The end of June post

Time for me to get in my end-of-the-month post.

The NBA draft took place last week, and both Adreian Payne and Gary Harris were selected in the first round. Of the two, Adreian Payne--barring injury--should have the best NBA career. He has the length and the inside/outside game.. But I wish both Payne and Harris the best.

Maryland and Rutgers are set to officially join the Big Ten on Tuesday, July 1. I'm underwhelmed by the addition of these two schools, and think it waters down the conference. I suppose Rutgers women's basketball improves the Big Ten, and Maryland men's basketball is formidable, but neither school was added with athletics that much in mind. It's a money grab, plain and simple.

Maybe as time goes on, I'll soften and fully accept Maryland and Rutgers in the Big Ten. But as of now, it doesn't excite me at all. The bottom line is that, in many ways, I don't like the direction college athletics is taking. I don't do well with change to begin with, and this sort of change is irksome for me. I grew up with a Big Ten that actually had TEN schools. Now the conference has added three more schools in the span of three years. I was just finally getting used to Penn State in the Big Ten.

Now, Maryland and Rutgers have been added, and not due to athletics, not due to academics, but in a cynical attempt to stake a claim of the east coast television market. Sure, Jim Delany will claim that this had nothing to do with it, but let's be honest. That's what it was about.