First of all, I think Illinois, without question, is one of my choices for the Final Four. I have North Carolina, Illinois and Wake Forest charted in. I use my VBDI. I don’t need the RPI. I got the Vitale Bald Dome Index, and my Bald Dome Index tells me that Illinois, combining their defensive prowess, plus their perimeter play with Williams and certainly Brown and Head, is very, very special.
The one thing that I think has happened is, people have said, “You know, this guy has a passion.”
I’m 65. I act about 12.
Let me tell you, you don’t just get by with “Awesome, baby,” and “Get a TO, baby,” and “He’s a PTPer.” The people know if you’re prepared.
There’s a misconception. People think I’m just a basketball fanatic. I am an absolute sports freak. I mean, season tickets. Who else goes 40 times to see the Devil Rays play? I got season tickets to the University of Notre Dame football. I’ve got season tickets for the Tampa Bay Bucs.
What are they saying about the Sosa situation up there?
I had one of the biggest thrills. I’m a baseball fanatic. Couple years ago, Alex Rodriguez called up. He asked if I could work it out to take him to a Duke game. My God, I was on cloud nine. Alex Rodriguez, superstar, baseball.
Tom Brady is the Derek Jeter of the NFL. He’s a winner.
I’m going to tell you who’s doing a great job: John Paxson. I’m going to tell you what Paxson has done well, because I happen to know the kids. He has really drafted incredible character in Hinrich, Duhon, Luol Deng and Ben Gordon. Those four guys are such quality kids who come from winning programs, who understand winning, played for tough coaches with discipline.
I was not a good student. I’ll be the first to admit it.
I’m not very proud of it, but I never saw my first win (1) in the NBA. My first one was against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Bill Fitch. I never saw it because I got dragged out of the arena practically in the Silverdome.
I’m lucky I got out of coaching and got fired because I don’t believe I would’ve made it to 50. I couldn’t handle losing.
I carry with me to this day the miracle worker of the Catholic religion — St. Jude — in my back pocket. My mother gave me that as a kid when I lost my eye.
What really bothers me, for example, is if a kid transfers, he has to sit out a year. Yet, if a coach moves on, what does he get? He gets a country-club membership, he gets all the goodies, he gets millions of dollars over X number of years, he gets to coach the next year. A kid wants to leave the school, he has to sit out the year. That’s unfair.
I got envious when Rick Pitino told me he had an audience with the Pope.
How’s this for a story? George Bodenheimer, who’s now the president of ESPN and he’s the president of ABC Sports, a giant in the world of television, a marketing genius –George Bodenheimer used to pick me up at the airport and was my driver when I would come into Bristol, Conn.
People don’t know this: I am an absolute, absolute fanatic for going to concerts.
The part that’s sometime so disturbing to me is to see so many young kids allow the posses to come around them and to think about those three letters: N-B-A.
I go to arena after arena. The love affair of kids coming down, taking pictures, hugging. It’s been an incredible 26 years that I’m living a dream.
(1): As Pistons coach in 1978.
