May 17, 2004
Recently, while I was reading the transactions in the sports section, there was a little note I found intriguing. I felt it was a great, great move by the University of Florida to sign former Wyoming and Clemson coach Larry Shyatt as Billy Donovan's assistant.

It's a great hire because it follows the pattern of a number of programs that have hired former head coaches as second lieutenants. These "lieutenants" bring valuable experience and information. They can provide a different viewpoint to the head coach because they have been in those tough situations before and have made decisions that affect strategy.

	The addition of Larry Shyatt to his staff should help Billy Donovan.

Just look at what happened for the 2003-04 national champion Connecticut Huskies. Jim Calhoun sings the praises of former Holy Cross and Seton Hall coach George Blaney, and Blaney deserves it. Blaney is an assistant with the Huskies, and he has been so valuable to a solid staff that also includes Tom Moore and Clyde Vaughn.

Down at Kentucky, Tubby Smith loves having an experienced veteran on his bench named David Hobbs. The former Alabama head coach brings a wealth of SEC experience, and Tubby speaks in glowing terms about what Hobbs has brought to the program.

Go ask Eddie Sutton at Oklahoma State how important it was to have James Dickey imparting wisdom as an assistant during the Cowboys' run to the Final Four.

It's a positive trend, and Shyatt will bring a wealth of experience and information to the Gators' program. To all of those critics screaming about the Florida program and the lack of success in postseason play, remember the job Donovan has done with this team.

He has taken the Gators to the NCAA Tournament six straight years. That's pretty impressive considering that prior to his arrival Florida went to the Big Dance a total of five times over the years!

People have a tendency to quickly forget the Gators made it to the national-championship game in Indianapolis in 2000 before falling to a solid Michigan State squad.

Florida competes with Kentucky year in and year out in the tough SEC. But once you give fans success, the expectations just grow and grow. Donovan has done a solid job and he made a great decision hiring Shyatt as a member of his staff. He will be valuable to the Gainesville program.

Dick Vitale coached the Detroit Pistons and the University of Detroit in the 1970s before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979 (he has been an ESPN analyst ever since). Send a question for Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.