Maniacal Monday

ESPN's Adam Schefter started the day with an appropriate comment on his Twitter. "Busiest day of the sports year," he wrote. Once again, Schefter was right.

The men's college basketball title game, Opening Day around the MLB, a Tiger Woods press conference at Augusta and reaction to Donovan McNabb being traded within the NFC East lined an insane 24 hours.

Brad Stevens is still boss. That was one of the top three championship games I've ever seen. Thankfully, Gordon Hayward has a couple more years of college ball, or he'd be shooting 45-foot runners for the rest of his life. I was really impressed with the poise of a young Butler team which only graduates one starter-- Willie Veasley-- who played the poorest of all the Bulldogs. They almost won it "for all the small schools," but they'll never be forgotten.

Opening Night and Day in Baseball Land. I can't wait to get out to the Bronx soon and experience the pleasure that is a day at the ballpark. For now, I'm left to console the throngs of Yankees fans who too quickly jump to conclusions after one game out of 162. Yes, Joe Girardi made a mistake by going to Chan Ho Park right out of the gate (the binder comes into play pretty quickly), but you have to be happy with the way the lineup looks. As for the Mets, Mike Jacobs is hitting fourth? He'd have some problems cracking the Yankees 25-man roster (sarcasm alert). I'm curious to see how long that experiment of breaking up the right-handed hitters lasts. In other news, Albert Pujols is a machine-- news at 11.

Speaking of the local news, Tiger Woods at the Masters was story No. 1 on CBS. Are you kidding me? I understand this on ESPN, but the 11 p.m. news? I thought Tiger did a decent job outside of being fresh to a couple of reporters. The apology to his fellow players was sincere and I think he realizes how annoying the fanfare associated with his return is for all of his peers. I, for one, hope he plays as well as he did before Elin-gate, but I'm skeptical. Golf is a game of repetition and he's been through more "therapy" sessions than 18-hole rounds since Thanksgiving.

As a Giants fan, you have to love the Eagles' stupidity. After thinking about my initial feeling that it was classless to dangle Donovan McNabb around as bait, I realized it was just dumb to keep him inside the NFC East. As much as Andy Reid wanted to please his loyal quarterback, you've just set up two very awkward rivalry games for this fall. Donovan has a confusing color scheme in his career-- bright orange at Syracuse, green in Philly and that ugly off-red in Washington. The fact that some Eagles fans are pumped about this deal is comical.

I'm going to miss the college basketball season. It was an amazing March Madness, but I'm ready for some Yankees baseball. Cheers to a maniacal Monday in sports.

A True Hoops Dream

I love Opening Day as much as the next guy. With two hours left until first pitch of Yankees-Red Sox, I'm almost too pumped up to write about baseball. So, I'll wait a couple days to get the early-season impressions fully developed.

With arguably the most exciting NCAA Tournament set to end tomorrow night in Indianapolis, it's an appropriate time to feature a coach who personifies the term "hoops dream" and even reminds you a bit of a Hoosiers actor in the process.

Watching Butler roll through the Dance with Brad Stevens at the helm has been a joy for so many reasons. Here are my top five thoughts on why the 33-year-old is officially the coolest coach in college basketball.

1. He followed his dream. As an aspiring sports broadcaster, I can understand the stresses of trying to break into an ultra-competitive profession. After playing college ball at DePauw University and landing a white-collar gig at Eli Lilly, nobody would have blamed Stevens for giving up the game he loved. But when a non-paying position at Butler opened up under Thad Matta, Stevens was quick to jump on it. The fact that he trusted his abilities enough to sign up for training at Applebee's says a lot about his character. And then, he reaches the top of his profession and coaches in a national title game within 12 years-- wow.

2. His story includes a wooden backboard and a driveway court. Can you script this any better? I envision a young Jimmy Chitwood asking the next-door neighbor whether he could borrow some court time when I heard about this one. Every kid in Indiana grows up hoping they can replicate a Milan High School run or come close to shooting like "The Hick from French Lick." I wish I still had a hoop to shoot at every day and outside of playing catch with your dad, that's about as all-American as it gets.

