For the second time in eight years, two Australians were named conference player of the year in the same campaign. Guards Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso in Horizon League) and Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's in West Coast) were honored this season, duplicating the 2004-05 feat by centers/fellow Aussies Andrew Bogut (Utah in Mountain West) and Alex Loughton (Old Dominion in Colonial Athletic Association).

As the foreign invasion escalated in recent years, another "Down Under" Australian who finished atop an alliance hit list was Utah center Luke Nevill, the Mountain West Conference's premier player in 2008-09. Broekhoff and Dellavedova became the 18th and 19th players from overseas thus far this century to become a league MVP. Following is an alphabetical list of foreigners named Player of the Year/Most Valuable Player in a Division I conference:

Player, Position, College (Native Country/DI Conference)
Rafael Arajuo, C, Brigham Young (Brazil/2004 in Mountain West)
Tunji Awojobi, F, Boston University (Nigeria/1997 in America East)
Jose Juan Barea, G, Northeastern (Puerto Rico/2006 in Colonial Athletic)
Lubos Barton, G, Valparaiso (Czech Republic/2002 in Mid-Continent)
Andrew Bogut, C, Utah (Australia/2005 in Mountain West)
Ryan Broekhoff, G, Valparaiso (Australia/2012 in Horizon League)
Stefan Ciosici, C, Lafayette (Romania/1998 in Patriot League)
Gilberto Clavell, F, Sam Houston State (Puerto Rico/2011 in Southland)
Matthew Dellavedova, G, Saint Mary's (Australia/2012 in West Coast)
Tim Duncan, C, Wake Forest (Virgin Islands/1996 and 1997 in ACC)
Patrick Ewing, C, Georgetown (Jamaica/1984 and 1985 in Big East)
Joe Faulkner, F-G, Southern, La. (Virgin Islands/1990 in SWAC)
Adonal Foyle, C, Colgate (West Indies/1996 and 1997 in Patriot League)
Eric Franson, F-C, Utah State (Belgium/1995 in Big West)
Adnan Hodzic, C, Lipscomb (Bosnia/2010 in Atlantic Sun)
Stephane Lasme, F, Massachusetts (Gabon/2007 in Atlantic 10)
Marcos Leite, F, Pepperdine (Brazil/1976 in West Coast Athletic)
Alex Loughton, F-C, Old Dominion (Australia/2005 in Colonial Athletic)
Christian Maraker, F, Pacific (Sweden/2006 in Big West)
Raimonds Miglinieks, G, UC Irvine (Latvia/1996 in Big West)
Mate Milisa, C, Long Beach State (Croatia/2000 in Big West)
Steve Nash, G, Santa Clara (Canada/1995 and 1996 in West Coast)
Luke Nevill, C, Utah (Australia/2009 in Mountain West)
Hakeem Olajuwon, C, Houston (Nigeria/1984 in Southwest)
Michael Olowokandi, C, Pacific (England/1998 in Big West)
Ugonna Onyekwe, F, Penn (England/2002 and 2003 in Ivy League)
Jose Ortiz, C, Oregon State (Puerto Rico/1987 in Pacific-10)
Artsiom Parakhouski, C-F, Radford (Belarus/2009 and 2010 in Big South)
Hector Romero, F, New Orleans (Venezuela/2002 in Sun Belt)
Timo Saarelainen, F, Brigham Young (Finland/1985 in WAC)
Juan "Pepe" Sanchez, G, Temple (Argentina/2000 in Atlantic 10)
Wayne Sappleton, F, Loyola of Chicago (Jamaica/1982 in Midwestern City)
Rik Smits, C, Marist (Netherlands/1987 and 1988 in Northeast)
Ryan Stuart, F, Northeast Louisiana (Bahamas/1992 and 1993 in Southland)
Mychal Thompson, C, Minnesota (Bahamas/1978 in Big Ten)
Mindaugas Timinskas, F, Iona (Lithuania/1997 in Metro Atlantic Athletic)
Greivis Vasquez, G, Maryland (Venezuela/2010 in ACC)
Cuthbert Victor, F, Murray State (Virgin Islands/2004 in Ohio Valley)
Christian Welp, C, Washington (Germany/1986 in Pacific-10)
NOTE: The SWC did not recognize a formal list of league MVPs.

