PMM - The Magazine
Beyond Your Imagination
Golden Eagles adjust to life without James
By the time the NCAA tournament begins, Connecticut will have played without guard Jerome Dyson for a month.
Meanwhile, Marquette has less than three weeks to see how it can play without starting point guard Dominic James.
Dyson was a shooting guard and the team's best defender. The Golden Eagles relied on James' defense and his playmaking skills.
"The timing -- that's the toughest part,'' said Marquette coach Buzz Williams, who was on Friday's ESPNU college basketball podcast 
. "We have to figure out what we're going to do to give us the best chance for success."
Marquette finishes with a brutal schedule: at Louisville, at Pitt and home against Syracuse.
Williams spent Thursday with James and his family to discuss Friday's surgery to repair his broken left foot that will have a pin put it in to speed the recovery. Williams said the hope is for James to be ready within 100 days so he can be available to work out right before the NBA draft or soon thereafter for summer league. James declared for the draft after his sophomore season but withdrew due to a lack of high interest.
Williams said he had no idea that James had broken his foot. He said the "Jones fracture" can occur once without the person knowing, and then one can step in the wrong way and break the foot. That's what he was told by team doctors.
"[Dominic] was just walking off the court and said, 'Coach, I'm out,' and I thought he was sick or was going to throw up,'' Williams said. "But one of my assistants said, 'No, he's done.' I didn't even put the right guy in the game because I thought it was just going to be for a possession or two.''
Williams said he takes solace in knowing that the Golden Eagles were still up one point with six-plus minutes left against Connecticut before the Huskies blitzed the Golden Eagles with a 20-8 run on the way to a 93-82 victory.
Williams talked in the podcast about how the Golden Eagles will deal with James' absence. Potential Big East Player of the Year Jerel McNeal will have a larger role, as will Wesley Matthews, who will bring the ball up some. Maurice Acker will get more looks at point guard, and James' departure will allow Jimmy Butler to see more action. Essentially, James' 11 points and 5.1 assists per game have to come from somewhere, and all of the key players, including Lazar Hayward, will have to take on more responsibility.
Connecticut has learned to lean more on Craig Austrie and Stanley Robinson without Dyson. But the Huskies have had four games to deal with the injury and still have two more before the Big East tournament. Marquette has just three games left, and they happen to be on the road against two of the league's top teams in Louisville and Pitt.
• Providence coach Keno Davis said he doesn't think the Friars could have received a bid if they had beaten Notre Dame at home Feb. 21 but then lost to Pitt at home Tuesday. Davis, who is on Friday's ESPNU college basketball podcast , said he fully understands the Friars (17-11, 9-7) can't afford to lose at Rutgers on Sunday. Providence finishes at Villanova on Thursday. Davis quickly grasped the difference between the Missouri Valley and the Big East. Once he said the top four teams started to pull away in the league (for him that was Connecticut, Pitt, Louisville and Marquette, even though Villanova is just 2½ games out of first), he knew that the Friars just had to finish in the top eight or nine. That's quite a different mindset from the Valley, where a top-two finish is likely the only chance for a bid. "We didn't have to push the panic button here,'' Davis said. "I knew we just had to be in the top half of the Big East.'' Davis was also savvy as to how the Friars' record would be dissected. "I knew we couldn't just beat the teams behind you,'' he said. And that's why the Pitt win could put the Friars into the field.
• There was a lot of hype directed at Connecticut's Kemba Walker and Louisville's Samardo Samuels as the potential freshmen of the year in the Big East. But Cincinnati's Yancy Gates has had quite a season. He's averaging a solid 10.8 points and 6.1 boards and has come through in key wins, such as when he scored 22 points and grabbed 11 boards in the victory over West Virginia on Thursday night. Cincinnati, at 8-7 in the Big East and 18-10 overall, is back in play with that win. But the final three games loom as decisive ones: at Syracuse, at South Florida and the home finale against Seton Hall. West Virginia, which has the same league record at 8-7, has a better overall résumé (19-9 with a nonconference blowout win over Ohio State in Columbus and better league wins like dropping Villanova at home by 21.) West Virginia finishes up at South Florida and hosts DePaul and Louisville.
