College Basketball Capsules: Double Downey: SC star scoring like Pistol Pete

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Shortly before the Southeastern Conference’s start last month, Devan Downey met with South Carolina coach Darrin Horn, who clicked on tape of his star guard’s all-out play from a year ago.

Back then, the 5-foot-9 Downey played each game with something to prove and convinced all who watched of his enormous talent as he led the Gamecocks to a surprising tie with Tennessee for the league’s Eastern Division title. That Downey, the relentless, fierce competitor who would back down to no one, hadn’t yet shown up this year.

"You need to go find that guy," Horn challenged.

"Hopefully," Downey says with a grin, "I’ve found him."

That’s apparent to anyone who watched Downey and the Gamecocks take down No. 1 Kentucky.

The smallish senior point guard — described by announcers as "5-9 in heels" — has been all but unstoppable in the SEC. The league’s leading scorer overall at 22.9 points a game, Downey’s gone for nearly 32 a game in seven SEC contests, a rate rarely seen since Pete Maravich averaged an NCAA record 44.5 points for LSU in 1970.

Downey scored 30 against Kentucky on Jan. 26 while outplaying Wildcat freshman star John Wall. He followed that up four nights later with 33, including nine of South Carolina’s final 11 points in a 78-77 comeback win over Georgia. Downey’s presence alone was enough to change the game, as Georgia coach Mark Fox kept three defenders back to stop a coast-to-coast charge when Dustin Ware stood at the foul line for the Bulldogs in the closing moments.

Instead, Ware missed and South Carolina easily rebounded to secure the win.

And don’t forget Downey’s dramatic shot at Florida — he spun out of a sideline double-team and hit an impossible banker with 5 seconds left — that would’ve given South Carolina a victory on Jan. 23 had the Gators’ Chandler Parsons not hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Downey has gone for 30 or more in five of South Carolina’s seven SEC games, throwing in an assortment of floaters, banks and drives against defenses geared to stop him.

"He’s putting up those teardrops and making SEC coaches cry," said Downey’s high school coach DeAndre Scott, laughing.

South Carolina (13-8, 4-3) and Downey try to continue their surge Saturday at No. 14 Tennessee, where coach Bruce Pearl is next up to corral the SEC’s most dynamic scorer.

"He obviously is in a complete and total zone," Pearl said this week. "He does whatever he wants on the basketball floor and no individual or team has been able to stop him."

It’s been that way for much of Downey’s life.

Scott remembers him as a 13-year-old stepping on the floor with the Chester varsity and scoring 21 points his first game, including a clutch basket to force overtime with Rock Hill.

"Some people carry a chip on their shoulder," Scott recalls. "Devan had an entire boulder on there wanting to show people he could play."

As Downey grew in talent, Scott had to slow him down in workouts or ban him from shooting during scrimmages simply to run practice for the rest of his players. Downey was the state’s "Mr. Basketball," eventually taking his game to Cincinnati and coach Bob Huggins.

Before Downey arrived, though, Huggins was out and the Bearcats faced a difficult season of scrutiny. But there was the 17-year-old Downey — "I couldn’t even get in a club," he says — leading the team to a 21-13 mark in their first Big East season.

"He took control and never backed down," said Andy Kennedy, Cincinnati’s interim coach at the time and now the head coach at Ole Miss.

Downey wanted Kennedy to remain at Cincinnati. When that didn’t happen, he asked out of his scholarship and returned to South Carolina.

Downey figured to be the backbone of coach Dave Odom’s revived program two years ago, and while Downey was voted to the all-SEC first team, the Gamecocks posted their second straight losing season and Odom retired.

Again, Downey faced uncertainty.

Then Horn entered, preaching accountability, up-tempo play and focused defense. Downey bought into Horn’s plans and has thrived, finishing third in the SEC last season at 19.8 points a game.

Downey showed his dramatic touch at Rupp Arena, his bucket notching a 78-77 victory that was South Carolina’s first there in 12 years.

The Gamecocks and Downey entered this season confident of its first NCAA bid since 2004. But two veteran teammates — forwards Dominique Archie and Mike Holmes — were knocked out before the New Year, Archie to a knee injury and Holmes for violating team rules.

