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Glaring Hall Omissions: Jim Phelan, His Bowtie and His 830 Wins

David Steele — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: Coaches

Jim Phelan will remind you in a heartbeat that he's already in the Hall of Fame, a bunch of them. It's not that he wonders why he keeps getting asked about the one in Springfield, Mass., the one that won't let him in. It's that it doesn't bother him as much as it bothers so many others.

"I really don't care,'' Phelan said Monday morning, after knocking golf balls around the lawn of his home in Emmitsburg, Md., less than a mile from the college he put on the basketball map half a century ago. "When I was active, it was a nice trivia question --- who has the most wins and is not in the Hall of Fame?''

The answer is Phelan, who won 830 games in 49 seasons at Mount St. Mary's, the tiny historic Catholic university in the mountains near the Pennsylvania border. Exactly three men have won more games coaching at Division I colleges: Bobby Knight, Dean Smith and Adolph Rupp. Two, Smith and Rupp, have won more games at a single school. None, at any level, has ever coached more games at one school than the 1,354 Phelan coached at "The Mount'' from 1954-2003.

And in total -- counting Jim Boeheim's ascent at Syracuse a week ago -- eight have Division I coaches won 800 or more games. It's legendary company the 80-year-old Phelan is in. It's also legendary company he is left out of: the four ahead of him in the 800 club (Bob Knight, Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp and Mike Krzyzewski) and two of the other thre (Jim Calhoun and Boeheim) are enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. When he retired in 2003, coaches all over the country donned bowties, Phelan's trademark, in his honor the last regular-season weekend. He has two coach-of-the-year awards named after him, as well as the court in Mount's on-campus arena.

Since his retirement, three men's college basketball coaches have been inducted in Springfield: Boeheim, Calhoun and Roy Williams. Go back four years, to 1999, when he won his 800th -- dramatically, in his conference's tournament championship game to clinch his first Division I tournament spot -- and add three others: Lute Olson, John Chaney and John Thompson.

The respect between Phelan and his coaching fraternity brothers is mutual. None of them has a clue as to why Phelan has not even gotten a glance since the early 1990s. Said Thompson to the Baltimore Sun in 2007, "There is no excuse.''

The suspected taint on his resume is the years that Mount St. Mary's was in the "small colleges'' classification, even though Phelan led them to the 1962 title at that level and beat some loaded programs back when the sport wasn't tilted as much toward the major schools.

Everybody who has known him for very long -- former players like Fred "Mad Dog'' Carter, fellow coaches, and definitely Phelan's wife, Dorothy -- volunteers support for a campaign to get him into the most prestigious of basketball halls, but none ever gets far. Two seasons ago, when his handpicked successor, Milan Brown, led Mount St. Mary's to an NCAA tournament berth, Phelan's career got significant renewed public exposure before its tournament games against Coppin State and North Carolina.

Still, nothing in the way of an in-route from the more-secretive-than-most hall selection committee -- a group which Carter, a star for Phelan in the late 1960s and the first black student at the entire school, once referred to as "knuckleheads.''

"They should have put him in as soon as he retired,'' said Mount sports information director Mark Vandergrift, whose first year at the school coincided with Phelan's last as coach.

It came as a relief to his admirers that Phelan was in the Class of 2008 at the College Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City; this year's honorees, to be inducted Sunday, include Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The opening of the Hall, in the eyes of many college aficionados, rights several wrongs committed by the shrine in Springfield, and Phelan was considered a colossal wrong.

"Hardly anyone knows the difference anyway,'' Phelan said. "Anyone in the Naismith Hall of Fame got into the College Hall of Fame, which was good.''

And it got in one other who deserved to get in, right? Phelan refused over and over again to take the bait, choosing to recall the high caliber of inductees in his year (Charles Barkley, Danny Manning, Nolan Richardson) and the other classes -- and to show that 55 years after his coaching debut and six years after his retirement, he stayed abreast of today's game. Noting that the late Wayman Tisdale would be enshrined Sunday, he described in detail Mount's season opener last Saturday at Tisdale's alma mater, Oklahoma, a 95-71 loss he did not attend but had described to him by Brown.

Phelan sounded for all the world as if he had coached the game himself, but he laughed off the idea that in his ninth decade, he missed being on the sidelines. "I go out there, I watch the first half, then I go up the hospitality room and watch the rest in there,'' he said. "I can't do anything about it sitting in the bleachers. You're watching it, you're dying sitting there, and you can't do anything more than the guy who's on the bench. I don't know how Johnny Wooden did it all those years at UCLA [after his retirement].''

He said he knows Boeheim from past events, and is a huge admirer of his and the matchup zone that has befuddled three decades of opponents; he also joked that he once asked Boeheim to bring his Syracuse team to Emmitsburg, and was told, "You could give me $100,000 and I wouldn't come down there.''

Phelan never saw an opportunity better than the one he had at Mount fSt. Mary's or 49 years, during all of which, he said, he was the lowest-paid coach in the nation. "That happens. Someone has to be the lowest,'' he said.

Now, despite a snub that grows in scale every time another coach reaches a milestone or another group enters Springfield, Phelan speaks as if he has no regrets, "No, life is good,'' he said.

His record, rewards notwithstanding, is far better than good.

