Jug Of News (06.06.12)

Welcome to our humble abode. Pull up a seat and grab a glass for a sip from today’s Jug of News. Hit the jump for Rodney McGruder receiving some well-deserved praise, a 2013 basketball recruit like none you’ve ever seen before, KSU track recruits making hay in their final go-arounds before coming to Manhattan, the Big Ten offering further proof of their own ignorance, and opposition building towards the potentially-lucrative NBAF funding.

For two years, Rodney McGruder toiled in the shadows of Jacob Pullen, his college basketball existence known only to those familiar with the Big 12. Even last season, his star was often eclipsed by the outsized personality of his volatile head coach. Those days are gone. McGruder is the fulcrum for a team on the rise, and his individual skills are now receiving long-overdue notice. Kellis Robinett has a great story on Rodney, including the revelation that he’s been invited to the prestigious Kevin Durant Skills Academy, which is limited to the ten best wing players in the country.

Continuing with basketball, late yesterday JOS posted an update on a recruit who is unlike any we’ve ever seen. Damien Jones, a 3-star, 6’9″ (and growing) 2013 post recruit is making his college decision based not on who has the best basketball team, but on who has the best Electrical Engineering program. Rathbone Hall, you’re on the clock.

Speaking of recruiting, head track coach Cliff Rovelto is very good at it. We posted a story detailing his latest recruiting haul a few days ago. Many of those recruits have now claimed titles in their last competitions before coming to campus in the fall.

The Big Ten should really shove a sock in Harvey Perlman’s mouth or something. He has come out and claimed that the Big Ten presidents would prefer the “status quo” (read: bowl system as it stands) to a 4-team model that isn’t comprised solely of conference champions. That’s just not even good PR.  Even if you really believe that, you just don’t put it out there, with the current public mood so strongly against the bowls. The fact that it’s also a very stupid opinion is also important to keep in mind.

Finally, opposition is growing to the potentially very lucrative NBAF construction in Manhattan. Honestly, I’m not sure that the man quoted in that article (Tom Manney, a retired Kansas State University physics and biology professor), or the group he heads (creatively titled “No NBAF”) understand risk/reward calculation.