Suddenly, Downey was alone, "the Gamecocks’ first, second and third options," as Horn likes to say, surrounded by newcomers and little-used returnees. Then came his heart-to-heart with Horn, who Downey said "always speaks the truth."

Downey discovered his competitive fire and, ever since, says the basket looks "like it’s 10 feet wide."

Downey’s focused on keeping South Carolina alive for the NCAA tournament rather than individual accomplishments. The SEC player of the year? A national All-American? "I can’t control that," he says repeatedly, "so I don’t worry about it."

He’ll stick with what he can control, putting the ball the basket like few others.

Smith: Door isn’t closed on Royce White

MINNEAPOLIS — Even though Royce White proved to be a rather significant distraction in his short time on campus, Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said he would "never say never" when asked if the prized recruit who never played a game could one day return to the Golden Gophers.

White left school on Wednesday after a series of legal entanglements kept him off the court during his freshman season.

The saga has been one of several off-the-court distractions for the struggling Gophers (13-8, 4-5 Big Ten), who have lost four of their last five games. But Smith wasn’t ready to turn his back on White just yet.

"He did everything we asked him to do," Smith said Friday, referring to White’s work in the classroom and at practice. "He just has to get other areas in his life together and you never close the door on anyone. That’s just the way life is. We wish him the best in trying to get his life together, and if it is a situation where he could return, I’d be willing to talk to him about it."

White was suspended last fall after an incident at the Mall of America, later pleading guilty to theft and disorderly conduct. On Monday, he was charged with trespassing in connection to an alleged theft of a laptop computer from a university dorm.

Frustrated by the legal process, White told reporters earlier this week that he no longer feels safe on campus and expressed his displeasure for the university police force that investigated the alleged theft.

His departure means he won’t suit up this season, and possibly ever, for his home-state school. He won Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball award as a senior last year at Hopkins High School in suburban Minneapolis and was a much hyped recruit when he stepped on campus.

But the legal troubles soon followed, and the Gophers sorely miss his combination of size and athleticism. The remaining Gophers have been left to answer questions about White’s transgressions during a season that has quickly spiraled downward after a promising start.

"The team hasn’t focused on that situation much," senior co-captain Damian Johnson said. "He hasn’t played with us most of the year. I feel bad for Royce. He was a friend of mine. He was a good guy. But it was a situation we didn’t let bother us throughout the year."

The Gophers have also lost starting point guard Al Nolen to academic suspension for the remainder of the season. Trevor Mbakwe, a junior college transfer, has not played all season while an assault case in Miami drags on.

Smith didn’t think the issues provided much of a distraction for his players. The coach just knows they miss the players on the court.

"They like and care a lot about all those guys and they are a part of the family," Smith said. "It hurts on the court because you’ve got a guy like Al who sets the tone for us, leading the league in deflections, second in steals. ... I’m sure in their mindset, they’re hurt and they feel for the guys.

"Whether it’s a distraction, it can’t help but be to some extent. But they’re kids. They move on."

They have to move on quickly if they hope to play themselves back into NCAA tournament bid contention. The Gophers are coming off an 85-63 blowout loss at Ohio State last weekend and play at Penn State (8-14, 0-10) on Saturday. A loss to the reeling Nittany Lions would likely doom their chances for an at-large bid.

"That outing against Ohio State was one of the worst games in the three years that I’ve been here," guard Blake Hoffarber said. "We have to start from scratch and go on a winning streak here."

Now that the White situation is behind them, the Gophers are focusing on the task at hand, which won’t be easy.

"I’m just trying to make sure that guys don’t think the season is over because of what’s been going on," Johnson said. "Wisconsin started off Big Ten play 3-6 last year and finished off strong and ended up getting an NCAA berth. Guys just have to realize it’s how you finish."

-- Jon Krawczynski

News & Notes

Ex-Indiana player Leary arrested in fraud case

INDIANAPOLIS — A former Indiana University basketball player accused in connection with an ex-business partner’s multimillion-dollar fraud scheme threatened to disclose the partner’s embezzlement to get money to hide his own activities, prosecutors say.

