Dollard daze

The departure of Auburn basketball forward Josh Dollard has been the day’s biggest news, even (temporarily) drowning out the anticipation of the start of football practice on Saturday.

The timing of Dollard’s dismissal was a surprise, but the fact it happened shouldn’t exactly floor anyone. After all, Dollard has spent almost as much of his career on the sideline as he’s spent on the court. He was suspended for the final five games of his freshman season for a team-rules violation that also cost him six games his sophomore season. Then he spent all of his junior season (last year) on the shelf with what Jeff Lebo called “medical issues.“ (The vagueness of this non-diagnosis didn’t appear to bother anybody, least of all Lebo.)

Dollard’s dismissal means still more hard times for Auburn’s basketball team, which returns just five scholarship players—Quantez Robertson, Rasheem Barrett, DeWayne Reed, Vot Barber and Lucas Hargrove—none of whom has ever played on a team with a winning SEC record. At the moment, only four of Auburn’s five signees are ready to enroll for the fall semester. (SF Kenny Gabriel‘s status is still up in the air.) That gives Lebo the following lineup (I’m guessing here…this is just where I’d play ‘em):

C - Vot Barber
PF - Johnnie Lett
SF - Lucas Hargrove
SG - Frankie Sullivan
PG - Quantez Robertson

Bench
F - Francis Aihe
G - Tay Waller
G - DeWayne Reed
G - Rasheem Barrett

This group has to play 16 SEC games? Lebo has had plenty of challenges in his AU tenure—just ask him!—but this could be the toughest yet.

With Dollard gone, where does that leave AU basketball?

Jeff Lebo’s seat just got a little bit warmer, and the Auburn University basketball season doesn’t tip off for another four months.

Thursday’s dismissal of Josh Dollard from the Tigers’ hoops team has caused some restlessness among the natives, with matches being lit up and down the Loveliest Village.

The reason AU gave for Dollard’s dismissal Tuesday was officially labeled as a “violation of Auburn University Athletic Department policy.”

Here’s what Lebo had to say in a statement released by AU:
“Auburn supplied Josh with all the resources for him to be successful. Josh understood his requirements and responsibilities to be an Auburn student-athlete, and he has fallen short in fulfilling what was clearly communicated to him.”

Here’s what Dollard had to say:
“I have had the opportunity to be successful on and off the court at Auburn. Due to certain circumstances, I am unable to continue my career here at Auburn. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in my career at Auburn, and I would like to wish my teammates, coaching staff and Auburn family much success in the future.”

A couple things are clear here:

First, Dollard was given some chances to get his act together. He didn’t. And now he’s gone.

Second, Lebo really wanted Dollard to play this year. He needed Dollard to play this year. Dollard was Auburn’s leading scorer (12.5 points per game) and rebounder (7.0) as a sophomore in the 2006-07 season. Dollard sat out all of last season with what Auburn called “medial issues.”
Whatever that means.
But Lebo, as he pointed out in his comments, couldn’t keep giving Dollard chance after chance after chance.

Third, this is the ninth player signed by Lebo, and the 14th overall since his arrival in 2004, that are no longer a part of the program for one reason or another.

Fourth, Lebo needs this year’s incoming class of freshmen and transfers to contribute right away or that seat might catch fire.

When Lebo took over AU’s program in 2004, it was on probation. There was an exodus of some players left over from former head coach Cliff Ellis, namely Marco Killingsworth (who transferred to Indiana).

Lebo, no doubt, had his hands tied. And when you’re trying to build a program at a school that’s not known for basketball, with the facilities Auburn has, it’s hard to bring in recruits.

So, Lebo took some chances on guys, who, if they worked out, would have help the team. And if they didn’t work out ... well ... now, you’re seeing that side of the coin. The turnstile doesn’t stop.

And that’s the catch. Lebo gambled because he needed to compete. And it hasn’t worked out.

But let’s face it, Auburn’s never going to be able to bring in blue-chip recruiting classes every year. Or even ever couple years. It’s just not that way. Not at Auburn.

The new arena will help out a lot from the recruiting aspect. And sure, the coach recruiting the players has a major role in getting them into school.