3. Stevens still hoops it up. Ask Gordon Hayward or Shelvin Mack what it's like to guard your coach-- they'll know pretty well. Despite denying that he was ever any good at basketball in Indy suburb Zionsville or in college, Stevens still averaged nearly 10 points per game at the Division III level. But, the part that makes him stand out from other coaches is that his competitive spirit forces him to challenge his students to 2-on-2 games. We always hear about Tom Izzo's free throws before practice (I feel for the poor guy-- high school sports moments stick with you), but having your coach cross you up and then talk trash must be a whole different experience.

4. He genuinely never wants to leave Butler. I know that we've been conditioned to stay cynical when it comes to the college basketball coaching carousel. And, I'm a person that never believes a coach will see out his extension or mega-deal when they are announced. However, for some reason, I really believe that Stevens wants to stay home. As someone who lived a mile from or at Rutgers University his entire life, I can understand his loyalty. He doesn't seem like he embraces the bright lights and just goes about his business. While I love to see the best coaches teaching the elite talent, I'm rooting for Stevens to sign a lifetime deal and get a statue outside of Hinkle Fieldhouse.

5. His sideline decorum is unmatched in college basketball. You have the older guys like Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun who sit down for the majority of the game and then go buck-wild on the first official that forgets they're around to display their executive check. You also have a younger "coach" like Bobby Gonzalez who doesn't stop whining from tip until buzzer. Stevens understands etiquette and stern teaching. He's calm, cool and collected during the game, but emotional on the practice court. He relates to his players and keeps them level-headed at the most trying of times. That's coaching.

Here's to Brad Stevens and good luck to Butler University on Monday night. You have one solid coach.

Typical Boston... College

This has been one of the busiest two-week periods in the last decade of the college basketball coaching carousel-- and the Final Four hasn't even tipped off yet.

However, yesterday's news from Chestnut Hill announcing the firing of longtime Boston College hoops coach Al Skinner was shocking. That is, only if you haven't followed BC athletics before.

Before defending one of the most dignified coaches in the game, let's give you a brief history of the Eagles' athletic department's track record.

July 1, 2005: BC decides to move to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), joining Miami and Virginia Tech in their defection from the Big East. The former two made sense geographically, but in that trio, Boston College is definitely Fredo Corleone. A coalition of Big East universities came together to sue the college, but it didn't do enough damage to offset the financial benefits the Eagles received in the switch.

You have to admire how quickly a founding member would jump ship-- that's classy stuff.

January 7, 2009: After hiding in relative obscurity due to lack of success on the playing fields, BC made another splash in the form of a back-stabbing move a year ago. Jeff Jagodzinski was 20-8 in two years at the helm of the football program, with 11 conference wins in that time span. He was unceremoniously dumped for interviewing for the vacant New York Jets job without AD Gene DeFillippo's permission. So much for exploring the market without repercussions...

March 30, 2010: Al Skinner has been at Boston College since 13 years ago this month. During his reign, he posted seven 20-plus win seasons, eclipsed the illustrious 25-win plateau three times and made seven appearances in the the NCAA Tournament. He has a National Coach of the Year award and the most wins in school history to add to that list as well.

Now, according to the school, they've had a "mutual" parting of ways. Let's be honest-- the fact that his name was circulating around the St. John's job was enough for BC's athletic department to have its feelings hurt.

Maybe BC should look in the mirror. Hopefully, a coach will someday burn them before getting the hook first.

The Case for Kyle Wilson

With the NFL Draft starting in primetime three weeks from Thursday, it's time to put our Mel Kiper hats on and take a look into the first round at Radio City.

One of the most intriguing and under-the-radar battles in the first 25 picks is who's going to be the first cornerback off the board in 2010.

Following a playoff in which we had a 96-point game (Arizona and Green Bay), defense will be at a premium in the upper-half of day one. The general consensus is that the top two corners are Florida's Joe Haden and Boise State's Kyle Wilson-- the latter of which deserves much more respect.

