October 15, 1998
Click Here — FANSonly Countdown to Midnight Madness
Get your questions ready, Wildcat fans, and join Kentucky’s men’s basketball coach Tubby Smith for a live chat at 11:00 am EDT this Friday, Oct. 16.
The chat with Smith is part of Friday’s “FANSonly Countdown to Midnight Madness,” a full day of interactive programming to kick off of the 1998-99 college basketball season.
The FANSonly Network, the nation’s largest producer of official collegiate athletic websites, will host eight hours of live on-line chats on Friday, Oct. 16. With 17 of the biggest names in college basketball scheduled to participate, the chat event will mark the first time such a comprehensive collection of collegiate basketball coaches has been gathered on the Internet and will serve as a benchmark for future on-line chats.
In addition to the extensive chat lineup and a selection of 1997-98 basketball highlight videos from many of the participating schools, the culmination of Friday’s programming is a live webcast of the “Main Event,” Kentucky’s Midnight Madness event, beginning at 11:30 p.m. EDT.
“FANSonly will be providing its users with unparalleled access to the premier basketball coaches in the country,” stated FANSonly vice-president for product development Jeff Cravens. “This collection of coaches and players illustrates the strength of the FANSonly Network and its member–schools and allows basketball fans to celebrate the first day of the ’98-99 season. It also serves as a preview of FANSonly’s coverage of college basketball, which is the most comprehensive on the Internet.”
Beginning at 10:00 a.m. EDT, fans will be able to direct questions to the nation’s top coaches directly from FANSonly.com and Sportsline.com.
Live Chat Schedule
Friday October 16th
All times are EDT
10:00 a.m. – Dave Odom, Wake Forest head coach
10:30 a.m. – Steve Lappas, Villanova head coach
11:00 a.m. – Tubby Smith, Kentucky head coach
11:30 a.m. – Tom Izzo, Michigan State head coach
12:00 p.m. – Eddie Sutton, Oklahoma State head coach
1:00 p.m. – Gene Keady, Purdue head coach
1:30 p.m. – Perry Clark, Tulane head coach
2:00 p.m. – Steve Lavin, UCLA head coach
2:30 p.m. – Ben Braun, Cal head coach
3:00 p.m. – Norm Stewart, Missouri head coach
3:30 p.m. – Laron Profit, Maryland All-American candidate
4:00 p.m. – Mike Montgomery, Stanford head coach
4:30 p.m. – Tara VanDerveer, Stanford Women’s head coach
5:00 p.m. – Bill Bayno, UNLV head coach
6:00 p.m. – Bob Bender, Washington head coach
6:30 p.m. – Jerry Tarkanian, Fresno State head coach
9:00 p.m. – Evan Eschmeyer, Northwestern All-American candidate
The FANSonly Network, located at www.fansonly.com, manages the on-line presence, brands, affinity audiences and revenue streams for more than 50 major collegiate athletic departments around the country, including Notre Dame, UCLA, Virginia, Florida State, Ohio State, Arizona, Kentucky, Washington and many others. The FANSonly Network is owned by University Netcasting, Inc.
CHAT PARTICIPANTS
Bill Bayno, UNLV – An outstanding recruiter, Bayno returned the Runnin’ Rebels to national prominence last season with a dramatic run to the WAC Championship.
Bob Bender, Washington – Revived Washington’s basketball fortunes last season. The Huskies have improved every season under Bender and will contend for the Pac 10 title this season.
Ben Braun, California – Regarded as one of the top strategists and recruiters in the country. Braun took over the Cal program in 1996 and led the Golden Bears to a Sweet 16 appearance in his first season.
Perry Clark, Tulane – Talented recruiter and teacher who has restored Green Wave to national prominence.
Tom Izzo, Michigan State – Fourth-year coach has the Spartans ranked in the top-five in most preseason publications.
Evan Eschmeyer, Northwestern – Talented All-American candidate who was one of two Division I players to finish among the nation’s top-15 in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage last season.
Gene Keady, Purdue – Legendary coach who led Purdue to the Sweet 16 last season brings another top-20 team into the ’98-99 campaign
Steve Lappas, Villanova – Has vaulted Villanova back into the national basketball spotlight. Impressive resume includes three NCAA tournament appearances and the 1994 NIT Championship.
Steve Lavin, UCLA – Lavin brings the nation’s top recruiting class to UCLA for the ’98-99 season. Lavin has led UCLA to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons.
Mike Montgomery, Stanford – Has transformed Stanford into a national basketball power. This season’s squad is ranked No. 1 in several preseason polls.
Dave Odom, Wake Forest – Last season Odom proved why he is one of the top coaches in the country. After the graduation of Tim Duncan, Odom coached a freshman-laden team to a fourth-place ACC finish, just missing his eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Laron Profit, Maryland – Senior all-American candidate, one of the most gifted athletes in the country. Third-team all-ACC selection as a sophomore and junior.
Tubby Smith, Kentucky – In his first season at Kentucky, Smith led the Wildcats to their seventh national championship and second title in the last three years.
Norm Stewart, Missouri – Legendary and colorful Tiger coach, recorded 700th career victory last season. Stewart begins the season as the country’s third winningest active coach.
Eddie Sutton, Oklahoma State – Four-time National Coach of the Year surprised everyone last season with a 22-win season and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Jerry Tarkanian, Fresno State – “The Shark”, the winningest active coach in college basketball, is one of the most colorful and successful coaches of all-time.
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford – One of the most respected coaches in women’s basketball, coached the United States to a gold medal in the 1996 Centennial Olympics.
