5-ON-5 WITH VIRGINIA TECH'S SETH GREENBERG                                                                                                        >>> CollegeInsider.com

DAVE MAGARITY: I understand that you are somewhat concerned that I borrowed this concept of five questions from you?

SETH GREENBERG: First, I'm flattered that a literary talent like yourself would feel I have a concept worthy of your talents. Truth be told, journalism is no different from basketball coaching, There are very few original ideas. I stole the idea from PTI, 5 bad minutes. I didn't ask Kornheiser or Wilbon for their permission, so why should you ask me for mine. Beside, Dave, you have always been my idol, someday I hope to be as big as you, not literally, that is.

MAGARITY: Terrific "Rants and Raves" column you did for college insider. Take a moment and rant or rave about why I should or should not include you in my upcoming "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" poem.

GREENBERG: You need to show some diversity and to have a nice Jewish boy from New York in your 'Night Before Christmas' poem. It obviously adds to the diversity of your literary genius. Plus, lets face it, I'm an easy target and I'm sure you can find numerous things that rhyme with Greenberg; NOT. Plus it's always a honor to be mentioned with such illustrious coaching friends.

MAGARITY: What, if anything, have you learned from Coach Frank Beamer, since arriving at Virginia Tech?

GREENBERG: First of all, Frank Beamer, forget about being a Hall of Fame coach and the success he's had, 84 straight weeks in the top 20, 11 straight bowl games. Frank is possibly the nicest person that I've met in coaching. He is as genuine and sincere as anyone I've met.

Coach Beamer has such a great knowledge of this university, the Hokie Nation and the people that make Virginia Tech special. More importantly, he's willing to share that with our potential prospects. He's just a good person that has a tremendous amount of pride for our university.

MAGARITY: What is the biggest challenge in your first season at Virginia Tech?

GREENBERG: Right now, we are playing with six healthy scholarship players. Our biggest challenge to start with is just to be able to conduct a competitive practice. You don't learn much about your basketball team when you compete against two walk-ons, two managers and an assistant coach, who is 5-10 and a step slow.

Secondly, right now we are just trying to change the mentality and the work ethic of some of our players. Get them to better understand how to compete on a daily basis. Finally, in a transition it's difficult for everyone. It's difficult for coaches; it's difficult for players. There's a feeling out period and that happens anywhere in America, not just here at Virginia Tech.

MAGARITY: Do you like the direction in which we are headed as an organization (NABC)?

GREENBERG: I think the NABC, in theory, is an excellent organization. I think Jim Haney and Reggie Minton are terrific people and they work extremely hard. I'm not sure of the direction that we are going, though. I think we need to have a clear course, and obviously, like any large organization, not everyone is going to agree, but we need to chart a course and stay on course.

We are getting greater support from the NCAA and I think that that is a huge step in the right direction. If Jim and his staff have done anything, they have cultivated the NCAA to work with us and embraced the NABC as an organization. I just really have a feeling that, number-one, our meetings, our sessions where people voice opinions, but then we do not act on our opinions or on that voice.

I think that what we need to do is find a way to create a better understanding, a better model, of what college basketball coach is all about. For the NCAA to think that college coaches are running players off and therefore are stuck with the 5/8 rule, is so far off that its mind-boggling.

The NCAA truly does not understand the jobs we do. For them to think that we have to create a model to present to the NABC on our genuine concerns for our student-athletes, they really do not understand the day-to-day basis of the things that we do with our players to make sure they embrace the opportunity for education and become the best people they can be and develop a work ethic that is going to carry them for a lifetime. I don't know if that's the job of the NABC or not, but I think we have to have a clearer course.

I think they've done an excellent job working with the NCAA in recent years, but we've got to create a voice and gain a respect. We've got to use former coaches like Terry Holland, Dean Smith, C.M. Newton and John Thompson to champion that cause. I think that's an area that the NABC really should embrace. Create a panel of former coaches to champion what, on a day-to-day basis, most coaches do to enhance college basketball and the experience of their student-athletes.

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