Hang 'em from the rafters

Wednesdays are normally Greg Waddell’s day for writing, but he decided it was more important to celebrate his wedding anniversary. Good thing it isn’t March or we would’ve had a discussion about priorities.

Anyway, expect fewer jokes in the Daily, though there is a significant Michigan idea in the first item. Maybe that evens things out.

Let’s get to the news.

STARTING FIVE

1. After Steph, whose jersey goes up next?

It’s gonna be a good day in Davidson.

The school expects a full house to watch Davidson legend Steph Curry be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame and have his No. 30 jersey retired.

If it seems like an overdue honor for Curry, a three-time All-American and star of the 2008 Elite Eight squad, it comes just a few months after earning his Davidson diploma. So there’s that.

It’s not uncommon for schools to have several requirements when it comes to honoring players. Many schools do not publicize their requirements, and some seemingly commemorate jerseys in bunches, which is why guessing who the next star to have a jersey or number retired is tricky.

Use the Steph timeline. He left Davidson in 2009, and since then three national players of the year — Blake Griffin, Evan Turner, and Frank Kaminsky — have been honored. Other NPOYs are obvious candidates for this honor, so let’s focus on them (plenty of other players, including Josh Hart, a handful of Kansas players, etc, have had jerseys retired). In chronological order since 2010:

• Jimmer Fredette: Certainly headed that direction, but BYU has a 15-year waiting period to honor players. Check back in 2026.

• Anthony Davis: An obvious candidate, especially since Kentucky retired a host of jerseys in the ‘90s. But one-and-done players typically don’t get the treatment. He’d definitely need a degree and perhaps some other kind of contribution (perhaps a practice facility?).

• Trey Burke: Another interesting example, even beyond this singular brilliance.

Michigan only has five (5!) honored jerseys and only one retired number (Cazzie Russell’s No. 33). Would they fire up number six for a guy who only played two years … but did win NPOY honors en route to a runner-up finish in the 2013 NCAA Tournament? More unlikely than a 14-point rally with 7 minutes left.

• Doug McDermott: Look, Creighton retired Kyle Korver’s jersey. McDermott’s day is coming.

• Buddy Hield: Oklahoma also doesn’t publish its requirements or a timeline for honoring a player, but he also seems like a shoo-in thanks to that Final Four run. (FYI, Denzel Valentine also won a few NPOY honors in 2016. His jersey isn’t retired yet, and Cassius Winston might make the first claim.)

• Frank Mason: There are 32 (!) Jayhawks with retired jerseys (Kansas relaxed its requirements a few years ago). Bill Self said in 2017 that Mason and Thomas Robinson would get that honor. Reason suggests that Ochai Agbaji’s will also go up in the rafters one day.

• Jalen Brunson: The most recent college player on the bulleted list, but also could be the most likely. Villanova’s retired five jerseys since 2019, including Hart, Kyle Lowry, Allan Ray, Ryan Arcidiacono, and Howard Porter. Brunson has a stronger case than just about any of them and also earned his diploma in 2019.

If Greg Waddell was writing this, he’d probably lay odds on McDermott. That’s the safe bet. But I might take Brunson given Villanova’s recent history.

2. Duke not stressed about freshman’s broken foot

It’s only August, but Duke freshman Dariq Whitehead had surgery Tuesday to repair a foot fracture suffered during practice on Monday. The 6-6 freshman and 5-star recruit expects to play this fall, the school said in an announcement.

“We are happy to share that Dariq underwent a successful procedure today, and is in the best care with our doctors and rehabilitation staff,” said coach Jon Scheyer. “We’re confident he'll be back on the court soon.”

Hey, when you bring in four 5-star recruits, maybe you don’t need to stress. I can’t wait to see how cool and collected Scheyer is during timeouts!

It’s understandable, though. Whitehead’s also on point.

Still, expect Whitehead to be behind once he does return. Missing months of practice time affects even the best players. Expect Tyrese Proctor and Jacob Grandison to be the primary wing options until Whitehead is fully ready.

3. Big things hit L.A.

USC coach Andy Enfield snagged a spot on the Field of 68’s list of top recruiters. Right on cue, the Trojans announced another player for the 2022-23 season. Synergy? Serendipity? You decide.

Iaroslav Niagu, a 7-foot, 215-pound freshman, features elite size and good mobility, along with a decent shooting stroke and a fair amount of international experience. He played during the NBA Academy Games in July (8.7 points, 5.3 rebounds in six games), and with the U20 Russian National Team at the U20 FIBA European Challengers last summer. Niagu also played with the Russian club, Lokomotiv Kuban.

He adds to an already stacked USC recruiting class that also features 5-star prospect — and fellow 7-footer — Vince Iwuchukwu. The big question? Will he play alongside Niagu?

Enfield hasn’t shied away from big lineups before (7-foot Evan Mobley and 6-10 Isaiah Mobley often shared the court) and these two could conceivably play together given Niagu’s shooting. Seems like a perfect pairing for The Year of the Big.

Also on the recruiting front:

• Three-star 2023 prospect Josh Jones, a 6-10 big, will head to Texas.

• Morehead State snagged 2023 prospect Mekhi Grant.

• Jace Posey (son of ex-NBA star James Posey) will reportedly choose between TCU and George Mason.

4. No postseason team bans or unlimited transfers. Probably.

The NCAA D-I Board of Directors is expected to change its infractions process today — including no more postseason bans.

USA Today reported that a long list of possible changes has circulated among the D-I athletic department for weeks, and they originated from the D-I Transformation Committee. Among the likely approved proposals:

• Incentivizing schools to self-report violations and work with NCAA enforcement staff.

• Ditching the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP), which has been handling cases related to the FBI investigation into college hoops corruption (some have lasted four years).

• Requiring boosters to cooperate in investigations.

• Limiting appeals from schools and how long cases be delayed.

All of which sounds ideal and should’ve been in place already. As to what needs more discussion, that includes alternative penalties that would replace postseason bans (such as banning coaches), banning the use of disappearing messaging apps like Signal, and allowing schools more latitude to comment on pending cases — when the NCAA can comment.

Also on Wednesday, more discussion is coming about the transfer portal. Good news for those who want more structure.

Dellinger also says there could be a spring window added to help start the transfer process from dragging into late summer and the start of the fall semester.

5. Some Big South and SoCon league schedules

It’s been a week since we announced The Almanac: The Year of the Big (use promo code HOOPS to save before Sept. 27), the essential college preview for 2022-23. As a reminder, it features insight from every coach, team previews for every program, conference outlooks and so much more.

That means when you’re combing through the conference schedules the Southern Conference and Big South released on Tuesday, you’ll know that both leagues did fans a favor with scheduling.

We think the Big South will come down to Longwood and UNC Asheville, while Furman and Samford are the top teams in the SoCon. On cue, Saturday, Feb. 25 features Furman at Samford and UNC Asheville at Longwood. Call ‘em perfect caps to a conference schedule.

On that note …

THE FAST BREAK

Links as you learn various Mikhail Gorbachev factoids.

• South Carolina essentially cut out agents in NIL by partnering with a sports marketing agency for its in-house NIL firm.

• Louisville coach Kenny Payne was surprised by the “hatred” people have for the Cards.

• How do Michigan and Michigan State compare in recruiting for the last five years? (Oddly enough, UM is 124-47 and MSU is 123-47.)

• The Pac-12 expects to fetch at least $300 million annually in its new media deal.

• The share of people aged 18-21 going to college has flattened over the last 10 years.

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