A significant number of pensive pilots are on the precipice of receiving pink slips from struggling schools. Prior to doing so, the institutions need to reflect a moment on the following alphabetical list of individuals who didn't get off to roaring starts with major colleges but withstood the test of time and became their all-time winningest coaches:

Dana Altman - Failed to post a winning season record with Creighton until his fourth year (1997-98).
Randy Bennett - Total of 11 games below .500 with Saint Mary's through his first two seasons (2001-02 and 2002-03).
Bill Bibb - Total of 16 games below .500 with Mercer in his first three seasons (1974-75 through 1976-77).
George Blaney - Total of 18 games below .500 with Holy Cross in his first two seasons (1972-73 and 1973-74).
Buster Brannon - Total of 14 games below .500 with TCU in his first two seasons (1948-49 and 1949-50).
Tom Brennan - Total of 54 games below .500 overall and 36 below in ECAC North Atlantic Conference competition with Vermont in his first three seasons (1986-87 through 1988-89).
Dale Brown - Overall losing record with LSU through his first five seasons (1972-73 through 1976-77).
Jim Calhoun - Total of 24 games below .500 in Big East competition with Connecticut in his first three seasons (1986-87 through 1988-89).
Bobby Cremins - Total of 16 games below .500 in ACC competition with Georgia Tech in his first three seasons (1981-82 through 1983-84).
Billy Donovan - Failed to post a winning season record with Florida until his third year (1998-99).
Pat Douglass - Total of 23 games below .500 with UC Irvine in his first two seasons (1997-98 and 1998-99).
Homer Drew - Total of 67 games below .500 with Valparaiso in his first five seasons (1988-89 through 1992-93).
Fran Dunphy - Failed to post a winning season record with Penn until his third year (1991-92).
Cliff Ellis - Total of 12 games below .500 in ACC competition with Clemson through his first two seasons (1984-85 and 1985-86).
Bill Ferguson - Four losing records with St. Joseph's in his first six seasons (1928-29 through 1933-34).
Bud Foster - Overall losing record (two games below .500) with Wisconsin through his first six seasons (1934-35 through 1939-40).
Murray Greason - Total of 11 games below .500 with Wake Forest in his first three seasons (1933-34 through 1935-36).
Doc Hayes - Four losing records with SMU in his first six seasons (1947-48 through 1952-53.
Lou Henson - Overall losing record with Illinois through his first three seasons (1975-76 through 1977-78).
Terry Holland - Breakeven record overall and 16 games below .500 in ACC competition with Virginia through his first three seasons (1974-75 through 1976-77).
George Ireland - Overall losing record with Loyola Chicago through his first six seasons (1951-52 through 1956-57).
Doggie Julian - Total of 30 games below .500 with Dartmouth through his first three seasons (1950-51 through 1952-53).
Mike Krzyzewski - Overall losing record with Duke through his first three seasons (1980-81 through 1982-83).
Guy Lewis - Total of 14 games below .500 overall and in MVC competition with Houston through his first four seasons (1956-57 through 1959-60).
Eddie McCarter - Six losing records with Texas-Arlington in his first seven seasons (1992-93 through 1998-99).
Al McGuire - Total of eight games below .500 with Marquette in his first two seasons (1964-65 and 1965-66).
Frank McGuire - Total of 13 games below .500 with South Carolina in his first two seasons (1964-65 and 1965-66).
Bob McKillop - Failed to post a winning season record with Davidson until his fifth year (1993-94).
Eldon Miller - Total of 10 games below .500 with Northern Iowa through his first two seasons (1986-87 and 1987-88).
Ralph Miller - Total of three games below .500 with Wichita in his first two seasons (1951-52 and 1952-53).
Danny Nee - Total of 20 games below .500 in Big Eight Conference competition with Nebraska in his first four seasons (1986-87 through 1989-90).
Fran O'Hanlon - Total of 19 games below .500 with Lafayette in his first two seasons (1995-96 and 1996-97).
Johnny Orr - Failed to post a winning season record with Iowa State until his fourth year (1983-84).
Jerry Pimm - Total of 14 games below .500 with UC Santa Barbara in his first three seasons (1983-84 through 1985-86).
Nolan Richardson - Total of eight games below .500 in SWC competition with Arkansas in his first two seasons (1985-86 and 1986-87).
Jack Rohan - Failed to post a winning season record with Columbia until his fifth year (1965-66).
Al Skinner - Failed to post a winning season record with Boston College until his fourth year (2000-01).
Dean Smith - Only one winning season record (1962-63) with North Carolina in his first three years.
Jim Snyder - Total of eight games below .500 with Ohio University in his first five seasons (1949-50 through 1953-54).
Rick Stansbury - Total of eight games below .500 in SEC competition with Mississippi State through his first three seasons (1998-99 through 2000-01).
Norm Stewart - Losing record in Big Eight Conference competition with Missouri in his first three seasons (1967-68 through 1969-70).
Scott Sutton - Total of 10 games below .500 with Oral Roberts in his first three seasons (1999-2000 through 2001-02).
Blaine Taylor - Total of six games below .500 with Old Dominion in his first two seasons (2001-02 and 2002-03).
Bob Thomason - Total of 16 games below .500 with Pacific in his first four seasons (1988-89 through 1991-92).
John Thompson Jr. - Total of three games below .500 with Georgetown in his first two seasons (1972-73 and 1973-74).
M.K. Turk - Total of five games below .500 with Southern Mississippi in his first three seasons (1976-77 through 1978-79).
Riley Wallace - Total of 10 games below .500 in WAC competition with Hawaii in his first six seasons (1987-88 through 1992-93).
Gary Williams - Total of 24 games below .500 in ACC competition with Maryland in his first four seasons (1989-90 through 1992-93).
Jim Williams - Total of 12 games below .500 with Colorado State in his first five seasons (1954-55 through 1958-59).
Charlie Woollum - Total of eight games below .500 with Bucknell in his first three seasons (1975-76 through 1977-78).

