The next auction item is a unique piece of the 2012 national championship. One of just two pieces of its kind, this piece of the 2012 title floor features part of the American ribbon that was painted on the Superdome court in New Orleans. The only other one is in my home office. Remember, it’s all going to charity!

Extremely saddened to hear that we lost Charlie Coles today. The basketball world lost one of its great ambassadors in Charlie. As a player, coach, mentor and teacher, no one was better than Charlie. He was a true, compassionate competitor who will be missed. I’ll never forget Charlie’s postgame press conference following my second regular-season game at [...]

As David Viscott once said, the purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give that gift away and share it with the rest of the world.

Of our 10 players who have been eligible to graduate by the end of their senior years, all 10 will have graduated after this weekend. For you math majors out there, that’s 100 percent. We’ve also had a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average over the last three years. It’s the norm, not an aberration.

We’ve had success in the past in conference tournament play and NCAA Tournament play. We’ve had teams advance and win championships and had a ball doing it. Every player benefitted by the success of the team. That’s what “players first” is about. It isn’t “player first.”