Marinatto had held the position less than three years, a tumultuous time for a basketball-heavy league during a time when the BCS and football have dominated conference shifts. The Big East lost West Virginia, Pitt and Syracuse since Marinatto took over and will add teams like San Diego State and Boise State in 2013. Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon believes the Big East is still in a good spot and can sustain itself because of its uniqueness. That said, if it were in that good a position, the Panthers likely wouldn’t be leaving for the ACC.

Jamie Dixon joined 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh to discuss how the realignment has changed his recruiting, Marinatto’s resignation, if it changes Pitt’s plan to leave next year, regrets about leaving the Big East and an offseason after not making the Big Dance.

Has the shift in the Big East changed anything for you in terms of recruiting?:

“Well, it’s changed some things. There’s a lot of talk — obviously the conferences are changing as we speak. But we have to recognize where we’re going to be playing and the different things that come with that. … The reality is we’re generally going to have to go in somebody’s back yard pretty much every guy we recruit. We understand that and have been doing that for a while. We understand that we’ve got to probably head more toward ACC country, more toward the southeast a little bit.”

What’s your take on what appeared to be the forced resignation of Big East commish John Marinatto and where the Big East is right now?:

“I think the Big East has been in a good position. I think they’ve improved themselves in a lot of ways because of the teams that they’re able to add. I think adding Boise State, San Diego State and with a lot of other teams going to other BCS conferences … now it kind of separates the Big East and the BCS conferences from the other conferences as far potential teams that could break in to a BCS bowl. Now they’re  all really affiliated with BCS conferences. That said, there’s been a lot of talk and so much change in the conference. … I think there’s been a lot of movement that I think the Big East was just a situation that the Big East could be sustained because of how it started as a basketball conference with so many different schools with different makeups. … The Big East is unique, there’s no question about it.”

Does this change your timetable or do you still expect this to be your last year in the Big East?:

“That’s what people are saying and you look at it and see the landscape of it, with the teams coming in, you would think our departure would be next year. I don’t think it changes anything. … I don’t think it will affect us in any way. … It’s been a great affiliation, a great marriage between Pitt and the Big East. That said, it’s time for some teams to move and I think we’ve gone into a stable environment and I think everyone can agree to that.”

Are there any regrets about leaving the Big East?:

“Yeah, there is. Bittersweet was the word I talked about when it all happened. There’s obviously a lot of great memories. We’ve had a tremendous run there in the Big East and wouldn’t be where we’re at without the Big East. But at the same time, stability and conference realignment and revenue, all those different things. Academics, the way that conferences are going, I think the ACC holds a bright future for us and what we’re trying to do.”

What’s this offseason been like having not gone to the NCAA tournament?:

“It’s the first time. We’d been there 10 years in a row. Obviously when you’ve been there 10 years in a row, there’s no good way to look at it. … I think only four or five universities had been there 10 years in a row. Obviously we didn’t continue it. Always the case has been moving on to the next year every year I’ve been here and you’re excited about the next group and the next opportunity. I don’t think it changes in that regard.”

Listen to Jamie Dixon on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh here

My first thought was the hire was just to win the press conference and that Brown would stick around to bring in some recruits, have a cup of coffee and then be out the door. He says in the following interview that’s not the case. Despite the fact that the program will have a coach-in-waiting, Brown says he’s hopeful to be around for the long haul to turn the SMU program around.

Larry Brown joined KTCK in Dallas with The Musers to discuss why he decided to get back to the college level, how recruiting will work, what’s up with having a coach-in-waiting, how he’ll go about making sure teams don’t use that against him and getting SMU back to a successful level.

It’s been reported you’ve turned down college jobs somewhat recently. Why decide to coach at SMU?:

“I just think the time was right. I had a young family and it was kind of hard to move them. Since I’ve been out of work a few years, a lot of people that have coached with me and helped me along my way allowed me to come to their practices. I’ve been at Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Villanova. … Watching those guys coach and interact with the kids, and being involved in the college atmosphere and having the chance to teach, I think SMU affords me all that. I was just excited about it. June Jones is kind of the one that pushed me and kept me involved. I’m really thankful that he did it.”

