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Tuesday, August 7
Don't kid yourself folks,
The General still cares

By Dick Vitale
Special to ESPN.com

There will be all kinds of excitement in Bloomington, Ind., on Tuesday night.

Mr. Basketball, the former superstar and All-American Steve Alford comes back to Indiana. When you think of a Hoosier who really represents what Indiana basketball is all about, there's none finer than Steve Alford.

I will never forget that sweet jump shot, as he thrilled many Hoosiers fans with NBN (nothing but nylon!). He was one of the school's all-time leading scorers (No. 2 behind Calbert Cheaney) and a fan favorite in Indiana.

Steve Alford
Steve Alford led Indiana to the 1987 national championship.

How time flies! It was only 1987 when Alford was coming off screens; I remember saying on TV so many times that I haven't seen a guy who can move without the basketball, square his body and get into shooting position better. He could finish with that jump shot; he was flat-out automatic. With it, he led the Hoosiers to the '87 national championship over Jimmy Boeheim's Syracuse Orangemen.

Now all of the talk is about the heat and pressure. Alford and the boss, The General, Mr. Robert Montgomery Knight, do not see eye to eye. At the Big Ten media day, it was ice-cold treatment on both sides. Let me tell you this: the one thing about Knight is simple...loyalty!

If he doesn't see it that way, believe me, you are absolutely going to get the cold treatment. What has really disturbed The General greatly was Alford's book, "Playing for Knight, My Six Seasons with Coach Knight." That did not make Knight a happy camper according to people on the inside.

Knight wasn't very thrilled when, while seeking an appearance out of Alford for the movie "Blue Chips," he figured his former player would come running. In fairness, Steve had another commitment and could not make the appearance. The General reportedly was very, very upset.

My gut feeling is there will be a handshake on Tuesday, and ultimately this will be forgotten. Don't you ever get angry with someone you love? I know for a fact how much The General really cares about Alford and what he thinks of him as a person.

I was in Knight's office one time and I was sharing a story with him about Alford likely being cut by the Dallas Mavericks. The coach responded with so much emotion: "Are they crazy? You can't get a better guy to come off your bench in terms of coming to practice every day with great work ethic and a great love for the game," he said. "You tell those suckers that they are making a major mistake."

So I know what he thinks of this kid. I have been in his office when he has praised him on numerous occasions. I know down deep he has to be proud to see Alford become a solid basketball mind and certainly one of the future stars in the coaching fraternity.

Remember, Knight and Isiah Thomas did not see eye-to-eye for a while after the guard left Indiana early for the NBA. Now they are very close again.

But you'd better believe that tonight, when Knight is strolling the sidelines, he is thinking of only one thing -- execution of Indiana's game plan.

Staying in the Big Ten
A big game this week pits Michigan State against Ohio State, two of last year's Final Four teams. You also get two of the nation's premier point guards, Mateen Cleaves and Scoonie Penn, going head to head.

But this game will feature more than just those two PTPers. There's the shot-blocking ability of Kenny Johnson, who was brilliant on the road in a recent win at Wisconsin. Johnson has to be big on the interior to neutralize guys like Andre Hutson and Morris Peterson attacking the basket.

Ohio State has struggled at times this season. But Penn and Michael Redd look like they are ready to put up big W's in the Big Ten. Columbus, Ohio, will be the focus point of basketball come Thursday night. Schottenstein Arena will be ready to explode.

The Buckeyes also have a test against St. John's at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. This is a rematch of last year's Southeast Region final, when the Buckeyes held on to advance to the Final Four. Penn follows up his showdown with Cleaves by squaring off against another premier point guard, Erick Barkley.

St. John's pulled off a shock city by beating Connecticut at Gampel Pavilion. Mike Jarvis' team doesn't have great size or depth, but it has one special ingredient -- heart.

Western battle
Lute Olson has been doing a terrific job at Arizona. Now he brings his Wildcats into Pauley Pavilion for a test against the Bruins. UCLA got a big lift by upsetting North Carolina at the Dean Smith Center.

Olson is now a member of the 600-win club, and only 33 coaches have achieved that lofty goal. He did it in Palo Alto, with one of his star players, Richard Jefferson, going down with a broken foot early. With a roster now down to the super seven, Arizona has another major road test.

UCLA has a lot of talent when you look at Earl Watson, Jerome Moiso, Dan Gadzuric and diaper dandy Jason Kapono. You know Steve Lavin's club is capable of blowing people away at any time.

Will the Bruins build on the win at North Carolina, or will Loren Woods continue to show he's one of America's best big men? The All-Marco Polo player from Wake Forest had 25 points and 10 rebounds against Washington State.

By the way, forget about those headbands. The team wore them against Washington State in honor of Jefferson. Olson said he didn't know they were wearing them until the layup lines. The coach said that it might have compressed their brains. He said his team did not play intelligently at all.

Arizona has to be ready for Pauley Pavilion, especially after the big one at Chapel Hill. UCLA will play with emotion and intensity.

Quick jumpers

You have to be impressed with the job done by Auburn's Cliff Ellis. He's been a winner everywhere he's coached: South Alabama, Clemson and now Auburn. The man can flat-out coach!

One reason for Auburn's success is forward Chris Porter. The high-flyer tried to impress NBA scouts earlier in the season. Now, he's back to his medium-range, low-post baseline game, making him more effective in the Tigers' offense.

For those interesting in obtaining an autographed copy of my new book, "Campus Chaos," call (941) 923-9119 to order. The book is also available in bookstores.


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