Coach K returns!

Thursday, while very much still a weekday, is one of the best weekdays. If you squint hard enough you can nearly see the weekend.

August, while very much still not college basketball season, is one of the best months. If you wait juuuust a bit more, college football appears on your television. And if you squint hard enough you can nearly see college basketball.

I don’t make the rules. I just write about them once a week and make some lame dad jokes mixed in with the latest college hoops news.

Thus, let’s get to the lame dad jokes latest news.

STARTING FIVE

1. Some great news, bay-bee!

Dick Vitale is cancer-free!

Vitale, 83, has been very open about his ongoing treatments for lymphoma, making Wednesday’s news a welcome sight. Last October, Vitale announced his diagnosis, and in December he stepped away from broadcasting.

As one of the most beloved voices in all of sports, many of his peers rejoiced publicly upon hearing his results. We wish Vitale the best and can only hope to see his face back on the sidelines again soon.

2. Some bad news (for UCLA)

The impending departure of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten? Maybe not.

The UC Board of Regents dove into the details of UCLA’s planned move, and “proposed new rules that could limit campuses from making major decisions involving athletics contracts on their own,” per the LA Times. And there could be a way to block the Bruins.

“All options are on the table,” regent John Perez said in the article, “up to and including that. […] We’re going to look at what all the different options look like and then the board will assert itself in terms of what its desired outcome is.”

Any procedural move that forces UCLA to stay would be quite the power play (and probably open the door for the Big Ten to invite Stanford).

Also interesting? A report was presented stating that USC’s departure will decrease the Pac-12’s media rights deal by $150 million per year. That’s a staggering number for just one school (perhaps Notre Dame squeezes more than $75 per year out of NBC now), but I guess it makes sense when you factor in all the actresses paying $500,000 to bribe their children’s way into the university.

USC alone represented 30 percent of the conference’s media rights. With ESPN not having a role in the Big Ten's new deal, it seems plausible that the Worldwide Leader could make a move on the Pac-12.

3. Coach K returns!

No, not that Coach K. This one.

Frank Martin hired Former UMass head coach Derek Kellogg as his newest assistant yesterday. Martin delivered Kellogg the news in a video posted to UMass’ Twitter.

Kellogg’s return is a unique move in today’s college hoops landscape, where stability the portal and loyalty NIL budgets rule the world. Kellogg also played four years at UMass under John Calipari.

The former head coach’s Minutemen teams went 155-137 in nine seasons from 2008-2017. He spent the past five seasons at Long Island University, where his best record was 16-14 with the 2022 squad.

4. West coast Flyers

This summer has featured a number of unique pro-am-style events for basketball players at all levels, but last week in Los Angeles offered a few Dayton Flyers some NBA-level action.

Malachi Smith, DaRon Holmes II and Mustapha Amzil participated in the Rico Hines runs, a stretch of games held on UCLA’s campus. Their competition included a handful of high-level NBA players — Paul George, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and Pat Beverley were there. Newly married Draymond Green was also present. You can watch some footage here.

Reports surfaced that the Flyers held their own at the runs, which shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Dayton has the makings of one of the most fun teams to watch in college basketball next season, led by Smith and Holmes, who emerged as two of the best freshmen in the sport in 2022.

Last year’s Flyers featured 11 (!!!) freshmen, but they showed flashes of brilliance — like the time they rattled off three wins in four days over Miami, Kansas and Belmont all on a neutral court.

5. Overseas check-in

As we inch closer to the start of the season, more teams are making their way out of the country for foreign trips, and each one is more interesting than the last. Let’s check in on a few:

• Arkansas finished 4-0 on their trip to Spain and Italy. The young Razorbacks struggled with turnovers, averaging 21 per contest capped off by a 30-turnover performance in their final game against the Denmark-based Bakken Bears. Standout players included freshman Nick Smith (despite tweaking his knee) and Missouri transfer Trevon Brazile.

• Virginia stands at 2-0 on their Italian trip, highlighted by a 52-point win against Stella Azzurra where the Hoos held their opponent to just 24 points. I have to imagine UVA’s opponents were thinking something along the lines of “I thought you said we were playing some American college kids, not human buzzsaws” when they realized what Tony Bennett’s defensive monstrosity can do. Bennett is taking a unique approach, benching three different players for each game so that the other 10 can play larger roles.

• Loyola Chicago notched an 84-78 victory over Le Cannet Basket before falling in their second game to Chorale De Roanne by a score of 80-60. Freshman Jalen Quinn scored 17 points in the opener and looks the part of an instant impact guy in the A-10. The Ramblers’ final game of their France trip is scheduled for Saturday.

• Michigan just arrived in Paris, where they aren’t telling anyone how many games they are scheduled for, or who they will be playing, or when, or where — which is super duper fun for fans and media members alike, and certainly not a problem for a program attempting to land its first five-star guard since 2003 (a player who quite literally said a week ago that he will be “looking at play style” to help him decide on one of his four finalists). Oh well, maybe Bronny James will pick the Wolverines instead.

• The Basketball School secured four blowout victories in five days in the Bahamas, with wins by 52, 62, 62 and 24 points. Kentucky drew rave reviews characterizing the team as a potential national contender that should be closer to the top of the preseason rankings than they are now. The new faces on the roster seem to agree — Illinois State transfer Antonio Reeves said during the trip, “The team’s ceiling is — man, everyone can go get 20 and 10.”

THE FAST BREAK

Links as you wonder if Elon Musk will just buy the Pac-12.

• Keyontae Johnson is down to four potential transfer destinations

• Point guard Fabio Basili committed to Louisville and will join the Cardinals for next season

• Kevin Willard will throw out the first pitch for Saturday’s Orioles-Red Sox game. He looks awfully serious, though.

• The Division 1 Council discussed tweaking the proposed new transfer rules.

• The Field of 68 wished a Zags fan, Austin Hunter, a happy wedding week

OFF THE CAROUSEL

Oh, here’s something about the other Coach K

No pressure, you’re just stepping into the shoes of one of the biggest icons a sport has ever seen. What’s that like? Duke coach Jon Scheyer gives us all the details.

As always, thanks for reading. Share it with a friend!