July 3
The recruiting wars are heating up, baby! Coaches are allowed to travel to camps over the next week, including the ABCD adidas camp in New Jersey. Coaches will be evaluating the top underclassmen, and there will be lots of news about recruits making verbal commitments.

	Florida coach Billy Donovan is eyeing another plum recruiting class.

There was good news down in Gainesville, Fla., as coach Billy Donovan scored a big coup. There was sadness when Florida recruit Kwame Brown decided to go into the NBA draft (No. 1 to the Wizards); that sentiment was replaced by joy as Anthony Roberson gave a verbal commitment to the Gators.

Roberson, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Saginaw, Mich., is the brother of former Fresno State player Terrence Roberson. What shocks many is that the younger Roberson, among the top five recruits according to many scouting gurus, turned down Michigan State and Tom Izzo. An ultra-quick, explosive guard, Roberson is also a capable penetrator and play-maker.

Donovan just keeps showing that magic touch.

It's something he learned while playing at Providence under Rick Pitino. Pitino's protégé has done well when you consider the recruits signed in Gainesville since Donovan's arrival. He has made Florida into a basketball power, selling out the O'Connell Center while taking them to the Final Four. There is a real sense of basketball excitement in Gainesville. It's more than just a football school, baby! Can you name a better coaching combination than Donovan and Steve Spurrier anywhere in America?

The beat goes on for the Gators. Donovan also received a commitment from 6-foot-4 shooting guard Matt Walsh of Germantown, Pa. With Roberson and Walsh, the Florida program is in great shape for the future. The Gators will be solid in the SEC for the next few years for sure.

Donovan has had tremendous success going through the college-hoop ranks. Think back to '87, when he was the floor general at Providence as the Friars made the Final Four. He was part of one of the best coaching staffs ever with Tubby Smith, Herb Sendek and Ralph Willard at Kentucky. He was successful at Marshall and now he has one of the premier programs in the nation.

Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley hit a home run when he hired Donovan as coach.

MORE RECRUITING NEWS
The Duke machine continues to hum. Sean Dockery, a 6-foot-2 guard who ranks up there with Roberson among the nation's best point guards, verbally committed to the Blue Devils.

Dockery joins 6-foot-10 center Michael Thompson, 6-foot-7 Lee Melchionni and super shooter J. J. Redick among early verbal commitments to Mike Krzyzewski's program. Melchionni's father, Gary, also played at Duke. And Howard Garfinkel of Five-Star Camp fame says Redick is the best shooter he has seen.

It seems that Amare Stoudemire, the powerful 6-foot-10 center who has verbally committed to John Calipari and Memphis, will likely head to the NBA draft next year. Many scouts believe he is a top-five candidate and has ability similar to Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler. The destination of Raleigh, N.C. high-school star Shavlik Randolph is another question mark. The 6-foot-10 forward/center is a big-time talent. His dad, Kenny, has been quoted publicly, saying his son will consider the option of going to the NBA instead of college.

An outstanding student-athlete, the younger Randolph is in the middle of a big recruiting battle. Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State are on the short list of contenders. His grandfather, Ronnie Shavlik, was one of the greatest rebounders in N.C. State history in the '50s. Florida is also in the hunt; Randolph spent time at Donovan's basketball camp.

BIG EAST DISAPPOINTMENT
The expansion of the Big East conference to 14 teams has created a little dilemma. It's really troubling to me to see the league's growth costing fans traditional matchups that made the conference so special in the first place.

Because the league uses a rotating crossover schedule, this season you won't see regular-season showdowns like Syracuse-Connecticut and Syracuse-St. John's. It's hard to believe.

On the plus side, the Big East ranked second in players picked in the recent NBA draft (with seven). The Pac-10 led all conferences with 11. The ACC and Conference USA finished third with six selections each.