We've touched on a few of the elite junior college teams in the country this season, but one that is as loaded as anyone is that of Miami Dade.

Coached by Matt Eisele, the Sharks have as much talent as anyone in the country this season.

William Coleman, a 6-foot-9, 255-pound big man out of Georgia, has already committed to Memphis and should play alongside former Marquette power forward Trevor Mbakwe along the frontline. Eisele said that Mbakwe is looking at Miami, Minnesota and LSU, but will likely sign late.

Eisele also has skilled 6-foot-7 Darnell Dodson on the wing.

``He was at Pittsburgh, but there was a problem and he'll probably open up his recruiting," Eisele said. "There's still an outside chance he will still go to Pittsburgh."

In the backcourt, Eisele could go with the trio of Rico Pickett, James Beatty and Dwan McMillan.

``We'll do a lot of three-guard sets because we're so deep there," Eisele said.

Pickett played last season at Alabama and Eisele said his ballhandling and perimeter shot are improving. Beatty is getting interest from Cincinnati, Baylor, Nebraska and others while McMillan was a one-time South Florida signee who will likely be at Miami Dade for two years. The Sharks also have Robert Martina, a mid-major face-up power forward, and holdover shooting guard Anthony Phillips, who averaged 11.5 points per game last season.

``This is the best team we've had since I've been here by far," Eisele said. "My athletic director, whose been here for more than 30 years, said it's one of the best teams we've ever had."

``We're talented, but we've also got good kids," he added. "Everyone sees the bigger picture and the more we win, the more exposure and perks everyone will get."

ILLINOIS HOLDING LARGEST OUTDOOR PRACTICE

The perception is that Illinois is holding its Midnight Madness a week early, but that isn't truly the case.

The Illini are actually holding what they are promoting as the largest outdoor basketball practice immediately following the Oct. 11 football game against Minnesota at 11 a.m.

There will be a court assembled in the South end zone of Memorial Stadium and the practice will last 30 minutes.

One of the reasons for doing it is because the following weekend there's a Chicago Bulls exhibition game in Assembly Hall and also because the football team plays at 7 p.m.

RANDOM NOTES: Vermont has landed a pair of commitments in the last few days. The Catamounts landed Brendan Bald, an athletic shooting guard out of Maryland, and then followed it up by receiving a pledge from Brewster Academy point guard Simeon Marsalis, the son of musician Wynton Marsalis. ... Wisconsin guard Jason Bohannon's younger brother, Zach, committed to Air Force, according to the Des Moines Register. ... Forgot to mention that Pittsburgh got a verbal commitment from 6-foot-9 Talib Zanna of Bishop McNamara (Md.).