Jan. 31
FORGET THE PITINO RUMORS
I don't know how those rumors about Rick Pitino not being interested in UNLV any more even got started. There were reports in the press indicating Pitino wasn't interested in the Runnin' Rebels now.

Let me set the record straight. I spoke to Rick on Tuesday night and he told me that he is very much interested in UNLV, but he has not made any decision one way or the other. He said he will wait until March to determine his future.

Look for Pitino to check out other marquee jobs, finding out what is available. He is still interested in the Runnin' Rebels job.

UMASS, FLINT GETTING JOB DONE
Earlier this year, many people were saying that Bruiser Flint was really on the hot seat at Massachusetts. His team was 2-9 and there were those who felt his tenure was nearly over.

First of all, Flint had a difficult road. He followed popular coach and mentor John Calipari at UMass. The early season schedule was brutal, with pre-conference games against the likes of North Carolina, Boston College, Connecticut, Marquette, Oregon, Ohio State and Providence, with the majority of those on the road.

It is very difficult to build a winning mentality against that type of schedule. You have to salute Flint because most guys would have sulked and felt sorry for themselves. Instead, Flint went back to the gym and believed.

He worked hard and as a result, when you look at the Atlantic 10 standings, his Minutemen are tied with Xavier at 7-1 atop the pack. Massachusetts owns a big win over the Musketeers at Xavier.

Give credit to James "Bruiser" Flint as his stock goes up and up. His Minutemen, led by Monty Mack, keep rolling in the A-10.

STEWART HONORED AT MISSOURI
It was a great touch by the people of Missouri, honoring Norm Stewart on Monday night. Missouri named the court after the veteran coach.

It was sad that the relationship between Stewart and Missouri had previously ended on a bad note. It's beautiful that it has all been settled and they had a moment to honor this real champion. Stewart is not only a champion as a coach, but also in the game of life. His courageous battle in beating colon cancer 12 years ago was a great inspiration. It helped form Coaches vs. Cancer, which has raised millions of dollars.

It was a tribute that was richly deserved. It was fitting Missouri went out and beat Kansas that night, led by Kareem Rush. Stewart turned over the reins to Quin Snyder, who was the first to congratulate Norm on this beautiful honor.

By the way, it is time for Syracuse to do the same for Jim Boeheim. I would love to see them name that court at the Carrier Dome for their veteran coach. Boeheim has done so much for the school.

Jan. 29
FAMILY SUPPORT
Ronnie McCollum has a great story. He averaged 30 points, six rebounds and five assists in his senior year at Fayette County High in Fayette, Ala. He wanted to go to a big-time school, and he was a huge Alabama fan. His mother tried to sell the potential of her son.

When that didn't work out, McCollum was on the verge of missing out on Division I basketball.

It helped to have a relative come through with a big-time assist. McCollum's cousin is current Indiana head coach Mike Davis, who called then-Centenary coach Billy Kennedy.

Davis' recommendation led to a scholarship, and the rest is history. McCollum averaged 17.5 ppg in his freshman year, 19.4 as a soph, 23.8 (third in the nation) as a junior and over 28 ppg so far this season.

A SALUTE TO LUKE
A salute to Luke Recker of Iowa. He did a great job against his former school, Indiana, scoring 27 points. The Hawkeyes came from behind to win that game.

I know a lot of Hoosiers fans probably said, "Wow, what if he was in our uniform." Recker has overcome a lot of adversity during his collegiate career. Now he is making his coach, Steve Alford, very happy.

LOVING LAKELAND
The city of Lakeland, Fla., has produced a number of standout athletes over the years. A few of them came through big-time recently.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was named Super Bowl MVP. From the same high school came Georgia Tech center Alvin Jones, who was my PTPer of the Week. Also from the Lakeland area is South Florida star B. B. Waldon.

WATCH OUT FOR REVENGE
Here are a few examples that show you cannot take anything for granted. Michigan State beat Ohio State at East Lansing, 71-56. The Buckeyes come back in the rematch, 64-55 at Columbus.

Louisville loses to Cincinnati at Freedom Hall by 20 points. Just 11 days later, the Cardinals snapped the Bearcats' 34-game home league win streak, 63-54.

St. John's takes a 38-7 lead en route to an 89-64 win over Virginia Tech. Then the Hokies turn it around, 65-59 in Blacksburg.