College Hoops Notebook
Once unranked, Auburn closing in on poll nirvana
Posted: Saturday February 13, 1999 03:12 PM
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A slip by Duke or Connecticut would move Auburn into some rarefied college basketball air.
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Auburn, which wasn't in the preseason Top 25, has moved within striking distance of some impressive company.
The third-ranked Tigers are 23-1 overall and 11-1 in the Southeastern Conference, the only loss coming at Kentucky. Since the two teams above them in the Top 25 -- Duke and Connecticut -- are the only others playing with just one loss, a slip by either would move Auburn into some rarefied college basketball air.
Since the AP college basketball poll expanded to 25 teams for the 1989-90 season, only one team not ranked in the preseason poll has risen higher than the Tigers. Connecticut reached No. 2 for one week in the 1993-94 season.
In the '90s, 15 teams have gone from unranked to top 10, with St. John's joining Auburn this season. Last season, Princeton, which got as high as No. 8, was the only school to do it.
Since preseason polls began for the 1961-62 season, three teams have gone from ignored in the preseason to No. 1 during the regular season.
The first of John Wooden's 10 national championship teams at UCLA was the first, in 1963-64. The Indiana State team Larry Bird led within a game of the NCAA title was next in 1978-79. The most recent was UNLV in 1982-83, a team that lost to eventual national champion North Carolina State in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Tragic end for former Ram
John Bennett, a reserve forward for the last four seasons at Rhode Island, died this week of injuries sustained in an auto accident in Providence on Jan. 28, when his car skidded on some black ice and was struck by another vehicle.
Doctors immediately termed his injuries life-threatening and former teammates and coaches rushed to the 23-year-old's side, just days before he was to start a job at his alma mater.
"He was his own person. He loved basketball. He loved being around basketball," said Boston College coach Al Skinner, who was Bennett's coach for his first three years at Rhode Island. "He practiced hard every day. He was a very fine teammate. He was a great kid."
Bennett played in the Rams' win over Valparaiso in the round of 16 of the NCAA tournament last season.
"He was so appreciative to get an opportunity to be on a team, to be part of a group. You could just see it in him," Rhode Island coach Jim Harrick said. "He loved to have a uniform on. He loved to be one of the guys."
Skinner said he plans to discuss with Rhode Island officials about starting a fund to help pay for the education of Bennett's young son, John Jr.
Double your pleasure
Texas Tech freshman Andy Ellis has been perfect twice this season and almost added a third night of special shooting.
The 6-foot-10, 215-pound Ellis was 5-for-5 from the field and 7-for-7 from the free-throw line Jan. 6 in scoring a career-high 17 points against Oklahoma.
Against Texas last Saturday, Ellis was 6-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line in scoring 16 points.
Those performances helped him to his first start, Wednesday night against Baylor, and the pressure must have gotten to him. He was 4-for-5 from the field and 8-for-8 from the line and had 16 points and nine rebounds.
"I really haven't been surprised with Andy's progress this year," Red Raiders coach James Dickey said.
Ellis is averaging 8.3 points and 4.5 rebounds and is shooting 50 percent from the field and 71 percent from the line.
"He has good hands, a fine shot from anywhere inside the 3-point circle and a lot of confidence," Dickey said. "The majority of his scoring comes from medium-range jump shots."
Aune Lang Syne
Darrell Aune, Oregon State's play-by-play announcer for nearly 30 years, resigned last week because of recurring eye problems following surgery in December.
Aune, 57, became the "voice of the Beavers" in 1970 as sports director at KEX Radio in Portland. He assumed the new position of director of broadcasting at OSU in 1990.
"Generations of Oregon State fans grew up listening to Darrell Aune," athletic director Mitch Barnhart said. "His long career is unprecedented in Oregon spots broadcasting history."
Aune has been named Oregon Sportscaster of the Year 12 times, including last year.
His first broadcasting job was as a student at Washington State's campus station, KWSU. After graduating in 1966, his took his first professional job at KKAM Radio in Pueblo, Colo.
Former Portland Trail Blazers play-by-play announcer Bill Schonely and Fox Sports Northwest announcer Bob Akamian will share broadcasting duties for the rest of the Beavers' season.
Texas hospitality
Oklahoma's victory at Texas on Thursday night gave Kelvin Sampson a 13-1 record in the Lone Star State in his five seasons as coach of the Sooners.
His only loss was 76-66, at Texas on Jan. 22, 1997, a game in which Sampson was charged with a technical foul.
The Sooners, who are 3-0 in Texas this season, play their last game of the year in the state on Feb. 24, against Texas A&M.
Tall tales
Even being lucky can present problems for 7-footers.
Georgia Tech's Jason Collier won a local raffle this summer after his mother had entered his name.
"My mom had bought a ticket, filled in my name and forgotten about it," the sophomore transfer from Indiana said. "Then she calls me and tells me I won a truck."
After confirming with Georgia Tech's compliance department that Collier was eligible to accept the prize, he still had a problem.
"I originally got a GMC Sonoma but it was too small and I couldn't fit in," he said. "So we had to trade it in for a full size truck, a Ford F-150."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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