Todd Leary, 39, of Carmel, was arrested at Assembly Hall in Bloomington just minutes before he was scheduled to work as an announcer for Thursday’s men’s basketball game between in-state rivals Indiana and Purdue.

Leary was held overnight in the Monroe County jail before being moved Friday to Allen County, where he faces 17 felony charges, including conspiracy to commit misappropriation and theft. The most serious charge carries a possible sentence of four to 20 years in prison.

He was expected to have an initial hearing early next week. Leary’s bond has been set at $60,000, according to a spokeswoman for the Allen County prosecutor.

Leary was still in jail Friday afternoon, and efforts to reach someone who could speak for him were unsuccessful. Prosecutors and jail officials had no record of an attorney, and a phone number in Leary’s name had been disconnected.

Prosecutors say Leary conspired with a former business partner, Joseph A. Garretson of Fort Wayne, between March 2008 and February 2009 to divert more than $1 million from Fort Wayne Title, which Garretson ran.

Investigators searched Garretson’s home and business in November and found records showing he had not paid off the sellers’ mortgages in two refinancing transactions, court documents said.

Investigators have since found at least a dozen cases in which Garretson arranged to refinance mortgages for clients but didn’t pay off the original loans, causing the homeowners to default, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The normal practice in real estate refinancings is for the escrow agent to immediately pay off the existing mortgage with proceeds from the refinancing process.

The state filed felony charges against Garretson in December alleging he diverted $2.7 million in escrow funds from the business. He pleaded guilty this week in Allen Superior Court and faces up to 12 years in prison when he is sentenced in April.

Court records say Garretson and Leary met through former Indiana player Brian Evans. In 2004, Leary went to work for Garretson at Mortgage Links, an Indianapolis-area mortgage company.

After leaving Mortgage Links in 2006, Leary asked Garretson for money to cover approximately $289,000 Leary had misappropriated from Legends Title, a mortgage company he co-owned, court documents said.

Leary called Evans after Garretson was charged in December and told him that he was "a big part" of Garretson’s situation and that Garretson had helped Leary financially when Leary was in "big trouble," the affidavit says.

Leary told Evans that Garretson didn’t have much choice because he had caught Garretson misappropriating money from Fort Wayne Title while they worked together, the affidavit says.

Evans later reported the call to Garretson, whose attorneys turned over the information to the state.

Investigators say that between March 2008 and February 2009, more than $1 million in wire transfers went from a Fort Wayne Title bank into an account Leary opened. Leary withdrew $690,000 from the account between March 2008 and March 2009, the affidavit says.

Garretson told investigators through his attorney that Leary pressured him on multiple occasions for money, threatening to disclose Garretson’s own misdeeds, which he discovered while he worked for Garretson, according to court documents.

Leary played for Indiana University from 1989-94, including on its 1992 NCAA Final Four team. He averaged 5.0 points over his four seasons playing for Bob Knight, with his best year as a senior in 1993-94 when he averaged 8.3 points and started 12 games. He started doing IU’s radio broadcasts in the 2001-02 season.

Indiana University Athletics and Learfield Sports, the Hoosiers’ multimedia rights holder which oversees the Indiana University Radio Network, issued a statement expressing concern for Leary and his family and said it would move forward with the current broadcast team of Don Fischer and Joe Smith for the remainder of the season.

-- Carly Everson

Special prosecutor: No charges in Ark. rape case

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A special prosecutor has decided not to file charges against three Arkansas basketball players accused of rape, citing insufficient evidence.

A university freshman had accused the players of raping her Aug. 27 at a fraternity house party, but local authorities decided against charges. Special prosecutor H.G. Foster was assigned to review the case, but he came to a similar conclusion and disclosed it Friday.

"Based upon the investigation of the University of Arkansas Police Department, tests and reports of the Arkansas State Crime Lab, and other information developed in the case, it is my finding that there is not sufficient evidence to warrant the filing of a criminal charge," Foster said in a letter to Circuit Judge William Storey.

The players in question — Marcus Britt, Glenn Bryant and Nick Mason — released a statement through attorney John Everett. They said Britt and Bryant voluntarily took and passed polygraph tests in December — and that DNA testing showed the three didn’t commit the acts they were accused of.

