of the matter is that he's not likely to ever play in the NBA. Obviously if he improves, he'll have a chance to make it at some point in the future; but for now his pro career is going to begin in a minor league, probably on a team somewhere in Europe. Whatever happens, thanks, Sherwood, for all the fun this season. 
.
NEXT
I still have a pro basketball DG on tap; but I'm going to have to postpone it for a couple more weeks. Next up, we'll look at the 2013 NFL rookies.