DICK'S TOURNEY TIDBITS | March 22, 2005
ESPN.com's NCAA Tournament coverage

	John Chaney

I am thrilled that John Chaney will be back on the sidelines at Temple next season.

Yes, Chaney made a mistake against Saint Joseph's, when he sent one of his players on the court to commit hard fouls after he felt the Hawks were setting illegal screens. One of those hard fouls resulted in a broken arm for Saint Joseph's senior John Bryant.

Chaney has paid a price (in the form of a suspension), and he knows he was wrong in trying to send a message in that manner.

Chaney has meant so much to the sport of college basketball, and it would have been a shame for his career to end on such a negative note. I hope people look at his whole body of work and appreciate what he has meant to the sport, and how he has helped so many young men over the years, putting Temple basketball on the map.

If you don't believe me, go ask former Temple stars like Eddie Jones and Mark Macon.

ANOTHER KNIGHT ON THE HORIZON?
If Texas Tech wants to make a good decision, it would make sense to name coach Bob Knight's son, Pat, as the heir-apparent coach of the Red Raiders. Oklahoma State has done that with Eddie Sutton's son, Sean.

A Texas Tech assistant, Pat Knight is potentially a big-time winner. He could take over sometime down the line after his father breaks Dean Smith's record for career wins in Division I men's basketball (879). Bob Knight now has 854 career wins.

Where would the Texas Tech program be if it weren't for Robert Montgomery Knight and his son? The Red Raiders are now consistently posting 20-win seasons.

HIGH ON SUMMITT
Congratulations to Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt on catching Dean Smith's career wins record. Summitt can surpass Smith and achieve career win No. 880 with a victory over Purdue on Tuesday night in the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament.

I've always felt that Summitt could coach on any level. She has enjoyed tremendous success in the women's game, and her knowledge of the sport transcends into any aspect of the game.

Also, a salute to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski on passing Dean Smith for the all-time NCAA Tournament wins record (Smith had 65, and Coach K now has 66).

This is one of the best coaching jobs that Krzyzewski has ever done. He gets the maximum out of his top three players, and they must have their "A" game to beat Michigan State (and then probably Kentucky) to get to the Final Four in Saint Louis.

PEARL OF WISDOM
I know a lot is being said about coach Bruce Pearl's decision to tape-record phone conversations regarding the recruitment of Deon Thomas back in 1989. Pearl, now the Wisconsin-Milwaukee head coach, was an assistant at Iowa in '89 when he turned in Illinois on a recruiting violation related to Thomas.

This is big news to some, especially with Pearl's Wisconsin-Milwaukee team traveling to Chicago to meet the Illini on Thursday in the Sweet 16.

Let me tell you, Pearl has put that all behind him. If a school is looking to make a change and wants a guy ready to win big-time, Pearl is a winner. His enthusiasm, excitement for the game and passion stand out.

He has tremendous communication skills and knowledge of the game. People need to look past that incident – we all make mistakes, and now Pearl should have another opportunity at a bigger school if he wants it.

Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question to Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.