>>> Jalen Rose Previews the Field of 65
 

ASSISTANT COACH TOURNAMENT

Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino, Bruce Weber and Roy Williams are all bound for St. Louis. Later this week hundreds more coaches will descend on the Gateway to the West and eight will be taking a stroll across the catwalk. And by Tuesday evening, we will know who is styling and who is crying.

This is year number eight on the Runway to the Fashionable 4 and there is no sign that it’s lost any appeal. Based on the media coverage and the buzz among the coaches, fashion madness hasn’t lost any of its’ pizzazz. In fact, it’s bigger and better then ever.

The bigger part refers to me. Come to think of it, the better part is also a reference to my tremendous coverage of the event. But I wasn’t the only one in attendance to cover the happenings in the Sensational Sixteen.

Telemundo (the Spanish Television Network) was on hand to cover the festivities, which left me scrambling for a translator.

Telemundo: “Recepción al cauce a los 4 de moda, recibido por la América el hombre más hermoso y más con estilo, Dave Magarity.”

Where is Shakey Rodriguez (former Florida International head coach) when you need him?

Translation: “Welcome to the Runway to the Fashionable 4, hosted by America's most handsome and stylish man, Dave Magarity.”

In addition to be stylish and handsome, I am now also bi-lingual. Telemundo, how do you say, “I have tremendous size and girth?”

Telemundo: “Tengo enormes tamaño y circunferencia.”

That is outstanding.

Among the others covering the event was an Italian Television Network.

Where is Rick Pitino when you need him?

Angela Lento was going over some last minute details with the competitors, when apparently Italian TV made some rude on-air remarks about her appearance. The normally reserved Lento was not in the mood for any nonsense on this day.

Angela: “Realmente il mio nome è Angela. Forse dovrei denominarlo Richard. In avvenire, può essere consigliabile che vi assicurate che la persona state parlando di non parla italiano.”

Translation: “Actually my name is Angela. Perhaps I should call you Richard. In the future, it may be advisable that you make sure the person you are talking about doesn't speak Italian.”

That is outstanding! Rumor has it that the smooth talker was Oregon State assistant Brian Loyd, but that has not yet been confirmed.

A French television crew was also spotted, but I had no interest in speaking with them.

So let the competition begin. Sixteen coaches, in both the head coach and assistant coach tournament, were ready to compete for a spot in the Elegant Eight and Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech) and Don Harnum (Rider) were not among them!


THE FASHION CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK

Telemundo: “La recepción al cauce auxiliar del coche a los 4 torneos de moda, recibidos por Dave Magarity que sea más hermoso y con estilo entonces pone Harnum.”

Translation: “Welcome to the Assistant Coach Runway to the Fashionable 4 tournament, hosted by Dave Magarity who is more handsome and stylish then Don Harnum.”

How do you like that Harnum? By the way, you lost in the first round so don’t go away mad -- Just go away.

Talk about an interesting bunch. There is no shortage of self-confidence in this room today. Carly Simon showed up to sing, “You’re so Vain,” to the delight of the crowd and Brian Loyd (Oregon State) thought it was his own personal national anthem.

Mr. “Chronicles of Riddick” held his own personal press conference. Apparently there were a lot of interested media types.

Reporter: “How do you feel about beating Villanova’s Fred Hill to get to the Sensational Sixteen?”

Riddick: “I would trade places with Fred anytime to still be playing games.”

Reporter: “What is your assessment of the remaining competitors?”

Riddick: “Nice job by those other guys to get into the field.”

Reporter: “Talk about your next opponent, Lloyd Pierce (Santa Clara).”

Riddick: “He is making himself look like even more of an ‘upstart’ rookie at the fashion game, by trying to trash talk with me. The only reason he gets any style points at all is because he has my last name in his first name! And he is so nervous in going up against me, that he added an extra ‘L’ by mistake!”

Telemundo: ¿Es verdad que su mentor de la manera es Dave Magarity?

Riddick: “I am sorry, but can someone translate?”

Ricky Ricardo: “He asked, ‘Is it true that your fashion mentor is Dave Magarity?’”

While the Riddick press conference continued, I caught up with coach Lloyd Pierce who had a much different tone.

“Dave, I don’t have any wild comments for you,” said Pierce. “You know, us mid majors are always looking for ways to get into the spotlight, just to show what we can do. Once we get there, everyone soon realizes, we aren't too bad.”