What do you think it will be like recruiting?:

“You mean because I’m too old? No, I think it’s just the opposite to be honest with you. Everywhere I go to visit college kids, and I’ve had the opportunity to go everywhere and watch practice … kids are so interested in me because I’ve had an NBA background. They all want to go to the NBA. … So that, in itself, is a huge advantage. The fact that I’ve coached a lot of great players, they’re all interested in that and want to hear all about it. You get instant credibility right away. And I think the contacts I’ve made as a pro coach and the kids that have coached with me that are now working on every level, they’re all going to help.”

Could you explain the situation of having a coach-in-waiting?:

“I hope he waits a while. When I was interviewed, I think Steve Orsini wanted a standing head coach, and that was a concern they had about me, not being involved in college athletics since 1988. When we got involved more, he thought, ‘Wow, what if we could get a standing head coach that could work with you?’ So I put a list together of guys that are pretty successful head coaches that I have a relationship with because you can’t hire somebody unless you have a relationship. … I didn’t want it to be a lateral move. I wanted to make sure financially they would be OK and I wanted to make sure they could take over when the time was right. … I had a lot of people that had interest and I’m confident we’re going to get somebody that’s going to work with me and, when the time’s right, be able to step right in and be the next head coach.”

On not letting that situation be used against him:

“I don’t want a guy to go out and recruit and people think I’m only going to be here a couple of days. I would imagine a lot of people might use that against you. I know, living in Pennsylvania, they used to kill Coach Paterno about that. He lasted a pretty long time and did a wonderful job. I’m hopeful that I’m in here for the long haul.”

How do you bring winning basketball back to  SMU?:

“You just look in Texas. I mean, you go to any great program and there’s Texas kids playing. … Everybody’s recruiting here. There’s great kids in this state. When I was at Kansas, you’d come down here, kids don’t want to leave here. We’re playing in the Big East, which is an amazing conference. … We have a great school, a great location, a great facility. You’ve got the Mavericks here. If you play in the Big East and you’re ever any good, you can play in American Airlines Arena. I would hope that someday we’d create that interest. Villanova does it. I think everything’s in place.”

Listen to Larry Brown on KTCK in Dallas here

If you turn on the highlight tapes you will see a vicious, punishing linebacker and start to salivate over the kinds of enforcement skills that he can bring to a defense. However, those plays were few and far between this past season at Arizona State. In reality, Burfict played undisciplined, racked up numerous personal foul penalties, missed a ton of tackles, looked disinterested at times and turned out to be the most overrated and overhyped player in the conference. Those problems along with his awful performance at the scouting combine and the perception that he has a poor work ethic and doesn’t respond well to coaching has turned Burfict into the most polarizing player in this year’s NFL Draft.

Vontaze Burfict joined WNST in Baltimore with Glenn Clark to talk about how tough this pre-draft process has been for him, what he would like teams to know about him that they may not already, if the criticism that he has received bothers him, how frustrating last season was at Arizona State, how he responds to the criticism that he is not coachable, what he says to people that question his work ethic, if he has thought about what he will do if he goes undrafted.

How tough this pre-draft process has been for him:

“It’s been a hard preparation. I’ve just been working out, toning down my body, lifting weights, running miles every day, and just trying to keep up with conditioning so I can come into camp the best I can.”

What he would like teams to know about him that they may not already:

“Just hope that they know I’m a soft-spoken guy. The guy I am on the field, I’m not the same guy off the field. When I’m off the field, I’m more sitting down, more of a chill guy, don’t do too much partying, and when I’m on the field I’m just angrier, don’t like to lose, have a passion for the game and love to hit. Me and off the field are just two different things and people have it mixed up. They think I’m the same people off the field and it’s totally different.”

Whether the criticism he has gotten bothers him:

“No because I know who I am as a person and I know how my mom raised me. I just know whatever team picks me, they’ll get a great linebacker. Once they see me on the field and see me off the field they’ll be like ‘man the media had this guy totally wrong. He’s just such a great guy’ and stuff like that so there will be a lot of good words after this draft about me.”

How frustrating last season was at Arizona State:

“Yes sir. At the beginning of the season we went like 5-1 and then we ended up losing like five games straight. It was very frustrating for me because we had too many athletes on that team and for us to lose close games it was just very frustrating for me. Some of my immaturity kind of showed with getting personal fouls and stuff like that. I’ve learned from my past and I’m growing as a man, just looking past that, focusing on next year, and getting whatever team I play for to the Super Bowl.”

