BEVERLY HILLS (MI) — In the beach house rental business, the weeks immediately before Memorial Day and after Labor Day are referred to as “the shoulder season.” The weather may be a tad more unpredictable, but the drop in rental prices definitely makes it worth the risk. We scored an immaculate three story house two blocks from the beach in Stone Harbor, NJ that could handle 11 adults in relative comfort; had a hot tub on the roof and featured a wet bar in the laundry room for one-third of what it would have cost in “the high season” of July/August. The weather was superb, the water warm, the beaches uncrowded and except for the two-point landing that I executed on my shoulder and forehead while bodysurfing, the whole week was perfect.

But it’s good to be back.

Come to think of it, we Flyer fans are smack dab in the middle of “the shoulder season” when it comes to hoops, as well. The Red & Blue game is only a month away; official visit season is upon us; Assistant Coach Kevin Kuwik has fired up his Tweet machine and Archie and his staff should start closing the deal on up to four future members of the Class of 2016 any day now. And don’t even get me started on the whole conference realignment insanity!

Before we know it, Flyer basketball will be back, too.

While we’re all waiting, let there be links:

— The term “blowing up” is an apt description for Class of 2013 UD recruiting target Devin Williams of Cincinnati Withrow HS:

http://buckeyeprep.blogspot.com/2011/09/williams-shifting-through-multiple.html

— We all know that he can execute a perfect in-your-face inbound pass, but who knew that X Head Coach Chris Mack could still dunk with relative ease?

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/32001669

— Flyer Women’s Head Coach Jim Jabir continues his excellent recruiting with the verbal from Bre Elder from Kentucky, who chose UD over X and WKU:

http://blogs.courier-journal.com/jodydemling/2011/09/18/marion-county-star-headed-to-dayton/

— Welcome back to the wacky world of college basketball recruiting, Steve Lavin! Three of St. John’s highly-touted class of 2011 were ruled academically ineligible:

http://college-basketball-blog.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/32001979

— The headliner of that group was former Akron SVSM player JaKarr Sampson, who is headed back to Brewster Academy and has decommitted from the Johnnies:

http://www.zagsblog.com/2011/09/20/st-johns-sampson-decommits-garrett-to-bridgton/

— Here’s a trailer for “Manchild” the story of former uber-prospect Schea Cotton, who was, as twenty different guys in the video point out, ‘LeBron before LeBron’:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyG1I8nxvR8

— How much money is a top college athlete worth these days? How does $265,000 sound?

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/15569036/study-top-college-athletes-worth-up-to-265k-each

— Speaking of money and college basketball, I had to take a shower after reading the opening quote from Sonny Vaccaro on those very subjects in this article from The Atlantic:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-shame-of-college-sports/8643/

— This sounds vaguely familiar: former UD assistant Shaka Smart had his VCU hoops squad train with the Navy Seals:

http://beyondthearc.nbcsports.com/2011/09/15/shaka-smarts-new-tactic-for-vcu-navy-seal-training/

— Dave Gavitt, who basically invented the now-crumbling Big East Conference, is dead. I would say that he is spinning in his grave but he probably hasn’t even been buried yet! Bob Ryan provides the eulogy:

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_basketball/articles/2011/09/18/college_basketball_loses_a_giant_figure_in_dave_gavitt/?page=1

— Former OSU QB and UD hoops fanatic Art Schlichter is headed back to the Big House:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/09/15/schlichter-pleads-guilty.html

— Can you juggle five basketballs with your hands and feet at once? Selyna Bogino can, now with YouTube video goodness!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSR3jhRjzfk#t=0m24s

— Ever find yourself continuing to talk on a cell phone call that has been dropped? Joe Posnanski came up with a name for it: blatting

http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/2011/09/blatt.html

— Chill out and have an adult Popsicle:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/sns-food-recipes-liquor-on-a-stick,0,4708707.story

That’s it “From the Swamp.”
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