Dick Vitale is known by college basketball fans as someone who is a little obsessed with Duke. Fair or unfair, that's the perception Maryland fans and many others feel. Apparently, Gary Williams was one who agrees with the fans.
"He'll be in [his office] by himself, getting his notes together, and I'll walk in," Vitale said, noting his favorite Williams memory in an interview with "The Mike Wise Show" on 106.7 The Fan. "He'll tell me, 'I don't want to hear it, man. I don't want to hear about Shane Battier. I could care less. It's always about Krzyzewski. I could care less about their record. All you're going to do all night is talk. I'm going to hear all about Duke, Duke and Duke.' And I start laughing, and then he gives me a hug as I leave."
Vitale joined the show to talk about Williams' retirement and more. He said the decision was the culmination of a two-year process for Williams, and that his recent marriage was one of the factors that convinced him to walk away right now. He added that Williams wants to get into television, joking that he'd take Vitale's job.
Later, he was asked who he would endorse to replace Williams at Maryland, and he said he didn't think Notre Dame's Mike Brey or Arizona's Sean Miller would take the job. Therefore, he put his support behind Tubby Smith, the Minnesota coach that once coached Kentucky.
"My choice would be Tubby Smith. Instant credibility, he's a winner, he's a guy who's a class guy," Vitale said. "There's never any problems in terms of the NCAA. I think personally, and he might not say this, but he's available. I think he would leave Minnesota. He has family still living in the Baltimore area, and I think he would leave to come to Maryland."
Later, he added this:
"Whoever comes in is following a guy who was popular and well liked by the student body. They're coming in to a tough situation. Well, [Smith] had the same scenario replacing Rick Pitino. Think about it."