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UCLA's Jerime Anderson, left, reaches for a lose ball along with Cal State Fullerton's Aaron Thompson during the second overtime of their NCAA basketball game in Los Angeles on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Cal State Fullerton won 68-65. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

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Cal State Fullerton's Gerard Anderson, left, and Aaron Thompson, right, smile together in the final seconds of their victory over UCLA during the second overtime of their NCAA basketball game in Los Angeles on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Cal State Fullerton won 68-65. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

UCLA's Jerime Anderson, left, reaches for the ball as Cal State Fullerton's Aaron Thompson tries to avoid him during the first half of their NCAA basketball game in Los Angeles on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

UCLA head coach Ben Howland yells directions at his team against Cal State Fullerton during the first half of their NCAA basketball game in Los Angeles on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Connecticut's Jerome Dyson, above, attempts a lay-up against Colgate during the first half of the NIT Season Tip-Off game in Storrs, Conn., on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Thomas Cain)

Indiana head coach Tom Crean looks on during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina-Upstate in Bloomington, Ind., Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Indiana won 69-61. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Glaring Hall Omissions: Jim Phelan, His Bowtie and His 830 Wins originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Isiah Thomas Will Coach FIU Tonight Despite Mother's Heart Attack

Chas Rich — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:24:00 EST

Filed under: UNC, Mid-Majors, Coaches

With the exception of New York Knicks fans, there will not be much booing tonight when Isiah Thomas steps on the court at the Dean Dome. UNC fans will not be cheering for Thomas or his FIU team, but who is going to boo a guy on the same day his mother has heart surgery after a heart attack on Saturday?

According to Jeff Goodman at FOXSports.com, Thomas' mother told him to go and coach the game. This will be Thomas' national debut as a college coach. Not much is expected from a very bad Golden Panthers team that has to play the defending national champs in Chapel Hill.

Isiah Thomas Will Coach FIU Tonight Despite Mother's Heart Attack originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vaccaro: adidas Wrong With MJ's Son

Tim Povtak — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:15:00 EST

Filed under: Conference USA, Coaches, UCF

Take it from the pioneer who started this idea of cozy, contractual relationships between the shoe giants and the NCAA schools: adidas has screwed up this time.

Sonny Vaccaro speaks from experience.

"What a PR nightmare for adidas. This should have been a no-brainer,'' Vaccaro said. "It's nothing but a personal thing against Michael Jordan.''

At issue is the recent decision by adidas to severe its relationship with the University of Central Florida, which has a contract that requires all of its athletes and coaches to wear adidas products.

In the midst of negotiating a new six-year, estimated $3 million contract, adidas officials notified the school this week that its longtime relationship was ending because of the athletic department's decision to allow freshman basketball player Marcus Jordan -- Michael's son -- to wear the family's Jordan Brand (Nike) shoes.

"Adidas never would have done this to a bigger school, but they figured they could pick on a lesser known like UCF,'' Vaccaro said. "They wouldn't have tried this at the University of Florida. It's just not right what they have done. These contracts always have some wiggle room for exceptions like this.''

Vaccaro, through the years, has worked for Nike, adidas and Reebok, serving as the go-between for schools and the shoe companies. He orchestrated the first school/shoes/apparel contract in 1987. It was between Nike and the University of Miami. It started a trend that has benefited schools for many years. He also did many of the same contracts for adidas.

Vaccaro, 70, is best known as the founder of the first national high school all-star basketball game -- the Dapper Dan Roundball Classic. He is retired and living in California.

"Any of the shoe contracts that I ever did always allowed for exceptions,'' he said. "It's absolutely the wrong fight at the wrong time. Look, I don't have any allegiance to any of the shoes now. In fact, this case (with Jordan) reminds me of when Nike tried to hide that video of someone dunking on LeBron James. They should all use some common sense.''

Vaccaro: adidas Wrong With MJ's Son originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Never a Dull Moment for SEC Coaches

Chas Rich — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, SEC, Coaches

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive might have been hoping that when college football season ends, he would not have to be issuing weekly warnings to his high profile coaches to watch their mouths. But it looks more like he will be chiding coaches some time into April.

The addition of John Calipari at Kentucky means the SEC coaching family gatherings promise to be more entertaining. Calipari has never been one to build warm relationships with other coaches in his conference (right, John Chaney?). His soured relationship with Rick Pitino should make his meetings with Florida's Billy Donovan more interesting.

The warm and special relationship that was built during his time at Memphis, with Tennessee's Bruce Pearl will undoubtedly produce the most entertainment. .
As Calipari made no secret of his feelings at SEC basketball media day.

"He was trying to take over the state, and I wasn't going to let him," said Calipari. "I conceded the rest of the state other than Memphis.

"I'm not recruiting Knoxville, you're recruiting Memphis; that's why I didn't want to play him in a home-and-home (series)," Calipari said, his audience swelling as he spoke. "What good does it do for me to go to Knoxville, other than to play in front of 22,000 people in orange ... I can't stand the color."

Which should make his trip to Knoxville as well as Florida, for that matter, a little more spicy.

Pearl, who always seems to enjoy any and all attention played the good sport.

"Why would he like orange? I think that's great," Pearl said. "I said when I took this job I wanted Kentucky to be my rival. If we're not competitive, it's not a rivalry."

Then there is Kevin Stallings at Vanderbilt to declare his lack of interest in public shots by coaches -- after he fired one.

"I don't agree with all the things Bruce does, or John will do ..." Stallings said. "I don't want to be out there publicly feuding with other coaches.

"If John and Bruce want to square off and have a 12-rounder, I'm sure people will pay attention to it. A little bit of that is probably good for the league."

Safe to say that SEC basketball is going to be a lot more entertaining this year. On and off the court.

Never a Dull Moment for SEC Coaches originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Knight Remains Away from Indiana

Chas Rich — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:08:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana, Big Ten, Coaches, Media Watch

It really shouldn't come as a surprise that Bob Knight would opt not to attend his own induction into the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame. His departure from Indiana was ugly, well-documented and Knight has never been one to easily forgive and forget.

Or maybe he is mellowing just a bit. Rather than not even respond to the invitation, Knight actually let Indiana know that he would not attend.Not just passing word along through an intermediary or via press release. He called Indiana's athletic director Fred Glass directly. A former sportswriter that is a longtime friend of Knight, will represent Knight at the ceremony.

