The Poster Child for the NBA Development League

Kenny Hasbrouck's headed to the Miami Heat. GATORADE Call-Up #9 as the Vipers continue to extend their single-season record.

But it gets better than that.

Hasbrouck is the fifth Viper to earn an NBA roster spot this season. Three teams have previously had four, but no one's ever had five. It's another feather in a Vipers cap that is starting to look like a bird instead of a snake.

To put this in perspective, the Vipers have 9 of the league's 25 call-ups this season, or 36%. Since there are 16 teams, a standard deviation would suggest each team should have had one or two call-ups right now, or 6.25%. The Vipers are doing 576% better than average. No, there's no missing decimal there. Five hundred seventy-six percent. Read that again.

Mind-blowing, isn't it?

The Vipers are located in a place that isn't always shown on the Weather Channel's national radar, but they've certainly put the NBA Development League on the map.

The poster children for the league should not be Jose Juan Barrea or Ramon Sessions or Sundiata Gaines or C.J. Watson or Aaron Brooks... but Garrett Temple and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Temple is on his fourth 10-day contract and seems to have no end to the list of suitors, yet no one wanted  him on NBA Draft day and he couldn't even sniff a Rockets roster spot in training camp. Boy has that changed.

It's proof positive that players can come here, develop further and prove themselves in the NBA game. Going to player overseas may get a guy more money, but it's a different game so I'm not convinced that it helps to get to the NBA. Brandon Jennings is a fluke (remember, he was terrible in Italy, so it's kind of shocking that he's got a chance to be Rookie of the Year). And remember, he was still in the NBA Draft. Guys who are no longer draft eligible need to play in the NBA Development League to get into the NBA. That's just a fact.

I think a lot of teams are taking notice of what the Rockets and Vipers have done together. I am willing to guess there will be at least four more single-affiliation teams next year.

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The WNIT bracket is out and Boston University earned America East's auto-bid by being the highest ranking team left out of the NCAA Tournament. I'll pick my full bracket later tonight, but I'm going to tell you right now BU is going to win it all. They're hosting Providence on Thursday. BU won their first round WNIT game last year at home before falling in a tough one at BC. The WNIT is concerned a little more about geography than straight-seeding, which always makes things interesting since you can get loaded regions and weaker regions. Haven't had time to analyze the entire field yet, but BU's going to win it all. Mark it down.

Fearless Women's NCAA Tournament Predictions:
#10 Hartford was severely under-seeded They should have been a #5 or #6 seed, but, as always, there's a bias against America East. I'm not sure what more Hartford could have really done... Still, I'll take them going to the Elite 8, where they'll either lose to #4 Baylor or #1 Tennessee. Normally I'd never consider taking a #4 to the Final Four in the women's NCAA Tournament, since the sport is so shallow and generally picking the top 8 teams to go the Elite 8 is quite safe, and it's almost stupid not to. But something seems different this year... Especially with Baylor. Brittney Griner is really really good.

#10 Vermont may have been under-seeded as well, but not as badly as Hartford. They'll go to the Elite 8 as well, where they'll lose to #1 Nebraska. Courtney Pilapytis and Amy Kotsopolous are the two best players you've never heard of. They can lead Vermont on a magical run.

I wish I could pick both of them to go the Final Four, I really do...

Not that it matters, since we all know the final outcome... UConn will win it all. I wonder if there's anyone who thinks otherwise...