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Fashion Fair – The 'Sexy Sixteen'
By Angela LentoWEST REGION
It was an eventful opening day on the main stage. Cincinnati’s Bob Huggins and Wofford’s Richard Johnson were on hand to watch their assistants compete in first round action. We saw a few upsets and one coach even cried fashion foul.
“He did not show up so I took that as a concession,” said Baylor assistant Brian O’Neill.
The Baylor understudy was matched up with Texas A&M’s Lew Hill (pictured) in the first matchup of the day in the West Region, but O’Neill demanded a victory, based on Hill’s absence.
"We faced Texas A&M in the final game of the season and I was all ready to go head-to-head with Lew, but he was a no-show. They said he was out recruiting, but the fact remains that he was not on the stage. In tennis they call that retiring. I have to assume that he wanted no part of me."
Obviously the Texas A&M assistant was unavailable for comments so the first victory of the day goes to O’Neill.
“It was the right decision,” said O’Neill. “Now I am anxious to see who my next opponent on the stage will be.”
The other contest featured another Texas A&M assistant, Bobby Kummer who was pitted against Portland State’s Brian Loyd.
It was a highly contested affair, but in the end it was more bad news for the people at College Station.
"It feels good to make it through the first round,” said the PSU assistant. “Coach Kummer was definitely a worthy opponent.”
O’Neill and Loyd will meet on Friday for a spot in the ‘Excellent Eight.’
“I am disappointed,” said Loyd. “I was really looking forward to facing my good friend Lew Hill. When I was playing at Tulsa, Lew was at Wichita State and we played against each other. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
There was a lot of anticipation of the two Aggie assistant doing battle on the main stage so the Big 12 conference will now hang its’ hopes on the Baylor understudy.
On the other side of the West bracket, Georgetown’s Ronny Thompson got pushed by the stylish young Rob Jeter, of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but chants of ‘Lets Go Hoyas’ echoed through the room as Thompson stepped off the runway and into the next round.
The Georgetown assistant will face UCLA’s Michael Holton in the ‘Sexy Sixteen’ after Holton dispatched Saint Louis’ Cameron Dollar. The dapper and debonair Dollar will be back for another shot next season.
EAST REGION
The day began with a lot of interested on-lookers viewing the contest between Hampton’s Bobby Collins and the lovely Stephanie Ready (pictured) of Coppin State.
Collins went with his trademark black pin stripped suit and dazzled the crowd. He quickly gained the support of the crowd after a couple of strolls down the catwalk. Collins looked confident as he pulled up a chair and waited for coach Ready’s entrance.
After some anxious moments the crowd was in awe as Ready pranced onto the stage with a nice skirt and blouse. She was only halfway down the catwalk when it became apparent that Collins was in trouble.
As her style strut continued a grumble came from the gallery -- “Nobody is beating her.” I was none other than the incomparable Isaac Hayes known as Fang Mitchell in MEAC country. The Coppin State coach popped his head in to make a statement for his assistant.
A stunned Collins congratulated Ready and headed back to the MEAC semi finals, where Hampton is vying for a spot in the NCAA tournament. While leaving his cell phone rang. While I was unable to confirm, sources indicated that it was Maryland-Eastern Shore assistant James Wilhelmi calling to dig into his fellow MEAC friend.
Coach Ready was also not around for the next contest. Like Collins she was headed back to the MEAC tourney so she did not get an opportunity to witness the fashion frenzy created by the arrival of Mike Jarvis II (St. John’s) and Garland Mance (Kent State) to the stage.
“This is tough,” said St. John’s sports information assistant Mike Carey. “Garland was my roommate in college, but I have gotten to know Mike very well also. I am just going to enjoy the event.”
The event was a heated one as Jarvis broke out one of his fly suits and quickly gained the advantage, but Mance went pin stripes and quickly overtook ‘Deuce.’ Just before the final act, the younger Jarvis reportedly got a few tips from dad. Whatever he told him seemed to work.
‘Deuce’ hit the stage with a very regal walk and proved too much for Mance. Dad better keep advising his son because he will have his hands full in the next round with Stephanie Ready.
The other side of the East bracket featured one of the favorites. Marist assistant Steve Sauers got an unexpected challenge from Sacred Heart’s Keith Bike. Both came out sporting the ‘Regis Philbin’ look, but Sauers went with a touch of gel and that put him into the next round.
Marist head coach Dave Magarity made a cameo to voice his support for his Sauers.
