Each week, I write about the sport I love, college basketball:
• VCU coach Shaka Smart certainly has a few challenges in the nonconference schedule. Virginia, Villanova, Tennessee and the Michigan/Oregon winner at the Legends Classic (at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York) are among the tests ahead for the Rams. That will give a good indication of how good this team is.
• Congratulations to Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins, who had his contract extended by the school. Dawkins led the Cardinal to the 2014 Sweet 16.
• Jim Larranaga and Miami suffered a blow when juco transfer Ivan Cruz Uceda was declared ineligible for the first half of the season. The NCAA suspended Cruz Uceda because he did not enroll in college within a year of graduating from a high school or prep school, as the NCAA requires.
• It will be interesting to see if Arizona coach Sean Miller gives forward Brandon Ashley some time off. Ashley is coming off a broken foot, though he has been cleared for practice.
• Former Baylor star Isaiah Austin was dealt a bad hand when health issues (Marfan syndrome) curtailed his potential NBA career. Austin now has a foundation that provides support for the awareness and research of Marfan syndrome and those affected by it. The foundation announced that its inaugural event, An Evening With Isaiah Austin, will be held Oct. 24 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.