But what it really comes down to is winning. That’s really all that matters.

Win and the recruits will come. Struggle, and, well, you’ve got to do what you can to put a competitive team on the floor.

Lebo’s teams have struggle to win. But that hasn’t been for the lack of trying.

2008 Previews: Missouri

Missouri is up next at No. 53. Previews of all 65 BCS conference schools, plus Notre Dame and state schools, will be posted daily in no particular order. To view all previews, click here.

Missouri had a dream season in 2007.

Chase Daniel had a superb season and finished fourth in the Heisman race, the Tigers were unstoppable on offense and actually spent a week ranked No. 1 in the country.

Unfortunately for them, they just couldn’t beat Oklahoma. The Sooners dropped them twice.

This year things are looking good again.

Daniel, who I love, is back, along with most of his top targets. They must replace two-time 1,000-yard rusher Tony Temple and two starters and two key reserves on the offensive line, but there’s no reason this team shouldn’t hover around the offensive numbers they put up last year (39.9 points per game).

Defensively, nine starters are back. They seem to be set on the front seven, but three returning starters in the secondary are going to have to do better than the 256.9 yards per game passing they allowed last season.

There are really only three potential pitfalls on the schedule, and only one game Missouri might not be favored in. It could be another big year in Columbia.

Here’s the schedule:

Aug. 30: vs. Illinois (at St. Louis)
This might be the best game of opening day.

Sept. 6: SE Missouri
Yawn.

Sept. 13: Nevada
This game could wind up something like 70-45.

Sept. 20: Buffalo
This could be something like 70-(-)45.

Oct. 4: at Nebraska
It’s hard to believe Missouri will be favored in Lincoln, but that’s where we are. The Huskers are a year or two away.

Oct. 11: Oklahoma State
The Fightin’ Gundys don’t have enough to win this one on the road.

Oct. 18: at Texas
If Missouri is going to lose a game in the regular season this is it. The Longhorns are probably more talented, but the Tigers have more experience. And if nothing else it should be a fun quarterback duel between Daniel and Colt McCoy.

Oct. 25: Colorado
The Tigers humiliated the Buffs in Boulder last year and while it won’t be quite so ugly this time around they should win handily.

Nov. 1: at Baylor
Turn off the scoreboard.

Nov. 8: Kansas State
This should be a relatively easy win, but there’s no telling what you’ll see from KSU on any given day.

Nov. 15: at Iowa State
Another long year in Ames.

Nov. 29: vs. Kansas (at Kansas City, Mo.)
I still haven’t quite gotten over these two playing a game with both in the top five and facing national title implications. Missouri will probably still find itself in the Top 5. Kansas won’t be quite so lucky in 2009.

If the Tigers find a way to get past Texas (which is a good possibility) they really shouldn’t lose a game in the regular season. But Mizzou would still have to get past Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, which I don’t think they can do.

2008 Previews: Duke

In the “They still have a football team?“ division at Preview No. 52 is Duke. Previews of all 65 BCS conference schools, plus Notre Dame and state schools, will be posted daily in no particular order. To view all previews, click here.

In 1994, Duke started 7-0 in the first year of the Fred Goldsmith era.

Since that moment, the Blue Devils are a whopping 23-129, with four winless seasons and no more than four wins in any season.

Former Ole Miss coach and Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe joins the parade of Blue Devils coaches since Steve Spurrier left town, although he’s the first with any proven track record of winning.

And Cutcliffe inherits an experienced team.

Nine starters are back from a defensive unit that wasn’t particularly good last season, but there is reason for optimism. If the defensive line, which returns all four starters, gets some production they’ll have a chance to be relatively stingy.

On offense, the Blue Devils return only five starters, but that’s probably a good thing.

The offense ranked 117th (out of 120) in total offense last season, but returns two experienced quarterbacks in Thad Lewis and Zack Asack, along with high school All-America Sean Renfree (one of the advantages of bringing in a guy like Cutcliffe).

Receiver Eron Riley, who led the ACC in yards per catch, is back to catch passes from whoever wins the job.

Both Phil Steele and Athlon are drinking the Cutcliffeaide, saying Duke could potentially have four wins this season. While they’ll definitely be better, I really have no idea where they think those wins are coming from.