How he responds to people that say he doesn’t like to be coached:

“I think that’s totally wrong.  I love being coached because I’m not the greatest athlete but I loved being coached. You get better at every little thing that you do so by me being coached I love to listen to what a coach has to say because obviously they’ve been there and done that so I think I’m very coachable, especially coming out of Arizona State because I had Trent Bray as my coach and he knew a lot about the game. I learned a lot from him but I also think I can learn more from somebody else in the NFL that knows what an offense will run before they come out and do it. I think that’s something that I already have and becoming a professional at it I think that would be amazing.”

How he responds to people that believe his work ethic is poor:

“Actually I think I work very hard. Like I said I weighed like 257 last season and right now I’m about 245. My work ethic this offseason has been amazing. Every morning I wake up and run a mile, I’m eating right, doing two workouts per day, running half a mile before I go to sleep so I think my work ethic, a lot of people don’t know what my work ethic is, because they’re not with me 24/7 but a lot of my stuff is pretty much what I do and I know what I do by myself.”

Whether he is worried about going undrafted:

“Not really because I have been working so hard and God knows how hard I’ve been working. I’m truly blessed just to be in the position that I’m in right now. If I don’t get drafted then I will have to go back to school, but I love football so much that I won’t give up on football. But I will go back to school and finish up my schooling and stuff like that and probably go somewhere else like Arena football or something but hopefully I make it to the NFL sir.”

Listen to Vontaze Burfict on WNST in Baltimore here

After such a meeting occurred, Uthoff is now free to transfer anywhere outside the Big Ten. Many have said that Ryan caved, but he says that’s not the case. And he also says he’s not worried about any lasting ill effects from the situation or bad publicity — even despite an interview with Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio that didn’t win him any public points — because his situation simply became educational for those who were not knowledgeable about the process.

Bo Ryan joined ESPN Radio Chicago with Waddle and Silvy to discuss Uthoff’s situation at this point, the public perception of his program, forcing Uthoff to have the conversation about transferring, ill effects of the incident going forward, working with the school’s administration throughout the process, and why he doesn’t think he took a PR hit.

On the entire situation with Jared Uthoff and the fact that he can now transfer anywhere outside the Big Ten:

“I’m feeling great because nothing has changed as far as what we knew what we were going to do. It’s pretty interesting that, as people gained more and more information on how transfer situations work, it’s amazing how much more astute and up on how the process goes. We were fine on no Big Ten schools and the only reason some other schools were listed was, OK, it’s a block to come in and talk to an administrator and that’s the only thing a coach can do. Coaches have done this for a long time. It protects the program sometimes for a lot of different reasons. … There wasn’t a change.”

What are your feelings on the apparent public perception that you caved in this situation?:

“That’s not true, but what difference does that mean? Why would that be something that’s relevant to what just transpired? What that is is an opinion and it’s like me having an opinion about you guys. Listen to me, there is a process that was followed to the letter of the rule. I can’t react if somebody has an opinion. There was no caving because the conference is what really counts. … Having had one transfer in 10 years … I never went through any of this, so as I’ve said many times, here I have a situation where, OK, if there is a change, all the young man had to do was talk to me about the change.”

Did you put non-Big Ten schools on the list basically a negotiating move to have Uthoff come in and have the conversation?:

“That’s part of it. … That is something that the coach or the administration can do. The school can block schools and then if there is a reason — and the young man hadn’t given us any — here’s one last opportunity for the person to say, ‘This is why I want to go to that school.’ And they would be granted that opportunity. They were. … What just transpired in this transfer situation is so mild compared to what other coach’s restrictions have been put on guys and nothing has been made mention of it.”

Are you worried that this could scare guys away from your program moving forward?:

“No, because a lot of people after that said, ‘Really, that’s how it’s done?’ or ‘That is the process?’ … Even before that, there are factions who firmly believe that student-athletes should transfer and move anytime, anywhere. That is what was really the issue and obviously when you have a program that’s a pretty big school, big conference … then they say, ‘Well, OK, let’s see about the process.’ But that wasn’t the way it was presented. I think if the whole things was presented, ‘OK, what is the process, Coach?’ when I explained the process, the only thing I was asked was, ‘Shouldn’t people be able to move freely?’ If that is the case, I simply say let’s sit down with the NCAA and college coaches and administrators. And that was what I received back from people was, ‘It’s about time somebody said how it really works.’”

