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Buckeyes' Post Up For Grabs
I       Wimp Headed For Florida Sunshine?
In my lifetime there have been two basketball coaches at Ohio State University, Fred Taylor and Eldon Miller. Both were not only masters at their craft, but complete gentlemen as well. A credit to the game. At the same time the Buckeyes have had a like number of football coaches. Woody Hayes and Earl Bruce. It's my opinion that Hayes was a vastly overrated tactician and one of the most boorish men in college athletics has ever endured.
Interestingly, Taylor and Miller were fired while Hayes has a Columbus roadway named in his honor.
What that says is during the past two decades Ohio State University is a classic example of what's wrong about college athletics. Perspective here has been tied exclusively to the won-lost mark and for a university with a great academic reputation that's unfortunate.......
Making a call on Brad Daugherty's NBA future has to be a frightening prospect for even the savviest of scouts, but this year there's been no more efficient player in college basketball than the North Carolina center. In Dean Smith's scheme, Daugherty's always just where he's supposed to be.
				
	i		Larry Donald Cats' Pause Columnist	
				
The nation's top point producer this season is Wagner's TerTance Bailey, a 6-2 guard. Is he for real? Ex-NBA guard Kevin Porter (now coaching at St. Francis in Pennsylvania) says Bailey's good enough to help the knicks "right now." With another season, Bailey may move up on a lot of lists........
Speculation season, usually blooming in March, has come early this year. Never have so many prime positions in the college coaching ranks been open all at once, leading off with the aforementioned Ohio State vacancy. I'm convinced the OSU post is one of the Big Ten's three best because of the proximity to great high school talent. And if you want to pan Miller for not tapping that vast mine of nearby skilled schoolboys, fine. Just don't suggest his record isn't a creditable one. Anyhow, the early speculation in Columbus centered around Buckeye alums like Bobby Knight and Don DeVoe.
Don't Look For Knight Or DeVoe At OSU
There's a feeling Knight may need a change of pace after so many great years at Indiana and DeVoe has a long track record of coaching success at Virginia Tech, Wyoming and currently Tennessee. I doubt either will make the move, however. My prediction is someone likes SMU's Dave Bliss. He's put together two programs (Oklahoma and SMU) in tough circumstances plus has a great many midwestern ties from his days as an assistant to Knight........ _
Wimp Sanderson
Elsewhere, Florida State officials are said to be very interested in Alabama's Wimp
Sanderson who might be ready for a change of scenery........Mississippi State is said
to be taking aim at Murray Arnold, ex-Tennessee Chattanooga head coach who has served this year as Stan Albeck's assistant with the Chicago Bulls.
Minnesota seems intent on hiring a coach who is a low-key recruiter, one more intent on producing Rhodes Scholars than Ail-Americans. Wonder how that'll wash with the 17,000
who jam Williams Arena every time the ball is tipped off........At Houston it seems
almost certain that Lamar's Pat Foster will be introduced as the new coach........
Incidentally, with the availability of so many nationally known basketball coaches can't
you imagine how excited the Akron University president must be these days........Things
are looking brighter at Drake, not only because the Bulldogs are having a fine season, but because the university has made a serious committant to the basketball program. Coach Gary Gardner's recruiting budget has been doubled and there's even talk of a new, on-campus basketball arena.
Tech Looking To Mark Price Too Much
Georgia Tech, though a better team than a year ago and one clearly good enough to win a National Championship, still is too reliant on Mark Price for its perimeter scoring........Earlier I said Villanova's Rollie Massimino would certify his coaching genius
if his team won more than half its games this year. Guess what? Not only are the Wildcats going to finish on the plus side of .500, but have a very real chance of making the NCAA
tournament........Mentioning Villanova, if you are looking for a longshot NCAA champion
this year be sure to start with a team which has experienced guards........
I think Kentucky has a chance to be a tournament factor if the Wildcats can avoid bumping into a big, powerful team like Michigan or North Carolina in the early going........And,
yes, they do have experienced guards at Kentucky........Chicago State is 16-6 at this
writing. I'd like an explanation of that, please........My pal Dick Vitale has gone on record
Don DeVoe
predicting Marcus Liberty, a top shelf schoolboy from Chicago, will attent the University of Illinois. Liberty, a junior, is considered among the five best in his class........
What's the big difference without Patrick Ewing in the Georgetown center spot this year? "People talk about Patrick's shot blocking, but he was more valuable to us on the floor than in the air," says coach John Thompson. "His range of coverage was so deep he could cover up mistakes not only under the basket, but on the perimeter.".
What Baseball Great Holds Duke's Assists Record?
At Duke, guard Tommy Amaker is taking dead aim on the school's all-time assist record. And who holds that mark? Answer upcoming.
"I guess the only thing people respected was Wayman (Tisdale)" said Sooner forward Darryl Kennedy." We are going to show we can play without Wayman." Indeed the Sooners have
........Sean Higgins. 6-7 Los Angeles schoolboy star, is the son of former Eastern Michigan
University player Earl Higgins. He's considered amont the nation's top junior and Michigan's leading the recruiting rush.
Isn't This The Way Tilings Were Supposed To Be Department: Last year Wittenberg's Tim Casey was Division III player of the year. He paid the full $11,500 to attend Wittenberg
because his family didn't qualify for any financial assistance........Would Tito Horford
understand that story?
The city of Indianapolis offered the Big Ten a sweetheart deal if it would move the headquarters into their town. Big Ten politely declined. Hey, if you said Dick Groat was the all-time assist leader at Duke you are a great student of this game.
NCAA Selection Committee Will Have Tough Time
I don't care if they do have 64 spots available, the NCAA Division I Tournament Committee will have the most difficult task ever when trying to put together this year's field. There are so many teams on the fringe, in that 16-to-19-game win circle. Number 65 is certain
to cry loudly........Yes, he's a rookie, but as an announcer I like Billy Cunningham. The
big thing he's been able to do on the ACC broadcasts is make everyone forget he was one of North Carolina's greatest players by producing some solid basketball insight.