What a crazy time of the year. With conference play in full swing, it’s been a challenge to keep the blog updated. Also, it’s been fairly quiet out there, but something tells me that won’t be the case for long. Next month, the rumor mill will be in full swing as seasons begin to come to an end. Here are a few items that I’ve heard over the past week or so….

Former Stetson head coach Derek Waugh, who resigned last spring, has resurfaced. I have heard that he was just named AD at Dalton State College in Georgia. He will be incharge of starting the athletics program at the school. He was 121-192 in his 11 seasons as the head man at Stetson. No word yet if he’ll name himself as the basketball coach.

Apparently former Maryland head coach Lefty Driesell was not very happy about the Terps decision to dedicate their court to Gary Williams. Driesell wrote an email to UMD Chancellor William Kirwan detailing his reasons for opposing the naming. Pretty interesting reading from the Baltimore Sun: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-01-24/sports/bs-sp-ter…

Former Duke standout and NBA player Christian Laettner has joined the coaching ranks. He has been hired as an assistant in the D-League for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Laettner had a 12-year NBA career after finishing his career at Duke.

St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin has still not returned to the sidelines. After coaching his team on December 9th (just 33 days after prostate cancer surgery), Lavin admitted that he returned to early. He has been involved in some of the daily chores with the Johnnies, but has been watching games from a suite at Madison Square Garden. There is still no date for his return to active coaching.

On the small college front, I’ve heard that Berkeley College assistant coach Billy Diamond has taken a short-term leave of absence. He is apparently dealing with some family health issues. We wish him and his family all of the best and hope he has a speedy return to the sidelines.