“Obviously there is no question in my mind that he was going to advance, but from here on out Steve and Eugene [Burroughs] are basically on their own. I have done all I can in support of my assistants, but now I must lobby for my spot in the head coach’s tournament. It was a tough loss to Iona in the MAAC tournament, but it was embarrassing to lose to Ruland and his shark-skinned suit. He has done a tremendous job of perpetrating this myth that he has a great wardrobe.”
Magarity’s other assistant, Eugene Burroughs was out to make it an all Marist matchup in the next round as he took to the stage against Hofstra’s Tom Pecora.
Burroughs and Pecora had worked together under Jay Wright for the past few seasons, but now they are foes for the first time.
“Tom Pecora is mentor,” said Burroughs. “He dresses well and he is a good guy. It will be tough.”
As the action got ready to unfold, Iona coach Jeff Ruland, just back from a MAAC championship in Buffalo, burst into the room voicing his displeasure.
“This is a joke,” screamed Ruland. “Burroughs has no business being on the stage. Furthermore, I am appalled that Steve Sauers is in this field. He has the nastiest three-piece suits that I have ever seen. I think he has a clothing deal with Sears and what the ____ is the story with that fake George Hamilton tan? That might work in Miami, but not in Poughkeepsie. He looks like he lives next to a _____ radiation plant. I want my entire staff to be reevaluated right now.”
Needless to say the mood was tense, as the action on the runway got ready to unfold. Rather than support his teammate, Coach Sauers was trying to track down Magarity to rebuttal the remarks of Ruland.
While everyone was scurrying to clear room for Ruland and his staff, few noticed that Pecora had jumped to the early advantage on Burroughs. The Marist assistant was clearly affected by the angry stares of Ruland who had cleared out the entire front row to get a view of the stage.
With Steve Sauers nowhere to be found, Burroughs turned to the MAAC’s associate commissioner Sean Brennan, but he had little to offer the Marist assistant.
By this time, Pecora had built an insurmountable lead and was on his way to the next round. Burroughs was shell-shocked as he exited the stage.
Pecora will now face Sauers in the ‘Sexy Sixteen.’
While the crowd was quick to file out, Ruland and his staff remained seated looking for a re-evaluation and also hoping for an entrance from Magarity.
“Where the ____ is Magarity,” asked Ruland. “Tell Sauers and Burroughs that I am going to sit here and wait for their chubby boss.”
Stay tuned. The action on the stage may not be over yet.
MIDWEST REGION
It appeared that things would be a little calmer in the Midwest bracket. The first contest of the day went off without a hitch as Sam Houston State’s Darby Rich out styled New Mexico’s Darren Savino.
"Everyone here at Sam Houston State appreciated the intensity of their campaign, said Rich referring to New Mexico’s chants of ‘Beat Darby Rich.’
"With over 900 Division I assistants it's a great honor to be among the final 16,” said Darby. “Win or lose this is an elite group, which I am privileged to be a part of."
Next up was the very attractive Jennifer Johnson (pictured) of Oakland. Head coach Greg Kampe was on hand to support his nomination to the field and he watched with pleasure as Johnson proved too much for Valparaiso assistant Scott Drew to overcome.
“I love it,” said Kampe. “It’s about time we got a victory over Valpo.”
Johnson’s next opponent, Darby Rich, did not express that same joy.
"When I saw the brackets I thought just getting one win would be quite a victory,” said Rich. “Having to face Jennifer Johnson in the second round is not a favorable draw. I have relegated myself to the fact that I am basically shot."
Two contestants were onto the next round in the Midwest Region and two spots were left to fill.
First up, in the evening session, was Southeast Missouri State’s fashion maven Tom Schuberth. The SEMO assistant set a furious pace for his competitor to follow. Duquesne’s James Stafford was styling, but it was evident that he was in trouble.
“When I looked at the stat sheet and saw that he had over 70 suits I knew I was in a lot of trouble,” said Stafford. “He went to the bench and got 36 from Armani and it was all over.”
Stafford was referring to the large collection of Armani suits, donned by Schuberth.
“First, I want to congratulate coach Stafford on a fine season,” said a very humble Schuberth. “I am going to try to pull out some more stuff for the next round. Angela, this entire thing is really neat. I am having a lot of fun.”
It looked as though we would get through the day in the Midwest without any trouble, but suddenly the crowd grew silent as Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins strolled in to find a seat.
“I am here to see Keith [LeGree] win,” said Huggins. “Keith has a lot of style. Hell, he would look good in a toga.”
