Monday Grab Bag: NBA on recess, NHL soon to follow.

With the long days of summer finally beginning to shorten, I'd like to give thanks to the sporting gods for giving us the gift of fantastic championship series in both basketball and hockey.
 
I have to admit, it was fun watching LeBron carry the Heat to the NBA title Thursday night.  His 37/12 performance with a trophy on the line was the stuff of legends, and further cements his status as one of the all-time greats. What's more, it capped a highly entertaining series that stands as one of the best in recent memory.

The Stanley Cup Final, if you haven't been following, has been just as good, if not better, than the NBA Finals, with three of five games finishing in overtime.  Game 6 is this evening, with MY Chicago Blackhawks in position for a series victory.  Even though I desperately want the Hawks to clinch tonight, I can't deny that part of me wants a Game 7 back in Chicago.  The anthem, the roar, the home jerseys... I want that scene, especially with the Cup in the house.

Regardless, I hope you take the time to enjoy the hockey while you can, because, after this week, it'll be a long stretch of nothing but baseball before basketball, football, and hockey return to us in the fall. (obligatory: #IsItNovemberYet?)

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Today in the bag, I'm talking AD search, Leason McCloud, and some recruiting news.

Click below for the bag...


Moving the goalpost on the AD search -

Finally, mercifully, CU announced some progress on the AD search Friday afternoon.  The search committee has been formed, with interim AD Ceal Barry at it's head.

Barry and DiStefano finally get the ball moving.  From: the BDC

The easy headline, splashed across twitter by the Daily Camera, was that Coach Barry would no longer be a candidate for the position due to her chairing of the committee.  I, on the other hand, am more concerned by who is not on the committee.  Consisting of seven members from both on and off campus, it surprisingly does not include CU's potential 'Daddy Warbucks,' George Solich.

I'm not a fan of the lead-donor-as-AD model used famously by CSU, but I at least think the man should have a say. Was he even asked?  Would he have even considered, since CU pulled the wool over his eyes by firing Mike Bohn?  I almost afraid of the answers.

Usually, you dump news items on Friday when you hope no one is noticing.  I take CU's release of this information on 'take out the trash day' as a sign that they are desperately trying to keep this search out of the direct public gaze.  Noble, in light of last year's media-circus-cum-coaching-search.  However, I can't help but wonder if it had something to do with the notable name not included on the guest list...

At least, buried at the bottom of the announcement article, there was this nugget: "the goal is to have a new AD in place as soon as possible – certainly by the start of football season this fall."  Good.  Now go make that goal a reality.


Basketball loses another living legend -

Only a few weeks after the passing of the great Cliff Meely, CU has lost another forgotten legend of the hardwood.  Leason 'Pete' McCloud, 94, died early last week.

One of only eight All-Americans to ever play for CU, McCloud help Colorado secure an NIT crown (and a national title claim) in 1940 and a trip to the Final Four in 1942. Known for his sharp shooting, he anchored an era of pre-war hoops dominance, which saw the school notch three conference titles over his four years in Boulder. In all, CU went 43-12 during his three seasons on the court.

McCloud was the All-American star of some of the most successful teams in school history. From: CUBuffs.com

Please, do yourself a favor, and read the incredible profile Ryan Thorburn penned last summer.  It does far better justice to Mr. McCloud's life than I ever could.

I hope the school does the right thing, and takes a moment to honor both McCloud and Meely this fall. Outside of football, CU often does a lackluster job honoring it's athletic past.


Recruiting roundup -

Time to catch up on some recruiting news.

Pro-tip: when you see a Colorado assistant tweet out '#CUin14' all by itself, like this...

#CUin14
— Andy LaRussa (@larussa46) June 18, 2013

... you know good recruiting news is on the way.

Such was the case last week, when that tweet hinted that CU had landed a commitment from 3-star QB prospect Cade Apsay.  The 6-2 slinger from California boasted additional offers from Arizona and New Mexico, with scouts impressed by his athleticism and strong release.

Apsay's recruitment followed on the heels of another under-the-radar pickup from Texas. Chance Waz, a 5-11 3-star safety, chose CU over offers from Utah and UTEP  He favored Colorado early, and quickly made an instagram commitment.

Welcome aboard, Cade and Chance!

I'll give the new staff this - they are moving quickly on the recruiting trail.  In addition to two late arrivals on the 2013 roster, the staff has already picked up pledges from four 2014 recruits over the past few months.  That's an almost unheard of number of early recruits for this program. 

Without having ever run out behind Ralphie in anger, the new staff is already lifting the sails.  Hopefully, it's a sign of good things to come.


Happy Monday!