CollegeHoopedia.com is enamored by the diverse approaches the history of college basketball can be depicted if the information is presented properly. Thus, we'll occasionally deliver a variety of packages you can't possibly find anywhere else in order to try to accentuate illuminating the sport.

Ardent fans of the NCAA Tournament argue that the incredibly popular event is 100 percent perfection. Whatever your level of expertise, CollegeHoopedia.com guarantees you a 100% score is virtually impossible for any brave soul willing to take our "Who Am I" quiz.

With the NCAA playoffs entering its 74th year, you can occasionally stumble across familiar faces in non-basketball endeavors by browsing through old rosters and box scores. In a format similar to the old game show "What's My Line?," can you guess the names of the accompanying 100 individuals who played in the NCAA Tournament before they distinguished themselves in various vocations off the hardwood? If you want to do your hoop homework, they are cited in a "Celebrity Status" category in CollegeHoopedia.com's season-by-season NCAA Tournament summaries commencing with the inaugural NCAA playoffs in 1938-39.

If youngest brother Marshall Plumlee improves as much as Duke siblings Mason and Miles, they could combine with their father, former Tennessee Tech frontcourter Perky, to comprise one of most influential families in college basketball history.

Who are 10 of the top groups of hoop sons stemming from Big Daddy? The following list is likely to change next year because of Grant's Army after former Oklahoma All-American Harvey Grant had a third son sign with a major school - Jerai (Clemson), Jerian (Notre Dame) and Jerami (Syracuse recruit). Until then, the "HoopDaddys" comprised of college players who had at least three sons also go on to compete in a significant way at a similar level include:

BARRY BARRY GOOD
1. Barry - Father Rick Barry, a first-team All-American as a senior when he led the nation in scoring, averaged 29.8 ppg and 16.5 rpg for Miami (FL) from 1962-63 through 1964-65. Son Scooter averaged 3.3 ppg for Kansas' 1988 NCAA titlist before leading the Jayhawks with 5.7 apg the next season. Son Jon, a junior college transfer, averaged 14.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 4.5 apg for Pacific and Georgia Tech in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Son Brent averaged 12.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 3.3 apg for Oregon State from 1991-92 through 1994-95. Son Drew, an All-ACC second-team selection as a senior, averaged 10.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 6.2 apg for Georgia Tech from 1992-93 through 1995-96, leading the ACC in assists each of his last three seasons. Son Canyon is redshirting as a freshman with the College of Charleston in 2011-12. Jon, an All-ACC third-team selection as a junior in 1991-92, and Brent, an All-Pacific-10 Conference choice as a senior, were late bloomers who went on to have productive NBA careers. Rick, Jon and Brent were NBA first-round draft choices while Drew was a second-round pick. Bruce Hale, Rick's father-in-law and a Santa Clara alumnus, coached him at Miami (FL) after playing five years in the NBA.

WALTON MOUNTAIN GANG
2. Walton - Father Bill Walton, a three-time national player of the year, averaged 20.3 ppg and 15.7 rpg for UCLA from 1971-72 through 1973-74. Son Adam lettered with LSU before incurring a rest-of-season suspension in Dale Brown's final year as coach in 1996-97 and subsequently transferring to a small college in California. Son Nate was an All-Ivy League first-team selection for Princeton as a senior in 2000-01, becoming the fourth player in school history with two seasons of at least 100 assists. Son Luke, a two-time All-Pacific-10 Conference choice, averaged 9.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 4.5 apg for Arizona from 1999-2000 through 2002-03. Son Chris finished among the top 15 in the Mountain West Conference in assists and rebounding as a junior in 2003-04 for San Diego State, finishing his four-year career with averages of 5.1 ppg and 3.4 rpg.

PRICE IS RIGHT CONTROL
3. Price - Father Dennis Price, an All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection as a junior, averaged 10.9 ppg for Oklahoma from 1957-58 through 1959-60. Son Mark, a three-time All-ACC first-team selection and All-American, averaged 17.4 ppg and 4 apg for Georgia Tech from 1982-83 through 1985-86. Son Matt scored 23 points in 18 games as a freshman for Appalachian State in 1984-85. Son Brent, an All-Big Eight Conference first-team selection as a senior, averaged 18 ppg and 5.8 apg for Oklahoma in 1990-91 and 1991-92 after transferring from South Carolina, where he averaged 12.6 ppg and 3.5 apg in 1987-88 and 1988-89.