The reason claimed is that Knight would not attend because he didn't want a media crunch that would ensue were he to attend, to overshadow the induction of many of his former players. That almost seems reasonable except for one thing. Considering Bob Knight is being inducted, regardless of his physical presence, he will overshadow the event.

Knight Remains Away from Indiana originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Billy Gillispie Admits to DUI

Chas Rich — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:36:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, Coaches

Twice before in his life, Billy Gillispie had been accused of drunk driving. He avoided an actual admission and penalties the first couple of times. The third time was the not quite the charm as the former Kentucky coach pled guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in Anderson County District Court in Kentucky.

Gillispie limited most of his responses to the judge to one word answers. He received a sentence similar to most first-time offenders in Kentucky. A 30-day suspension of his driver's license, a fine plus all court costs and being required to complete an Alcohol Drivers Education Program.

Gillispie was arrested in August for DUI. A couple weeks after that, he entered a rehab program in Texas. Whether Gillispie is truly addressing what appears to be a serious issue, is unclear. Gillispie has not spoken to anyone in the media since the arrest. He didn't speak to anyone at the courthouse, and the statement he released through his attorney does nothing to clarify things.

"I made a mistake and admitted my mistake today to Judge Armstrong, and I accept the penalty she has imposed," Gillispie said in the statement. "I want to apologize to the people of Kentucky, my family and friends, and I want to thank all of those who have reached out to me over the past several months with kind words of encouragement and support."

Eventually, if he wants to be a head coach again, he will have to speak publicly and address whether he sees this as an isolated mistake or part of a larger problem he has to face.

Billy Gillispie Admits to DUI originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gillispie Goes Halfsies With Kentucky

Chas Rich — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:07:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, SEC, Coaches

No one really expected ex-Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie's lawsuit against Kentucky for breach of contract to ever make it to trial. Neither side really wanted everything in the open court, and dragging into the actual college basketball season.

So it was not a real surprise that the parties agreed to mediation and a settlement was reached for roughly half of the $6 million dollars in dispute. Gillispie gets $2.98 million and his attorney and mediation costs paid by Kentucky. Or roughly one-tenth of the amount Kentucky is paying John Calipari over the next eight years.

Gillispie gets to put one more aspect of his time in Kentucky behind him. Arguably that was the easiest item. He still has to sell his house in a bad real estate market and settle that DUI charge.

Gillispie Goes Halfsies With Kentucky originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wish John Wodden a Happy 99th

Ray Holloman — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:04:00 EST

Filed under: Coaches

John Wooden has always been a man of numbers so improbable that they make you stop and clean your glasses, even if you not wearing them.

He won 10 national titles in 12 years, including seven in a row an 38 straight NCAA tournament games, 620 games in 27 years at UCLA; 88 of those were consecutive, an all but untouchable record. In 161 games in Pauley Pavilion, which opened during the height of Wooden's legacy, he lost just twice.

Earlier in the year, he was named as the greatest coach in sports' history by fellow coaches in The Sporting News.

Wednesday, Wooden will celebrate another big number, his 99th birthday, with will well-wishers in search of an even bigger one. In conjunction with the launch of his latest book, "A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring," which will hit shelves on his birthday Wednesday, the publishers are seeking 9,999 birthday wishes for the coach.

(Click here to add your message to Coach Wooden.)

The book, co-authored by Don Yaeger, whose written four New York Times bestsellers, chronicles the influences on Wooden's life and character, including Abraham Lincoln, his college basketball coach at Purdue, and his wife Nell, to whom Wooden was married for 63 years before her death in 1985, as well as those he's influenced, including former UCLA players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton and coaches around the continent.

Wooden retired from coaching at age 64 after his 10th NCAA title in 1975, but the coach has remained a fixture in college basketball, often seen in the UCLA stands. The legacy of the coach with the owlish face, clear piercing blue eyes and square brown glasses just a size or two removed from Joe Paterno still towers over college hoops in the way no other coach dominates his sport, perhaps aside only from Vince Lombardi in the NFL. But Wooden, who has credited his long life to moderation and has avoided alcohol, remains a grandfather to the game and something of a moral center for a sport often plagued by scandal. Even as rumors about UCLA's recruiting have become commonplace, Wooden remains one chopped cherry tree from fullblown sainthood in the game.

Of course, the man that looks like he might've struggled to box out Orville Redenbacher hasn't always been just the grandfather figure to basketball. He was once one of the sport's stars, an All-American basketball player at Purdue, leading the Boilermakers to the 1932 national title, awarded retroactively by the Helms Foundation, seven years before the first of the NCAA tournaments he would later dominate as a coach.

Gameplan chronicles a life in leadership from those days in Indiana, where he also won a high school championship as a player and played for several professional teams , through the coaching legacy and tradition of leadership he's passed on.

Perhaps all it needs are a few thousand more birthday wishes to complete the drive to 9,999 by Wednesday.

This, of course, may seem like a challenge.

But improbably large numbers have never been a problem for John Wooden.

(Click here to add your message to Coach Wooden.)

Wish John Wodden a Happy 99th originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Binghamton Coach Violates NCAA Recruiting Rule

FanHouse Newswire — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:36:00 EST

Filed under: Coaches, Recruiting

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (AP) -- Binghamton University officials say the men's basketball coach violated regulations set by the NCAA.

Interim Athletic Director James Norris said Friday that Coach Kevin Broadus reported having contact with prospective athletes that violated NCAA regulations.

Norris says corrective actions were taken and the college will determine whether further action is needed. Norris would not give more details.

The admission comes as the college's athletic program is under review following last month's dismissal of six basketball players, including star player Emanuel "Tiki" Mayben.

