Derek Kellogg wastes little time admitting that this two-week stretch is the best of his life.

Kellogg got the job as the head coach of his alma mater at UMass and one week ago today, his wife gave birth to their first child, Maximus Antonio Kellogg.

``It’s the greatest two weeks of my life and also the craziest two weeks on top of that,” Kellogg said.

Ditto for his wife,

Kellogg, who was a part of the glory days at UMass, said it’s surreal looking out on the campus from his hotel room. Kellogg was back in Amherst this past weekend to host a couple of potential transfers.

Kellogg will also hire former Pepperdine coach Vance Wallberg and bring along Andy Allison as the director of operations and Shyrone Chatman from Memphis (he was the assistant to the recruiting coordinator at Memphis). He will also keep Adam Ginsburg, who worked for former UMass coach Travis Ford and was responsible for landing the majority of the players on the team, on the staff.

Kellogg raved about the play of his perimeter guys – and for good reason. The trio of Chris Lowe, Ricky Harris and Wake Forest transfer Anthony Gurley should give the Minutemen a trio of guards who match up with just about anyone in the A-10.

``They work so hard and have such a good demeanor,” Kellogg said. “The biggest thing I’ve noticed is their maturity.

GOTTFRIED IN HOLDING PATTERN

You’ve got to feel for Alabama coach Mark Gottfried.

The Crimson Tide coach expected to lose senior Mykal Riley, but it could wind up being a mass exodus in Tuscaloosa with Richard Hendrix, Ron Steele and Alonzo Gee all testing the waters and declaring for the NBA Draft.

``We have to hold three scholarships,” Gottfried said. “My approach is we’re going to find a way to be good with them or without them, but we have to prepare to play without all of them.”

``In my mind right now, we’re preparing as if all three are gone,” he added. ``That’s what you have to do.”

None of the trio of underclassmen are projected as first-round picks at this point, according to two NBA executives.

If all three return, the Crimson Tide could legitimately contend for the SEC title with a starting unit that features a healthy Steele at the point, Gee and sophomore Senario Hillman on the wings and Hendrix and one of the top freshman big men in the country, JaMychal Green, up front.

ARIZONA LOSES MILES SIMON, MAY LOSE ANOTHER ASSISTANT

Kevin O’Neill is history – and Miles Simon is gone as well.

The guy largely responsible for bringing a national title to Arizona was let go this past week.

Look for former Arizona State assistant Russ Pennell, who is currently an AAU coach in Arizona, to come on board officially in the next day or so. According to sources, Lute Olson is also trying to bring on former Metro State coach and current NBA assistant Mike Dunlap.

Olson may also have to replace his top assistant Josh Pastner, who is being pursued by Memphis coach John Calipari. Sources told FOXSports.com that the pair met in Los Angeles last week and that Pastner will likely make a decision whether to remain in Tucson or head to Memphis in the next week.

RANDOM NOTES: Buzz Williams hired his former boss at Colorado State, Dale Layer, to help him at Marquette. …The guy that Williams replaced, Tom Crean, got a nice pickup at Indiana with the commitment of South Kent (Conn.) junior wing Maurice Creek. … DeMatha (Md.) wing Naji Hibbert has committed to Texas A&M, according to Scout.com’s Evan Daniels.

Alabama has most of the pieces. A tough inside player who is averaging a double-double in Richard Hendrix. Wings who can score with Alonzo Gee and Mykal Riley.

But they lack a front-line point guard.

With Ron Steele taking the year to try and get 100 percent for his final collegiate go-around, Crimson Tide coach Mark Gottfried has had to try and be patient with freshman Rico Pickett.

"You can’t speed the clock up," Gottfried said. "You’d like to, but you can’t. It’s a process."

Gottfried said that the process is moving along, though. Pickett has played 27 minutes per game in the last two wins and is averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 assists while making 5-of-7 shots from long range. Gottfried said that Pickett isn’t alone in that he’s had to adjust to the defensive aspect going from high school to college.

"He’s getting there,"Gottfried said. "He’s heading in the right direction."

RULES ARE RULES

Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel sat his top player, Blake Griffin -- the guy who is almost always the first one in the gym and the last to arrive -- for he start of the game against Arkansas this past weekend.

"He was one minute late to shootaround," Capel said.

The story goes like this. There were about five minutes before shootaround began and Capel was shocked that Griffin wasn’t in the gym. He had one of the managers call Griffin, who was apparently still sleeping.

"It was amazing how fast he got there," Capel said. "I think he was still asleep. His dorm is about two miles away, but he came sprinting down the tunnel and went through the entire shootaround without any socks on."

