October 18, 2006

I recently made an appearance in Gainesville, Florida. That's right, I was at the home of the Rowdy Reptiles, the defending national champions.

I wanted to thank the Student Government for giving me the chance to speak to the students. I had an opportunity to shoot the breeze with one of my favorite journalists, Hubert Mizell. He did a great job at the St. Petersburg Times and now he is doing a weekly column for the Gainesville Sun.

We talked about this Florida basketball team and its chances of going back-to-back a la the Dukies in 1991 and '92. I have the Gators #2 in my preseason ranking, with North Carolina #1 and Kansas at #3.

As I told the crowd in Gainesville, there was a time they would have been thrilled to be projected at #2. Wow, times have changed! They want #1, and with all five starters coming back, they have a great opportunity. It is more than just having five starters back, but with so much greed and desire for instant gratification in the wallet, it would have been easy for a Joakim Noah, an Al Horford or a Corey Brewer to say bye-bye for the green of the NBA.

They love college and they want to enjoy the special moments on the campus -- the pro game and lifestyle can wait! That is great and a beautiful message. Can they take the pressure of trying to repeat? Everywhere they go they will feel it.

There is a different pressure when you are Notre Dame, Ohio State or Michigan in football, or a Duke, Kentucky or North Carolina in basketball. You take everybody's best shot. Forget about the record, forget about individual player. When a team plays against the defending national champion, because of motivation, a three-star player performs like a five-star! They compete with emotion and intensity. If Florida can match that night in and night out, it is going to be another big year in Gainesville.

I was really excited to spend time in Gainesville. The students at Florida made me feel young. I am 67 but they made me feel like I was 12, baby!

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.