March 1 2006

One of the recent trends in college basketball features Division I head coaches hiring assistants who have prior head coaching experience. These second lieutenants bring a wealth of knowledge, all kinds of experience and the ability to help in many ways. It helps to have an experienced assistant who can really teach, scout, analyze and break down the game, as well as recruit. These guys understand what it takes because they used to run their own programs.

These assistants also have an incredible desire to prove that the people who let them go made the wrong decision. They bring that special fire -- once a competitor, always a competitor. They work diligently to get that next opportunity, and what better chance than when sitting next to someone who can open up doors. Others are just happy being on the bench in a winning environment, contributing to a team's success.

Think about some of these assistant coaches and you see some big names, guys who have proven themselves for years. I look at Connecticut and George Blaney. He loves the role of Jim Calhoun's right-hand lieutenant after serving as head coach at Holy Cross and Seton Hall.

Former Alabama coach David Hobbs has been a key member of Kentucky coach Tubby Smith's staff for many years now. Someone would be wise to give him another chance as a head coach. Jim Rosborough down at Arizona has been vital to Lute Olson. The former Northern Illinois coach has been coveted by other schools, but has remained loyal to the Wildcats.

Ray McCallum was the head coach at Ball State and Houston. Now he is an important member of Kelvin Sampson's Sooners squad. Former Clemson and Wyoming coach Larry Shyatt has been a great asset for Billy Donovan's Florida club.

Here is a look at some of the former Division I head coaches now serving as assistants:

COACH | HEAD COACH AT | ASSISTANT COACH AT:

Tom Asbury | Pepperdine/Kansas State | Alabama

Steve Barnes | San Jose State | Southern Miss.

George Blaney | Seton Hall/Holy Cross | Connecticut

Ron Bradley | Radford | Clemson

Alvin Brooks | Houston | Texas A&M

Donny Daniels | Cal State-Fullerton | UCLA

James Dickey | Texas Tech | Oklahoma State

Joe Dooley | East Carolina | Kansas

Jerry Dunn | Penn State | West Virginia

Scott Edgar | Murray State/Duquesne | Tennessee

Tony Fuller | Pepperdine/San Diego State | Stanford

Dino Gaudio | Army | Wake Forest

Paul Graham | Washington State | Colorado

Sidney Green | Florida Atlantic | Indiana

Pete Herrmann | Navy | Georgia

Dan Hipsher | Akron | Arkansas

David Hobbs | Alabama | Kentucky

Bob Hoffman | Texas-Pan American | Oklahoma

Michael Hunt | Towson | Miami-Florida

Jeff Jackson | New Hampshire | Vanderbilt

Tim Jankovich | North Texas | Kansas

Phil Johnson | San Jose State | USC

Billy Kennedy | Southeastern Louisiana | Miami-Florida

Rob Lanier | Siena | Virginia

Donnie Marsh | Florida International | Indiana

Ray McCallum | Ball State/Houston | Oklahoma

Mack McCarthy | Tenn-Chat/VCU | East Carolina

Jeff Meyer | Liberty | Missouri

Jim Molinari | Bradley | Minnesota

Dan Peters | Youngstown State | Ohio State

Jason Rabedeaux | UTEP | Marquette

Tom Richardson | Illinois State | Vanderbilt

John Robic | Youngstown State | Memphis

Steve Robinson | Tulsa/Florida State | North Carolina

Jim Rosborough | Northern Illinois | Arizona

Phil Rowe | New Hampshire | George Washington

Kerry Rupp | Utah | Indiana

Heath Schroyer | Portland State | Fresno State

Steve Seymour | Drexel | Virginia

Larry Shyatt | Clemson/Wyoming | Florida

Chuck Swenson | William and Mary | Michigan

Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question for Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.