After spending five days with him, I have decided to give Chris Chaney the platform to be the first guest blogger I've had. I've thought about having guest bloggers occasionally, and Chaney gets the first crack at it.

Chaney, other than his snoring, was perfect to have come with me this past week. He is a road warrior who was behind the wheel for all seven-plus hours from Lawrence to Champaign and did the brunt of the driving while I was able to blog at times and rest at other times.

He's obviously a proven coach – he went 40-0 a few years back – and it was great for me to have someone to bounce more basketball-specific questions off throughout the trip.

Anyway, without further ado, here is the CHANEY REPORT:

Spending five days and seeing seven top programs and coaching staffs was a joy to me as a coach.

Different philosophies, styles – but all successful.

From seeing traditional venues like Allen Fieldhouse on Midnight Madness to Hinkle Fieldhouse and the campus of Notre Dame made it special.

But the best facet of the trip for me was spending time with coaches and Jeff Goodman (Ok, fine. You caught me. I just inserted that in here) – just talking basketball.

KANSAS

- We were there for Midnight Madness, and I wish we could have stuck around for an actual practice, but we had places to be. Obviously, what struck me is the passion of the fan base and the atmosphere in the building.

- The leadership qualities of Sherron Collins stuck out to me. That's one of the main reasons why they are the preseason No. 1 team in the country.

- Watching Midnight Madness at the historic Allen Fieldhouse and spending time with the coaches makes you quickly realize why it's one of the top programs in the country.

- As talented as Kansas can be offensively, I really believe that Coach (Bill) Self's defensive and rebounding approach is what separates them from most teams in the Big 12 and in the country.

ILLINOIS

- After a long seven-hour drive to Champaign, watching Illinois in their nice practice facility was impressive. It seems like they have great balance and depth, and I was very impressed with their young guards.

- The one thing that stuck out to me is how each coach was vocal in practice and had the same amount of input as Coach (Bruce) Weber. That's not always the case.

- Family atmosphere. You can tell that the kids want to be around Coach Weber and his staff.

- The competitive fire of this team and the potential of the guards make this a tough Big Ten team. Also, the depth makes practice far more intense.

BUTLER

- Going into the famed Hinkle Fieldhouse was somewhere I always wanted to visit, especially after watching Hoosiers 35 or so times.

- Practice was very precise and ran like a well-oiled machine. It's great to watch the game played the right way. Players and coaches are excited about the season, but they know they must get better on an everyday basis since they are well-aware they are now the hunted.

- I've heard of Gordon Hayward, but I didn't realize he was this talented. His feel for the game and his all-around game really stood out.

- I asked Coach Brad Stevens how many sets they run and with a smile, he responded, "Tons." And with it, they are definitely on the same page in everything they do.

PURDUE

- Physical. Toughness. Tradition. Those are three words that come to mind when I think of Purdue basketball.

- Coach Matt Painter and his staff really get after it. They have a very good top six and several options for the next few guys in their rotation.

- Nothing comes easy against these guys.

- There was more hitting in that Sunday practice than my poor Redskins put on the Chiefs.

- Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson are future pros. Don't sleep on 6-foot-10 Croatian big man Sandi Marcius. He's going to fill a role and help up front.

- You always know that Purdue is defensive-minded, but until you see them practice, you don't understand the passion they have on the defensive end and how they dictate everything on the defensive end.

NOTRE DAME

- Knowing Mike Brey since he coached me at Coach Morgan Wootten's camp back in Maryland years ago, I always realized he's one of the top people in this business.

- They have a very good top three and have some other solid pieces around them.

- They're arguably the most unselfish team in college basketball.

- Brey's positive attitude trickles down to his staff and the players.

- Watching film with Brey and the team allowed me to gain more perspective on what they're trying to do. He preaches unselfishness and making the extra pass – and that translates into the court.

- In the film session, Coach Brey really stressed having trust in one another on the offensive end, and a key will be finding that same level of trust on the defensive end and on rotations.

MICHIGAN STATE

- So much energy, so much intensity. It's no wonder why they compete for national championships on what seems to be a yearly basis.

- These guys compete hard in everything they do. Their guards and top guys are experienced.

- If they get more inside help and follow Coach Tom Izzo's lead, they'll be playing in April again.

- As a competitive person and a compassionate coach, it's great to see Izzo run a practice like it's the Big Ten championship.

- Spending time and talking basketball with Izzo, you quickly realize why he's not only an elite coach but a great person. As a coach, I have some of the same fire and passion for the game he shows in practice. I use a lot of his rebounding and toughness philosophies along with his zone quick hitters – as do many other coaches around the country I'm sure.

MICHIGAN

- "Play hard. Play smart. Play together." It's a saying in the locker room, and after watching Coach John Beilein in his coaching meeting and in practice, you see why his teams are so successful.

- Michigan does more little things in practice than most teams (such as various types of layups and passing drills).

- They will need DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris to be leaders and their guard play will also be a key to their success.

- The 1-3-1 will be another part to this team, and I used it effectively last year myself at the Patterson School. Just ask Notre Dame Prep, South Kent and Hargrave. But there is a lot more to it than people think. The players first must completely believe in it and know all parts to it. It's extremely difficult to prepare for and play against.

- Team chemistry and having great teammates is a trademark of the program.

To check out Jeff Goodman's Twitter, click here.