• Bookend wins are critical to getting an NCAA berth. That's why Michigan's victory over Purdue will help its cause. The Wolverines (18-11, 8-8) always had the wins over UCLA and Duke in their pocket but needed a huge Big Ten win toward the end of the season. After losing at Iowa and with two final road games at Wisconsin and Minnesota -- teams that are desperate for home wins -- on deck, the Purdue victory was a must-win. Don't be surprised to see an 8-10 Michigan team make the field.
• Washington State can be a serious spoiler down the stretch. The Cougars beat UCLA on Saturday to dampen the Bruins' Pac-10 title chances and then took out Arizona on Thursday night to put a dent in its NCAA résumé. The Wildcats (8-7, 18-10) now have to go to Washington on Saturday before ending with Cal and Stanford at home. Arizona should still be able to get a bid, but it became harder after Thursday. Washington State may not get a chance to prevent Washington from winning the Pac-10 outright. The Huskies can do that with a win over Arizona on Saturday before Washington State comes to Seattle next weekend. The Cougars (7-9, 15-13) are -- at the very least -- likely ensuring some sort of postseason with this late run. The NIT or the CBI should call for the Cougars if they can't continue the good fortune and win the Pac-10 tournament. Senior guard Taylor Rochestie is on a tear with 33 points against UCLA and 17 key points against the Wildcats.
• Miami's Jack McClinton has made some big shots this season, but maybe none has been bigger than the 3-pointer he hit with 47 seconds left Thursday to put Virginia out of reach in the Canes' 62-55 victory. The Canes couldn't lose to the Cavs and still make the NCAAs. This was a must, must-win for Miami. It has to get to 8-8 in the ACC (17-10 overall right now) and finishes up with Georgia Tech in Atlanta and at home against NC State.
• Saint Mary's beat Pepperdine 62-49, but just as important for the Gaels was Portland's loss to San Diego. That allowed Saint Mary's to move into a tie for second place with the Pilots. Perception matters, and the Gaels have to at least be in second place to have any hope of getting an at-large berth out of the WCC. Portland (9-4) goes to Santa Clara (6-7), while the Gaels (9-4, 23-5) finish the regular season at 2-11 Loyola Marymount.
Nationals GM Bowden resigns
ESPN.com news services
VIERA, Fla. -- Jim Bowden resigned Sunday after four seasons as the Washington Nationals general manager, leaving under the cloud of a federal investigation into the skimming of signing bonuses given to Latin American prospects.
He has maintained his innocence in the matter, but said Sunday, "I've become a distraction."
"It's an emotional decision. It saddens me. But I feel it's in the best interest of two of the things I love the most, and that's the Washington Nationals and baseball," Bowden added.
Seated at a table with Nationals president Stan Kasten before a small contingent of reporters and team officials, Bowden read from a prepared statement, sometimes deviating from the script as he struggled to contain his emotions.
"My resignation is based upon my realization that my ability to properly represent the Washington Nationals has been compromised because of false allegations contained in the press," Bowden said in a statement. "I am disappointed by the media reports regarding investigations into any of my professional activities. There have been no charges made, and there has been no indication that parties have found any wrongdoing on my part.
"At the same time, while I have done nothing wrong, I place a greater value on the love, respect and best interests of my family, friends, the game of baseball -- that I've served lovingly and faithfully for close to 25 years -- and, the reputation and future of the Washington Nationals, which I'm proud to have been a part of since its inception in 2004."
No replacement was immediately announced.
"We're not planning on missing a beat," Kasten said. "Our staff has a meeting tomorrow morning, first thing. I'm not going to have anything to say to you about next steps for a while -- later in the week."