Were you on the same page here as everybody else in the athletic department?:

“You’re always working with the administration. It was like all the other transfer situations that we’ve had on campus in other sports, but again, I wouldn’t know that until this happened because I got into the loop on how it works and how the appeal process goes. … You kind of know but you want to make sure you know the details. The details simply were, you’re going to have questions about schools, if you’re wondering about this, wondering about that, you let us know.”

What’s your counter-argument to the people arguing that you got Ben Brust, who had originally signed with Iowa, to come to Wisconsin and now you’re being hypocritical?:

“The statement you just made is totally false. Ben Brust got out of his letter of intent before Wisconsin even knew that he was attempting to get out of his letter of intent. … A coach was fired, he asked for a release and he got a release. Then he started visiting a bunch of schools. That’s exactly how it happened but nobody ever wants to tell the truth. … When I say they don’t tell the truth, what I mean is in their minds, they say, ‘No, this couldn’t be the case.’ We didn’t even know. Ben Brust contacted us, and a bunch of other schools, and traveled around the country looking for places to go.”

And you don’t think your program has taken any PR hit from this?:

“The fact that we stood up for the whole procedure and the education that people got about exactly how it works, it’s totally the opposite. Of course, some people are never going to change their mind, because always remember, accusations, people remember those. Very few people remember the outcome. In our situation, there are so many coaches, so many people who at first thought one thing that now have swayed totally to the other side.”

Do you regret going on with Mike and Mike before meeting with Uthoff?:

“Well, I’m not in on that. I’m not in, and that’s the other thing that people learn. They’re like, ‘Oh, you mean the coach doesn’t get to talk to them?’ No. That is why there are coaches who block, at times, certain schools, because they’re not getting the conversation from the young man, so the last attempt is to get a conversation with an administrator.

Listen to Bo Ryan on ESPN Radio Chicago here (Interview begins at 1:40:00)

Ryan didn’t like the fact that he was ripped by Colin Cowherd earlier in the week for his decision to block Uthoff from transferring to a slew of schools. The Wisconsin head coach made the situation worse by going on Mike & Mike in the Morning (ESPN Radio) on Thursday morning and making himself out to be the victim and telling the hosts they have never played the game.

The reality is that college coaches don’t like it when student athletes transfer, but yet the coaches can get out of contracts whenever they want. It’s a complete double standard. Here are a few takes from some prominent college basketball head coaches on the topic that is dominating the college basketball world.

John Calipari joined ESPN New York with The Mike Lupica Show to discuss his take on Bo Ryan telling Jarrod Uthoff he can’t transfer to the college he would like to play for.

Say one of your players comes in and wants to transfer. Would you tell him he could transfer, but he couldn’t go to the Big 10, he couldn’t go to the ACC, you can’t go to Iowa State or Marquette? Yes or no?

“Well I probably wouldn’t do that, but there could be a reason why someone would do that. The reason would be if someone was messing with the kid to get him to transfer. You are not benefiting by it. He may leave, but you ain’t getting him. I’d have to have pretty solid proof that that was happening for me to do it, but that is just me. Then again there may be other reasons. You don’t want to play against him. I don’t know, but I don’t think that should play. If you wanted him to play so bad you should have played him more.”

Listen to John Calipari on 1050 ESPN New York here

Mark Few joined ESPN Radio on The Herd with Colin Cowherd to discuss blocking student athletes that want to transfer, his own personal experiences of student athletes transferring from his program and the one instance where he would block a student athlete from transferring.

What is your take on blocking players that want to leave?

“My initial reaction is not knowing the full situation it’s difficult to comment, but I would just say that in many of these situations – I don’t know what the story is on this one. There’s a two way street. Players are reaching out to schools. Schools are reaching out to players and I think that is where you get the situation where coaches are reluctant to just give blanket releases. I’m not privileged to all this information on this.”

What did you do when a player wants out of Gonzaga?

“I asked him why he wanted to leave? I listened to him and in Ryan Spangler’s situation he was a really young and good big kid we had. He wanted to go back closer to home, so he listed a couple of schools he wanted to go look at and we said fine and that is what happened.”

Would there ever be an instance where you would block a kid and why?