Foster declined comment, but a case file provided by the special prosecutor contained a report from the state Crime Lab saying DNA from the three athletes did not match samples from items submitted from a rape kit.

The players were suspended from the team at the beginning of the season for violating unspecified team rules.

"We were guilty of conduct unbecoming of a Razorback student-athlete and have accepted the punishment that came with those actions. However, we did not commit the widely reported acts of which we have been accused," the players said. "We genuinely believe that we are due an apology from the accuser though we harbor no great expectations of that happening."

The accuser’s family released a statement through John Bass, its attorney.

"There is a strong and clear need for systemic change in how certain criminal investigations are conducted on the University of Arkansas campus. This is particularly true in cases involving the potential for substantial negative implications for the university’s revenue-generating activities," the family said.

"The family has exhausted all remedies available to them through the criminal justice system and shall not seek alternative relief."

The school defended the investigation.

"The family of the accuser has questioned the manner in which the University of Arkansas Police Department conducts investigations. These questions are without basis," the university said in a statement. "The University of Arkansas Police Department conducted a thorough investigation of this case as reflected by the separate and independent determinations of the Washington County prosecutor’s office and Special Prosecutor H.G. Foster."

Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said the school is ready to move forward and that the reputations of the student-athletes "falsely accused should be restored."

"For the past five months, these young men and our program have been scrutinized in the court of public opinion based primarily upon unsupported allegations and speculation," coach John Pelphrey said. "I believe that the review conducted by the special prosecutor unequivocally demonstrates that these student-athletes did not commit any crime."

-- Noah Trister

Arizona reveals self-imposed basketball sanctions

TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona has placed its men’s basketball program on probation for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons for violations by Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson related to an offseason AAU tournament in 2008.

The school also announced Friday that the basketball program will relinquish one scholarship for the 2011-12 academic year and cut the number of days coaches are allowed to recruit for the next two seasons. The Wildcats will reduce the number of official campus visits allowed by prospects and trim the number of coaches allowed to recruit off campus at one time for summer 2010 recruiting.

Arizona also has disbanded a basketball booster group and undertaken a number of administrative and rules education changes. However, the NCAA may modify the self-imposed sanctions.

A final resolution of the matter isn’t expected for several months, the university said.

The school noted that Olson was dealing with a number of health issues at the time and it was later revealed by his physician and family that he had suffered a stroke that affected his decision-making abilities.

Olson had taken a leave of absence in the 2007-08 season and had intended to return for 2008-09. He came back for a few practices, then abruptly announced his retirement.

The school said the NCAA has issued a formal notice of what it believes were several violations of its bylaws.

According to a lengthy news release issued by the university, the NCAA alleges that Olson "improperly sent a letter to board members" of the Rebounders, a booster group, urging them to support the 2008 Cactus Classic, a letter that was quickly rescinded.

The NCAA also alleged that Olson improperly allowed the organizer of the event to speak to the booster club.

The NCAA contends that former Arizona assistant coaches Russ Pennell and Mike Dunlap violated bylaws by attending the Cactus Classic because, although they had not yet officially begun their work for Arizona, they should have technically been considered employees.

Pennell, now head coach at Grand Canyon University, went on to serve as interim coach upon Olson’s retirement, with Dunlap his top assistant.

In addition, the NCAA believes that Olson misled the university’s NCAA compliance officer regarding the origin of the letter to the Rebounders board members, and that he failed to adequately monitor some activities and promote "an atmosphere of compliance."

Finally, the NCAA asserts that the institution failed to adequately monitor the basketball program because an associate athletic director attended at least one Rebounders board meeting where the Cactus Classic presentation was made.

"The university is deeply and profoundly committed to honoring not just the letter, but of the spirit of the NCAA’s efforts to foster fair and ethical competition," interim athletic director Kathleen "Rocky" LaRose said in the release. "As an institution, we expect excellence on the field of play as well as in the conduct of our programs and will work diligently to ensure that these standards always are met."

First-year coach Sean Miller had talked about the self-imposed sanctions Thursday night in Seattle after Arizona’s loss to Washington.

"I’m aware of it. It doesn’t come as a surprise to me," he said. "I’m very confident that our university and our athletic department is handling it the way it should be handled."