Coming out of Piscataway High School in New Jersey (which is expected to produce three first-round picks in two years-- Malcolm Jenkins and Anthony Davis being the others), Wilson was under-recruited as a defensive back and kick-return specialist.

Standing in at 5-foot-10 and close to 200 pounds, his college career has an impressive list of highlights. Two Fiesta Bowl titles, 159 tackles, 11 interceptions and five touchdowns (three off of returns and two from picks) are detailed in his CV.

Most scouts will admit that his hip-rotation ability and footwork are on par with, if not better than, Haden's. A 38-inch vertical jump and 4.43-second 40-yard dash at Friday's Pro Day solidified his spot as an elite cornerback.

There are very few multi faceted threats in the NFL. Not many guys are willing to mark the top wide receivers around the league and then take a beating by fielding punts. Wilson is not only willing, but eager to do this.

When Wilson appeared on my show on WRSU last month, he reiterated that WAC football doesn't get enough respect. With two BCS bowl game wins in four years, you'd have to agree with him.

To sum up the confidence around the Wilson marketing machine, his brother Gerry created a bus with an elaborate image of Kyle on its side and drove it around the country to his games.

The real question is whether the NFL Draft is ready for the small-conference kid to finally get the nod over the established power. If there was ever a perfect scenario for it, the 2010 cornerback battle is the one.

The Glass Slipper Fits Multiple Times

STANFORD, Calif.-- We're back after a lengthy Spring Break. Currently, I'm sitting in the elevated press row at Maples Pavilion with my WRSU colleague Kevin O'Rourke taking in the second round NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament game between Stanford and Iowa (Rutgers lost to the Hawkeyes on Saturday).

On the men's side, there is no doubt that this weekend was the most exciting start to March Madness of my lifetime. Here are a few lingering thoughts from a wild four days of hoops.

Down Goes My Champ!

So much for my ability to pick national champions with ease. Kansas was the first No. 1 seed to go down this year and the Jayhawks' All-American starting five couldn't even make it out of the first weekend.

Cedar Falls was in a frenzy as the University of Northern Iowa pulled off the stunner of the decade on a clutch (albeit gutsy) 3-pointer by Ali Farokhmanesh. You have to love coach Ben Jacobson trying to rationalize the shot attempt the next day, but hey, it went in.

Bill Self may be one of the most overrated tournament coaches in the country. If not for a buzzer-beater by Mario Chalmers, he would have nothing to show for all the times he's led teams to No. 1 rankings in the regular season.

GO BIG RED!

As you read on this blog weeks ago, Cornell is legit. Steve Donahue is one of the best coaches in the country (here's to hoping he stays to establish an Ivy League dynasty) and Ryan Wittman can really shoot it.

The boys from Ithaca were the easiest No. 12 seed, Sweet 16 pick I've ever seen-- an overrated Temple team and an offensively-anemic Wisconsin squad were exposed by them.

Now, they get to play No. 1 Kentucky at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse-- only an hour from campus. Wildcats coach John Calipari appealed to Big Blue Nation on Twitter with regard to scooping up tickets, as upstate New York is going crazy over both the Orange and the Big Red advancing into the second weekend.

CBS Sidebar

Being in California this weekend, I must have gone into the Bill Raftery twilight zone because Vern Lundquist and him dominated the West Coast CBS coverage.

Bill had a couple great lines this weekend. "A Kiss to Remember" on a shot during the Saint Mary's win over Villanova was almost as good as his line earlier in the game about a multi-colored mouthpiece. "That's a man who must have a lot of confidence (pause) with the ladies."

Hoosiers Speeches

While Cornell and Saint Mary's will have to give underdog speeches in their locker rooms next weekend, only coach Brad Stevens and his Butler Bulldogs squad can embrace the true nature of a Hoosiers-like scenario.

Not only do they get to face the best offensive team in the nation in Syracuse, but they actually play their home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse-- made even more famous by the legendary movie in question.

