IMG's Daniels kicks off great week for UConn

If Jim Calhoun didn’t have a reason to return to coach Connecticut to a repeat national championship he received two big ones last week.

It started with IMG Academy Basketball standout DeAndre Daniels committing to the Huskies on Tuesday putting a great cap on his 2011 recruiting class.

Two days later, it was reported by ZagsBlog that New York Christ The King guard Omar Calhoun Jr.. (no relation), among the top players in the Class of 2012, had verbally committed to the Huskies.

Calhoun said he would announce soon whether he was returning, though that seemed like a foregone conclusion. When he was in the area for the Dick Vitale Gala, who sounded enthusiastic about coaching another season and said he was feeling good after two successful battles with cancer.

Daniels told several media outlets that Calhoun was coming back and his comments last week seemed to indicate the same thing.

“I picked Connecticut because it was the best situation for me,” Daniels said. “They do a good job of developing their wing guards and their style of play fits me. Watching them win the national championship played a role in my decision. I wanted to go to a winning program and help them repeat.

“I felt comfortable talking to coach Calhoun and watching them play on television. I talked to him the day I committed and he welcomed me into the Husky family. I am the happiest dude in the world right now.”

Dick Vitale Gala has record setting night

Final Four coaches gather with Dickie V. at Dick Vitale Gala
(L-R Jim Calhoun, Dick Vitale, Shaka Smart, John Calipari, Brad Stevens)

Dickie Vitale broke the bank at this year’s Dick Vitale Gala raising a record $1.3 million for pediatric cancer research.

It was the most money ever raised the Gala exceeding the $1.2 million that event brought in several years ago when it honored Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

“We are ecstatic that we broke the record,” Vitale said after learning of the figures late last week. “It’s absolutely amazing and I want to thank all the people from the Bradenton-Sarasota are and the celebrities who came and made this possible.

“I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can’t thank enough all the stars that came on their own expense without charge and the many, many thousands of dollars they gave. I am talking serious donations. We in the Jimmy V Foundation are very happy with the final numbers.”

The scene at Vitale’s house the next day where many of the guests gathered was very emotional. Anthony Littlejohn, Lakewood Ranch assistant football coach who lost his 15 month old son Adrian Shawn to cancer on May 1^st, gave an impassioned speech thanking everyone who had helped him and his wife Ivette get through the tough times.

Vitale said plans are already under way for next year’s Dick Vitale Gala that will be held May 18^th at the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota. He plans to honor former college football coach and ESPN analyst Lou Holtz, Villanova head basketball coach Jay Wright and former Maryland head basketball coach Gary Williams.

Calhoun calls for no more Big East Expansion

Jim Calhoun, who led Connecticut to the men’s NCAA Basketball title this year, will be at the Big East Conference meetings his week and is saying he doesn’t want to see anymore teams added.

He believes it will mean the end of the Big East Conference as we now know it.

Expansion to improve the much maligned Big East football conference is expected to a hot topic when the meetings get underway in Ponte Vedra.

It seems everyone has Villanova on its mind and that could be good or bad from the Wildcats perspective.

An FCS (formerly I-AA) football powerhouse, Villanova has talked about moving up to I-A (FBS). However, the plan has been met with mixed reactions for a league that has been criticized for not deserving to be an automatic qualifier to the BCS bowls.

TCU comes joins the league as its 17^th team for the 2012-13 year and brings instant football credibility. But now there is talk that the Big East needs to add one or more football playing schools.

Calhoun, the Huskies coach for 25 years, calls it a bad idea.

“I don’t want to see 18 teams,” Calhoun said Friday when he was attending the Dick Vitale Gala. “The Big East is not the Southeastern Conference, but neither is anybody else. Give it time (for football). We are only 11 or 12 years old in big time football and there is a chance to be very good.”

Villanova’s plan to become a football playing member has met resistance by some football members who see it as a negative. Some of the schools being talked about to join as a football member include Houston, UCF, East Carolina.

The criticism of Villanova is that among other things it plays in an 18,500 seat soccer stadium and its proposed expansion plans are not seen as much of an improvement.

Calhoun said expanding the Big East with more football schools would likely cause the seven non-football playing members to break away and possibly form their own conference. They are Villanova, DePaul, Marquette, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence, St. Johns.

Dick Vitale Gala Sold Out

The V Foundation for Cancer Research has announced The Sixth Annual Dick Vitale Gala, scheduled for May 20^th at the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota has been sold out.

Those who still wish to support the Gala are invited to make a donation to The V Foundation.

To be placed on a ticket waiting list, please contact The V Foundation at 1-800-4-JIMMYV or jaschenbrenner@jimmyv.org. Sarasota area residents can contact Mary Kenealy at MaryKen421@aol.com

As is Gala tradition, coaching greats and sports celebrities from across the country will join Vitale to honor Roy Williams and John Calipari.

Celebrity guests joining honorees Nick Bollettieri, John Calipari and Roy Williams include all four head coaches of the recent Final Four – Jim Calhoun, Brad Stevens, Shaka Smart (and Calipari).

Also scheduled to attend are: Celtic great Dave Cowens, Hall of Fame Coach Larry Brown, Florida State Head Football Coach Jimbo Fisher, baseball’s Gary Sheffield and three former Heisman trophy winners, Desmond Howard, Chris Weinke and Vinnie Testaverde.

An all-star group of collegiate basketball coaches scheduled to attend include: JamieDixon (Pitt),Billy Donovan (Florida), Steve Fisher (San Diego State), Seth Greenberg (Va. Tech), Ben Howland (UCLA), Bob Huggins (WVU) and Gary Williams (Maryland). Men’s doubles Wimbledon champ Don Johnson is also expected to appear. Gala Host John Saunders will be joined by fellow broadcast colleagues Erin Andrews, Jay Bilas, Rece Davis, Lesley Visser and Dereck Whittenburg.