Roundball Chatter
Each week I'll talk about the sport I love, college basketball:
• Jim Boylen, who led Utah to the 2009 Mountain West Conference tournament championship, a share of the league's regular-season title and a five seed in the NCAA Tournament, has signed a new five-year contract. Under the new terms, Boylen will make $850,000 a year, a figure that could increase to $1 million with bonuses. Boylen deserves a lot of credit as the Utes beat the likes of Gonzaga and LSU during the regular season.
• Good news for Ben Howland and his UCLA Bruins. There are plans to expand Pauley Pavillion. The project cost to rejuvenate the facility is $185-million. The time frame is over the next 2 1/2 years, aiming to enlarge the multi-purpose facility by nearly 30 percent. The Bruins have really responded under Howland, and he deserves to have more fans in a revamped building.
• Mississippi State got good news when Renardo Sidney decided to come to Starkville. Now Rick Stansbury has to be thrilled as Jarvis Varnado has withdrawn and will be with the Bulldogs during the 2009-10 season. Varnado has a shot to break the Division I career shot-blocking record and his return means Mississippi State should be ranked in the preseason. He could average a double-double next season.
• Think about how happy SEC commissioner Mike Slive is over recent news. Varnado is coming back to school, as is Kentucky's Patrick Patterson. Then add Arkansas big man Michael Washington, who led the conference in rebounding at just under 10 per contest. Three key players out of the draft and back onto the SEC hardwood & that is good news for the conference and bad news for opponents of those three schools.
• The date for next year's Dickie V gala is set: May 21, 2010 down at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota. We sold out this year's event and the 2010 gala includes Michigan State coach Tom Izzo among the honorees. Joining Izzo are former Bucs and Colts coach Tony Dungy, and NBA legend Charles Barkley.