Mayben was arrested on drug charges last month. He has pleaded not guilty.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Binghamton Coach Violates NCAA Recruiting Rule originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bruce Pearl Apologizes for 'Hood' Joke

Michael David Smith — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:16:00 EST

Filed under: Tennessee, Coaches

Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl has apologized for telling a joke in which he contrasted some members of his team as being from "the hood" and others from parts of Tennessee "where they wear the hood."

Speaking at a charity event Thursday morning, Pearl said, "I've got guys from Chicago, Detroit -- I'm talking about the 'hood! And I've got guys from Grainger County, where they wear the hood.'' On Thursday evening he issued this apology:

"This morning while speaking at a private kick-off event for a great organization that benefits many local charities, I made a statement in jest to describe the diverse group our staff recruits year-in and year-out, " Pearl said.

"Unfortunately while I was trying to excite the crowd and encourage employees to give, I made an inappropriate joke. I certainly did not intend to offend anyone and I apologize to everyone, especially the people of Grainger County.

"In no way am I trying to justify what I said, but I'm disappointed that the focus has been placed on me rather than the charities I was there to help. My only hope is that the visibility of this mistake will encourage those who can to give to those in need during these difficult times.''

Although Pearl obviously chose his words poorly in telling the joke, I think he can be given a pass here. He was actually trying to celebrate the diversity of his team, and the fact that he quickly apologized should prevent this bad joke from getting Pearl into too much hot water.

Bruce Pearl Apologizes for 'Hood' Joke originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Army Coach Fired After Putting Hands on Player

Michael David Smith — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:59:00 EST

Filed under: Coaches

Army basketball coach Jim Crews was fired this week for reasons that the West Point brass has not made clear -- but one report suggests it was the result of Crews putting his hands on a player during a practice.

Army released a terse statement from Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson Thursday morning:

"There was a series of events that led me down the path to determine that I needed to make a change in leadership of the men's basketball program and terminate coach Crews' contract," Anderson stated. "I am very disappointed with some things that have come to my attention in recent days and I have decided that it is in the best interests of the basketball program and the institution to terminate our relationship."

Crews did not have a particularly strong record on the court at Army, going 60-139 in seven seasons, including 11-19 last year. But if his firing were for the team's record, it would have happened at the end of last season, not just a few weeks before this season's practice starts. So something more must be going on, even though Army isn't saying what that "series of events" Anderson refers to is.

The Times Herald-Record, however, is reporting that West Point sources say Crews may have been fired in part for putting his hands on a men's basketball player during a workout or practice. Putting your hands on a subordinate is a major no-no in the military -- just ask George S. Patton.

So while we don't know for sure why Army fired Crews, and Crews himself isn't talking, the emerging story is of a coach who lost his job for impermissible contact with a student. Coincidentally, Crews played at Indiana for Bob Knight.

To stay updated on this story and other college sports news, follow me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith.

Report: Army Coach Fired After Putting Hands on Player originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why Honor Calipari's Tarnished Legacy?

David Steele — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, Memphis, UMass, A-10, Coaches

"The University of Massachusetts Club reflects the diversity, professional character, and camaraderie among distinguished alumni, and their pride and passion for the University.''

So says the welcome page on the website of the Boston-based private members-only club, consisting of "alumni, faculty, staff and friends'' of UMass.

And as far as the club is concerned, there's no need to edit that statement or re-consider its definition of "professional character'' or "distinguished'' based on who it was scheduled to honor Friday evening: John Calipari.

If it's all cool with the UMass Club, with UMass, with Calipari and with the basketball program besmirched under his tenure, then nobody really has a right to complain.

Except maybe the NCAA, whose disciplinary sanctions against its rogue programs apparently strike something far less than fear in their hearts. More like mild indigestion, after too many happy-hour cocktails at the ol' alumni club. But we'll get to them in a minute.

Coach Cal is one of the two guests of honor for the "Celebrate UMass Basketball'' event Friday. What's being celebrated most, apparently, is the 1996 Final Four team coached by Calipari. What might not make it into the remarks, by anybody much less Calipari, is the fact that the results that season were vacated by the NCAA after a scandal revolving around Marcus Camby getting paid by an agent. The fact that Calipari's next Final Four team, at Memphis 12 years later, also saw its position vacated because of an SAT scandal, likely won't come up either. However, Calipari's new book, Bounce Back: Overcoming Setbacks to Succeed in Business and in Life (co-written by David Scott, coincidentally a UMass alumnus), will get lots of play.

So good for Coach Cal, who despite the two egregious violations of the rules on his watch has yet to have any dirt officially rub off on him, and who has parlayed the Memphis success (so to speak) into the most prestigious coaching gig in America, Kentucky. He'll sell a lot of books in his old stomping grounds, spread a lot of goodwill and, apparently, soak up a lot of love, regardless of the price paid for him and the school to attain it all. It's not as if he would have, or should have, turned the invitation down.

Which means, also, good for UMass, which is proving it has either a short memory, a massive capacity for forgiveness, or an utter disregard for the means to the end, as long as the end includes a nice banner hanging in the field house. Whatever the case, the school has made up its mind on what the word "vacated'' means, and doesn't care what anyone else thinks it means.

But what could the NCAA be thinking right now? They're gazing upon this scene from Indianapolis, at all the back-slapping, reminiscing and book-signing in honor of a program the NCAA had to drop a huge hammer onto years ago. And it's happening in the name of the university itself (although, to repeat, this is a private club without official ties to Amherst).

What next, a parade in Dallas to honor the SMU football team that got the death penalty? A formal ball in Lexington to celebrate the day the overnight envelope stuffed with cash split open? A party at the Dillard's in Tallahassee during Florida State's homecoming weekend? A hot-tub bash at UNLV?

One can only guess what Memphis might plan for Calipari if (or when) the book tour comes through that town. Maybe a big fund-raising raffle, with the winner taking the next blue-chip recruit's entrance exam for him.

Heck, as long as you're going to spit in the eye of the governing body for intercollegiate sports, you might as well do it right.

