Originally published on May 26, 2010.

With our eyes focused on the 2011 Final Four at Reliant Stadium in Houston, let’s touch on a bunch of quick-hitters here in the middle of the college hoops offseason…

--LSU senior point guard Bo Spencer is ineligible for the fall semester due to academic woes. Spencer must pass all of his courses during the fall in order to be eligible for the spring semester. Spencer is the lone returning senior for Trent Johnson’s team and the leading returning scorer. He averaged 14.5 points per game as a junior. UPDATE: Spencer has been booted from the LSU program.

--According to GatorBait.net, former Florida guard Ray Shipman has visited UL-Lafayette and Tulane and is also considering UNLV and Florida Atlantic. Shipman, who was Mr. Basketball in the state of Florida when he came out of Miami Pace High School in 2008, will have two years of eligibility remaining after transferring from UF. Shipman, a defensive stopper who struggled offensively for the Gators, will have to sit out the 2010-2011 campaign.

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--Florida’s Nimrod Tishman, who barely touched the court as a freshman, will not return to school and will instead play professionally in his native Israel. Adam Allen, who has missed the last two seasons with knee injuries, will lose his scholarship and become a walk-on. Allen, the son of former FSU great Randy Allen, will have his school paid for by the Bright Futures scholarship thanks to his outstanding work in the classroom. Allen has several options after he graduates this upcoming year. He could apply for a medical hardship and get a year or two of eligibility at a smaller school, or he could go the baseball route. Allen was an MLB prospect as a pitcher coming out of high school.

--In our Winners and Losers column recently, I forgot to mention Arkansas as one of the losers when rising junior point guard Courtney Fortson elected to stay in the NBA Draft. Due to his lack of size, it’s doubtful that Fortson will be drafted. However, his stock is rising as ESPN’s Chad Ford’s latest update has Fortson as the 12th-best point guard in the draft and the No. 82 player overall. In 18 games as a sophomore, Fortson averaged 17.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

--Georgia’s Drazen Zlovaric is transferring to Chattanooga.

--Ole Miss’s Murphy Holloway has chosen to transfer to South Carolina instead of Clemson. Speaking of the Tigers, I’m still floored that Oliver Purnell left for DePaul. Purnell’s tenure at Clemson, otherwise considered quite successful, will always be remembered for zero NCAA Tournament wins and his stunning middle-of-the-night departure for Chicago. Hmmm, sort of reminds me of Pat Kennedy bolting FSU in the early 1990s for the same job.

--Remember former LSU head coach John Brady, who led the Tigers to the Final Four and then tasted a pink slip less than two years later? He’s at Arkansas St. these days and is in a foul mood following the decision of Brandon Reed to transfer. Reed, who garnered Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors in 2009-2010 when he averaged 15.1 points per game, is obviously looking to move up in class from the Sun Belt. Brady, always a straight shooter with a grouchy streak to ‘em, lashed out (somewhat) in a statement released by the school.

Brady said, “Brandon Reed, through his father, has asked for permission to pursue other opportunities as it relates to his basketball future. We have not as an institution given him a release at this time. I have talked with Brandon and his parents at length over the last week. Arkansas State gave him an opportunity to play at a high level and put him in a system that allowed him to showcase his talent and prove himself as a player in his first year of Division I basketball. We gave him a scholarship when other schools that saw him did not. It is a situation that really disappoints me, upsets me, is not right and does not sit well with me. But let me be clear, I have and always will want players at Arkansas State that want to be here, want to wear the Scarlet and Black and be totally committed without reservation to win the Sun Belt Conference and go to the NCAA Tournament.”

--Alabama power forward Justin Knox recently decided to transfer to North Carolina over Ga. Tech. Knox, who has one year of eligibility remaining, is expected to graduate in three years and therefore win an NCAA appeal to play for the Tar Heels this upcoming season.This is another development that has seemingly brought head coach Anthony Grant’s tactics into question – at least from those in the local media. Paul Finebaum, who is a regular guest on the Power Hours during football season and is without question the most powerful media member in the state of Alabama, called out Grant at the end of the basketball season a few months ago. And now Kevin Scarbinsky, arguably the second-most influential media member in ‘Bama, has taken issue with Grant and the job he’s done since arriving in Tuscaloosa.

--The addition of Knox is huge for UNC due to the loss of the Wear twins, who have elected to transfer to UCLA. David and Travis Wear, who originally hail from California, are both 6'10", 230-pounders who will redshirt and then have three years of eligibility left starting in 2011-2012.

--According to this post at SportsByBrooks.com last night (5/25), Louisville's Preston Knowles dealt out a pair of eye dots to his girlfriend's stepfather. No charges have been filed -- yet.

Brian Edwards can be reached at briane@vegasinsider.com.

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