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| The Impaler: Image courtesy AUeagles.com |
Vlad will be playing for the East All-Stars team, alongside players from storied programs such as St. John's, Kansas State, and Marquette. Also on the East squad are fellow DC veteran Austin Freeman of Georgetown and two players Vlad played against earlier this season, teammates Brad Wanamaker and Gary McGhee from Pitt. In fact, other than Lavoy Allen of Temple, Vlad is the only player from a Mid-Major program on the East team. Vlad will likely compete for minutes with (OK, realistically, back up) 6'9" forward Mike Davis from Illinois. Could this get any better? Hold on to your red, white, and blue hats, folks, it does.
The East team is coached by the legendary Bill Foster, who led Duke to the 1978 title game. Who's his assistant? None other than...*drum roll*...JEFF JONES OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITY. Look for JJ to devour the soul of a Holy Cross student every time the East team scores. How exactly JJ got named the assistant coach is unknown, but we do suspect his work with the NABC played a role, in addition to his decade-long turnaround of a previously moribund AU program.
Vlad and JJ's opponents on the West squad include players from San Diego State, USC, Texas, and one of my personal favorites, Andrew Goudelock from the College of Charleston. They are coached by Billy Tubbs, who took Oklahoma to the Championship in 1988. How he could possibly coach a former Texas player is beyond me, but I can only hope their rivalry flares as they are beaten down by the East.Watching the slaughter will be over 300 representatives from NBA and top European teams, hopefully ensuring we have many more chances to see Vlad on TV.
Then, from April 6th - 9th, Vlad will be coming back to the area for the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Portsmouth, VA, where he will play in as many as three games. In addition to The Impaler, players from Virginia Tech, Richmond, VCU, Old Dominion, Florida, Texas, USC, and NC State will be competing. Hopefully Vlad takes this opportunity to play absolutely out of his mind and impale the competition from the bigger programs.
Vlad is the first AU basketball player to compete in either the All-Star Game or PIT.
Again, make sure to tune in to TruTV at 5:35 PM Eastern (4:35 PM Central) on Friday to catch Vlad Moldoveanu in the NABC/Reese's College All-Star Game! Will this be your last chance to see The Impaler on National TV? We certainly hope not.
Also check back right here on AUHoops as we bring you coverage of Vlad's post-season exploits. Until then, I hope your NCAA Tournament bracket wasn't too crushed by the excellent play of Mid-Major programs like Butler and VCU.
Pro Deo Et Patria and IMPALE 'EM, VLAD!
Josh
