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Sunday, August 26, 2007
Catching up
Here is a look at what has been going on while we have been busy preparing our preseason stories for the upcoming issue of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook:

  • Holy Cross has Patriot League reunion on European trip
    There was a familiar face in the opposing lineup when Holy Cross met C.B. L'Hospitalet in the final game of its summer trip abroad.

    Recent Bucknell grad Chris McNaughton, a three-time first team All-Patriot pick, started at center for L'Hospitalet, a second division Spanish professional club from near Barcelona.

    McNaughton scored 10 points in L'Hospitalet's 92-61 win. Eric Meister led the Crusaders with 12 points, 8 rebounds.

    HC finished its trip with a 2-3 record, with wins over Spanish Division 3 side Sabadell (69-66) and the Netherlands national team (65-58), and losses to the Norwegian national team (81-75) and the Swiss national team (53-51).

    The best news for HC on the trip may have been that Lawrence Dixon was able to play significant minutes on the tour. Prior to departing for Europe, Dixon, who underwent a second knee surgery in the offseason, had been unable to make it through a complete practice.

    The bad news, Pat Doherty, who Ralph Willard sorely needs at the point, sat out several games on the trip due to back problems. Doherty did play in the final game. No word on whether the problem is chronic. The health of the oft-injured Doherty is a key concern for HC heading into the season.

  • Simmons follows Taylor to Ball State
    As expected, Lehigh assistant Bob Simmons has joined Billy Taylor's staff at Ball State.A former D-3 head coach at Delaware Valley, Simmons was a member of Lehigh's staff since 2002. His departure left new Lehigh coach Brett Reed, Taylor's former top assistant, with just one holdover on his staff, former Quinsigamond Community College head coach Jon Weiner, who joined the Lehigh staff in the spring.

    Reed has finalized his staff, but names will not be released until all the signed contracts are returned. Expect at least one Lehigh alum to be on the list when it is made public.

  • Butch van Breda Kolff dead at 84
    Butch van Breda Kolff, who did two stints as head coach at Lafayette, died last week in a Spokane, Wash. nursing home. He was 84.

    Van Breda Kolff spent 28 seasons as a college coach, compiling a 482-272 record, with six trips to the NCAA Tournament (as the Sports Illustrated story linked above points out, in those days, there were far fewer bids handed out.) He also coached professionally, going 287-316 in 10 seasons in the old ABA and the NBA.

    Head coach at Lafayette 1951-55, and again from 1984-88, van Breda Kolff also coached at Hofstra, Princeton and the University of New Orleans. His pro jobs included stints with the Lakers, the Detroit Pistons, the Phoenix Suns, the Memphis Tams of the ABA, the New Orleans Jazz and the New Orleans Pride of Women's Basketball League.

    Ed Laubach of the Express-Times remembers the man they called "Coach" as one of a kind.

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    • Published at 11:52 PM by Hoop Time.
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