Current Santa Clara assistant Sam Scuilli stopped by to visit as well. Coach Scuilli also served on the same staff with Riddick at Portland State, so he volunteered to be the color commentator for the Loyd-Pierce contest, which would conclude the day’s events.

We will check back with Scuilli later on.

Also in action in the West Region is Cal-State Northridge assistant, Joel Sobotka. Joel was the head coach at Portland State, when Scuilli and Riddick served as assistants, so I thought I would get some insight into Mr. Loyd.

“We called him “8” at Portland State,” says Sobotka. “Brian made his debut in the FPI at No. 8 so it stuck.”

Joel, there is a rumor that he addressed Angela as, “Babe.” Is there any truth to this rumor?

“I also heard that same rumor,” said Sobotka. “Brian is a great guy so I am sure he didn’t mean anything by it.”

Thanks Joel and you can be sure that I will continue to look into these allegations.

While Riddick continued to do most of the talking in the West Region, nothing could compare to war of words in the Midwest Region. Everybody was gunning for No. 1 seed Tony Jones, but Jalen Rose said that is to be expected.

“Tony is the two-time defending champion,” says Rose. “Everybody wants to take shots at No. 1. These guys can talk, but the real question is -- Can they style?”

Hey Jalen, you failed to mention that Tony shared the title with Kerry Keating two years ago.

“Kerry who,” wondered Rose, “Oh you mean that guy at UCLA? There are contenders and then there are pretenders like Kerry.”

I was able to reach Keating, via cell phone, just before his contest in the Southeast Region began.

“Tell Jalen that Tony looked like he was auditioning for the role of the Old West lawman, with that three-piece brown suit,” Keating said. “When I saw him on TV, I thought I was watching, ‘Tony Jones, U.S. Marshall.’ If he brings that to the stage against me, it will be over at halftime.”

Take it easy fellas. Remember Kerry that both you and Jones still have two contests to win before you can style on the big stage.

Possibly standing in the way of Jones getting back to the Style Summit are both Bacari Alexander (Detroit) and Shaun Vandiver (Northern Colorado). These two charter members of the Portly & Stout club would square off for the right to meet the winner of the Jones-Bobby Kummer (Charlotte) contest.

Vandiver was the first to try and gain position in the post.

“I admire the style of Bacari, he is a good friend," Vandiver said. “But once it is tipped off on the runway, all friendships go right out the window. The difference between Bacari and myself is that he has a mentality like a Mercedes, while I am a classic. I'm a Bentley.”

By the way coach, the gray pinstripe suit is tremendous. What can we expect today?

“For the Sensational 16, I will bring my cream colored suit, with an aqua-blue dress shirt, a tie with a splash of aqua in it, my all black gator shoes and my cufflinks. Dave, there is no stopping me right now. I'm flowing.”

One more question coach. As you probably heard, Tony Jones referred to the Bacari-Vandiver matchup as sounding more like a place where you can purchase an imitation Versace.

“Tony's skills are limited because he thinks Versace is pronounced Ver-say-ce, says Vandiver.”

As Vandiver took his position on the catwalk, Alexander shared his thoughts.

“First, it is a pleasure to make it to the Sensational 16,” said Alexander. “However there is a lot of unfinished business. My plan in this round is to separate myself early from Shaun by sporting the ‘Gators’”

Bacari, what are your thoughts on all the trash talking from the Jones camp?

“My fellow Detroit Southwestern High Alumni (Jalen Rose and Tony Jones) have had some choice words for me. I'll just say this; let your wardrobe do the talking Tony and not Jalen! If your wardrobe could talk, what would it really say? Help me Bacari Alexander? Help me. Dave, I'll see you in the next round.”

We will find out very soon if Bacari advanced to the next round.

In the East the talking was at a minimum. Garland Mance (Rutgers) was taking a page from his boss (Gary Waters). He had the all-business look. It was very clear that this would be a tough hill for his competitor.

“It is a great honor to advance in the Runway to the Fashionable 4,” said Northern Arizona’s Korey White. “Garland Mance is going to be a formidable opponent based on his high seeding. I am the underdog but it a role I have thrived on thus far in this tournament. Survive, while looking my best, and advance. I hope to ride my Cinderella role all the way to the Runway in St. Louis.”

Let’s see of Korey took one step closer to the Gateway to Style. Here are the results of the Sensational Sixteen contests…

EAST

No. 8 Bill Courtney downed No. 13 Vin Parise: I told you that Ruland’s size and girth would not be a factor today. “El enorme tamaño de Magarity probó demasiado para Ruland,” Telemundo reported.