HIGH ON HAARLOW
4. Haarlow - Father Bill Haarlow Jr., a three-time All-Western Conference selection for the University of Chicago from 1933-34 through 1935-36, was the league's third-leading scorer as a sophomore (9.9 ppg), leading scorer as a junior (13) and second-leading scorer as a senior (12.6). He had three sons play for Princeton in the 1960s - A. William III averaged 10.8 ppg and 5 rpg in 1962-63, Bob averaged 8.5 ppg and 4.4 rpg from 1963-64 through 1965-66 (second-leading scorer for the Tigers' 1965 Final Four team as a teammate of All-American Bill Bradley) and John averaged 12.6 ppg and 7.3 rpg from 1965-66 through 1967-68 (All-Ivy League second-team selection as a junior). With Bill Jr. cited on CollegeHoopedia.com's comprehensive list of all-time All-Americans, the Haarlows might have been the initial most impactful family on the sport.

PATERNO INFLUENCE
5. Paterno - Father Bill Paterno averaged 3.4 ppg with St. Francis (N.Y.) in 1948-49 and 1949-50 after scoring 18 points in nine games in 1947-48. Son Billy averaged 9.8 ppg and 4.7 rpg for Notre Dame from 1973-74 through 1976-77 under coach Digger Phelps, finishing team runner-up in scoring to All-American Adrian Dantley as a sophomore with 13.3 ppg. Son Mike averaged 3.1 ppg for Monmouth in 1987-88. Son Joe averaged 14.6 ppg and 5.1 rpg with Fordham from 1985-86 through 1988-89, leading the Rams in scoring in three seasons and finishing his career as their all-time second-leading scorer. Son Steve averaged 10.8 ppg and 3.6 rpg with Marist from 1987-88 through 1990-91, leading the Red Foxes in scoring as a junior before finishing runner-up as a senior.

TOASTING THE RAIVIOS
6. Raivio - Father Rick Raivio, a three-time All-WCAC selection who led Portland in field-goal shooting all four seasons, finished as the Pilots' all-time leading rebounder (910/9.4 rpg) while averaging 17.2 ppg before becoming a fifth-round draft choice by the Los Angeles Lakers. Son Derek, the WCC co-player of the year as a senior (18 ppg and nation-leading 96.1 FT%), averaged 11.5 ppg and 2.8 apg while shooting 41.6% from beyond the arc from 2003-04 through 2006-07 with Gonzaga en route to becoming the #2 all-time free-throw shooter in DI history (92.7%). Son Nik, a J.C. recruit, was an All-WCC selection as a junior with Portland in 2008-09 when he averaged 16 ppg and 6.5 rpg before heading overseas to play professionally after finishing his Pilots' career with 14.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg. Son Matt was averaging 11.6 ppg and 4.1 rpg for Simon Fraser (Vancouver) in mid-season in 2011-12 after transferring from Santa Rosa (CA) JC.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH
7. Pollard - Father Pearl Pollard (6-9), a second-team All-Skyline Conference choice as a senior, averaged 10.5 ppg and 7.9 rpg for Utah from 1956-57 through 1958-59 with three national postseason tournament teams, leading the Utes in scoring and rebounding as a senior. Son Carl, 7-2, played briefly for BYU as a freshman in 1983-84 before redshirting in 1984-85, going on a two-year Mormon mission and transferring with a brother to Southern California, where he didn't play prior to competing with Southern Utah in 1989-90 and averaging 1.5 ppg and 2.9 rpg. Son Alan, 6-9, averaged 5.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg while splitting four seasons between Brigham Young and USC from 1984-85 through 1988-89, leading BYU in rebounding as a freshman. Son Mark, 6-11, played briefly for San Diego State in 1990-91 before also leaving at the same time with a brother. Son Neal, 7-0, redshirted at San Diego State in 1988-89 before going on a Mormon mission to New England, playing three games with the Aztecs in 1991-92 and transferring to Utah State, where he didn't play. Son Scot, 6-11, averaged 9.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 1.7 bpg for four Kansas teams reaching NCAA playoff regional semifinals from 1993-94 through 1996-97 before becoming an NBA first-round draft choice.

CAN'T FOIL THE DOYLES
8. Doyle - Father Dan Doyle averaged 13.7 ppg and 12.2 rpg for Belmont Abbey (N.C.) in his four-year career. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons in 5th round of 1961 NBA draft (44th pick overall) after pacing Al McGuire-coached teams in scoring average his final three seasons and rebounding as a junior and senior. Son Danny averaged 7.4 ppg and 2.1 rpg with Iona from 1989-90 through 1993-94, leading the Gaels in assists and steals as a senior. Son Joe led then-DII Sacred Heart in scoring, assists and steals as a senior in 1996-97. Son Tim played sparingly for St. John's in 2002-03 before transferring to Northwestern, where he averaged 8.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.3 spg from 2004-05 through 2006-07, leading the Wildcats in assists his last two seasons and in steals as a senior.