“Yeah absolutely if I heard that there was some tampering going on, which happens often in situations like this where they are contacting kids while he is playing still on the team. I would probably say hey I am not real comfortable with you going to that school if they have been doing that while you have been a member of our team. Now if you could tell why they were doing this and what was going on then I would probably be more apt to go ahead and release, but usually how I feel about it is if a kid doesn’t want to be in our place then it’s time to move on part ways.”

Listen to Mark Few on ESPN Radio here

Jim Boeheim joined ESPN Radio on The Herd with Colin Cowherd to discuss student athletes being transfer crazy in this day and age.

Are college athletes now transfer crazy?

“Well we had…I am told there’s 90 guys transferring this year. One of the new academic things is coaches really need to hold kids because when a kid transfers you lose an academic point and that can hurt and affect your program from going to the tournament, hurt the players in your program when you start losing academic points, so that’s something you have to consider. I’ve always felt if a kid wants to transfer and I think they are some 30-40% of the students that go to college, all colleges, just normal students that do transfer. I think it’s something that is kind of natural. I’d rather not have kids transfer, but if a kid is not happy, not comfortable and he’s not playing and he wants to go near home and he wants to get a better position. I think you release the guy. I think usually within a conference you can’t transfer. You can’t go from one Big 1o school to another Big 10 school. That’s a conference rule, but other then that I think…Bo Ryan is a really good friend of mine. I love Bo Ryan. He’s a straight shooting guy. I don’t think you should limit too much where kids can go. Just let them go.”

Listen to Jim Boeheim on ESPN Radio here

Richard Pitino joined WQAM in Miami with Michael Irvin to talk about taking over for Isiah Thomas, how much fun it is to be a head coach and be the guy that the kids will look up to, how this hire came about, how great it was to work with and learn so much from his father, and what advice his father gave him.

On taking over for Isiah Thomas:

“I’ve got so much respect for Isiah Thomas. I mean he was one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game and he’s somebody who I’ve really looked up to and I know a lot of our players looked at him as a father figure and it’s important for me now, it didn’t work out for whatever reason, but we’ve got to turn the page certainly and I’ve got to learn to connect to these guys and they have to learn to trust me like they trusted Isiah and their staff so that’s really the most important thing right now.”

How much fun it is to be a head coach and be the guy that the kids will look up to:

“It’s a lot of fun. We had a team meeting two nights ago at 7:30 on campus just so I could introduce myself and my staff, I had each one of them come in, and meet with me individually and there was so much potential with the guys on our team and they’re really foaming at the mouth. They want to get going, they want to get ready to go and they’ve got a lot of passion, a lot of loyalty and we’ve just got to get rolling here and we will.”

How this hire came about:

“They called me last week and I wasn’t really looking to move. I had a great situation at Louisville at the time, I was working for my father, we had a top two or three team coming back and have a chance for a National Championship so I really wasn’t looking to move unless it was a great situation. When Pete Garcia called me and I got a chance to come down to FIU, to meet with Pete and the President, I was sold. It’s a beautiful campus, it’s a great academic university and it’s in South Florida. The good thing for me is I worked for Billy Donovan for two years and I recruited the state of Florida a lot. It’s a place that I’m comfortable recruiting, I know they have players for us and I just have to do a good job with my staff and we have to really reach out to everybody in the community and get this going. I know it has a lot of potential and we just have to get to work.”

How great it was to work with and learn so much from his father:

“It was absolutely awesome. I spent three years with him and we had a blast. It really didn’t feel like work. Now you know and I know it’s great when you win and stinks when you lose. We were fortunate enough that we went to two Elite Eight’s, won three Big East Titles and we went to a Final Four so maybe that’s why it was a lot of fun for me because we were winning at a high level. I really, really enjoyed it and the one thing about it I put so much pressure on myself because I wanted him to win as much as possible and I wanted to be able to provide him with as much help as I possibly could and when we won there was no better place to be. It was a lot of fun to see it.”

What advice his father gave to him:

“He said ‘listen, you’re not going to be able to do it alone. You have to hire a great staff.’ He said that is the most important thing. We’re kind of forming our staff right now and I’ve got to get to work on that and get the best guys possible for that situation because it’s not going to be something we’re going to do alone. The other thing he said is ‘you have to go to a place where they have a great Athletic Director and a great President.’ Those two guys sold me on FIU and their vision and I’m excited to work hand-in-hand with them. I know they’ll be great and we will be able to get it done with their help.”