Translation: Magarity's tremendous size proved too much for Ruland.

No. 2 Garland Mance defeated No. 14 Korey White: The upstart coach White made a nice run, but it is proving difficult for anyone to deal with style of Mance. He looks primed for a spot in the Fashionable 4.

MIDWEST:

No. 1 Tony Jones outlasted No. 12 Bobby Kummer: Maybe Jones should worry about his attire instead of trash talking. Jones barley escaped against Kummer who broke out the Italian threads, which nearly got the job done.

No. 2 Bacari Alexander needed triple-overtime to get by No. 11 Shaun Vandiver: This was truly a battle of the big men. Each competitor pulled out all the stops, but Alexander got a late assistant from head coach Perry Watson who let him use the top hat.

SOUTHEAST

No. 12 Chad Dollar needed every penny to get past No. 9 Reggie Brown: It was another closely contested clothing affair. Both of these guys are future fashion stars.

No. 3 Kerry Keating edged No. 15 Donald Whiteside: The crowd thought Whiteside was robbed and frankly so did I. I want an immediate investigation. Keating, who spent most of the time looking over his shoulder for Don Harnum, didn’t have nearly the variety that Whiteside displayed. This is a travesty.

WEST

No. 6 Brian Townsend downed No. 10 Joel Sobotka: Anthony Edwards nearly forced overtime with a late flurry of colorful ties, but it wasn’t quite enough. The loss meant there would be no Sobotka-Riddick / head coach-mentor showdown.

And finally…The Main Event of the day… The Fashion Chronicles of Riddick: West Coast War.

Here to help me break it down is Santa Clara’s Sam Scuilli.

Scuilli: “Thanks Dave. The matchup between B. Loyd and LP is compelling, and the victor of this contest must become the immediate favorite to ascend to the throne in St. Louis. As you know, I worked with Brian at Portland State, and Lloyd here at Santa Clara.

Magarity: “Well it looks like Riddick is going with the suave approach.”

Scuilli: “Brian is a veteran of many programs and regions of the country. He is intrepid and dynamic in his fashion choices, and his real strength is creativity. His benchwear must be considered the standard against which all others are measured.”

Magarity: “What’s with this Buck Rogers look?”

Scuilli: “Brian's main accessory is his ubiquitous cell phone hands free device protruding from his ear. This, of course, is the type of small, seemingly insignificant, detail that can change the outcome of games. And, in my opinion, changes the game in the favor of LP.”

Magarity: “I don’t know if it changes anything other then the fact that he has something stuck in his ear. I don’t see any advantage gained there. I am more impressive with the versatility of Pierce.”

Scuilli: “The dominant aspect of LP's style is flexibility. His bench wear is exquisite - rich, yet subtle colors, daring, yet subdued highlights, and a shoe collection that balances his deep and multifaceted wardrobe. In this area, both competitors are at the apex of their profession.”

Magarity: “I have to admit -- this was is too close to call. Both guys have a lot of game day attire. This might come down to casual gear.”

Scuilli: “LP carries the contest with his "off the clock" collection of casual wear. A California native, LP perfectly captures the elegant casual style, which many strive, yet ultimately fail to achieve. And you will never see a bit of plastic obtrusively jutting from the side of his head.”

Magarity: “Okay Sam, it looks like Riddick has called for a tidy timeout. There are only a few ticks left on the clock. You know both these guys. What can we expect in these final seconds?”

Scuilli: “Brian Loyd is a formidable opponent, with years of experience and a vast background. However, the young upstart, Lloyd Pierce, has not only the diverse wardrobe, but also the quiet confidence and panache to take the victory.”

Magarity: “Tremendous call Sam. It looks like we have an upset. But let’s get the call from Telemundo.

Telemundo: Ahora es funcionario. La manera Chronicles de Riddick encima. Lloyd perfora ha avanzado a los ocho elegantes y Dave Magarity sigue siendo el hombre más hermoso del edificio."

Translation: “It's now official. The Fashion Chronicles of Riddick are over. Lloyd Pierce has advanced to the Elegant Eight and Dave Magarity is still the most handsome man in the building.”

Magarity: Well it’s been quite a day on The Runway to the Fashionable 4. We will see you tomorrow when we will know who is headed to St. Louis.

CLICK HERE to see all the Runway to the Fashionable 4 results.