It’s been a little over a month since the Final 4 and I’ve still got the symptoms of basketball withdrawal. The NBA playoffs are here and that cures some of your blues, but that’s a different kind of game than what we see in Division III

Thankfully, the Daily Dose is here to alleviate some of the blues and blahs, which we’ll do throughout the summer with a little news, a little analysis, and a little bit of humor…For example

The Top 10 Signs You’re Going Through D3 Basketball Withdrawal
From the home offices in Danville, CT

10- You sing “One Shining Moment” and “This Time of Year” in the shower

9- You actually sort of have an interest in the latest recruiting rumors

8- You watch the end of Mavericks-Rockets Game 2 and think “Wow, that guy was almost as clutch as Jason Kalsow”

7- You click on every entry marked “New” in Posting Up, and then when you’re done, you click on the message boards that haven’t gotten a post in 6 months, just in case…

6- You start taking wild guesses at the identity of the NBA coach referenced in a previous entry by Pat Coleman and shudder at the thought that Isiah Thomas might someday want to coach Division III

5- You look at the high school prospects lists and are tantalized by the possibility that the 276th best player in Texas may end up in the ASC. You then google the names of the recruits that have given “verbal commitments.”

4- You start analyzing the needs of your alma mater and think “We’re not that far off…” and then you visualize a Mike Thomas-type shot that wins them an NCAA Tournament game

3- You go to team websites and click on the schedule pages, and are shocked when you still see ’04-’05 games listed

2- You make a hotel reservation for next year’s Final 4, but to protect your identity, you book it as “Lamont Strothers”

and the #1 sign that you’re going thru Division III basketball withdrawal

1- You start wondering “Where in the world is Allen Karon???”

The Washington Square News, which is New York University’s student newspaper, wrote a fine feature piece on rising junior men’s basketball player Jason Boone. It’s worth reading, and not just because it serves as a reminder than men play ball at NYU also!

It’s not been a great couple of years for NBA folks dabbling in Division III, at least not in terms of longevity. Former NBA coach Chris Ford, who couldn’t get a D-I job and spent two years at Brandeis, bolted back to the NBA. Former Chicago Bull Rusty LaRue (see front page story) left Greensboro after one season.

We checked, though, Armon Gilliam, at left, is still the coach at Penn State-Altoona.

Now we hear another former NBA coach is looking to settle down and put down some roots as a Division III head coach. Unfortunately, there aren’t many jobs open right now. Some advice — your predecessors from the NBA have damaged your credibility right out of the box. You’ll need to do more than you expect to convince administrations that you’re not just looking for a transitional job to get back to Division I or the pros. But we wish you good luck!