Stevens may look 20 years old, but as long as he can keep Matt Howard-- his power forward of that age bracket-- out of foul trouble, Butler can give the overconfident Orange an interesting challenge. Basketball philosophy will be on full display, as Stevens will look to shoot over and cut behind the 'Cuse 2-3 zone.

I'm not sure you can beat the intensity of the games we saw this weekend, but it's worth a try. March Madness is truly the best!

Farewell to Freedom Hall

One of the nation's most historic college basketball arenas will close its doors this weekend in epic fashion.

Freedom Hall, home to the University of Louisville Cardinals, has housed some of the greatest players in college hoops history as well as some legendary moments in basketball lore.

I've had the pleasure of calling a pair of games in the 18,865-seat facility over the past couple of seasons. You could tell that the place was slowly getting older (it was built in 1956) and that it was missing many of the necessary aspects of a modern-day arena.

One of the redeeming aspects of Freedom Hall is that it's located right in the middle of the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center. To watch an entire city converge on this setting is a sight every college basketball fan would appreciate.

This weekend, the Cardinals will end the building's regular season slate (let's hope they don't have to host any NIT games if it comes to that) against the No. 1 team in the land-- Syracuse.

While most recent college hoops fans won't know this, the University of Louisville hosted six Final Fours in 12 years during the late 1950's and throughout the 60's.

It'd be improper to think that this arena fell out of favor during the last decade. Last year, the Cardinals were fifth nationally in home attendance-- averaging closer to the concert capacity of over 19,000 than its listed, reduced basketball seat limit.

All of the tradition that goes into the state's high school basketball tournament seeps out of the nooks and crannies of the building. Additionally, the school is Top 10 in all-time program winning percentage and has been victorious in approximately 80 percent of its home contests.

College studs such as Samaki Walker and Wes Unseld walked those halls and the coaching duo of Denny Crum and Rick Pitino is pretty impressive.

The Cardinals have made 34 NCAA Tournaments since the building opened and will look to bring that positive vibe to a brand-new, state-of-the-art downtown arena next winter.

All college basketball fans should feel lucky to have watched games at Freedom Hall-- it will be missed as a venue in the sport.

Revisiting Luke's Legacy

Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey announced today that senior forward Luke Harangody might not return this year due to a right knee bone bruise.

If that's the case, it would end the college career of a bulldog post player that made his mark in the toughest, underneath-the-basket conference in the nation-- the Big East.

Whether you love or hate "The Gody," his stats don't lie. He scored in double figures every game he played this season. He averaged a double-double with 20-plus points per game in each of the last three years of his career.

He may not be your typical Hoosiers-mold, Indiana player (6-foot-2 and skinny, growing up shooting jumpers on a farm through a hoop without a net), but that's why he's so perfect for Mike Brey's system. You need Luke to complement Brey's multitude of shooters like Ben Hansbrough, Tim Abromaitis and company.

I understand why a lot of people believe he can't succeed in the NBA. At 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, a guy shouldn't shoot under 50 percent from the floor. He made a concerted effort to improve his 3-point shooting and I believe the 36 percent from his junior year is a better representation of what to expect down the line.

Harangody needs his knees under him, so this might be the best decision he ever makes. His style of play is so bruising that it can take the energy out of you while watching it. The argument that he's soft because he likes to shoot over taller players has merit, but in the pros, it could be an asset once he gets with a shooting coach.

I can't overstate how impressive it is for any Big East post player in this decade to score over 650 points in three consecutive years. With defensive presences like Hasheem Thabeet, Roy Hibbert and Hamady N'Diaye (yes, he of 346 career blocks) roaming the paint nowadays, it is a true display of Harangody's scoring versatility.

He won a Big East Player of the Year, was in the top 10 in Division I in both scoring and rebounding for an entire season and had 25 double-doubles in one campaign.

Talk about a loaded curriculum vitae-- one that should propel Harangody into the discussion about the most effective post players in the history of the conference.