SI.com - SI On Campus - The Vent: 07/16/2006

7/21/2006 12:23:00 PM

Create a college sports entourage

Okafor has the looks and the game to lead an entourage.

Photo by Jeffery A. Salter/Sports Illustrated

So you want to create a college sports entourage? We’ve got you covered. The rules are simple: The players must all have gone to the same school, though they don’t have to have played together or even played the same sport. The key, as Jake Osterhout showed in his Top 5 College Sports Entourages, is to consider what each guy brings to the table. Two Drama-types will create too much drama. Two Vince’s will create a power struggle.

Here’s an guide with regard to the UConn Huskies:

Vince role: Handsome, well-dressed and generous, the leader of the entourage must be cool under pressure.
The pick: Emeka Okafor

Eric role: Heady, in control and always thinking about how to get the star his big numbers.
The pick: Marcus Williams

Turtle role: Up for anything, this player keeps things loose by not taking anything to seriously.
The pick: Charlie Villanueva

Drama role: At times a bit high-maintenance and kooky, this elder player, when s--- hits the fan, will always have your back.
The pick: Cliff Robinson

Now create an entourage from your own school.

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7/19/2006 09:14:00 AM

National Championship Sleeper Pick

After last season's 7-5 campaign, Michigan has the talent to go 10-2 this season.

Photo by AP

The preseason preview magazines are out and many of the predictions are in. Every year one team outside the preseason Top 10 ends up surprising everyone and making a run at the national championship. Just look at what’s happened in recent years: Penn State and Notre Dame in ‘05, and nation champions LSU (’03) and Ohio State (‘02) were near the bottom or left of the Top 25 when the season began, but proved that preseason rankings don’t mean much.

Expect some more surprises this fall. Below is Athlon’s Top 10

1. Oklahoma
2. Notre Dame
3. USC
4. Ohio State
5. Florida
6. West Virginia
7. Texas
8. California
9. Auburn
10. Louisville
Of the teams not on this list, who will we be talking about as a national championship contender in November? We say Michigan, which has a ton of talent and an opportunity (games against Notre Dame and Ohio State) to prove last year’s 7-5 finish was a fluke. Who’s your sleeper pick?

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7/17/2006 11:54:00 AM

Spilling the beans

We’re about three-quarters of the way through Feeding the Monster, Seth Mnookin’s new book chronicling insider account of the inner workings of the Red Sox front office and it got us thinking: Which college program would we most want to read a tell-all book about?

Memphis or UConn men’s basketball or Colorado football would all make for a juicy read, but the most delicious of all would be the story of the recent rise of the Kansas State basketball program. From the decision to hire Bob Huggins to the shady inner dealings with high school recruits OJ Mayo and Bill Walker, we think there’s more to the story than we’re getting in USA Today.

What do you think? Which programs have the most interesting muck to rake?

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