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Roundball Chatter
Dick VitaleSPECIAL TO ESPN.COM
May 30, 2008
Mike Jarvis is back on the collegiate sidelines after being named coach at Florida Atlantic. The former coach at St. John's and George Washington, as well as Cambridge Rindge and Latin HS (where he had a player named Patrick Ewing!) gets another chance to redeem himself. He hopes to get things rolling in a positive way as the replacement for Rex Walters, who took the position at San Francisco. The FAU job gives people opportunities as Walters and Matt Doherty went on to other positions. Now the question is, can Jarvis take advantage of this opportunity back in Division I coaching? He is doing what he loves the most, motivating and inspiring players to perform as a unit.
I was sad to hear the news surrounding former Florida Gator star Joakim Noah. In his brief tenure with the Bulls, he has had some sporadic moments. He had battles with his teammates in Chicago, and recently he was arrested with an open can of alcohol and possession of marijuana. Let's hope that he is going to bounce back and go in the right direction. Noah was a winner at Florida, with a great attitude and an unselfish feeling. Let's hope he takes advantage of what he does best – run the court, block shots, rebound and be active. Now he must solve his little problems. Usually positive things don't happen being out after 1:30 in the morning.
I know a lot of people have been talking about the pre-draft camp in Orlando. My friends, the big names, guys like Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo, will not be performing on the court down there. There won't be any evaluations of the true great ones. This serves as a battle for position, getting your stock up. The cast will feature guys who could go late in the first round and early in the second round. Believe me, there will be some gems. Just look back at the evaluation process and see what happened with guys like Gilbert Arenas and Carlos Boozer. These are human beings and you can't always judge heart at a workout. You don't know how hard a player will work with the big contract. Then there is the hunger factor; some guys who slip out of the first round and they want to prove themselves big time!
Plenty of transfer news in the college landscape. Rutgers added an experienced forward in Jonathan Mitchell out of Florida. That is a solid pick-up for coach Fred Hill. Indiana landed former Georgetown guard Jeremiah Rivers, the son of Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. Crean coached at Marquette before going to Indiana; yep, the alma mater of Doc Rivers is also Marquette!
Duquesne added a big-time prospect when 6-4 Melquan Bolding ended up there. The guard from Notre Dame Prep originally committed to Louisville last year, but did not sign there due to academic issues. The Dukes are building a nice program.
Lute Olson has seen several changes on his coaching staff in the off-season. No more Kevin O'Neill, Miles Simon or Josh Pastner, but one familiar name to Wildcats fans was brought in. Former guard Reggie Geary was recently named to the coaching corps.
Kansas State rewarded assistant coach Delonte Hill with a five-year deal. Hill helped get Michael Beasley to Manhattan and he is a positive force in recruiting for the Wildcats. Kansas State also was in the news as forward Andre Gilbert decided to transfer.
Notre Dame decided to bring back Anthony Solomon to the coaching staff. He left to become head coach at St. Bonaventure a few years back. Then he was an assistant at Dayton last season. Solomon fills the vacancy created when Gene Cross left South Bend to become head coach at Toledo.
A familiar name has decided to go to St. Joseph's as a walk-on. Michael Auriemma, the son of Connecticut women's head coach and Hall of Famer Geno Auriemma, will play for Phil Martelli. There has been a long-time friendship between the Martelli and Auriemma families. The Hawks also added a 6-10 prospect named Temidayo Adebayo.
Washington forward Jon Brockman recently underwent ankle surgery. Even though the Huskies had a disappointing 2007-08 season, the forward was a positive force. Look for big things from him next year.
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.
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