All over the place

I'm not on top of my game this weekend, but not by choice; Verizon has lost Internet connectivity for an entire area code as of 8:30 a.m. today - my area code. So I'm at my UCLA seatmate's house on his computer. Bless him.

Kim just sent me a picture of the 2008 banner being raised before today's Tennessee game, and it's a beautiful site. If I were home on my own computer, I could post it for you now, but trust me, it's gorgeous.

Reiko Thomas missed the first last-second-of-the-game shot of her life last night as her Arizona Wildcats lost by one at the Hawaii Tournament. But they came back today to seal the win in game two. Seatmate and I were talking earlier, and I told him I think the Pac-10 is on the rise. I really do. Between Boyle, Caldwell, Butts and maybe either Jackson or Daugherty, things are looking up.

Today I went up to Glendale Community College to catch some games a tournament they were having there. Some girls very special to me were playing on the one team, but I knew coaches of one team in the other three games being played today, so I supported them too. At some point this season, I'm going to write a column here on the junior colleges of Southern California. A bit serious, and a bit fun is what it'll look like.

Finally, I have a confession to make: I'm now writing for fullcourt.com. If you have a subscription you can check out my first story, on foreign players at US colleges, on the front page.

I bought a hat a few weeks ago that I'm going to start wearing to work. It's a Santa hat, complete with white fringe and a puff on the end, only it's orange with black lines like a basketball. Because after all, this is my holiday season.