HUGGY BEARS ALL
9. Huggins - Father Charlie Huggins was an All-WVIAC first-team selection for Alderson-Broaddus (W. Va.) in 1957-58 after transferring from West Virginia. Son Bob averaged 8.4 ppg and 2.8 rpg while shooting 45.9% from the floor and 79.4% from the free-throw line with West Virginia in the mid-1970s after transferring from Ohio University. Son Harry was a two-year letterman for Texas Lutheran in the late 1970s after transferring from Rice. Son Larry averaged 5.6 ppg, 2 rpg and 2.1 apg while shooting 46.3% from the floor and 79.3% from the free-throw line as a captain for Ohio State in the early 1980s.

WE AND PAPA McGEE
10. McGee - Father Anthony McGee led Long Beach State in scoring in 1975-76 with 14.8 ppg before contributing 4.5 ppg for the 49ers' NCAA playoff team the next season. Son Tony averaged 4 ppg for Eastern Washington in 1997-98 and 1998-99. Son Antoine averaged 1.4 ppg and 1.7 apg with Colorado from 2002-03 through 2005-06. Son Andre averaged 5.2 ppg and 1.8 apg while shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc with Louisville from 2005-06 through 2008-09, leading the Cardinals in three-point field-goal shooting as a junior (39.4%).

HONORABLE MENTION: FIFE AND DRUM CORPS
Fife - Father Dan Fife averaged 12.6 ppg and 4.9 rpg for Michigan from 1968-69 through 1970-71. Son Dugan averaged 4.6 ppg and 2 rpg for Michigan from 1992-93 through 1995-96. Son Jeremy led Grand Valley State (MI) in assists in 1996-97 and 1997-98. Son Dane averaged 5.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.4 spg while shooting 38.2% from three-point range for Indiana from 1998-99 through 2001-02.

Who with a functioning brain was stunned by what occurred at "The U" linking its athletic program to a rogue booster? What does "The U" stand for anyway regarding Miami (FL)? Here are some of the most likely candidates: The Ugliest. The Unaccountable. The Unbalanced. The Unbearable. The Uncivilized. The Unconscionable. The Unpleasant. The Unpropitious. The Unqualified. The Unruly. The Unscrupulous. The Unseemly. The Untoward. The Unwholesome. The Urinal.

Amid the disgusting details, there was a pathetic "bowling-for-dollars" photograph of Miami President Donna Shalala accepting a $50,000 check donated by the Ponzi schemer at a bowling alley venue fund-raising event for basketball facilities. Shalala's public pronouncements stemming from the scandal resembled her feeble "hear-no-evil, see-no-evil" machinations as a dignified political hack who believed Sick Willie's "meaning of is-is" lies while serving as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Clinton Administration. In both instances, Not-So-Primo Donna did virtually nothing to serve the health of humanity by halting or even slowing down descents into decay.

New Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga, swinging a big broom taking care of the basketball portion of Miami's mess, hitched his clean-up wagon to Man Mountain Reggie Johnson until it came unhinged momentarily when Johnson was declared ineligible for one game because his family might have received impermissible benefits. No Johnson would mean "no NCAA tourney" for the 'Canes.

More than 45 NCAA Division I schools have lost to DII Alaska-Anchorage after the Seawolves upended UC Irvine early this season, 77-63. Over the years, Alaska-Anchorage upended the following current/future members from top six power conferences - Auburn, California, Houston, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, Wake Forest and Washington.

Michigan's 1989 NCAA Tournament champion lost on a neutral court (Utah) to Anchorage, 70-66, during the Wolverines' pre-Big Ten Conference competition slate. The Seawolves dropped six of their last 12 games that season against Chaminade, Metro State (twice), Eastern Montana, Puget Sound and Alaska-Fairbanks to finish with a 21-9 record before Michigan earned an NCAA crown maneuvering through the DI playoffs under interim coach Steve Fisher.

UAA defeated at least one major university 10 consecutive campaigns from 1985-86 through 1994-95. CollegeHoopedia.com has assembled "one-of-a-kind" details on the striking number of "David vs. Goliath" small-college victories over major universities.

Former Syracuse sensation Dave Bing, after failing to balance the budget the past two years as Detroit's mayor, unveiled what appeared to be a reasonable rescue plan the first week in January that he says can save the city from insolvency. But the facts-don't-lie plan is not new and depends largely on concessions that unions have strongly resisted. If the union bosses don't take a prompt remedial math class and budge in the pressure-packed atmosphere, then Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder could appoint an emergency financial manager, who would have authority to stop paying the city council and mayor, strip union contracts and sell off assets or have the city enter into a consent agreement with the state.