ODU SEASONED QUICKLY

Old Dominion coach Blaine Taylor has lost a handful of all-league players in the past two years. The Monarchs have six freshmen this season, so you’d think Taylor would go with a soft schedule to get these guys some confidence.

Not even close.

Instead, ODU went through a brutal stretch late last month in which it played North Carolina and Louisville out in Las Vegas and then hosted Georgetown. Add in a Nov. 18 game against Clemson and the Monarchs can claim to have faced three of the remaining undefeated teams in the country.

Those losses helped prepare the young kids for this past weekend’s victory against Virginia Tech.

"I felt like we have good players, so why not play tough teams so we can be seasoned,” Taylor said.

It’s also helped that senior guard Brandon Johnson is healthy after starting the season at less than 100 percent after a broken hand. Gerald Lee, a 6-foot-9 sophomore from Finland who had a double-double against Butler in the NCAA tournament last season, has been solid up front (12.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg). Taylor regularly plays 10 players.

"We’re starting to come of age now," Taylor said.

TUESDAY’S NOTABLES

- Louisville coach Rick Pitino won his 500th career game and oft-suspended sophomore big man Derrick Caracter, who was reinstated from his most recent suspension, scored 18 points and grabbed eight boards in the win over Marshall.

- Kentucky wing Jodie Meeks returned and scored 21 points, but the Wildcats couldn’t get past Houston and lost their fourth straight. It’s the first time the boys from Lexington have dropped four in a row since 1989-90 – Pitino’s first season.

- Georgia Tech is in desperate need of quality point-guard play. Javaris Crittenton left after just one season and now Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt is forced to go with a combination of senior Matt Causey and freshman Maurice “Moe” Miller. The duo combined for 9 points, 6 assists and 6 turnovers in the 71-66 home loss to Kansas.

- Southern Illinois continues to disappoint. Salukis coach Chris Lowery's club managed just 41 points in a loss at Western Michigan. Southern Illinois has lost five of its last six and is 4-5 overall.

RANDOM NOTES: Just as Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie got Meeks back, he lost standout freshman big man Patrick Patterson to an ankle injury. Patterson didn’t play in the loss to Houston. … Stanford sophomore 7-footer Brook Lopez, out the entire first semester due to academics, will make his season debut tonight at home against Santa Clara. … Georgia Tech senior big man Ra’Sean Dickey will redshirt this season due to chronic knee problems. Dickey was ineligible the first semester (academics).

Lorenzo Romar isn't happy that his prized freshman big man, Spencer Hawes, could be out of action for the first month or so of practice. However, it could be much worse.

Hawes is one of the top freshmen in the country - arguably trailing only Ohio State's Greg Oden and Texas' Kevin Durant.

Hawes had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and is expected to miss anywhere between 2-4 weeks.

When Hawes does return, he'll team with sophomore Jon Brockman to form one of the best interior combinations in the country. Add developing point guard Justin Dentmon and a big-time freshman class that includes wings Quincy Pondexter and Phil Nelson and you've got a team that should be able to compete with anyone in the Pac-10 by the time league play gets going.

Romar got bad news a couple weeks ago when skilled 7-footer Joe Wolfinger suffered a stress fracture in his foot and will miss most of the season. Junior wing Joel Smith is also out of action for the next month or so after having surgery for a stress fracture on Sept. 14.

Plummer out

Dayton junior forward Norman Plummer has been suspended indefinitely after being cited with drunken driving after hitting a telephone pole at 2:30 a.m. this past weekend.

Plummer averaged 10 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds last season and is slated to be a key in the Flyers chance to earn a postseason bid this season.

Plummer has a scheduled court appearance on Friday.

Biggs loss

Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon said that reserve big man Tyrell Biggs is down from 275 to about 240 pounds. He's been out with a calf injury, but Dixon is expecting that Biggs will be able to give senior center Aaron Gray a much-needed breather at crucial times this season.

Dixon also said that Gray and Levon Kendall are the only two players who all but have a starting spot sewn up entering the season.

"It's hard to take him out of the starting lineup because he's our best defender," Dixon said. "In fact, I think he's our best player."

Life of Riley

Alabama boasts arguably the nation's best point guard in Ron Steele and a couple of the SEC's best big men in Richard Hendrix and Jermareo Davidson.

However, watch for McKel Riley to move right into the starting lineup for the Crimson Tide and give the team scoring from the wing. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound Riley was at Panola Junior College and can really shoot it.