Here’s the schedule:

Aug. 30: James Madison
Well here’s one. (Although James Madison is a pretty good FCS school.)

Sept. 6: Northwestern
The Blue Devils beat the Wildcats in Evanston last year for their only win. I don’t see that happening this year.

Sept. 13: Navy
The Midshipmen will be down without Paul Johnson, but they’re probably still more talented than Duke. Call this one a toss-up.

Sept. 20: Virginia
If the Blue Devils are going to get their first ACC win since that random upset of Clemson in 2004, this is their chance.

Oct. 4: at Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets aren’t very good, but they’re good enough to beat Duke.

Oct. 18: Miami
The day I pick Duke to beat Miami in anything other than basketball is the day you should commit me.

Oct. 25: at Vanderbilt
Cutcliffe returns to the state of Tennessee for a beatdown at the hands of the Commodores.

Nov. 1: at Wake Forest
No chance.

Nov. 8: N.C. State
There’s probably a slight chance for an upset here.

Nov. 15: at Clemson
Nope.

Nov. 22: at Virginia Tech
Not happening.

Nov. 29: North Carolina
These two have been on relatively equal footing for a good part of this decade (the Blue Devils nearly won in Chapel Hill last year) but the Tar Heels are on their way up, and are a lot closer to the top than Duke.

There you go. If you can find four wins there I’d love to hear about it. There might be a slight chance of it, but I’m going with 2-10 (maybe 3-9 if they knock off Virginia or N.C. State).

The big Three-OH!

That’s right, we hit a milestone here at the Lazy Blog ... I turned 30.

Please, hold your applause and “it’s all down hill from here” comments until everyone’s name has been called.

I’ve got to admit, turning 30 wasn’t as bad as I thought. I’ve been getting used to it since I was in my 20s ... that’s when I started looking like I was a thirtysomething. Seriously, my hair started falling out on my 19th birthday, and by the time I hit 21, I looked old enough to get the senior discount at Denny’s.

My wife hooked me up with a sweet surprise party Monday. I wasn’t expecting it. Really. And the fact that she pulled off the surprise was even more of a surprise. My wife can’t keep anything a secret. The last time she tried to keep something from me, she woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me what she got me for Christmas. And that was in November.

She’s just no good at hiding things. But she was this time. And, to tell you the truth, I’m glad she did. Nothing says “we care” like a surprise party. Well, maybe a nice fruit basket. But other than that, it’s a surprise party all the way.

Anyway, now that that’s over with, it’s time to concentrate on football ... that’s right, Auburn begins practice Saturday. And the high school season isn’t too far away either.

Below is Auburn’s practice schedule until classes start Aug. 18. All practices will be on the intramural fields ... Enjoy.

Auburn University preseason football practice schedule:
Saturday, Aug. 2
9:45 a.m. Practice
3-5 p.m. Fan Day, Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum

Sunday, Aug. 3
4:45 p.m. Practice

Monday, Aug. 4
4:30 p.m. Practice

Tuesday, Aug. 5
9:45 a.m. Practice

Wednesday, Aug. 6
9:45 a.m. (First day in full pads)

Thursday, Aug. 7 (First day of two-a-days)
8:15 a.m. Practice #1
7 p.m. Practice #2

Friday, Aug. 8
9:45 a.m. Practice

Saturday, Aug. 9
9:30 a.m. Practice

Sunday, Aug. 10
7 p.m. Practice

Monday, Aug. 11
8:15 a.m. Practice #1
7 p.m. Practice #2

Tuesday, Aug. 12
9:45 a.m. Practice

Wednesday, Aug. 13
8:15 a.m. Practice #1
7 p.m. Practice #2

Thursday, Aug. 14
9:45 a.m. Practice

Friday, Aug. 15
8:15 a.m. Practice #1
7 p.m. Practice #2

Saturday, Aug. 16
9:30 a.m. Practice

Sunday, Aug. 17
7 p.m. Practice

Monday, Aug. 18 (No practice)
First Day of Class

** All practice times are subject to change
** All practices held on intramural fields unless otherwise noted.