While in recent days we have been eagerly looking forward to November, taking a look back at some summer developments might also help us see where we’re headed this season. More than anything, and contrary to what the press releases on AUEagles.com would have us believe, the summer was marked by a series of departures, however tempered with formidable additions.
As we recently discovered, Mike Technow transferred to the Division II University of South Carolina – Aiken. While something can be said about the athletic department’s failure to inform us of his departure, we wish him the best, as he will surely be a standout player for the USC-A Pacers. The incoming freshman class notwithstanding (who will certainly be analyzed in great detail in the near future on this blog), the athletic department did find it prudent to point out a key addition to the team – Troy Brewer. Troy transferred from the Georgia Bulldogs of the SEC, (likely with similar intentions as Technow) and like fellow transfer Vlad Moldoveanu who will start this January, will certainly be a force when he becomes eligible to play in the 2010-2011 season. Until then, I’m sure he’ll add quite a bit of challenge to practice with two full seasons of experience at UGA under his belt.
This trickle of players down the college basketball hierarchy doesn’t even come close to the strangest swap of the summer, however. In another departure left unannounced by our athletic department (where transparency is like football), assistant coach Michael Brennan left to take an assistant coaching position with our cross-town nemesis, the Georgetown Hoyas. Who vacated the spot he took? None other than OUR new assistant coach Robert Burke. Yes, folks, we did just trade coaches with the Hoyas. I do believe we came out on top of this strange move, however, as Burke was the last original assistant to come in with Georgetown head coach John Thompson III. He’s been a recruiting force for Georgetown, bringing in some of their best players of the last five years. So why would a fellow of his caliber move from the Big East to the Patriot League? Despite academic success that puts even Georgetown to shame, truth be told the Patriot League won’t be dominating NCAA basketball any time soon in the manner of the Big East. This leaves one probable scenario: Burke is after Coach Jones’ job. After back-to-back tournament runs and a 24-8 season, as well as a history with UVA, it would be presumptuous to assume that Coach Jones hasn’t had his own fair share of offers from relatively big-time teams. Whether this is just premature rumor mongering or obvious foresight remains to be seen – more on this in a future investigative piece right here on American University Basketball Central.
Finally, I want to touch upon the newest, and likely most attractive new member of the Eagle’s squad this season. Alright, he’s not entirely new, but certainly looking a whole lot better than before. I am referring to none other than the redesigned Clawed Z. Eagle costume that debuted at the Bender Blue Out women’s volleyball game this past weekend. As Bill mentioned, the Associated Press took a stab two seasons ago at our proud eagle mascot, calling him “shopworn.” While that might have been a little much, it is clear that athletics decided to invest a little more in this iteration of our beloved mascot, and I think really hit the mark. Here’s a visual comparison of the new Clawed with his last two versions:
Frankly they hit the nail on the head. The leftmost Clawed looks very mascot-esque, but he looks very sad about something and for Pete’s sake they couldn’t even get the “AU” symbol right. The more recent version certainly looked more like an Eagle, but was rather scrawny and even a bit hairy – some might even say cuddly. Well this time they nailed both aspects quite well. Clawed looks buff and intimidating and not sad or like an awkward chicken. The marks and logos are spot on (take a look at his shoes when you get the chance), and he certainly had a real spring in his step as he was dancing among the crowd and on the court. During our next tournament run I hope the Associated Press takes notice. I know our unfortunate adversaries certainly will.
Go Eagles!
** “Bare-chestedest”: Superlative referring to the most bare-chested fan in attendance at an AU Eagles Basketball game. “Those guys from track team are the bare-chestedest Eagles here!”
