Rick Carlisle was hired this week by the Dallas Mavericks to replace Avery Johnson as the head coach. Rick did a terrific job at Detroit where he set the table for the Pistons to win the title under Larry Brown. Then Rick took over the Pacers and managed to win a lot of games in light of many distractions that included "The Brawl" in Auburn Hills!

My history with Rick dates back to 1983 when we would compete against each other in the ACC. Rick was at Virginia while I played at UNC. We had some GREAT battles....memorable games that included tremendous plays by UVA's Ralph Sampson and UNC's Michael Jordan!

Rick was a competitor who made the most of his talents. He ended up having a nice career playing for the Celtics where he would be a part of a World Championship team.

Rick, welcome to Big D! Good luck!

Pony Up!

Coach Doh