Before I get to Saul, the Blue Ribbon yearbook puts everything else to shame. 400 pages of fine print, detailed summaries of every D-1 team. Available on line only for about $30 and worth every penny. Buy the spiral bound version.

All comments are direct quotes

Saul on replacing Simmons: I'm looking at who's going to be the alpha on this team. The $20 million question is how do we handle the transition to a different leader?

Saul on overall makeup of team: I feel good about our foundation. Our depth is improved this year. I have fewer decisions about who I want to play...at this stage of the year.

Saul on Dartis at the point or shooting guard: He understands the role. He played point guard in high school. But he's really good at coming off screens and shooting the ball. Either way, I've got to make sure Jordan gets enough shots. If anything, I haven't gotten him enough shots to this point in his career.

on Carter: He's very, very, very good. I did think to myself, why was he playing only 20 minutes a night? Every night he'd do something a little different.

Blue Ribbon notes that Carter is now the team's top leaper (34 inches standing start, 41 inches with one step).

on Laster: He developed into the best 6th man in the conference last year. He's a good shooter who can get to the rim.

on Taylor: He's a real MAC big man who's played well at times, but he needs to get to the point where he's consistent.

on Teyvion Kirk: He's an extremely quick point guard, really good at getting to the front of the rim. I love his toughness. He's a pitbull. He plays with the volume turned up to 11. His transition is learning how to run a team, make sure everyone's getting their shots.

on Zach Butler: He plays the game a little more cerebrally. Setting up his teammates is his first M.O.

on BVP: extremely skilled with the basketball, versatile and makes good decisions.

on Mickle: freak athlete. on Dozier: waiting for him to put it all together.

and, saving the best for last, on Gavin Block: He plays everywhere. He's like the rug in "the Big Lebowski"--he makes the whole room come together.

I'm not familiar with Blue Ribbon. How does it compare to Phil Steele's football magazine? Steele puts Lindy's and Athlon to shame. I bought the Street and Smith college preview. It's not bad - probably the best that you can pick up at Kroger.

Phil Steele has interesting tidbits about the programs but recycles the tidbits from year to year. "TCU is fast becoming a program like Virginia Tech was up until a few years ago where despite not recruiting the highest touted athletes has an excellent strength program dedicated to building bigger, stronger athletes" I think that has been in his guide 10 years running. Blue Ribbon has tidbits on all 350 programs including the nuances of the relative strengths of conferences. Each conference they have a summary page listing the players of the year, first teams ect..season standings and what post season invite each school received. You'll get some coaching quotes, analysis of recruiting classes. Steele has those sections in the back with a lot of predictive stats but the analysis is circumspect.

Appreciate PS optimism, his one-liners, the stand-up comedy routine during post game pressers/magazine articles and his ability to often recruit guys off the beaten path who fit his "system." You got to want him to do well. But I think this year (and I'm sure we'll find a way to say next year too) is/are big years for him and the program. For me, it's time to see that this is going to stick and going to work. This recruiting class is huge for him IMO.

I think the Kirk/Butler/Gareri/Vanden Plas recruiting class is his best so far. The two VC's for this year are more unknown, and how he uses the last one will be interesting. In terms of seeing that this is going to work, I guess it depends on how you define that. I'd say in general his teams have gotten better every year. I'm assuming you're suggesting MAC Tournament wins and NCAA Tourney appearances.

my bad, team's best leaper. from stand still, i assume returning players. still wouldnt have thought that.