LeGree looked confident as he stepped into the spotlight against Xavier’s Jeff Battle. This SkyLine Chili matchup quickly proved to be one of the night’s most entertaining battles.
Huggins was miffed when he looked at the scoreboard and saw his assistant trailing. “Are you kidding me,” questioned Huggins. “J.B. can’t matchup with Keith. He is another one of those guys who needs to confer with his dry cleaner. They don’t fit him right. There is a lot of shrinkage there.”
LeGree was not bothered by the deficit and kept up that UC intensity as the clock ticked down. Battle continued his consistent style of play and it came down to one final possession for LeGree. But on this night it was not meant to be. Battle survived and moved on.
"I'm honored to be on a list with these other assistant coaches,” said Battle. “Actually, my wife dresses me. I have no input. I just aim to please."
While Battle hopped in a car to get to back to his team at the Atlantic 10 Tournament, Huggins had some parting shots.
“I can't believe he beat Keith, but if he wants to go any further he had better get a new dry cleaner. Keith was clearly robbed."
SOUTH REGION
Campbell coach Billy Lee made the trip to the South Region with his candidate, Jay Hickson. The dapper young assistant would have to face Wofford’s Mike Young (pictured) who was also accompanied by his head coach, Richard Johnson.
"It was a no brainer for him to be a part of the field,” said Johnson “Mike has been in the top 10 all season. I fully expect a win today. Buies Creek [North Carolina] just can't stack up to Spartanburg [South Carolina]. I am quite sure they don't have any custom clothing shops unless you are looking for denim. This is like an SEC guarantee game for Mike. I am sure Coach Hickson will be back in future years, but being paired up with Mike is just too much."
After listening to the Wofford coach speak, Billy Lee stepped up to the microphone.
“I call Jay ‘Doc Holiday’ because he likes to go with the vest and suspenders. He is a Rick Pitino clone. I feel like we have a good chance here today. If Jay can keep it close I think Wofford will pop a couple of buttons down the stretch and we will advance. As for Coach Johnson, well I am not sure we have enough fabric in town to make a suit for him.”
Billy Lee will be competing on ‘The Runway to the Fashionable Four’ next week.
As for his assistant, Hickson gave a tremendous showing, but his inexperience showed down the stretch. It was his first fashion event and Young’s years of experience were the difference.
Young will face George Mason’s Mike Gillian in the next round, after the George Mason assistant got past UNC Wilmington’s Rodney Terry.
“It’s great to be moving on,” said Gillian. “This fashion stuff has been great. I have already told our sports information director to include my entry into the ‘Fashion Fair’ in my bio for next year’s media guide. Now he can put in that I advanced to the ‘Sexy Sixteen.”
Does Gillian have a shot against Young?
“Not really,” said Young’s Mentor Richard Johnson. “The competition of Northern Virginia will be a little tougher and it is a big jump from Buies Creek, but I don’t see any chance of a loss here.”
The final pairings of the day saw Maryland-Eastern Shore’s James Wilhelmi matched with St. Joseph’s assistant Monte Ross, while Tennessee’s Byron Samuels was pitted against Tulane’s Alvin Williamson.
Wilhelmi edged out Ross, much to the disliking of Hawk who was on hand flapping his wings for every step on the runway.
The UMES assistant will meet Samuels who was happy to come away with the win, down in New Orleans.
"With a nickname like 'Pooh' I knew I was in for a battle,” said Samuels. “I knew I had to step up with a big effort. There was a lot of excitement in the Super Dome in New Orleans so I feel fortunate to come away with a win."
So the opening round is over. Tomorrow the field will be paired down to the ‘Excellent Eight.’ Below is a look at the upcoming schedule along with the updated brackets.
By the way, the word out of the East is that Jeff Ruland and his staff are still awaiting the arrival of Dave Magarity. According to a good source, Ruland was scheduling a press conference prior to the start of the action on Friday to make an announcement.
March 9: Field reduced to ‘Excellent Eight’
March 20: Field reduced to ‘Fancy Four’
March 22: Field reduced to ‘Trendy Two’
March 26: Best-Dressed Assistant Coach is announced.
