Michael Phelps all in with cross-country move with Bob Bowman
The geography of American swimming underwent a startling, seismic shift Friday when Bob Bowman became the new coach at Arizona State University.
Westward, ho.
Bowman is best known as Michael Phelps' coach since childhood, though he has developed other internationally elite swimmers as well. Other than a stint at Michigan prior to the 2008 Olympics, the Bowman-Phelps tandem has done its work at North Baltimore Aquatic Club in Phelps' hometown.
Now, after the startling press conference sight of Bowman flashing the ASU pitchfork Friday afternoon while wearing a maroon-and-gold tie, that will change. Bowman is headed to Tempe to put some juice into a historically underachieving college program, and Phelps – winner of a record 22 Olympic medals, 18 of them gold – will come along to make Arizona State his training base heading into the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Bowman said he plans to be in Tempe full-time in August. Attempts to reach Phelps Friday for comment were unsuccessful.
"I wanted to be at a place where we could build something special," Bowman said in his introductory press conference Friday. "Everything I could want in a school is here."
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How Stephen Curry went from ignored college recruit to possible NBA MVP
Pat Forde at Yahoo Sports 1 day ago
The NBA will announce its Most Valuable Player soon, and by most accounts the favorite to win is Golden State's Stephen Curry.
If that happens, the Davidson College product will join the ranks of the most under-recruited MVPs in NBA history. He might even lead the class.
In the past 45 years, a total of five MVPs have come from well outside the college conference power structure: Steve Nash of Santa Clara (named MVP twice); Karl Malone of Louisiana Tech (also a two-time winner); David Robinson of Navy; Julius Erving of Massachusetts; and Willis Reed of Grambling. (That excludes five MVPs who didn't go to college: four-time winner LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and three-time winner Moses Malone. All of those players were can't-miss stars who could have attended almost any college of their choosing.)
Only Dr. J, who was from New York, stands out as a fairly mystifying non-recruit.
Until now, and until Curry.
"He had all the technical talents," McKillop said, "but also all the emotional talents."
"Some ACC schools didn't even want him to walk on," Brown said.
SEC feeling college football recruiting heat due to Big Ten's attempted talent raids
Pat Forde at Yahoo Sports 3 days ago
From the days of Reconstruction, Southerners have not always reacted kindly to Northern interlopers. “Carpetbaggers” was hardly a term of endearment.
The stakes are far less serious now than they were then, but college football coaches from the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast conferences may feel similarly regarding Yankee invaders.
For the second consecutive summer, Penn State coaches are crossing the Mason-Dixon Line to work satellite football camps designed to raid the local talent. Last year they were in Atlanta and central Florida; this year the locales are Charlotte, N.C. and Norfolk, Va. The Nittany Lions have company from the Big Ten this time – Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan coach staff is going satellite camping in Alabama, Florida and Texas.
Last week Ohio State coach Urban Meyer clucked his tongue and shook his head over these Dixie dives through a Big Ten loophole, which allows schools to work far-flung camps that the SEC and ACC forbid. Then he said his program may follow suit.
“I think that should be outlawed,” Meyer said in one breath. Shortly thereafter: “If it helps us, we’ll do it. And I think we might try one this year.”
Not now.