Listen to Richard Pitino on WQAM in Miami here

John Calipari joined Fox Sports Radio with the Loose Cannons to talk about his players leaving for the NBA Draft, whether a weight has been lifted off his shoulders after winning a National Championship, on the added pressure coaching in a basketball state and now it shifting to Rick Pitino at Louisville, and what he thinks about Larry Brown possibly returning to coaching.

On the feeling of his players leaving for the NBA Draft this week:

“I loved it. What a great thing. You think about it as if that’s your child. They were scared to death up there. The one kid said ‘I was shaking.’ It’s a big thing for them! Here’s the thing that got me mad ‘this is bad for college athletics and student athlete…’ What are you talking about? You had these players at a young age playing for each other and not themselves, sharing the ball, sacrificing their game for the good of the team and every young player on the planet got to see it, including NBA players that thought that is neat. We all learned. Yet some nerd has got to say ‘well it’s bad for college sports.’ Why? Because they’re talented? Was it bad when Tiger Woods left Stanford? (Sarcastically) He ruined that University by leaving early! I mean what are you talking about?”

Whether a weight has been lifted off his shoulders after winning a National Championship:

“I’m walking back to the hotel or off the bus in the hotel lobby and we just won the National Championship and as I’m walking up the steps two guys say ‘we need another one next year coach! We need another one next year!’ I stopped, turned around and looked at these two and I said ‘are you two out of your mind? Are you out of your mind?’ But you know what? It makes it neat. We did a tour with the trophy and let me tell you something, it was unbelievable. Every person on this tour, this is 18 or 20 thousand people, we went to nine different cities, probably more like 20 or 25 thousand people, all of them got to take a picture with that trophy and my wife and I. It’s just a unique place that way. There’s no pro teams here and it’s all about basketball. We’re the commonwealth’s team. Louisville has a great thing going but it’s just that everywhere across the state they talk about this program.”

On the pressure of coaching in a basketball state and it shifting over to Rick Pitino now at Louisville:

“Let me say this, he’s got it on him his year. He’s got the best team, he’s got NBA players, and he should be able to do what we did this year so it’s on him. That coat just went from me to him. We did it. He’s wearing that coat this year but let me say this, when you’re coaching, I went 20 years in non-BCS basketball programs and I had a ball, but you strive for this. The only issue is be careful for what you wish for because when you get it, it’s on you 24/7. I’m telling you I’m loving this, I’m loving it. I love that kids want to come and play for us, I love that the senator from our state, Mitch McConnell, grabbed me before this season and said ‘how many players do you think you will lose this year’ and I said seven. We’re going to lose seven. Two seniors and five underclassmen. He said ‘oh my gosh, you are creating more millionaires than a wall-street firm.’ Think about that. For me, where I come from, grandparents came through Ellis Island and didn’t speak the language, parents were high school educated, my sisters and I, the first college educated in our family, we’re now in a position to change the cycle in a family’s life? For them to go onto professional careers, it’s great stuff.”

On Larry Brown possibly returning to coaching:

“He wants to coach. He’s a coach. They’ve got a great AD, they’re moving into the Big East, they’ve got to get some players, good players, but they’ve got to get Big East level players, he’s putting a great staff together, and Pat (O’Brien) you know Coach Brown. Coach Brown’s age, they say 71 but Pat how old is he really when you’re with him? (Host: 40.) Is he 55, 56, 40, you know what I’m saying? He’s not 71-years-old. When you look at me I’m 71 and he’s just a disciplined person. I’m not and so what happens is the old 71 is now 51 and if he wants to coach why not? Why not enjoy himself? He wasn’t enjoying not coaching and I will leave you with this he came to our practices and saw this team respond to coaching and he was with Kansas and saw coaching and said I want to do this again and I want to do it in college so hats off to him right?”

Listen to John Calipari on Fox Sports here

Instead of worry, however, the Tigers look to be in pretty good shape thanks to a big-name transfer who won a national championship at Syracuse. Alex Oriakhi decided to take on another year at the college level, but do it elsewhere, saying he still has things left to accomplish. He’ll try to do just that alongside very close friend and Missouri point guard Phil Pressey, immediately creating a solid 1-2 punch.

Alex Oriakhi joined KCSP in Kansas City with Danny and Carrington to discuss why he picked Missouri, playing with buddy Phil Pressey, why he didn’t just go to the NBA, how he describes his game, coach Frank Haith’s reaction and joining up with a group with plenty of new faces.