EAST
Steve Sauers (Marist) vs. Tom Pecora (Hofstra)
Mike Jarvis II (St. John’s) vs. Stephanie Ready (Coppin State)
Steve Sauers (Marist) defeated Keith Bike (Sacred Heart)
Tom Pecora (Hofstra) defeated Eugene Burroughs (Marist)
Stephanie Ready (Coppin State) defeated Bobby Collins (Hampton)
Mike Jarvis II (St. John’s) defeated Garland Mance (Kent State)
WEST
Ronny Thompson (Georgetown) vs. Michael Holton (UCLA)
Brian O’Neill (Baylor) vs. Brian Loyd (Portland State)
Ronny Thompson (Georgetown) defeated Rob Jeter (UW-Milwaukee)
Michael Holton (UCLA) defeated Cameron Dollar (Saint Louis)
Brian O’Neill (Baylor) defeated Lew Hill (Texas A&M)
Brian Loyd (Portland State) defeated Bobby Kummer (Texas A&M)
MIDWEST
Tom Schuberth (SE Missouri State) vs. Jeff Battle (Xavier)
Jennifer Johnston (Oakland) vs. Darby Rich (Sam Houston State)
Tom Schuberth (SE Missouri State) defeated James Stafford (Duquesne)
Jeff Battle (Xavier) defeated Keith LeGree (Cincinnati)
Jennifer Johnston (Oakland) defeated Scott Drew (Valparaiso)
Darby Rich (Sam Houston State) defeated Darren Savino (New Mexico)
SOUTH
Mike Young (Wofford) vs. Mike Gillian (George Mason)
James Wilhelmi (Maryland-E.S.) vs. Byron Samuels (Tennessee)
Mike Young (Wofford) defeated Jay Hickson (Campbell)
Mike Gillian (George Mason) defeated Rodney Terry (NC-Wilmington)
James Wilhelmi (Maryland-E.S.) defeated Monte Ross (St. Joseph’s)
Byron Samuels (Tennessee) defeated Alvin Williamson (Tulane)
Note: The 32-Assistant Coach field was selected among the 100 plus under studies, which were nominated by their head coach or sports information director. In order to be considered an assistant MUST have met that criteria.
Be sure to listen to Angela Lento talk fashion on the 'Adam Paul Show' at 2:30 (EST) every Friday.
CLICK HERE TO SEND ANGELA YOUR COMMENTS
(Head Coach: 3-8-2002) 1. Bruiser Flint
2. John Calipari
3. Gary Waters
4. Willis Wilson
5. Jay Wright
6. Paul Graham
7. Tubby Smith
8. Rick Pitino
9. Melvin Watkins
10.Mike JarvisPlaying Catch with Satchel Paige
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Sideline Style Poll is Clothes Call
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Jan 21 FPI: John Calipari Tops Fashion Power Index
Carter, Felton, Lutz and Scruggs Combine Coaching and Style
Terry Gets Rave Reviews in North Carolina
Jan 7 FPI: Gary Waters Tops Fashion Power Index
Though Styles Differ, Smith and Pitino at Top of Their Game
December FPI: Georgetown and Drexel Top The Lists
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John Feinstein Plugs Fashionable Four
(Assistant: 3-8-2002) 1. Wayne Brent
2. Gary Stewart
3. Steve Sauers
4. Ronny Thompson
5. Tony Jones
6. Patrick Sellers
7. Reggie Hanson
8. Lew Hill
9. Tom Schuberth
10.Jennifer Johnston
AMERICA EAST:
Tom Brennan
ATLANTIC COAST:
Skip Prosser
ATLANTIC SUN:
Don Maestri
ATLANTIC 10:
Bob Hill
BIG EAST:
Gary Waters
BIG SKY:
Joel Sobotka
BIG SOUTH:
Pete Strickland
BIG TEN:
Jerry Dunn
BIG 12:
Melvin Watkins
BIG WEST:
Kevin Bromley
COLONIAL:
Bruiser Flint
CONFERENCE-USA:
John Calipari
HORIZON:
Ed Schilling
IVY LEAGUE:
James Jones
METRO ATLANTIC:
Don Harnum
MID-AMERICAN:
Stan Joplin
MID-CONTINENT:
Homer Drew
MID-EASTERN:
Cy Alexander
MISSOURI VALLEY:
Barry Hinson
MOUNTAIN WEST:
Charlie Spoonhour
NORTHEAST:
Bobby Jones
OHIO VALLEY:
Kyle Macy
PACIFIC-10:
Paul Graham
PATRIOT LEAGUE:
Sal Mentesana
SOUTHEASTERN:
Tubby Smith
SOUTHERN:
Bob McKillop
SOUHTLAND:
Mike Deane
SOUTHWESTERN:
Lafayette Stribbling
SUN BELT:
Dennis Felton
WEST COAST:
Michael Holton
WESTERN ATHLETIC
Willis Wilson
Take a stroll down last season's Runway to the Fashionable Four
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