Bowden is the only GM the Nationals have had since the franchise moved from Montreal to Washington before the 2005 season, overseeing a team that went 81-81 in that debut season but has been below .500 ever since.
Last season, the Nationals were a majors-worst 59-102.
His tenure with the club was marked by such moves as the trade for Alfonso Soriano, the failure to re-sign Soriano, free-agent busts such as Paul Lo Duca and reclamation projects such as Dmitri Young.
"When I came here ... the single thing that stood out for me about why we needed someone with Jim's skill is that he's resourceful," Kasten said. "We needed someone that would look around every corner, look under every rock to find the pieces that we could put into place. Because of that, we have a foundation that looks very exciting for '09."
Young revived his career in Washington in 2007 -- after a 2006 that saw him go through a divorce, undergo treatment for alcohol, substance abuse and depression, and plead guilty to assaulting his girlfriend before being released by the Detroit Tigers.
"He was known for giving guys second chances, me included," said Young, a Red from 1998-2001, ticking off the beneficiaries of Bowden's penchant for redemption. "There wasn't a team out that wanted to touch me with a 10-foot pole. He's the one that gave me an opportunity."
Bowden also drew unwanted off-field attention, including in 2006, when he was charged with driving under the influence after failing a field sobriety test while in Miami.
"Like anyone else, I have made mistakes in all areas of my personal and professional life, but I leave here with the true belief that I have done nothing intentionally to harm the Washington Nationals or Major League Baseball," Bowden said in a statement released by the team Sunday.
He met last year with FBI investigators looking into allegations of skimming of signing bonuses and it was reported last weekend by SI.com that Bowden's actions are being looked at as far back as 1994, when he was GM of the Cincinnati Reds.
"I am disappointed by the media reports regarding investigations into any of my professional activities," Bowden said in his statement. "There have been no charges made, and there has been no indication that parties have found any wrongdoing on my part."
Players were informed of Bowden's resignation in a team meeting immediately before he met with the media. Despite the circumstances, his departure was a surprise to some who enjoyed a long relationship with Bowden.
"It was a much bigger deal outside the clubhouse because we really didn't talk about it," said outfielder Austin Kearns, who was scouted in high school by Bowden before signing with Cincinnati. "It didn't bother anybody in here. We're just getting ready to play. It's something that's over our heads."
Bowden's resignation came three days after Jose Rijo, a special assistant to Bowden, was fired by the Nationals.
That was fallout from a MLB investigation that determined a top baseball prospect from the Dominican Republic who received a $1.4 million signing bonus from the Nationals lied about his age and name.
"We all believe it is imperative that we honor the integrity of the game and that fans be able to concentrate their attention and affections on the game and players on the field," Kasten said in a team-issued statement. "Jim has maintained his innocence, but recognized that he had become a distraction, and with great grace determined to do what was best for the team and his players."
The 47-year-old Bowden joined the Nationals, who were then owned by MLB, as interim vice president and general manager in November 2004 after a stint as an ESPN commentator. The interim tag was removed by Kasten in June 2006 and Bowden was promoted to senior vice president and general manager on Feb. 28, 2008.
During Bowden's tenure, the Nationals drafted third baseman Ryan Zimmerman with the fourth overall pick in the 2005 first-year player draft and helped reinvigorate the team's moribund minor league system.
Bowden engineered several notable trades, bringing outfielders Kearns from Cincinnati, Wily Mo Pena from Boston, Lastings Milledge from the New York Mets, Elijah Dukes from Tampa Bay, and pitcher Scott Olsen and outfielder-first baseman Josh Willingham from Florida. His last major move came Feb. 11 when he landed slugger Adam Dunn with a two-year, $20 million deal, giving Washington's lineup the power threat it lacked in the middle.
Bowden became the youngest general manager of a major league franchise when he took the reins in Cincinnati as a 31-year-old in 1992. Three years later, the Reds reached the NL Championship Series.
He began his major league career in 1984 in the Pirates' media relations department and later moved to the New York Yankees' front office before joining the Reds in 1989.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
