Oakland U joining Horizon League (Yahoo! Sports)
ROCHESTER, Mich. (AP) — Oakland University is moving to the Horizon League, giving the conference a second school from the state of Michigan.
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Loyola of Chicago joining Missouri Valley
School is changing its affiliations for the first time since 1979.
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Loyola of Chicago joining Missouri Valley (Yahoo! Sports)
CHICAGO (AP) — The Loyola Ramblers are on the move.
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Best Reactions to NBA Legend Phil Jackson Joining Twitter
The Zen Master has become social.
Yes, it’s true. Phil Jackson has up and joined Twitter (@PhilJackson11).
Jackson’s fiance, Jeanie Buss, broke the news on her own account.
This is the biggest thing to happen since the equivalent social media-sliced bread—Kobe Bryant joining twitter.
You know it’s a big deal when the NBA itself roles out the digital welcoming mat.
Almost needless (but not quite) to say, the Twittersphere exploded upon learning the 11-time coaching champion took the micro-blogging plunge.
Dennis Rodman, who won three NBA titles under Jackson with the Chicago Bulls, welcomed his former coach—or as Rodman put it, his “dad”—to the social media party.
Clearly, he couldn’t hide his excitement. Not unlike how Jackson couldn’t hide his championship rings.
Depicted on the Zen Master’s wallpaper was 11 of his 13-total championship rings.
To some, 11 isn’t enough. Yahoo! Sports’ Kelly Dwyer to Jackson not representing all of his titles.
SLAM Online’s Myles Brown implored us to count his rings as well.
The nerve of Phil, right? My condolences to New York Knicks fans (oh crap, that’s me).
Speaking of nerve, Brown also poses an intriguing question about who will follow the other first, Kobe or Jackson?
Toeing along the same lines, who will follow who first, Phil or Justin Bieber?
Aside from questioning his page design and potential followers (or followees), others had suggestions on what his first tweet should be.
Not sure how you tweet a really loud whistle, but to each their own.
Others advised him to use the platform as a means to crucify current Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni.
Admittedly, that seems a bit harsh and inaccurate since it wasn’t like D’Antoni pried the job away from Jackson.
But let’s not mince pleasantries any longer. Is Phil going to be active on this thing or not?
Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today seems to think he will.
I’ve always considered Jackson to be a man of many rings, not many words, but Howard Beck of the New York Times appears to share Zillgitt‘s sentiments.
Let’s hope it’s “fun.” Twitter accounts that aren’t “fun” are like the most un-funnest of un-fun things ever. If he’s not going to be “fun,” what was the point of him joining?
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times warms us up to the idea of Jackson using his account as a vessel for him to bestow his “Zen” upon the rest of us.
I’m totally fine with that. He could be the NBA’s version of Dr. Phil, except you know, with hair, and he would know what he’s talking about.
No matter how he uses it, we’re in store for something special. Kudos to whoever sold Jackson on embracing social media.
As Andrew Kamenetzky of SheridanHoops.com puts it, the Zen Master joining Twitter is awesome. Like it-arouses-a-dessert kind of awesome.
Keep your eyes peeled on Jackson’s Twitter feed. He has yet to tweet, but it’s coming soon.
At least, that’s what the self-proclaimed American ambassador in Rodman claims, and who are we to doubt the suddenly inter-continental traveler?
So buckle up and hide your desserts.
The Zen Master has officially arrived.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
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East Carolina joining Big East in all sports (Yahoo! Sports)
East Carolina will join the soon-to-be-renamed Big East as an all-sports member, instead of just for football as originally planned.
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AP Source: E Caro. joining Big East in all sports (Yahoo! Sports)
A person with knowledge of the decision says East Carolina will join the soon-to-be-renamed Big East as an all-sports member, instead of just for football as originally planned.
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AP source: App. St., Ga. Southern joining Sun Belt (Yahoo! Sports)
Appalachian State and Georgia Southern are taking their programs to the next level.
