The weekend in college hoops

Essential news to know about Arterio Morris, Juwan Howard, new recruits, the Big East schedule and much more.

Author

Mike Miller
September 18, 2023

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Let's get to some hoops news.

1. Kansas suspends Arterio Morris

Kansas has suspended guard Arterio Morris following a rape accusation that was reported to the University of Kansas Police Department.

The Kansas City Star first reported the news on Friday that the sophomore guard is the subject of “an allegation.”

According to logs from the KU police department, a rape was reported at the 1700 block of Naismith Drive in late-August. The police incident report confirmed the location as McCarthy Hall, which houses the KU men’s basketball players among around 40 male residents and is located just south of Allen Fieldhouse.

KU men’s basketball players Johnny Furphy and Elmarko Jackson are listed on the incident report as witnesses. KU basketball’s Nick Timberlake is also listed, under “other.” A witness can be someone who “saw or heard the crime take place or may have important information about the crime or the defendant,” according to a U.S. Department of Justice definition. A source with knowledge of the situation said the men’s basketball players listed as witnesses or “other” on the incident report were interviewed after the fact and “not involved in the incident at all. They are not under investigation or anything like that remotely.”

Morris has not been arrested, nor has the case been presented to county official for prosecution. Kansas coach Bill Self and the school did not issue any comments on the report, other than to confirm Morris has been suspended.

The news came just a day after Morris, a Texas transfer, entered a plea deal that canceled an October trial that had been set for a misdemeanor assault charge against him. Morris was arrested last summer after an ex-girlfriend accused him of assault following a breakup prior to his freshman season at Texas.

Morris averaged 4.6 points per game last season for Texas, and had been expected to provide guard depth for the Jayhawks. The former 5-star prospect played well during Kansas’ summer tour, but it remains to be seen if he’ll play a role for the nation’s likely No. 1 team.

2. Juwan Howard has heart surgery, may not miss any games

Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard had successful heart surgery on Friday, the school announced.

He’s expected to make a full recovery in six to 12 weeks, and could return to the program in four to six weeks. The Wolverines’ only exhibition game is Nov. 3. They open their season on Nov. 7.

Until he’s cleared to return, assistant coach Phil Martelli will serve as the interim head coach. Martelli was a longtime head coach at St. Joe’s.

Howard, 50, had an aortic aneurysm resected and doctors also repaired his aortic valve at the Michigan Health Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center. Doctors discovered his condition during a routine medical check, and surgery was performed right away “to allow him to return completely for the upcoming 2023-24 season.”

“I feel so grateful and blessed that this surgery was performed at University of Michigan Health,” Howard said in a statement. “My wife, Jenine, and our family appreciate the world-class care that has been provided to us.

“Dr. (Kim) Eagle, Dr. (Himanshu) Patel, Dr. (Stanley) Chetcuti, and all of the staff at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center are so talented and performed like champions throughout this process. I am going to work very hard in my rehabilitation to be stronger than ever by the time our upcoming season is upon us.”

Howard is entering his fifth season at Michigan. Coincidentally, his predecessor, John Beilein, also had heart surgery before what turned out to be his final season in 2018-19.

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3. Miami, Virginia snag weekend commitments

Less than two weeks after Miami secured a 4-star scoring guard, it added another prototypical piece to its 2024 recruiting class on Saturday.

The 6-7 forward from Minneapolis chose the ‘Canes over Iowa, Northwestern, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech. He’s a Top 150 recruit who’s seen as a versatile defender with good shooting touch.

If that sounds like recent Miami star Jordan Miller, well, that’s no coincidence.

“I would describe my game as a 3-level scorer who also takes pride on the defensive end. Very similar and borderline identical to Jordan Miller,” Johnson told On3.com.

If Miami snagged new versions of Isaiah Wong and Miller for its 2024 class, seems like we’ll be postponing any retirement talk for coach Jim Larranaga.

Miami wasn’t the only ACC team bolstering its 2024 class this weekend.

Jacob Cofie, a 4-star power forward out of Sammamish (Wash.) says he’s headed to Virginia.

The 6-9, 225-pound Cofie chose the Cavs over Ohio State, USC and Washington, among others. He’s risen in the recruiting rankings this summer, and is seen as a player with defensive potential because of his switchability.

4. K-State adds big Will McNair

Former Miss State center Will McNair spent the summer as a Providence big man. Now he’ll head to Manhattan … Kansas.

The 6-11, 265-pound big man played with the Friars during their summer tour in Spain, but put his name in the transfer portal earlier this month. He’ll be an important addition to the Wildcats’ roster for his size and experience.

He averaged just 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds last season at Miss State, but he’ll provide some muscle inside when K-State needs to rest Nae-Qwan Tomlin and David N’Guessan.

In fact, one wonders if he’ll be used most when K-State plays Kansas and needs a big body to throw at hunter Dickinson.

5. Big East schedule closes with a flourish

When the Big East did its 2023-24 schedule announcement on Friday — John Fanta’s Twitter Spaces is the essential content from the day — one thing jumped out among the 110-game, double round-robin slate.

The last few weeks are going to be captivating.

Sure, there are notable matchups in December and January. Xavier at St. John’s on Dec. 20 introduces Rick Pitino back to the Big East, while Creighton at Marquette on Dec. 30 might be the best game of the first four weeks. And we’ve already noted that January 27 — Georgetown at Providence — could be the most raucous atmosphere of the season.

But the league could be decided starting Feb. 20. I’m focused on these games

  • UConn at Creighton (Feb. 20)

  • Villanova at UConn (Feb. 24)

  • Xavier at Marquette and Creighton at St. John’s (Feb. 25)

  • Marquette at Creighton (March 2)

  • Seton Hall at UConn (March 3)

  • UConn at Marquette (March 6)

  • UConn at Providence, Creighton at Nova, Marquette at Xavier (March 9)

The reigning national champs better ensure they enter those final weeks with a sparkling Big East record, because their final six league games are no joke. Creighton and Marquette, the other two likely regular-season title contenders, don’t have it much easier (Marquette does have a game against DePaul in that span), but when you end your regular season with back-to-back road games in Milwaukee and Providence, well, that’s basically prep for the NCAA Tournament.

Houston, we have a contender

Kelvin Sampson rebuilt Houston into a national power, with five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, a Final Four and more than 30 wins in three of the last five seasons. But now that the Cougars are headed to the Big 12, are they ready to compete in college basketball’s toughest conference? Did they do enough in the offseason? John Fanta and Rob Dauster discuss.

Links as you wonder if Alabama is now a basketball school.

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