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George Gervin received one of the highest honors for an athlete on Saturday. Eastern Michigan University announced it would rename its basketball arena after the former EMU star and NBA Hall of Famer nicknamed “The Iceman” during halftime of the men’s basketball game against Florida International. EMU defeated FIU 92-88 in overtime.
Thomas was living in Miami, where he had become the men’s basketball coach at Florida International University in 2009 after leaving the Knicks. I told him of the competing offers, and that the Knicks might lose Anthony to the Nets unless they included Mozgov. He listened and then said, bluntly, that he wanted no part of the negotiations. I had called him in belief that he would want to know the status of the trade talks, on behalf of his ongoing friendship with Dolan. Thomas and I had been sharing information for years, he had provided me with insight on the new generation of AAU players who were seizing control of the NBA, and I believed he would be interested in hearing about Anthony.
The Heat forward’s son, Kedonis Haslem, is a high school football player at Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas. Kedonis, a senior, is rated as a three-star offensive guard by 247 Sports. Kedonis will pick where he’ll play college football in the next few months. FIU is considered the favorite to land Kedonis, according to 247 Sports. I spoke to Udonis about the other athlete in his family for the latest installment of our question and answer segment we will bring you throughout the season. Q: How involved are you with Kedonis’ football stuff? Udonis: “I’m at every game I can based on my schedule. I work out with him in the summer time when I can. I’m involved, but not too involved as far as his process of colleges. I’m not going to pick his situation for him. I’m just going to be supportive and help him make the best decision for himself with what he feels comfortable with.”
Florida International guard Raymond Taylor was pulled from the team's game against Bethune-Cookman on Thursday to allow the school to further investigate whether he's eligible after withdrawing from the 2012 NBA draft after the NCAA deadline of April 10. FIU coach Anthony Evans told ESPN after the Panthers' 82-67 win at Bethune-Cookman that his administration called him and said he couldn't use Taylor, who was with the team on the trip. Evans said it caught him off guard and he was still in the fact-finding stage and would meet with the administration Friday.
Thomas has since been dismissed by F.I.U., so that conflict no longer exists. A person with ties to Madison Square Garden and with knowledge of the Knicks’ situation maintained that the hiring of Mills would not set the stage for Thomas to have an influential role with the team. “This is not an Isiah story,” said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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Arroyo isn't counting on one, but if an offer were to arrive from an NBA club, he could remain in North America. As it is, he is keeping fit by working out at Florida International University, which is where he played American college basketball.
The newest addition for Samuels is Florida International University (FIU) forward Dominique Ferguson. Ferguson was a highly touted recruit coming out of high school, and it was somewhat of a shocker that he decided to enroll at FIU, which is far from a basketball powerhouse. That said, Isiah Thomas was the head coach, and he brought a lot of clout with him to the program. Since then, Thomas has been dismissed from FIU and Ferguson attempted to transfer to be closer to his family. The request and subsequent appeal were denied.
Stunned by their school's decision cut loose Isiah Thomas last Friday afternoon, members of the Florida International basketball team found a clever way to support the fired coach. As a speaker introduced a highlight video from FIU's season at Monday night's end-of-the-year banquet in the team's honor, the Golden Panthers got up from their table, walked in a single-file line in front of the podium and exited the building en masse.
FIU announced the decision earlier Friday in a simple three-line statement. "We want to thank Isiah Thomas for his three years here at FIU," Garcia said. "However, we have decided to take the program in a different direction." Thomas' former players, though, are not pleased. "Everyone really, really took it hard," DeJuan Wright, FIU's leading scorer this past season, said Saturday. "It hasn't settled in. Besides basketball, everyone from top to bottom on our team looked up to coach Thomas. He has really helped us as men. I know that's cliche to say, but it's really, really true. He's really helped all of us as men, in the classroom and making sure we're doing the right things."
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Here's what Isiah Thomas told me before the season about the job he thought he had done at Florida International: "I know today from where we started the program it's 100 times better than when I got the job.'' Let's just say those at FIU didn't agree.
Florida International has fired men’s basketball coach Isiah Thomas, after the former Knicks coach and president went 26-65 in three seasons. Thomas took over at FIU in a surprising move in 2009, one that gave the Hall of Fame guard a chance to restore the reputation he tarnished through a series of embarrassments in New York. Under Thomas, FIU never won more than 11 games in a season.
In coaching circles, however, rumblings persist that Woodson's cause is being aided by behind-the-scenes support from Thomas, who is believed to have lost little of his sway with Dolan even though he's coaching at the faraway Florida International University.
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