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LeBron James Could Finish Image Makeover by Joining 2013 Slam Dunk Competition
Miami Heat superstar LeBron James recently told FOX Sports Florida that he has no plans to enter the 2013 Slam Dunk Contest or any dunk contest for the rest of his career.
On a few levels, James’ decision makes plenty of sense.
If he joins this February’s competition, he loses out on a night of rest during the All-Star break. He’s already forgoing relaxation time the following night when he plays in the All-Star Game, so it’s hard to fault a guy who bears so much responsibility on the Heat for wanting to rest up at least a little bit during All-Star weekend.
Also, James might not want to participate in the contest because of how the basketball world would react if he were not to win. It’s certainly possible that his critics would rip him apart and mock him for his failure.
So, if James is not taking advantage of a much-needed night off and is not risking possible embarrassment, why would he ever want to join the 2013 contest?
The answer: By entering the contest, James has the potential to get back in the good graces of basketball fans nationwide once and for all in a post “The Decision” world.
James has made plenty of progress in terms of his likability since he became one of, if not the most, hated players in the NBA following his actions during the 2010 free agency period.
He’s won an NBA championship, and fans loves celebrating winners. On top of that, his championship validated his decision to leave Cleveland, even if fans still have a problem with how he went about announcing it.
Joining the dunk contest would be the finishing touch on his attempt for image rehabilitation.
It’s not a secret that the last few NBA dunk contests haven’t been very exciting. Long gone are the days when the NBA’s best players faced off; lately, it’s been a bunch of role players going against one another.
The exciting cachet of the dunk contest has waned over the years and fans have lost interest. They would be forever grateful to James for re-energizing the dunk contest and attempting to make it the event it once was.
There’s a good chance that if James, the NBA’s biggest star, entered the contest, fellow superstars would follow suit. The dunk contest isn’t cool in many players’ eyes anymore; James would change that.
The truth is that LeBron James and LeBron James only can truly save the dunk contest. He would bring the talent and the star power to a historic contest that desperately needs both.
Former dunk contest extraordinaire Dominique Wilkins had the following to say about what James could bring to the event, according to FOX Sports Florida:
“If LeBron ever were to do it, it would be sold out. There would be energy in the air and it would be electric,” said Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, who won the dunk contest for Atlanta in 1985 and 1990. “It would be huge. I would pay to see him do it.”
And after seeing what he did in a game against the Sacramento Kings on January 11, who wouldn’t pay to see James in the contest? Especially If James was to bring out Dwyane Wade in the contest for another one of their show-stopping alley-oops.
James is possibly the most freakish athlete in NBA history, which is why everyone in the basketball world has been clamoring for James to enter the dunk contest for years.
Just listen to how the announcers of the 2009 Slam Dunk Contest react to James announcing on the broadcast that he will participate in the 2010 contest (he obviously later backed off these comments).
The forgiving of LeBron James has been building, but it would be hard for anyone (outside of Cleveland Cavaliers fans) to still hold ill will against him once he finally made good on that 2009 announcement.
If LeBron were willing to take the risk of joining the contest in the midst of a championship run in order to make the basketball world happy, with the hopes of saving the beloved event that definitely needs saving, ultimate forgiveness would come his way, win or lose.
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Butler may consider joining ‘Catholic 7′ (Yahoo! Sports)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Butler basketball could be changing conferences again.
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John Calipari’s Best Decisions Since Joining Kentucky
John Calipari came to the Bluegrass State with high expectations following the disaster known as Billy Gillispie. During his first three-plus years in Lexington, he’s compiled a record of 108-17, including two trips to the Final Four and a National Championship.
Calipari, known as a great recruiter, has proven he is one of the greatest all-around coaches in the game right now as well. There have been numerous little things that Calipari has done during his time with Kentucky, but these are the best that have made the Wildcats who they are.
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