Why did you choose Missouri?:

“At the end of the day it was just a comfort level. Having a good friend of mine, Phil Pressey, there definitely helped, but I was definitely comfortable when I got there. They were a team that had a pretty successful season in my opinion, winning 30 games, and they were able to do all that without a big man, so I definitely knew they needed a big man. … Everything just meshed and it was the perfect fit.”

What’s your relationship like with Phil?:

“Phil, I’ve known him since eighth grade. … At the time, he lived in Texas but we played AAU so he basically lived with me and my family in the summer. … Even before I transferred we always texted each other every day, talked on the phone. He’s one of my real good friends.”

Why did you decide to play another year at a different school instead of going pro?:

“I didn’t perform as well as I’m capable am to go to the NBA. It was definitely a step back for me, the season I had. … I didn’t think there was a reason for me to even go into the draft. I feel when it’s time to go to the NBA for me is when I feel I’m ready and I feel I’ve done everything I can do. I have more left to accomplish.”

Describe to people how you play:

“I know I have a lot to work on and a lot to improve on, but for the most part I feel like I’m a defensive-oriented guy. Growing up, I wasn’t always the most offensively capable big man … so I had to do other things to stay on the court. I’m definitely a defensive presence. I rebound, block shots. I am working on my offense so I can really score in the post. But for the most part, I’m a defensive guy. I feel like you can dominate a game without scoring.”

When you told Frank Haith you were transferring to Missouri, what was his reaction?:

“He was ecstatic. He was really excited, gave me a hug and said, ‘Welcome to the family.’ … He said it was like getting a Christmas present. I heard that. That’s not what he told me, but that’s what I heard. I just laughed. For a coach to say that about you, it just shows how bad he really wanted me and I’m just excited to come down there and just work my tail off and let the results follow.”

Did you know him from before?:

“No, not really, but Phil’s a real close friend, so if I had any questions, I could definitely go ask Phil. That was the best. Phil was a great resource because I knew Phil was going to keep it 100 percent with me. … He was going to be truthful with me because he wouldn’t want to put me in a situation that wouldn’t help benefit me.”

Was it important for you to come into a situation where there were plenty of new faces, including you, rather than an established lineup?:

“I definitely think it helps to go to a team that’s new because I’m going to be new, my face is going to be new to the rest of the guys and we’re all going to have to learn together and find our roles out and build team chemistry.”

Listen to Alex Oriakhi on KCSP in Kansas City here

Mike Krzyzewski has accepted the change in the landscape of college basketball, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a fan of it. Krzyzewski has adapted to the changes and in the following interview explains how he would fix the game he has coached in since 1974.

Mike Krzyzewski joined The Sports Animal in Oklahoma City with Jim and Al to discuss fixing the game of college basketball, the difficulty in recruiting one-and-done superstar players, Austin Rivers not fitting in with the Duke system, the development of Austin Rivers and college basketball players in our modern day staying with their schools for more than one season.

What do we have to do to fix the game of college basketball?

“First of all college basketball doesn’t control college basketball. The NBA controls college basketball. They are the ones along with the players union that sets the rule. College basketball just reacts to what the NBA does to include the early entry date. College basketball put out April 10th. Well that date doesn’t mean anything. April 29th is when guys have a chance to put their names in the NBA draft. I think one of the main things that has to happen is college basketball has to have a relationship with the NBA. There should be someone in charge of college basketball who on a day-to-day basis sets an agenda for our great sport. We don’t have anything like that. As a resolve we don’t have a voice with the NBA or the players union and that’s just kind of sad.”

Do you continue to go after superstar players who could be one-and-done players? Do you go harder after players that may stay 2-3 years as oppose to the superstar?

“Yeah we can’t go after every one-and-done guy because a lot of the guys and they are great players and great kids, but school isn’t as important. A lot of those guys a number of years ago didn’t have to go to college. Dwight Howard. Kobe Bryant. LeBron James. Kids are…it’s not even going one year. They are going to spend maybe six-seven months. Sometimes…we have a great school, but it’s not as attractive as going someplace else, so we have to be careful with who we get involved with because it could be a monumental waste of time for us.”

It seemed like to me that Austin Rivers style of play didn’t fit on your team? Did you feel the same way?

