Each Friday I will write about the sport I love, college basketball…
• I'm glad to see the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame allowed guard Kyle McAlarney a chance to return to school to compete on the team. The kid made a mistake (a marijuana charge), apologized for it and everyone who knows him feels he deserves a second chance. I'm happy to see the University is giving him that chance and he should be a real asset for Mike Brey this season.
• Just came back from the Windy City and had lots of fun. Threw out the first pitch at a Marlins-White Sox game and spoke at a fundraiser for the Jewish Federation and the Jewish United Fund. I ran into a lot of Fighting Illini fans in Northbrook, Illinois, an area which produced the likes of Chris Collins and Jon Scheyer, who both went on to Duke. The fans feel that Illinois must get consistent performances from its veterans to be successful this season. Brian Randle and Shaun Pruitt must come through big-time. Also, can Jamar Smith bounce back from his off-court issues? Chester Frazier must have a solid season for Illinois.
• Dave Leitao had to be ecstatic with the news that Sean Singletary pulled out of the NBA draft and returned to Virginia. Singletary will be one of the top guards in the ACC and a legitimate All-Rolls Royce solid gold candidate.
• The coaching carousel keeps on rolling with New Mexico State losing Reggie Theus to the NBA's Sacramento Kings. The Aggies went 25-9 under Theus last season, including a first-round loss to Texas in the NCAA tournament. New Mexico State has the likes of Justin Hawkins and Fred Peete returning, so the cupboard is not going to be bare for the new head coach.
• It is interesting to see some of the names popping up for the Coastal Carolina job recently vacated by Buzz Peterson. Several guys have that desire to coach in their blood. Former Auburn, Clemson and South Alabama coach Cliff Ellis is a finalist; he has been doing television work recently. Also in the running is former Alabama head coach David Hobbs, who served Tubby Smith as a loyal lieutenant at Kentucky.
• Down at Washington, there will be some tears shed by their alums after big man Spencer Hawes decided to go to the NBA after one season. Hold back those tears, my friends. The Huskies will still field a solid nucleus and you can expect big things from Jon Brockman. The 6-7 Brockman didn't get a whole lot of national publicity and enjoyed a solid sophomore season; he will have a dazzling junior campaign.
• A true sign of UCLA's success under Ben Howland is the way other schools are interested in his staff. Chris Carlson is the third Bruin assistant to be named as a head coach in the last two years, hired by the UC-San Diego recently. Kerry Keating was named the head coach at Santa Clara while Ernie Zeigler was named the head coach at Central Michigan.
• Florida State got some good news recently. Former Oklahoma State guard Corey Williams will reunite with his former coach, joining Leonard Hamilton's Seminole staff. Williams will be a major asset down in Tallahassee.
• Usually schools try to schedule easy opponents when they host their own "Classics". Don't tell that to California coach Ben Braun as the Golden Bear tournament has three opponents that won 20 or more games last season. The 15th annual Golden Bear Classic, which takes place December 28-29, features Bucknell (22-9), North Dakota State (20-8) and Long Beach State (24-8).
• Kentucky suffered a blow when guard Derrick Jasper recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. Jasper is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 months but should return to practice in October. The time away will hamper his progress.
• A number of schools are planning trips to Canada prior to the season to take advantage of a rule that allows outside practice time. Oklahoma, LSU, Air Force, Boise State, Idaho and UC Santa Barbara are among schools that have planned visits to go north of the border.
Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in December 1979. Send him a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
