DICK'S TIDBITS | Aug. 3, 2005
Pittsburgh guard Carl Krauser made a great decision when he pulled his name out of the NBA draft. Fans at The Zoo in Pittsburgh should be excited to have him back. There is no doubt in my mind that he'll be one of the premier guards in the Big East next season.
There is no way Krauser would have been drafted given some of the names who weren't picked in the first two rounds -- Anthony Roberson and Matt Walsh of Florida, John Gilchrist of Maryland and Kelenna Azubuike of Kentucky, just to name a few.
Krauser was smart enough to keep his eligibility by not signing with an agent. Coach Jamie Dixon and Co. must be ecstatic, as life in the Big East will be even tougher this season with the addition of Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, DePaul and South Florida from Conference USA.
Having a quality perimeter player like Krauser at point guard, one of the most important positions, will help the Panthers immensely.
Morgan Gets Extension At Iowa State
Wayne Morgan and his family have to be happy with the recent developments in Ames. Morgan has agreed in principle to a five-year extension to remain coach at Iowa State.
Morgan has posted a 39-25 record in his first two seasons with the Cyclones. He received a great opportunity after the departure of Larry Eustachy, and he has taken advantage of it.
Iowa State has one of the premier returning backcourts in Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock, a duo that combined to average 29.5 points per game last season. Fans don't hear enough about this combo. They can flat-out make music on the court.
The Cyclones should have a solid season in the Big 12, and Morgan deserves congratulations on his new agreement.
Hey, fans in Ames, mark down Dec. 17 on your calendars: Coach Thad Matta will bring his Ohio State Buckeyes to town for an interesting showdown.
Get-Well Wishes
I had a chance to meet Mike Sutton when he was on Tubby Smith's staff at Kentucky. Then he got the opportunity to be the boss as the head coach at Tennessee Tech.
In April, Sutton came down with a rare disease called Guillain-Barre syndrome, an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves that can cause paralysis.
Fortunately, Sutton is no longer on a ventilator and is slowly recovering. He has a big uphill battle, and I send my best to him and his family. He is in our prayers for a speedy recovery.
Simon Joins Arizona Staff
One of the great things about big-time programs and their coaching staffs is they try to take care of former players who wore the uniform with pride and passion.
Coach Lute Olson recently hired Miles Simon to join the Arizona staff. Simon was a key catalyst when the Wildcats (including Mike Bibby and Mike Dickerson) won the national championship in 1997, beating Kentucky in the Hoosier Dome to cut down the nets.
Adding Simon to the staff is a great move, and it's great news for Arizona fans. When he approaches a recruit, he will be speaking from the heart as he talks about wearing that Wildcats uniform.
Arizona is one of the great programs in America, under the guidance of Olson, who is a Frank Lloyd Wright coach, an architect who builds a program from scratch. Simon has been a big part of that as a player, and now he'll be a real plus as an assistant coach.
Dick Vitale coached the Detroit Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question to Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.
