College Hoops Holiday Wish Lists

For the Kansas Jayhawks, a healthy Wayne Simien. The Jayhawks are rolling along as the number two ranked team in the country, sporting an unblemished 8-0 record. But the Jayhawks' dreams of playing on the last weekend of the season in St. Louis took a major hit when Wayne Simien went down with a left thumb injury.

Simien, a preseason All-American, and their most reliable inside player, is out four to six weeks after left thumb surgery, which means Kansas will have to survive most of their Big 12 schedule without their best post player. Simien should be back by late January or early February, giving the Jayhawks enough time to work him back into the rotation and prepare for the NCAA tournament. Coach Bill Self will now have to rely on a pair of freshmen, Alex Galindo and Darnell Jackson, to hold the fort inside until Simien returns.

The Jayhawks still have enough talent to win the Big 12 with Aaron Miles, Keith Langford, and J.R. Giddens, but things just got more interesting in the Big 12. A healthy Wayne Simien will be a welcome relief for Coach Self and a wonderful late Christmas gift for the Jayhawk nation.

For the USC Trojans, a head coach. After firing Henry Bibby four games into the season, the Trojans thought they had their next coach when former Utah coach Rick Majerus agreed to take over the team next season. However, in an abrupt change-of-heart, Majerus turned down the job after a week, citing health concerns. Majerus had been the Trojans' number one candidate for the position after Bibby's dismissal and were ecstatic when he agreed to take over. However, once he changed his mind, the Trojans were back to square one.

But, word out of L.A. is that the Trojans have offered the job to former Chicago Bull and New Orleans Hornets' coach Tim Floyd pending a contract settlement with the Hornets. Floyd enjoyed success as a college coach at Iowa State, becoming the first coach in school history to post three consecutive 20-win seasons and guiding the Cyclones to the Sweet 16 in 1996-1997.

His reputation took a hit when he jumped to the NBA, however, taking over a Chicago Bulls team that was decimated after the retirement of Michael Jordan and the subsequent departures of Scottie Pippen and coach Phil Jackson. His Bulls' teams were constantly among the worst in the league and many in the basketball world began to question his coaching abilities.

But the Trojans apparently weren't discouraged by his lack of success in the NBA and are hoping that he can replicate the magic he once displayed as the next "it" coach in L.A. After the embarrassing circumstances surrounding the whirlwind hiring and subsequent resignation of coach Majerus, rebounding quickly to secure a coach with a successful track record at the college level like Tim Floyd is just what the doctor ordered for the Trojans.

For the George Washington Colonels, more publicity. Quick, name one player on the Colonel's roster. Better yet, name the coach. Time's up. The Colonels are the best team that no one has heard about, but they are quickly making a name for themselves this year.

Coach Karl Hobbs' team has won eight straight games, including wins over ranked teams Maryland and Michigan State in successive games. They are slowly moving up the rankings with little fanfare and may just be the best team in the Washington, DC area. The Colonels are clearly the cream of the crop in the Atlantic 10 and will be a sexy darkhorse Sweet 16 choice come NCAA tournament time.

For the Gonzaga Bulldogs, more national respect. The Bulldogs are not a mid-major program, no matter what conference they belong to. Gonzaga has proven year after year that they are one of the premier programs on the West Coast and should be taken more seriously. Their win over Georgia Tech in Las Vegas last week should be a wake-up call to people around the country that the Bulldogs are for real.

The 'Zags have another chance to make a name for themselves when they take on the Oklahoma State Bulldogs. If the 'Zags can outlast Oklahoma State in their latest measuring stick game, on the road no less, people will be forced to admit that the 'Zags are a force to be reckoned with on the national scene and maybe, just maybe, their name will be mentioned before the Pac-10 teams when discussing the best basketball programs on the West Coast.

Lastly, for the fans, another exciting college basketball season. With the parity in the college game, that is a virtual given. The ACC will be hell-on-wheels again, with each game dripping with postseason and poll implications. Illinois and Michigan State will battle it out for Big 10 supremacy, while Pittsburgh, UConn and Syracuse fight for the Big East crown. With the preseason over and conference play beginning, the stakes become much higher and the intensity gets raised to an even higher level.

And, if that wasn't enough, just to make your egg nog taste even better, remember that March Madness is but a few months away. Merry Christmas and happy holidays, basketball fans.