I am certainly excited about starting a new venture with ESPN. It's unbelievable, baby! Who would have thought 21 years ago, when we started out with a little trailer in Bristol, that there would be so many different aspects to the world of sports and to this entity.

Think about it ... ESPN The Magazine has the Dick Vitale Basketball Yearbook. There's ESPN Radio, where I will be doing commentaries.

	Will Jason Kapono and UCLA be head and shoulders above the Pac-10 competition in 2001-02?

Now ESPN.com has my Web page, where fans will be able to get my views on the sport I love, plus a chance to chat regularly. There will be my Dickie V lists, audio clips from games I do and a chance to purchase some of the Dickie V merchandise I have been fortunate to put my name on, like T-shirts, hats, basketballs, etc.

I will be sharing tidbits and insights with all of the beautiful fans out there. I will answer questions ... OK, let's tip it off, baby!

I can't wait for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden (Thursday, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2). It is going to be awesome with a capital A! I get goose bumps thinking about it. UCLA, Kansas, Kentucky, St. John's -- four mega-schools with a world of tradition, hooking up under the same roof. What a great way to kick off the college hoop season.

Yes, there are problems in the sport, mainly off-the-court stuff with players leaving early and issues over summer competition and recruiting. The bottom line is it's always exciting to see those jerseys. I get such a thrill to see those kids taking the floor, creating basketball hysteria.

I had a chance recently to speak to the coaches involved in this event. Let me tell you, there is enthusiasm galore!

Remember last year, when the Dukies came to the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament and left 0-2, losing to Stanford and Connecticut? Were the Blue Devils done after that? No way, as Coach K's team went on to win the ACC regular-season and tournament championships. Duke was No. 1 in America going into the NCAA tournament.

DICK'S TIDBITS

Arizona's High Five For the first time ever, one school had five players nominated for the John Wooden Award. Arizona's Jason Gardner, Gilbert Arenas, Loren Woods, Richard Jefferson and Michael Wright were all nominated for the Player of the Year honor. Lute Olson's team is loaded, baby! Sleeper Alert If you are looking for a couple of sleepers, check out Georgetown in the Big East and Utah State of the Big West. Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje is a factor on the inside, and Kevin Braswell is a star on the wing and a penetrating wiz. Georgetown suffered a blow when Lee Scruggs was declared academically ineligible for the first semester. Hoyas coach Craig Esherick, a lawyer who passed his bar exam years ago but has a passion for being on that sideline, has a team that can create big noise. Utah State doesn't get much publicity, but Stew Morrill's team won 28 games last season and returns four starters. Keep an eye on Shawn Daniels, plus point guard Bernard Rock can handle the rock. Top Terps Return Down at Maryland, everyone is excited about five starters returning. There could be a change in that lineup with the addition of the Terps' Marco Polo, Byron Mouton, who transferred from Tulane. The 6-foot-6 inside/baseline player can score, and he will battle Danny Miller for the starting job. There aren't many teams in America that can throw out three legitimate All-Americans, yet the Terps can with Lonny Baxter in the post, Juan Dixon on the perimeter and Terence Morris on the wing. Gary Williams has a reason to be optimistic.

Why is the Coaches vs. Cancer a great tournament? Besides having four traditional powers, it is a great chance for coaches to get a true evaluation of their talent. Last year, Mike Krzyzewski got to learn a lot about his team by playing two quality opponents right off the bat.

The same will hold true this year for Roy Williams, Tubby Smith, Mike Jarvis and Steve Lavin. They will learn about their teams, and it won't be cupcake city, baby!

At UCLA, fans are excited about the following trio: Earl Watson at point guard, Jason Kapono on the wing shooting jumper after jumper, and Dan Gadzuric on the low block. In college basketball, if you can excel at the point, the wing and in the post, you have a chance to win.

Kapono made the right choice to return to school. He made the decision after analyzing and studying his status with the NBA's general managers. He realized he had to get physically stronger, work on his defense and have a better understanding of the game.

Speaking of the Bruins -- wow, am I getting older? I remember when calling games featuring Terry Cummings when he teamed with Mark Aguirre under Hall of Famer Ray Meyer at DePaul. Now I'll be working a game with Terry's son, T.J. Cummings, playing for UCLA! Fans in Westwood should be excited about this physical, big, strong inside player.

Kentucky is excited about its quickness and depth. The Wildcats are glad Marvin Stone and Keith Bogans have lost some weight to add some quickness. Their strength will be their perimeter game because Saul Smith, Tayshaun Prince and Bogans now have a world of experience. Inside, look for Jason Parker to excel in the low blocks.

What a story Parker is. Talk about an early Christmas present for Kentucky. Here's a kid who would have been -- and wanted to be -- at North Carolina, but Parker was told he would not be eligible at Chapel Hill.

Finally, through an NCAA Clearinghouse evaluation, an error was found in computing Parker's high school GPA. Parker didn't get credit for weighted classes he had taken. His grades worked on a scale with his SAT scores, so suddenly his SAT score could be lower to qualify. That's when he was granted his eligibility. What a heartbreak for North Carolina.

Kansas has seven players who could easily be starters. Names like Kirk Hinrich, Jeff Boschee, Luke Axtell, Drew Gooden, Kenny Gregory, Eric Chenowith and Nick Collison could rotate. Unfortunately for the KU faithful, Axtell will miss Coaches vs. Cancer due to a sprained left ankle.

Roy Williams has a solid squad. Throw in Jeff Carey at 6-foot-11 off the bench. If Chenowith and Axtell have big-time years, Williams says the season will be something special for "Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk" fans!

St. John's has a frosh phenom in passing wizard Omar Cook. At the Five-Star camp, Howard Garfinkel has seen all the great players over the years, and he says emphatically that Cook is the best passing high school player he has seen in his 25 years of running the camp.

Coming from the Christ the King program, which over the years produced the likes of Derrick Phelps, Khalid Reeves and former Johnnie Erick Barkley, Cook will run Jarvis' offense this season.

Along with Cook at the point, the Red Storm has Reggie Jessie slashing on the wing and Anthony Glover working on the glass inside. The development of transfer Alpha Bangura will be another key.

I can't wait for the season to start. The Garden will be rocking and rolling. It was show time in New York with the pinstripes winning the World Series. Now the lights will be shining on the mecca of college basketball with four great teams doing battle.