The pressure on Bing, a two-time All-American swingman, probably hasn't been this intense to deliver results since the weight of the world was on his shoulders in the 1966 NCAA Tournament when the senior teammate of Orange coach Jim Boeheim was limited to 10 points (more than 18 below his nationally fifth-best average) and committed a team-high 6 turnovers in a 91-81 setback against Duke in the East Regional final. Boeheim, who scored 15 points in the loss, probably can commiserate with Bing about crisis management in the wake of the abuse allegations involving long-time assistant Bernie Fine and Yahoo Sports' report about SU's longstanding pattern of failing to adhere to its drug policy.

CollegeHoopedia.com has conducted exhaustive research on what All-Americans have done in a wide variety of vocations in the "real world" after their basketball-playing days ended.

CollegeHoopedia.com has conducted extensive research on trailblazing African-Americans who broke the color barrier at current DI schools. But amid ESPN's stereotypical bombarding the airwaves for six weeks with politically-correct segments from MLK's birthday through Black History month in February, it could be worth assessing the racial overtones of college basketball through the current minority prism of the white player.

There is some credence to refraining from judging a book by its cover. But the last time a majority of the NCAA consensus All-American first-team selections were white was 1969-70 (LSU's Pete Maravich, Purdue's Rick Mount and Kentucky's Dan Issel). Non-whites accounted for more than 83 percent of the NCAA consensus All-American first- and second-selections since the shot clock was introduced nationwide in 1985-86. Alarmists might beg to differ, but the white American player hasn't exactly slipped into extinction. In 2008-09, North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough became the first Caucasian four-time All-American since La Salle's Tom Gola (1952 through 1955).

Clearly, the only "Great White Hopes" with any realistic chance of becoming an NCAA consensus first-team All-American this year were Purdue's Robbie Hummel, Creighton's Doug McDermott and North Carolina's Tyler Zeller. Hummel's first-team prospects faded by mid-season but, after returning from major knee surgery, it will still be a significant achievement even if he is a second- or third-team choice. After all, the only individual ever to return to All-American status following a medical redshirt was Kentucky center Sam Bowie, who achieved the feat in 1983-84 after missing the previous two seasons because of a leg injury. Meanwhile, Zeller's play picked up in ACC competition although probably not enough to propel him to first-team status.

As for McDermott, he averaged 25.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in three non-league victories over Big Ten Conference members. But according to a politically-direct UCF study several years ago, McDermott faces an uphill climb inasmuch as less than 1/3 of NCAA Division I players are white. Last year, BYU's Jimmer Fredette joined the following alphabetical list of only 18 different white players, four from Duke, named as an NCAA consensus first-team All-American in the last 30 seasons:

White First-Team All-American, Position, School (Season)
Steve Alford, G, Indiana (1985-86 and 1986-87)
Andrew Bogut, C, Utah (2004-05)
Nick Collison, F, Kansas (2002-03)
Dan Dickau, G, Gonzaga (2001-02)
Danny Ferry, F, Duke (1988-89)
Jimmer Fredette, G, Brigham Young (2010-11)
Tyler Hansbrough, F-C, North Carolina (2006-07 through 2008-09)
Bobby Hurley, G, Duke (1992-93)
Casey Jacobsen, F-G, Stanford (2000-01)
Christian Laettner, F-C, Duke (1991-92)
Raef LaFrentz, F-C, Kansas (1996-97 and 1997-98)
Kevin Love, C, UCLA (2007-08)
Chris Mihm, C, Texas (1999-2000)
Adam Morrison, F, Gonzaga (2005-06)
Chris Mullin, G, St. John's (1984-85)
Troy Murphy, F, Notre Dame (1999-2000 and 2000-01)
J.J. Redick, G, Duke (2004-05 and 2005-06)
Keith Van Horn, F, Utah (1996-97)

At the time, it seemed equivalent to betting everything on a penny stock. But it can turn into a bonanza as evidenced by Duke's Mike Krzyzewski going on to become the all-time winningest major-college mentor after arriving in Durham to homestead Krzyzewskiville on the heels of a season W-L record eight games below .500 with Army.