SU’s Wes Johnson game-time decision

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse forward Wes Johnson is still sore but expects to play in the third-ranked Orange’s game Sunday at Cincinnati.

"I feel a lot better than I did after the fall," Johnson said before practice on Friday. "It’s still a little sore, but I’m feeling a lot better."

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim expects Johnson, who watched most of practice on Thursday, to be ready to go by the 2 p.m. tipoff Sunday.

"There’s nothing I can do about it," Boeheim said. "If he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. I don’t think we’ll know for sure until Sunday, but I imagine by Sunday we will be back to full strength."

Johnson flipped and crashed hard when fouled by Brian McKenzie while trying to convert a lob pass midway through the first half of Tuesday night’s game against Providence. Johnson remained motionless for a few seconds, then got up and slowly walked to the bench.

After a media timeout, Johnson returned and made one of two free throws. He stayed in the game but played only three minutes of the second half.

Johnson, who is averaging 17 points, said he had watched replays of the fall and lamented that he didn’t land on his feet.

"I’m back moving around. My legs are coming back," Johnson said. "Before, I couldn’t really walk normal, but the pain is really going away. I’ll be back by Sunday.

The Orange have thrived with reserves Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine playing key roles, and Johnson, on the list for the Wooden Award, said that eased his mind.

"That takes a lot of stress off my mind, knowing that I don’t really have to really rush into anything," Johnson said. "If I’m feeling iffy, I’ll talk to coach."

"We’re all assuming that Wes is going to play," senior guard Andy Rautins said. "We’re not really even looking to fill his spot, but we’re capable of doing that."

-- John Kekis

Collins, Wall lead Cousy finalists

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Senior Sherron Collins of top-ranked Kansas and star freshman John Wall of No. 4 Kentucky are among the finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the top point guard in college basketball.

The 11 finalists announced Friday by the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame come from a list of 73 original nominees from all three NCAA divisions.

The other finalists, all from Division I, are: Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga; Devan Downey, South Carolina; Trevon Hughes, Wisconsin; Jeremy Lin, Harvard; Kalin Lucas, Michigan State; Ronald Moore, Siena; Scottie Reynolds, Villanova; Jon Scheyer, Duke; and Greivis Vasquez, Maryland.

The winner will be announced April 5 at the Final Four.

Former OU great Tisdale to be honored at game

NORMAN, Okla. — The University of Oklahoma will honor the late OU great Wayman Tisdale at halftime of the Oklahoma-Texas basketball game.

Tisdale’s family will be joined by former teammates, coaches and his band. The band will perform before the game and will join singer Toby Keith at halftime.

A portion of the upcoming documentary "The Wayman Tisdale Story" will also be shown at halftime.

Tip-off for Saturday’s game between the Sooners and Longhorns is at 3:05 p.m.

Women

No. 21 Georgia Tech outlasts Maryland 61-60

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Alex Montgomery scored 20 points, including two free throws with 7 seconds left, and No. 21 Georgia Tech beat Maryland 61-60 on Friday after blowing a 17-point lead.

Brigitte Ardossi had 15 points and five steals for the Yellow Jackets (19-5, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Georgia Tech led 48-31 with 15:27 left before Maryland rallied.

The Terrapins (16-7, 3-5) took their only lead at 55-54 on a 3-pointer by Kim Rodgers with 4:50 to go. A jumper by Montgomery made it 57-55, but Lynetta Kizer tied it by making two foul shots with 31 seconds remaining.

After Montgomery’s foul shots made it 61-59, Maryland’s Anjale Barrett was fouled with 1 second left. She made the first but missed the second.

Barrett led Maryland with 14 points.

Georgia Tech scored the game’s first six points and held first-half leads of 13-2 and 23-7.

Kansas star Danielle McCray out for season

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas senior Danielle McCray, the preseason Big 12 women’s player of the year, will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury.

Coach Bonnie Henrickson said Friday that McCray tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in practice on Thursday. She’s the second starter Kansas has lost for the year to a knee injury, joining point guard Angel Goodrich.

The 5-foot-11 McCray is among the best players in Kansas history, with 1,934 points ranking her third. Kansas is 13-7 overall and 3-4 in the Big 12.