Isn't it ironic that Bobby Cremins, the guy who said yes to South Carolina but changed his mind and returned to Georgia Tech, is the new coach at the College of Charleston? Flash back to Gregg Marshall recently; he left Winthrop to accept the Charleston vacancy, only to change his mind and return to Winthrop.

Now Cremins comes on the scene and he's a sensational choice. He was a buddy of John Kresse's and during his tenure with the Yellow Jackets, he was a Frank Lloyd Wright man, doing the impossible by building a program into a big-time winner.

I remember when Cremins got the job at Tech, given the academic toughness and competing in the ACC, I flat out said they had not shot of success. You couldn't tell that to the workaholic Cremins, a recruiting guru. He got some great, great names like Mark Price, John Salley, Dennis Scott, Bruce Dalrymple, Tommy Hammonds, Duane Ferrell, Kenny Anderson, Brian Oliver, Matt Harpring and Stephon Marbury to name a few.

Cremins assumed the head coaching position at Georgia Tech in 1981, with the Yellow Jackets coming off a tough 4-23 season that included no wins in ACC play. Four years later, Tech won the ACC and made it to the Elite Eight in the 1985 NCAA Tournament.

He took the program to prominence, including a 1990 journey to the Final Four before falling to UNLV. Cremins was one of the winningest coaches in the ACC and went over 450 W's in his career.

Since leaving Georgia Tech, he has been working in television. Every time I spoke to him, I could tell his heart was pounding for a return to coaching. It was a matter of getting back to the right situation.

His love for the state of South Carolina makes this an ideal move. He inherits a team that will be one of the favorites in the Southern Conference with lots of returning talent. Cremins will go all out to bring in more quality players and he is a tenacious battler in recruiting. At age 59 he still has lots of energy and is a perfect hire for the Cougars.

Look for some big noise from the College of Charleston. They could return to their glory days to be another Gonzaga; it says a lot that schools want to be like the Zags!

Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question for Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.