“Well we tried to fit his style of game because he is a heck of a player. He improved throughout and a kid right now doesn’t have to go into the pro’s because he’s ready. It’s if they are going to pick him. If they..it’s the future picks…I think that sometimes the NBA draft is like venture capital. You think a company is going to be really good. They don’t have to be really good yet. Austin is going to be really good. He was very good for us.”

It took Austin Rivers some time to be good though?

“Yeah it takes adjusting. I loved the kid. I think he is a great kid. He had confidence in us. It was a good time for him to go because he’ll be picked fairly high right now.”

That’s why it would be really cool if Austin Rivers was coming back for another year. Wouldn’t it?

“Those kids like in the 1990′s: Bobby Hurley could have gone [to the NBA early], Grant Hill or Christian Laettner, but they stayed and then they became legendary. Now there is less chance of doing that unless you are like this Kentucky team that won as freshmen. The guys who didn’t win like John Wall or [DeMarcus] Cousins or [Brandon] Knight. Those kids were great college players for one year. A kid like [Anthony] Davis will become legendary because he actually won the NCAA tournament.”

Listen to Mike Krzyzewski on The Sports Animal in Oklahoma City here

Shabazz Muhammad, regarded by most as the nation’s top high school basketball recruit, made it official and signed his letter of intent to play for Howland. He joins friend and fellow highly rated recruit Kyle Anderson in hopes of putting UCLA back at the top. It would be a refreshing change for Howland who says accountability is at an all-time high and a remodeled Pauley Pavillion is on the way.

Ben Howland joined Fox Sports Radio with Petros and Money to discuss signing Shabazz Muhammad, when he knew for sure Muhammad would sign, Muhammad’s best qualities, how he changes the style of play within the program, Muhammad saying he wants to put UCLA back on top and moving forward from the Sports Illustrated piece.

On signing one of the top recruits, Shabazz Muhammad:

“I’m elated. It was so great yesterday to have the news become official and receive the signed letter of intent from Shabazz. He’s someone we’ve been recruiting now for over three years and is obviously a great player — the unanimous Player of the Year in the country. … He’s just an exciting addition as we move back into Pauley Pavillion and we’re so pleased to be back on campus next season in a brand new building, essentially. It’s just really, really exciting times.”

When were you comfortable in knowing he was coming to UCLA? Did it take until those final moments?:

“I was comfortable that we were in good shape for quite a while. It’s been a long process. But you never do know. The thing is, though, that he has a great family. His father, Ron, and his mother, Faye, are both from southern California. Their families are all here, so this is home for Shabazz and his family and his roots. I felt comfortable but you never know for sure. … Now it’s such a production.”

On Muhammad’s talents:

“He has a lot of special qualities. He’s a great scorer, can really shoot the ball, gets to the line a lot because he’s so aggressive attacking the rim. He’s explosive. He’s 222-pound, 6-6, long, athletic, bouncy, just a really, really good player.”

Is he a guy that will change the style of basketball that your team plays?:

“We’ve got to be more aggressive offensively, attacking and really trying to get him out to where he can attack in the open court. It’s not just Shabazz. One of the key factors is that we had already signed one of his close friends, Kyle Anderson, who is a great player, obviously, in his own right, a top-five player in the country. He has point guard skills, is a 6-8 point, really passes the ball. … You get a chance to see them playing together, it’s exciting.”

How did you feel when you heard Muhammad say one of his deciding factors was the challenge of helping put UCLA back on top?:

“I felt great because that’s the kind of kid he is. He’s not afraid of competition, not afraid of the challenge. This kid came into his senior year as the odds-on favorite to be the Player of the Year so everybody’s out to get you, everybody’s coming after you, you’re everybody’s biggest night, biggest game. … He’s obviously going to have that same level of competition where everyone’s trying to knock him off. It’s great to see a kid who wants those challenges. I was proud of him.”

How did you address your team after the Sports Illustrated article came out and all of that went down?:

“We talked about it and, hey, I’m responsible for this program, first and foremost. I really have had to come to a realization that I have to improve, I have to make changes and we are doing that right now. Our level of accountability with our players in our program right now I think is at an all-time high and it’s been great. I think our players are really responding to it. I’m just very, very passionate about what we have ahead of us now.”

Listen to Ben Howland on Fox Sports Radio here