Egi Gjikondi talks about upcoming visit to UNT

Is it just me or are they telling every recruit that they are looking at them to fill Mitchell's shoes?

ABCD Academy? Bet the lock combination to the coaches luggage is 12345.

Is it just me or are they telling every recruit that they are looking at them to fill Mitchell's shoes?

You are right.

It will take this recruiting class as a whole to fill those shoes.

Has picked up offer from Northern Kentucky & will visit there after UNT

Damn, how can we compete with Northern Kentucky...

Damn, how can we compete with Northern Kentucky...

Benford'd

Albania is fascinating. Very insular, very unique. The most isolated linguistic culture of any nation (Albanian is the last of the Phygo-Thracian languages... There is practically nothing else like it left on earth). And they make the stereotypical Sicilians look like Tibetan monks.

About 10 years ago, my parents took a trip back over to Greece. They landed, went home to the apartment, dropped off their things, and went out to buy some groceries.

Digression: I know that some people here love to pretend they know something about Greece because they saw 20 seconds of video and 5 hours of yammering on their cable news network of choice a year or two ago. But, whatever your messed up conception of the Greek economy... It was and is like the golden road of Oz to all the neighboring countries. Romanians, Bulgarians, and especially (after the pyramid schemes destroyed their economy and threw the country into anarchy) Albanians.

While they were gone, a group of guys broke in and robbed the apartment. Stole some electronics, money, and passports.

Mom called the police, who (apparently unlike the United States) still actively investigate thefts and property crimes. They came out, took some photos and an inventory of what was missing, and asked a few questions. When Mom and Dad explained that they had literally just arrived... The police immediately ruled out Albanians as the potential thieves.

How could the police know it wasn't Albanians? Well, they explained, whoever broke in obviously saw them dragging luggage up to the apartment, then watched and waited for them to leave before breaking in. So, obviously it was Romanians. Because if it had been Albanian thieves, they wouldn't have waited for them to leave the apartment. And they probably would have killed them.

Sure enough, when they caught the guys, they were Romanian. And while they were handcuffed at the police station, my mother absolutely slapped the shit out of one of them, much to the amusement of the police. Dad took her out of the station before she could get after the second guy, trying to make sure she didn't end up locked up for assault.

Anyway... Albanians can be total badasses. Multiple technical fouls? Multiple ejections? This guy sounds like a pretty intimidating interior presence. Probably not a cuddly fan favorite like Roger... But he could definitely play a role for us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Lek

A lot of Albanian law and tradition derives from the Laws of Lek. Which, from my understanding, features entire sections of codified rules governing the ins and outs of vendetta killing and murder for crimes against honor.

I hope this guy ends up coming here. Because if he does, and we ever try to pull his scholarship? Someone in his extended family with a strong traditional code might solve our coaching problem for us.

So we're down to courting a redshirt from Alabama State with a competing offer from Northern Kentucky? Really?

So we're down to courting a redshirt from Alabama State with a competing offer from Northern Kentucky? Really?

Yep. That Benford can really recruit!!

Yep. That Benford can really recruit!!

Love those local ties

TTG dropping international crime knowledge. What can't he do?

TTG dropping international crime knowledge. What can't he do?

TTG dropping international crime knowledge. What can't he do?

Makes me want to be Albanian

Makes me want to be Albanian

A lot of pizza places and Italian restaurants in America are run by Albanians. One of my (sadly, former) favorites, Vinny's in Lewisville, was a great example of a delicious one. Nick's Pizza and Pasta is another one. Just like a lot of Greek restaurants here are run by Lebanese people. I guess if you want to start a family restaurant, you make it a point to start one that American people recognize and already like (that happens to be at least reasonably close to your own home country).

Anyway... During the war in Kosovo, supposedly a lot of the money funding the KLA came from repatriated earnings Albanians sent home from wherever they happened to be living and working.

So, if you ate a pizza or a plate of spaghetti from a family restaurant in the 90's... You may have been financing the war in the former Yugoslav republics. Don't let Vlade Divac know.

Very few people hold Benford in lower esteem than I do, and I'm still on board with recruiting this guy.

I think that, given the right circumstances and appropriate coaching, he could be a Latrell Sprewell type contributor for us.

Very few people hold Benford in lower esteem than I do, and I'm still on board with recruiting this guy.

I think that, given the right circumstances and appropriate coaching, he could be a Latrell Sprewell type contributor for us.

Yeah, we need to be able to +1 TTG again.

I'd love to hear Tony Benford ask Latrell Sprewell " who's going to feed your babies ?"

Very few people hold Benford in lower esteem than I do, and I'm still on board with recruiting this guy.

I think that, given the right circumstances and appropriate coaching, he could be a Latrell Sprewell type contributor for us.

Only if he believes Benford to be PJ Carlesimo.

http://in.5thvillage.com/u/gods_child_4/

This post has been promoted to an article

Very few people hold Benford in lower esteem than I do, and I'm still on board with recruiting this guy.

I think that, given the right circumstances and appropriate coaching, he could be a Latrell Sprewell type contributor for us.

So, you think he might try to choke Benford?

ABCD Academy? Bet the lock combination to the coaches luggage is 12345.

Also the comination to the airlock.

So, if you ate a pizza or a plate of spaghetti from a family restaurant in the 90's... You may have been financing the war in the former Yugoslav republics. Don't let Vlade Divac know.

And Vlade won't be happy with that.

http://www.kswo.com/story/15429820/lawton-coach-cares-for-conned-teen-athletes?clienttype=printable

Bump for a semi-relevant update. Playing for San Jac, same JUCO as Carrington Ward, and is averaging 7 points and 5 rebounds per game. Shooting 40% from three though. Still classified as a freshman at San Jac due to playing at a prep last year.

Edited February 2, 2014 by BillySee58