Why Honor Calipari's Tarnished Legacy? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Billy Gillispie Reportedly Enters Rehab

Chas Rich — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, SEC, Coaches, Media Watch

The rumors have long swirled among message boards and others that former Kentucky and Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie enjoyed the alcoholic beverages a little too much. Following his third arrest in his head coaching career for drunk driving (still no convictions, though) Gillispie seems to have reached a point that he has to admit that he has a problem.

Gillispie has checked himself in to the John Lucas After Care Program in Houston, according to WKYL TV. Lucas was a former NBA coach and player that famously battled addictions for years and eventually began running one of the most popular rehab programs for athletes and coaches.

Gillispie probably had little choice at this point. Even if Gillispie does not truly believe he has a problem, he probably needs to do this from a legal and professional perspective. Gillispie is more likely to be able to work something out over his latest arrest if he can show that he is dealing with his problem.

Yet this is even more important for his coaching career. Between the way things ended in Kentucky, the lawsuit regarding his contract (or lack thereof), and the multiple arrests for drunk driving, his coaching career was abruptly circling the drain. He needs to show prospective employers -- whether it is the athletic director of a school or a head coach that will hire him as an assistant -- that he is serious about addressing his issues with alcohol. A school would be hard-pressed to take a chance on Gillispie if he was unrepentant and unwilling to admit a problem. It's much easier to publicly support a figure that appears to be dealing with his problem.

Billy Gillispie Reportedly Enters Rehab originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rejuvenated Pat Summitt Looks to Bring Pride Back to Tennessee Program

Michelle Smith — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:35:00 EST

Filed under: Tennessee, Coaches, Women's Basketball

Last we saw Pat Summitt, she was knocking heads in Knoxville, running her demoralized Lady Vols team through a rigorous practice just days after the season was over. Yes, over.

Her Tennessee team lost a first-round NCAA Tournament game for the first time in the history of the program to upstart Ball State and she was making a point, one that's still clearly and quickly articulated five months later.

"Losing is unacceptable at Tennessee," Summitt said Monday after finishing up a workout with several of her players. "They were the first team to be in that situation. They were obviously hurt and embarrassed. There's no question they knew that the former players were really disappointed and really upset about it. That had an impact too."

Yep, it was a long, unprecedented free-fall from defending national champion to first-round exit. But something had been off all year in Knoxville. Five starters left after winning the 2007 and 2008 titles and took the magic with them. Tennessee lost 11 games last season, eight to ranked teams. Not one player made the all-conference first-team. The Vols' No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament was their lowest-ever.

Last year's young Lady Vols tested Summitt's steely resolve, her sanity and generous nature. By the end of the season, they had lost their practice gear, their locker room and they were doing their own laundry.

But time heals wounds and frustrations. Summitt and her players have had the summer to digest, evaluate and, at least in the coach's case, go to the beach.

Summitt said she cut back on her public speaking schedule this summer and tried to carve out some time to rejuvenate with her feet in the sand.

"I feel like I have more energy," Summitt said. "I can tell a big difference."

Well, not THAT big of a difference. The locker room door is still locked. And Summit's clarity isn't exactly rose-colored.

"I was too patient with them. I needed to be impatient," Summitt said. "I thought I had to teach this and that. I spent too much time on offense and I thought we suffered defensively."

Summitt said she mulled last season as much as any year in memory. But break time is over. School's back in session in every way for the Tennessee players. The NCAA allows teams to get together for two, two-hour sessions each week once classes are back in session, coaches allowed to work with only four players at a time.

Summitt said she's focusing on defense.

"We didn't play a lot of that last year," Summitt said.

Tennessee will return all five starters, having been gutted by graduation losses after the 2008 national title game.

Players such as junior guard Angie Bjorklund and sophomores Glory Johnson, Shekinna Stricklen and Kelley Cain logged major minutes in the roller-coaster ride of a year ago and much will be expected of them this year.

Junior Vicki Baugh, who has seen her first two college seasons cut short by ACL injuries in the same knee, is making a "cautious" return. Meanwhile, the experience of sophomore Amber Gray has brought a heavy dose of perspective. Gray had brain surgery to repair an aneurysm and is recovering. She returned to campus for the first time this week. There is no timetable for her return to the court.

"It brings your team so much closer together when one of your teammates is fighting for their lives," Summitt said.

All in all, the winningest coach in the history of college basketball seems satisfied that her program is headed back on the right track.

"The players have worked very hard in the offseason, the feedback I got from our strength coach, who has been her maybe eight years, said they put in more workouts than any team since she's been here. And it's showing on the floor now."

Rejuvenated Pat Summitt Looks to Bring Pride Back to Tennessee Program originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Hoosier's Plea to Coach Knight

Matt Snyder — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana, Big Ten, Coaches

A little over a week ago, Indiana University announced it would be inducting Bob Knight into its Hall of Fame. In the nine days since then, there has been no shortage of discussion around the state of Indiana, message boards, newspapers and local talk radio. Normally, the induction of someone with Knight's accolades wouldn't cause such a stir. He won three national championships, 12 Big Ten titles and went to the Final Four fives times in 29 seasons at Indiana. He's currently the winningest coach in Division-I history.

But that doesn't tell the whole story, of course.

Everyone who follows college basketball knows the general story of Knight's ugly divorce from Indiana, as he was dismissed by then-President Myles Brand in September of 2000. Since then, Knight has refused to acknowledge anything about Indiana University or his time there in any public forum. Thus, it's pretty easy to see why there is such a debate on whether or not he'll attend his own induction.

There are a few circumstances that should matter. First of all, everyone who had anything to do with his firing is long gone from the University's administration. The two coaches who followed him didn't do much to embrace the tradition and legacy of Indiana's program. Kelvin Sampson, in particular, reportedly didn't care at all for the history of the great program. Tom Crean, the current head coach, is doing everything he can to stress the program's prestigious past while also looking to the future. He recently spoke about Knight's induction to the University's Hall of Fame.

