May 16
Fordham made a solid choice in hiring Dereck Whittenburg as its new head coach. Let's give a salute to athletic director Frank McLaughlin.

	Whittenburg

There is no doubt that I was pushing and pleading for Fred Hill Jr., the current Villanova assistant coach. Hill will be an outstanding head coach someday when someone gives him the opportunity. Hill has the entire package -- the ability to motivate, to teach and connect with people. He can flat-out recruit.

McLaughlin hired a good person in Whittenburg. I didn't think Fordham had a shot at Whittenburg, who did a phenomenal job leading Wagner to the NCAA Tournament this year.

Who could ever forget Whittenburg in 1983 with N.C. State? Remember when he played against Houston in the '83 NCAA championship game? Coach Jim Valvano and the Wolfpack against Akeem Olajuwon (he wasn't "Hakeem" back then), Clyde "The Glide" Drexler and the rest of Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma club. The Cougars were the heavy favorite.

Oh, to dream and dream big! That was the message of Jimmy V, and Whittenburg made one of the greatest passes ever -- well, actually it was an air ball, right into the hands of teammate Lorenzo Charles for the game-winning slam. The rest was history, as Jimmy V did a dance looking for someone to hug.

I can tell you that Jimmy V is smiling down from heaven knowing Derrick has moved up and is coaching in the Big Apple. Whittenburg is taking on a program that has struggled in recent years, getting just four wins last season (two by forfeit from St. Bonaventure).

Down the line, Whittenburg could get the call from a higher-profile program.

The last time Fordham was in the big-time arena was the early '70s under coach Richard "Digger" Phelps (who's now of course my colleague at ESPN). The Rams had players like Charlie Yelverton and Kenny Charles, and they helped rock Madison Square Garden. That club pressed and ran!

Then Digger got the call to go out to Notre Dame. Again, the rest is history.

Now the question is, can McLaughlin keep Whittenburg for years to come? Something tells me the new coach can make some magic and attract attention from some bigger schools.

For now, McLaughlin has made an outstanding decision. Down the line, Whittenburg could get the call from a higher-profile program to take his recruiting charm and magnetic personality up the ladder in the coaching fraternity.