As a major college basketball fan who views March Madness as the greatest event in sports, it was an absolute thrill to see the Atlantic 10 have its pre-season media day in AC. It jump-started my excitement over the fact that AC will have a nice chunk of March Madness to call its own when the A10 has its championship tournament at Boardwalk Hall March 7-10. The winner gets a guaranteed spot in the NCAA tourney, and most years the A10 has two or three other teams selected with at-large spots. It made me swell with pride to see new Temple coach Fran Dunphy take about taking over for legend John Chaney right here at Boardwalk Hall. Phil Martelli was also a popular draw for the Philly sports mob in attendance. Of course the A10 team that should rise to the top this year is Xavier, the reigning conference champions, with five returning starters from last season. Temple and St. Joe's are in rebuilding mode, but maybe by March they will be building towards challenging the X-men.
I can't wait for the college basketball season to begin.

In other local sports news, it should help the AC Surf to join the Can-Am League, since it runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day with 94 games instead of 140. Having 47 home games is a more manageable number than 70 home games, and should help the only pro team left in town to work its way to a profitable season.