"I was all for it. It's just a matter of looking out and saying 'Let's get it done.' I think it will be fantastic to be able to walk into that building and have people walk into that building and know that their coach is honored with all of the other greats at Indiana, because certainly it's one thing to have him in the Naismith Hall of Fame, but with everything he did at Indiana, the shelf's not full yet. Let's get the shelf full and get him in there."

Still, will this be enough? Even Knight's biggest fans -- like myself -- have to admit he's among the most stubborn people to ever walk the hardwood, and that's saying something. He feels that everything he built was taken away from him unfairly and is obviously having a hard time putting that behind him. One would hope the athletic department considered his reaction before inducting him to their Hall of Fame. Is it worth inducting someone who will turn his nose up at you? With that question in mind, I personally hope they contacted him before the announcement and told him they wanted him to come. But we don't know if they did that because no one in the know is talking.

The people who are talking seem to all agree on one thing: We don't have the first damn clue whether or not coach will be coming back on November 6 (Induction day).

Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star asked Dick Vitale, who is currently a colleague of Knight's at ESPN. Vitale's answer? "I really don't know." Kravitz also asked Bob Hammel, long known as Knight's most-trusted confidant in a media for whom he mostly carried an outward disdain.

"Ultimately, I don't know what he's going to do, and whatever I eventually tell him, he's going to make up his own mind," said Hammel, who is part of the board that chooses Hall of Fame inductees. "My hope is that he comes and a lot of things can be tied together finally. I think he knows that I'd love for the cloud of tension to lift, and this is a step that might help achieve that."

Insidethehall.com, my favorite Hoosiers basketball blog, has a good compilation of excerpts from around the web.

Peegs.com, the rivals network Indiana affiliate, has posted a few thoughts from fans.

I asked a few of my friends -- fellow alums who attended every home game with me while we were enrolled -- what they thought.

"When I think about whether I want him to show up, I'm conflicted," said one of them. "On one hand, I want the fractured fan base to heal and him publicly acknowledging IU by attending would go a long way in doing that. On the other hand, I'm not sure I want him to show up because his presence would be taking away a lot of attention from the other inductees that certainly deserve considerable attention, too (example: former soccer coach Jerry Yeagley who won SIX national titles and made Indiana University one of the gold standards for college soccer in America). That said, I think the only real acceptable compromise is for him to make a public acknowledgment of thanks and then come receive his induction somewhere down the line at a basketball game or something so that everyone wins. I don't think he'll do that, though, and I also don't think he'll show up. It will be just one more chapter in the tumultuous history of Bob Knight and Indiana University."

"Do I want him to show up? Yes," said the other friend, my college roommate. "He is a hero to all IU fans and should be a part of the big day. The meaning behind the induction wouldn't be the same unless he was there. Many people will show up to see his induction ... I'd think it would be crazy.

"Will he show up? Yes. If he didn't show up I think it would hurt his legacy a bit and would be viewed as a slap in the face to Hoosier fans. He will show up and he will give a great speech and provide some entertainment."

This last quote is kind of an outlier. Through all these debates on message boards and over the radio, from what I can gather, most people either believe Knight will refuse to attend the festivities or just have the same feelings as Vitale (the "I don't know" camp).

Yes, Knight, like everyone else, has flaws. But he's not the monster many, from afar, think he is. I had the pleasure of meeting him once and was too intimidated to say anything. If you didn't grow up in Indiana in the late-80s, you don't know why I should be intimidated. You see, the Indiana Pacers and Indianapolis Colts were both irrelevant at the time. The Indianapolis 500 was a huge event but happened only once a year. In the State of Indiana, Bob Knight was king, a deity of sorts. You could identify his picture before you could read. So, yeah, I clammed up. I did get a second chance, though, the next week as I was walking to my locker room (I played baseball, and our locker room was in Assembly Hall). We arrived at the front door at nearly the same time. I made sure to be respectful, saying, "Hi, Coach Knight, how are you?" He replied and was incredibly nice. He asked what I was doing, then asked how I was adjusting to college ball. He didn't have to respond. Instead, he was genuinely caring and offered up a few nuggets of advice on adjusting to college life during our short conversation.

I tell this story to illustrate what I've heard from many who have met him. He was a nice person to legions of people, and the times he wasn't were the ones plastered across sports pages across the nation. If he was the out of control maniac many believe him to be, why is he showing such respect and being so nice to the Matt Snyders of the world? I'm a nobody, as are thousands of others he treated well.

Knight, on the other hand, is definitely somebody. A big somebody. He used to be the most famous person in Indiana. He's still toward the top of the list. Sure, he's a polarizing figure, but no one can deny what he meant to the university for nearly three decades. As they look to pay their respects to him as a Hall of Famer, his fans can only hope he's able to turn the page on what happened nine years ago. At some point, you have to move on, no matter how hard it might be.

I'm still hoping he's able to separate one thing from another. The fans who want to see him show up are not the ones who forced him out. We are the ones who stormed Brand's office that September evening (and, yes, I was there). We are the ones who gathered in Dunn Meadow September 11, 2000 to hear his farewell speech to the student body. We want to see him in Bloomington again, wearing that trademark red sweater.

My prediction in my heart of hearts: Knight shows up after having remained silent the entire time -- in a surprise entrance. If he waits until introductions at halftime of the Hoosiers' tilt against Wisconsin the following day, it will surely be the loudest that stadium gets all day -- and probably all season.

My realistic prediction: He's not going and he probably will never go back.

