Five Tiny Tidbits On: The Atlantic 10 Conference

Thought we were done previewing things? How could you think that, with your NCAA Basketball Tournament office pool a mere five months away? You've got to start studying now if you want that edge. So let's go. (Please send contributions to [email protected]).

• 1. Where's The Billikin Love? Saint Louis University had barely been in the conference for one season before one of its players — junior Ian Vouyoukas — declared for the NBA Draft. Not invited to the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in June, the 6-foot-10, 270-pound Vouyoukas scored 13.9 points per game and 7.4 rebounds as the Billikens finished 16-13 last season. Form an orderly line, gentlemen.

• 2. Nana Nana, Nana Nana, Hey Hey Hey, Good Bye. UMass junior guard Nana Ampim was born in London, England, has a father named Kofi, brothers named Ash, Saki and Asenso and is majoring in Social Thought.

• 3. I Am Very Disappointed In Me. John Chaney, who strangely enough began his college coaching career at Cheyney State, does not hunt with the Vice President, but did occasionally send in goons to hack at opposing players. In 2005, Chaney put forward Nehemiah Ingram into the game to commit hard fouls against Saint Joseph's. After admitting as much, Chaney suspended himself for one game, and then the rest of the season. He retired after the 2006 season, with former Penn head coach Fran Dunphy getting the job.

• 4. If It's Not Scottish It's Crap! Duquesne's Kieron Achara, a native of Scotland, went to a high school that didn't have an organized basketball program. He instead played soccer, until he grew four inches (to 6-foot-8) between the ages of 15 and 16. His older brother, Idris, competed in basketball at the Glasgow Special Olympics 2005 Great Britain Games.

• 5. Boo Yah!. Xavier has only one player — forward Kevin Waymire — who isn't majoring in either communications or liberal arts. Five players — Stanley Burrell, Justin Cage, Brandon Cole, Justin Doellmon and Josh Duncan — have chosen the former.

Tomorrow: The Pac-10.