For most rookie head coaches, 19 wins would be deemed a success. However, that wasn't necessarily the case for Kent State's Geno Ford.

The last time Kent State didn't win 20 games was a decade ago.

"They knocked my mailbox over and also took out my side-view mirror," Ford said while laughing. "We have the most rabid fans in the league. I love our fans."

"I wouldn't be shocked if it was my 14-year-old son who did it," he half-joked. "It could have been an inside job."

In all fairness to Ford, he lost the top inside duo in the league – Mike Scott and Haminn Quaintance – going into his first season at the helm.

The Golden Flashes still managed to win 19 games with an inexperienced frontline and a lack of depth.

Ford and his team recently returned from Italy, where they went 3-1 and were led by the guard duo of Tyree Evans and Rodriguez Sherman.

Evans, who came into the school with baggage, has been a model citizen both on and off the court. He accepted a role coming off the bench last season and was third on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game.

"He's been here for a year, has over a 3.0 GPA and has never been in anything even close to trouble," Ford said of Evans. "He's as good as a kid as I've been around."

Evans averaged 17.3 points on the trip while shooting 45 percent from long distance, but what surprised Ford was that Evans got a good amount of his points driving to the basket instead of settling for deep jumpers.

While Ford raved about former guard Al Fisher's ability to make big shots, he also said that Evans may have more opportunities this season due to the fact that Fisher over-dribbled at times and didn't find a wide-open Evans on the perimeter.

Ford said that Sherman, who sat out last season due to a knee injury, was the team's top all-around player on the trip to Italy as the starting point guard, averaging 15.5 points, 5.0 assists and shooting 59 percent from the field.

"I've never seen anyone improve their skill package more in the last 18 months than Sherman has," Ford said.

Ford said that Sherman came into the program as a wing but practiced as the scout team point guard last season and worked on his ball handling each day after practice.

"He put the time in, and there were times the scout team was better than our first team," Ford said. "And it was because of him."

Ford, one of the most entertaining coaches in the country, said there will be times when he will go with a four-guard lineup that includes Evans, Sherman, Chris Singletary at the four spot and freshman Randal Holt at point guard.

The Golden Flashes will have fifth-year senior Brandon Parks (6-foot-10, 270 pounds) up front along with 6-foot-8 Justin Greene with a year under his belt, which could allow Ford to bring 6-foot-11 junior college big man Justin Manns along slowly.

Ford said the ball movement was superior on the trip than it was a year ago, and he was also impressed with the quality of the depth he'll have this season.

That bodes well for the mailbox staying intact this season.

SENDEK THE AUTHOR

Arizona State coach Herb Sendek is an author.

Sendek, along with fellow Carnegie Mellon alum Buddy Hobart, have come out with a book called "Gen Y Now."

"Buddy did the bulk of the work," Sendek admitted of Hobart, who is the president of a business management consulting firm. "The book is about the leadership challenges and questions with respect to Gen Y," Sendek said. "I shared a lot of my thoughts and perspectives based on guys we recruited and coached."

"It is a relevant topic for businesses and has applications in parenting," Sendek added. "We talk about some of the myths about how Gen Y kids are different and then some areas where they really are different."

The book can be purchased at GenYNow.com or also at amazon.com.

RANDOM NOTES: I forgot to mention yesterday that Nevada coach David Carter is basically 1-0 in his career. Last season, after former coach Mark Fox was ejected from the BracketBuster game against VCU with the Wolf Pack trailing by about eight points midway through the second half, Carter took over and led Nevada to the victory. ... Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel has added junior forward Barry Honore as a transfer from Southern University. Honore will sit out this year and then have two left as a walk-on. ... Western Kentucky signed former Bridgton Academy guard Jamal Crook, a Louisville native who moved to Las Vegas for his senior season. ... Denver coach Joe Scott has signed a three-year extension through 2014-15. ... Rhode Island sports information director Mike Laprey – one of the best in the business – released the Rams' non-conference schedule yesterday one game at a time at 15-minute intervals. URI and BC will renew a three-year series after a one-year hiatus with a Dec. 13 game at the Conte Forum.