April 7, 2006

Each Friday during the off-season I will do a column on the game I love, college basketball. I may also throw in some thoughts on another game I love, baseball ...

•  Congratulations to Bobby Gonzalez on going to the Big East and Seton Hall. It is a great hire and it is about time someone from a major conference saw the enthusiasm and energy Gonzalez brings to the table. His work ethic is incredible and he has good relationships with many in the media. Seton Hall got a dandy when it opted for the former Manhattan coach.

•  Jim Larranaga, who was mentioned as a person Seton Hall wanted to talk to, should get a contract extension from George Mason. He seems genuinely happy there and he is a great communicator. Larranaga has a great background, having played at Archbishop Molloy HS under Jack Curran in New York City, as well as at Providence under Joe Mullaney and Dave Gavitt.

•  Look for Florida assistant Anthony Grant, who did a great job as a member of Billy Donovan's staff, to reap the benefits of the Gators' amazing NCAA title run. Florida won by an average of 16 ppg. and Grant should land a head coaching job in the near future.

•  Speaking of the Gators, I was teasing Billy Donovan recently as he was showing what a loyal and terrific person he is. He called to inform me that nothing has changed in his plans to attend my Evening with the Stars at my home on May 4th to raise hundreds of thousands for the Jimmy V Foundation. Donovan said he is excited about coming to the event and he has been besieged with requests after winning the national championship. Donovan, and Florida football coach Urban Meyer will be joined by a number of coaches including Villanova's Jay Wright, Maryland's Gary Williams, John Calipari of Memphis, Tom Izzo of Michigan State, Iowa's Steve Alford, Michigan's Tommy Amaker, Notre Dame's Mike Brey, Duke's Johnny Dawkins, as well as a number of star athletes and big names in the world of sports (including Tiki and Ronde Barber, Derrick Brooks, Lou Piniella, Nick Bolletieri) and ESPN personalities such as Jay Bilas, Steve Lavin, Lee Corso, Digger Phelps and multi-talented host John Saunders. It will be a special night with loads of fun. It will raise dollars to fight the disease that we all want to erase. The event is solid out, and anyone who wants to assist us in putting together special research grants, simply call 1-800-4-JIMMYV and ask for Joyce Aschenbrenner. Tell her you'd like to make a donation of behalf of the Dick Vitale Evening with the Stars.

•  Now that the mid-majors have made a big splash on the national scene with the success of George Mason, keep an eye on Mark Turgeon's Wichita State Shockers. Yes, they lose Paul Miller, but return the likes of Kyle Wilson, Matt Braeuer, Sean Ogirri and PJ Cousinard. Wichita State will make some noise in 2006-07.

•  Calipari still firmly believes that if his kids survived vs. UCLA they could have been national champions. I guess you can say that about several teams, but the key is surviving. He also had an interesting take on the new rule that kids that to go to college for at least one season; he felt that once in college, many of those kids who would have been drafted in the top 10-15 based on potential, will find out their deficiencies. That could lead to them staying in college longer. That would benefit the college game. They could find out they are not as good as they thought they were when they crushing high school opponents as option number one.

•  It still blows my mind that Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan didn't even call Steve Alford or Randy Wittman prior to hiring Kelvin Sampson as Hoosiers head coach. Alford led the Hoosiers to the national title in 1987 and won two Big Ten titles coaching at Iowa. He should have at least called to at least tell Alford and Wittman that they were going in a different direction. I find it mind-boggling that Alford wasn't at least talked to before the final decision. Sampson certainly is a quality choice as his proven record at Oklahoma shows he knows about winning.

•  I know that Rajon Rondo is rated high in the eyes of many. I've always had a problem with guards that have problems shooting the basketball consistently. It creates a deficiency in the offensive efficiency one wants out of their backcourt.

•  After watching Ty Lawson and Gerald Henderson play in the McDonald's All-America game on TV, my gut feeling is that both campuses are going to fall in love with two future stars. There is no doubt they will be positive contributors and influencial diaper dandies right from the minute they step on their respective campuses.

•  New Missouri coach Mike Anderson is going to bring excitement galore to Columbia with his run and press style of play, made a solid decision keeping experienced Melvin Watkins as part of his coaching staff. Watkins was the interim coach after Quin Snyder resigned.

•  A big question will be: can Bob Huggins hot a grand slam and eventually get OJ Mayo to play at least one season in Manhattan, Kansas? Let me tell you, if he pulls off that coup, the Wildcats will be a legit threat for Big 12 honors in the future.

•  The Big 12 comes up empty in going for the national championship in recent years. Kansas and Texas will be contenders next year, my friends. Both schools should be up in the preseason top 10.

•  Changing sports, I cannot believe that Buck O'Neil is not a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Name for me another African American who has done so much to promote the injustices done to those who played in the Negro Leagues? O'Neil is a former resident of Sarasota and I guess we both have something in common being shutout from Hall of Fame selections after being nominated this season. O'Neil is an ambassador for baseball and such a positive force. Let's hope commissioner Bud Selig could consider some move to put him in while he is still alive. Come on Bud, make an exception for such an injustice. O'Neil has such a youthful, dynamic personality.

•  At this time of year, a number of players will transfer. Expect an avalanche of kids who are unhappy with their situation, be it lack of playing time or a coaching change, to move on. They all feel they will find greener pastures. Recently, among players opting to transfer were Duke center Eric Boateng, St. John's guard Cedric Jackson and Duquesne swingman Chauncey Duke.

•  UCLA coach Ben Howland is pursuing information from NBA scouts and personnel men regarding the status of guards Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo. I can save him lots of trouble by notifying both that they need UCLA more than the school needs them. They are not ready for the transition to be vital parts of an NBA team. They would have to sit on the pine night after night. What better way to improve than to play night after night in a high-profile program that is first class in every way.

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.