There were mixed reactions recently when first-year Lamar coach Pat Knight, evoking comparisons to his forceful father (Bob Knight), scorched the seniors he inherited with a post-game press conference diatribe. Krzyzewski and Pat Knight are among the following active coaches hired by their current school despite coming off a season when they posted a losing record:

Active Coach, Current School/Losing Season Record With Previous School
Jeff Bzdelik, Wake Forest/15-16 record with Colorado in 2009-10
Pat Knight, Lamar/13-19 with Texas Tech in 2010-11
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke/9-17 with Army with 1979-80
Greg McDermott, Creighton/15-17 with Iowa State in 2009-10
Lorenzo Romar, Washington/15-16 with Saint Louis in 2001-02
Joe Scott, Denver/11-17 with Princeton in 2006-07
Billy Taylor, Ball State/12-19 with Lehigh in 2006-07
Rex Walters, San Francisco/15-18 with Florida Atlantic in 2007-08

The amazing six-overtime thriller between Connecticut and Syracuse in the 2009 Big East Conference Tournament quarterfinals is relatively easy to remember. But one of the most titillating tourney tidbits among all leagues that gets overlooked because the Southwest Conference is defunct remains Texas Tech's Rick Bullock singlehandedly outscoring the "Triplets" from Arkansas (Ron Brewer, Marvin Delph and Sidney Moncrief) by seven points, 44-37, when he set the SWC's single-game tournament scoring record in the 1976 semifinals.

Don't hesitate to capitalize on the links for the current Division I conferences cited below to refresh your memory about past champions. In the meantime, here are some more names and numbers of note about previous conference tournament competition to reflect upon as teams tune up for the main event by jockeying for position in the NCAA playoff bracket:

America East - The 1989 North Atlantic Tournament was dubbed the MIT (Measles Invitational Tourney) because all spectators were banned due to a measles outbreak. Delaware competed for 17 years in the East Coast Conference and never won an ECC Tournament championship. But the Blue Hens entered the AEC predecessor, the North Atlantic, in 1992 and won their first-ever title and went to the NCAA playoffs for the initial time. They successfully defended their crown the next year before closing out the decade with another set of back-to-back tourney titles.

Atlantic Coast - Maryland, ranking fourth in both polls, lost in overtime against eventual NCAA champion North Carolina State, 103-100, in the 1974 final in what some believe might have been the greatest college game ever played. Three players from each team earned All-American honors during their careers - North Carolina State's David Thompson, Tom Burleson and Monte Towe plus Maryland's John Lucas, Len Elmore and Tom McMillen. The Terrapins had four players score at least 20 points - Lucas, McMillen, Owen Brown and Mo Howard - in a 20-point victory over 22-6 North Carolina (105-85) in the semifinals. The Terps, of course, didn't participate in the NCAA playoffs that year because a 32-team bracket allowing teams other than the league champion to be chosen on an at-large basis from the same conference wasn't adopted until the next season.

Atlantic Sun - Belmont hit 12 of 19 first-half shots from beyond the arc in the 2007 final against top seed East Tennessee State.

Atlantic 10 - Temple reached the tourney semifinals 19 consecutive seasons in one stretch.

Big East - St. John's doesn't seem to have any advantage at Madison Square Garden. It lost five consecutive tourney games on its homecourt by an average margin of 11.4 points from 1987 through 1991.

Big Sky - Montana, capitalizing on a homecourt advantage, overcame a jinx by winning back-to-back tournament titles in 1991 and 1992. The Grizzlies had just two losing regular-season league records from 1976 through 1990, but they didn't win the tournament title in that span, losing the championship game five times from 1978 through 1984.

Big South - The No. 1 seed won this unpredictable tourney only five times in the first 17 years. Radford failed to reach the postseason tournament final for nine years until capturing the event in 1998.

Big Ten - Illinois won as many games in the 1999 tourney as the Illini did in regular-season conference competition that season (3-13).

Big 12 - Kansas won the first three championship games from 1997 through 1999 by at least 14 points.

Big West - Pacific didn't compile a winning league record from 1979 through 1992, but the Tigers climaxed three consecutive appearances in the tournament semifinals by advancing to the '92 championship game.

Colonial - Navy, seeded No. 8 in 1991 in its last year in the tournament before joining the Patriot League, upset top seed James Madison in overtime, 85-82, in the opening round.

Conference USA - Three of four C-USA Tournament champions from 1997 through 2000 won four games in four days. Cincinnati captured six league tournament titles in seven years from 1992 through 1998 in the Great Midwest and C-USA.

Horizon League - The first two tournament winners (Oral Roberts '80 and Oklahoma City '81) of the league's forerunner, the Midwestern City, subsequently shed Division I status and de-emphasized to the NAIA level. ORU, which also won the crown in 1984, returned to Division I status in 1993-94. Butler lost its first 12 games in the tourney until breaking into the win column in 1992.

Metro Atlantic Athletic - Eight different schools won the tournament title in an eight-year span from 1992 through 1999.

Mid-American - Bowling Green never has won the MAC Tournament.

Mid-Eastern Athletic - North Carolina A&T won seven consecutive titles from 1982 through 1988. The Aggies defeated Howard in the championship game each of the first six years of their streak with the middle four of them decided by a total of only 17 points.

Missouri Valley - Indiana State won only two of its next 20 MVC tourney games after All-American Larry Bird led the Sycamores to the 1979 title.