Which is such a shame. There are so many people who still revere him in these parts, and none of them have ever done anything wrong to him. If he wants to hate Brand and Clarence Doninger (the athletic director at the time of his firing who is not working for the university), that's fine. Neither of them have anything to do with this Hall of Fame ceremony. It's just a bunch of people who want to honor him. The words "Indiana University" shouldn't be offensive enough to Knight on their own, because they are just words. The overwhelming majority of the people in the Indiana Hoosiers' fan base want him to come back, if only for a few days.

Please attend, Coach Knight. If for no other reason than to prove that your feelings for the fan base still remain. We haven't forgotten about you, so please don't forget about us.

One Hoosier's Plea to Coach Knight originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Billy Gillispie Drives Career Off Road With DUI Arrest

Chas Rich — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:08:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, SEC, Coaches, Police Blotter

For Billy Gillispie, the road out of Kentucky isn't getting any easier. Gillispie, who was fired in April after two seasons as Wildcats coach, was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

According to a report by a Lexington television station, Lawrenceburg, Ky., police pulled Gillispie over at 2:45 AM Thursday morning. The 50-year-old coach, who said he was returning from a golf outing, refused to take a breathalyzer or blood test.

This is the third time that Gillispie has been charged with a DUI. He was charged with it in 1999 in Oklahoma, and pleaded down to a lesser charge. In 2003 he was arrested in El Paso, Texas on suspicion of of drunk driving, but the charges were later dropped.

For Gillispie, the formula should've been simple.

Lay low for a year, rehabilitate his image in the media and smooth over the rough edges of his departure from Kentucky. Try to get things quietly settled over the whole contract/no-contract/buyout stuff. Then wait for the offers to come next spring.

But this is not the way for another coach living in Kentucky to try and grab headlines from Rick Pitino and John Calipari.

Gillispie may beat the charge or he may plead guilty to some lesser offense. That is irrelevant to his coaching future. Combine this with his prickly personality and poor relationship with the media while at Kentucky and you have a coach that has done some serious damage to his future.

He can forget about a major conference team being willing to take a chance on him for a while. He will be lucky to get interest from a mid-tier mid-major for the foreseeable future. His coaching acumen and recruiting skills have never been doubted. Everything else, though, is a wreck.

Billy Gillispie Drives Career Off Road With DUI Arrest originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rick Pitino Makes a Fool of Himself

Greg Couch — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:50:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Coaches

Rick Pitino is unraveling.

That's my interpretation of his press conference Wednesday, called so that the Louisville basketball coach could, well, who knows? It sounded like a man who has been under a lot of self-inflicted stress, who wanted to find someone else to blame and wanted someone to feel sorry for him.

This was sad, desperate and pathetic.

More Coverage: Jay Mariotti on Bluegrass Stain | Pitino Blasts Media

"I told you last time that I wasn't going to say anything until the trial," he said. "But I think it's really necessary that I do now because I'm a little upset. This is a day I went home to comfort my wife who, obviously, as you would imagine the last seven months would be having a very difficult time, as her husband was blackmailed through the NCAA Tournament and extorted for millions of dollars."

Now, I don't know Pitino's wife, but would it be fair to suggest that her difficult time was not directly related to her husband being blackmailed, but instead to the fact that he did something to be blackmailed for?

The stress from being blackmailed, as he alleges. The mess from cheating on his wife, his family and his reputation in an upscale restaurant. The ethics of spending for an abortion in violation of his religious beliefs. The accusation that no one believes, that he committed rape.

Put it all together, and this is what you get, Pitino rambling nearly incoherently, blaming media, blaming his accuser, not seeming to realize who started the problem.

Pitino said his sex scandal involving Karen Cunagin Sypher has been pure hell for his family, and was upset about TV reports of audio and video recordings that Louisville police released to the media showing Sypher making accusations of assault.

Pitino has admitted to having consensual sex with Sypher six years ago, and said she has been blackmailing him. His attorney said he gave her money for health insurance to cover an abortion. Sypher came back with allegations of assault.

But on Wednesday, Pitino complained that on the day Sen. Ted Kennedy died, apparently when he was home comforting his wife, they broke into the news in Louisville with an update about Sypher's tapes.

"That's a pretty sad commentary on us," he said.

To get this straight, he's saying his wife was upset about the blackmail, and then the media made things worse with their reports. Notice anyone missing from the blame here?

He also complained that his family and friends in New York are reading bad things about him in the tabloids.

"Everything that's been printed, everything that's been reported, everything that's been breaking in the news on the day Ted Kennedy died is 100 percent a lie, a lie," he said. "All of this has been a lie, a total fabrication of the truth."

All of it?

"Except what I told you."

Which, two weeks ago, was that you had been lying all along. It might be time for Pitino to step away from his job to breathe a little fresh air. It seemed that he was going to survive this scandal when, two weeks ago, he said if you admit to your problems and tell the truth, then they become part of your past. But it's not working out that way after all.

Look, the media have been known to do some low-down things. But at this moment, I'm not really into being lectured on ethics from Rick Pitino."Enough's enough," he said. "Everybody is tired of it. We need to get on with the important things in life like the economy and really some crucial things in life like basketball."

I didn't make that up. He counted basketball as a crucial thing in life. And maybe for him, it is now. It's the one thing he might have some control over.

I'm sure that this is just a bad idea of a sexual encounter that has gone to hell for Pitino, a hypocrite who preaches family values. He said that he understands the media, understands that everyone needs stories in this bad economy, but why are they letting this happen? And he suggested that if you're watching TV and a story about his problems comes on the news, "If you're fans of anything we've accomplished good, just change the channel. And if the newspapers want to write about it, just read something else."

Look, the media have been known to do some low-down things. But at this moment, I'm not really into being lectured on ethics from Rick Pitino.

The good news, he pointed out, is that Louisville basketball will go on as a powerhouse, and that he's still going to be able to recruit top-10 players. This won't change anything. Well, that isn't just good. It's apparently a crucial thing in life, like the economy, even on the day when Ted Kennedy died.