Mountain West - Not once has Air Force reached the championship game of the WAC or Mountain West.

Northeast - The final pitted the top two seeds against each other 11 times in a 13-year span from 1983 through 1995.

Ohio Valley - Former member Western Kentucky reached the championship game in eight of the OVC's first 10 tourneys. Tennessee Tech won only one tournament game from 1975 through 1992.

Pacific-12 - Arizona won the last three tourney finals from 1988 through 1990 by a minimum of 16 points before the league discontinued the event until reviving it in 2002.

Patriot League - No seed worse than third reached the championship game in the first 20 years of event from 1991 through 2010.

SEC - Seven of the 13 tourney MVPs from 1979 through 1991 didn't play for the champion. One of them, LSU's John Williams, didn't even compete in the 1986 title game. Although Kentucky standout center Alex Groza saw limited action in the 1947 tournament because of a back injury, the Wildcats cruised to victories over Vanderbilt (98-29), Auburn (84-18), Georgia Tech (75-53) and Tulane (55-38). UK was also without Converse All-American guard Jack Parkinson (serving in the military), but the five-man all-tourney team was comprised of nothing but Wildcats - forwards Jack Tingle and Joe Holland, center Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones and guards Ken Rollins and Ralph Beard. UK (24) has won more than half of the SEC's tourneys.

Southern - Furman's Jerry Martin, an outfielder who hit .251 in 11 years with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets from 1974 through 1984, was named MVP in the 1971 tournament after the 6-1 guard led the Paladins to the title with 22-, 36- and 19-point performances to pace the tourney in scoring. Two years earlier, current Davidson coach Bob McKillop scored three points for East Carolina against the Lefty Driesell-coached Wildcats in the 1969 SC Tournament championship game.

Southland - North Texas State's Kenneth Lyons outscored Louisiana Tech's Karl Malone, 47-6, when Lyons established a still existing single-game scoring record in the 1983 tournament quarterfinals. Malone led the SLC in rebounding (10.3 rpg) and steals (1.9 spg) that season as a freshman before going on to score more than 30,000 points in the NBA. Two years earlier, McNeese State won a first-round game after going winless in regular-season conference competition.

SWAC - Regular-season champion Grambling State lost by 50 points to Southern (105-55) in the 1987 final. An interesting twist that year was the fact Bob Hopkins, Grambling's first-year coach, had coached Southern the previous three seasons.

Summit League - The first tournament final in 1984 featured two teams with losing league records in regular-season competition (Western Illinois and Cleveland State).

Sun Belt - South Alabama's stall didn't prevent the Jaguars from losing to New Orleans, 22-20, on Nate Mills' last-second jumper in the 1978 final. The next season, the Sun Belt became the first league to experiment with a 45-second shot clock. The four different schools that accounted for the participants in six consecutive finals from 1980 through 1985 went on to join other conferences - UAB, Old Dominion, South Florida and Virginia Commonwealth. Two-time champion Charlotte also abandoned ship.

West Coast - The top two seeds didn't meet in the championship game until 2000. The most tragic moment in the history of any conference tournament occurred in the semifinals of the 1990 event at Loyola Marymount when Hank Gathers, the league's all-time scoring leader and a two-time tourney MVP, collapsed on his home court during the Lions' game with Portland. He died later that evening and the tournament was suspended. The Lions earned the NCAA Tournament bid because of their regular-season crown and advanced to the West Regional final behind the heroics of Bo Kimble, who was Gathers' longtime friend from Philadelphia.

Western Athletic - The tourney's biggest upset occurred in 1990 when No. 9 seed Air Force defeated No. 1 seed Colorado State in the quarterfinals, 58-51. Hawaii's Carl English, averaging 3.9 points per game as a freshman during the regular season, had a season-high 25 in a 78-72 overtime victory against host Tulsa in the 2001 final.

Has there ever been a coach in an elite "Power 6" league with a consistent track record for dramatic player development anywhere close to matching Wisconsin's Bo Ryan? In the next couple of years, Jared Berggren (1.1 ppg in 2009-10), Mike Bruesewitz (1.1 ppg in 2009-10) and/or Ben Brust (0.7 ppg in 2010-11) could join the following chronological list of Badgers who became All-Big Ten Conference selections under Ryan after averaging fewer than four points per game as a freshman:

Kammron Taylor (1.2 ppg in 2003-04)
Brian Butch (3.6 ppg in 2004-05)
Michael Flowers (1.2 ppg in 2004-05)
Trevon Hughes (1.4 ppg in 2006-07)
Jon Leuer (2.9 ppg in 2007-08)
Jordan Taylor (1.6 ppg in 2008-09)

There is no satisfactory explanation why neither Ryan nor Billy Donovan, who directed Florida to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007, have ever been named national coach of the year.