Email me at gregcouch09@aol.com

Rick Pitino Makes a Fool of Himself originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rick Pitino Calls a News Conference to Tell People to Stop Watching News

Chas Rich — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:07:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches, Media Watch

I do not think anyone is quite sure what Louisville coach Rick Pitino hoped to accomplish with his ~~rant~~ press conference decrying the media coverage of his looming extortion trial and all the tawdry, salacious and crazy details.

If, as he claims in the press conference, it is an appeal to people to ignore any media reports and just wait until the trial so that all will be adjudicated, he failed. He all but guaranteed a new wave of talk, blogging, tweeting and ruminating about the matter on a national scale.

Couch: Pitino Makes a Fool of Himself

Pitino, on the Louisville campus, with the Louisville logo all in the background explained how the university, his lawyers and others all told him to say nothing. He, however, just couldn't take it any longer. The final straw was that the Louisville police released audio and video recordings of the phone calls and an interview they conducted with the woman charged with attempting to extort Pitino, Karen Sypher.

A local Louisville station aired them and that did it. Of course, Pitino being Pitino had to link it to the poor economy, struggling times for the media, and Senator Ted Kennedy's passing as if they were somehow connected just added to the surrealism (on the bright side he skipped any 9/11 references).

Part of the oddity is that transcripts had already been made available, so there was nothing new in what aired. Yet, it pushed Pitino to complain about all media coverage including the New York Post interview with Sypher. Pitino made sure to note that he was the victim in all of this. But then, none of these interviews have exactly helped Sypher. She has continually come off as delusional, lacking credibility and unsympathetic, and all reports have mentioned that she is the one facing jail time.

Pitino's objection seems to be that his affair with her is part of the story. That he and his family are not getting the love and support he expects.

In a way it reminds me a bit of his unraveling in Boston. As things continued to go south. He was being questioned, belittled and mocked at every turn. Clearly it bothered him and he started lashing out in the media at the fans and the media coverage. His famous "Larry Bird is not walking through that door" rant was the seminal moment.

Wednesday's press conference seems like a similar point. He just reached a point where he needed to vent and have his chance to manipulate the media and the story. Unlike in Boston, he's winning at Louisville so he will get fan support. Like Boston, though, it won't change the media coverage.

Rick Pitino Calls a News Conference to Tell People to Stop Watching News originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FIU Upset Over Having to Play UNC

Chas Rich — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:40:00 EST

Filed under: Ohio State, UNC, ACC, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, Campus, Coaches, Media Watch

Florida International has not played a game yet under new coach Isiah Thomas, but the program is acting like it is already a player in college basketball. They are threatening to pull out of the 2K Sports Classic Tournament, which benefits the Coaches vs. Cancer charity, because they are no longer slated to be the road patsy for Ohio State. Instead they are getting sent to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina.

The Golden Panthers had agreed to play in the preseason tournament even before Isiah Thomas was hired as the head coach. It had been presumed that they would go to Columbus to play the Buckeyes. Ohio State had indicated on its Web site that FIU would be the opponent. FIU and Thomas referenced starting the season there.

Last week, though, the Gazelle Group which operates the tournament contacted FIU about being switched. FIU's athletic director Pete Garcia refused, but he really did not have a choice. The contract FIU signed stated that FIU would play either North Carolina or Ohio state at the sole discretion of the Gazelle Group. Somehow that does not seem fair to FIU.

"Would they do what they're doing to us to Duke, or to North Carolina? No," Garcia said. "But they'll do it to FIU and any other school out there like FIU."

Hello? You are the patsy school that has to go on the road in this tournament, and expected to lose to the bigger program. You get some nice national exposure on ESPN and a check for the beating -- something nearly "any other school out there like FIU" would love to get. You are FIU. You are one of the worst programs in the country. Most people cannot keep you straight with Florida Atlantic. Of course they would treat you this way and not like a prestigious, brand-name program.

There is no principle to this. They signed a contract that is clear. Maybe they were hoping for a lighter beating from Ohio State rather than North Carolina, but that is not principle. That is whining. Clearly FIU's athletic director (and probably the coach) does not understand that a glamor hire does not elevate FIU beyond novelty act until they actually win something.

FIU Upset Over Having to Play UNC originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Actor Bill Murray's Son Hired by Arizona as Graduate Assistant ... Which Is Nice

Shane Bacon — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:44:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona, Coaches

Maybe the most athletic scene Bill Murray was ever a part of came during Caddyshack, when the now famous actor was hacking away at flowers with a garden hoe. No matter if that was the extent of his sports acting career, Luke Murray, Bill's son, is taking the golf lover's passion a step further, joining the University of Arizona's basketball team as a graduate assistant.

The athletic department confirmed to FanHouse on Tuesday that Luke had landed the job, is Bill's son, and will be with the team this season, helping out with all that a graduate assistant does.

"I am tremendously excited to join the men's basketball staff at the University of Arizona," Murray said through the athletics department. "For me, working at Arizona, particularly under Coach (Sean) Miller, is a dream opportunity, and I eagerly await the start of the 2009-10 season."

It might seem strange that a kid that graduated from Fairfield University in Connecticut and worked at Quinnipiac and Post University might be getting a job with a top-tier basketball program, but his relationships go deeper than Hollywood.

Luke worked with Book Richardson, an Arizona assistant, with an AAU team called the New York Gauchos. Not only that, but it turns out Luke was a pretty good athlete in his own regard. Before graduating in '07 from Fairfield with a degree in sociology, Murray was an all-conference winner twice for football, but played basketball as well.

No word yet on his set duties at Arizona, but if dad ever shows up to the games, he might trump Lute Olson for most famous fan in the stands.

Actor Bill Murray's Son Hired by Arizona as Graduate Assistant ... Which Is Nice originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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