Roy Williams (Getty Images)

In an era when elite programs play as many home games as possible to rack up victories, ticket revenue and concessions sales, North Carolina coach Roy Williams deserves credit for not being afraid to face lesser-known programs on the road.

In 2010, he brought the Tar Heels to Evansville to give Indiana native Tyler Zeller a homecoming game. In 2011, he returned to his hometown to christen UNC-Asheville's new arena. In 2012, he'll play at Big West favorite Long Beach State on the way to the Maui Invitational.

The latest team to entice Williams into a road game is UAB, which announced Tuesday it will visit Chapel Hill next season and in 2014-15 with the Tar Heels coming to Birmingham during the 2013-14 season. The series is a favor to new Blazers coach Jerod Haase, who spent the past 13 seasons on Williams' staff at Kansas and North Carolina.

"Coach Williams proves to me once again that he is the most loyal guy in the world and someone who truly cares about his former players and coaches," Haase said in a statement. "For him to do this for me and the UAB program certainly speaks volumes about the type of person he is.

"The challenge needless to say is a huge one. North Carolina is arguably the top program in the country. At the same time, this presents a huge opportunity for us in terms of exposure for our program. We will have a team that is growing and hopefully it will be a learning experience and a good experience for our team."

North Carolina's road games admittedly have not come against elite mid-major programs for the most part, but the Tar Heels are still showing more courage than most elite teams by playing in an opposing team's gym. After all, Williams' teams lost at Santa Clara to open the 2004-05 season and at College of Charleston during the disastrous 2009-10 campaign.

UAB, which fired Mike Davis after a 15-16 campaign last season, will have to rebuild in a hurry to be in position to challenge the Tar Heels in Birmingham in two years. Nonetheless, it's a coup for the program to host North Carolina and a nice gesture from Williams to allow it to happen.

Steve Lavin (AP)The man who left the St. John's staff accepted a head coaching job with the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats. The man who may replace him has never even coached at the college level before.

Yes, it sounds like an uneven trade on paper, but former St. John's assistant Mike Dunlap and De La Salle High School coach Frank Allocco actually have more traits in common than one might think.

Allocco, who a source confirmed remains the top candidate to fill the void on Steve Lavin's staff, has a reputation as a tactician, a master motivator and a proven developer of talent. Those are the roles Dunlap filled the last two years at St. John's and exactly the qualities the freshman- and sophomore-dominated program needs now that much of the heavy lifting in recruiting is done.

Although the 58-year-old Allocco has passed on previous opportunities to coach at the college level, there are plenty of reasons he'd find the opening at St. John's to be especially appealing. Allocco grew up in New Jersey, his faith is important to him, and he has a good relationship with Lavin from both their days in California.

In an effort to reveal how Allocco led football powerhouse De La Salle to 14 straight league championships in basketball, eight section titles and two California Division I  state titles, Yahoo! Sports spoke with one of his former players. Santa Clara forward John McArthur, a 2010 graduate of De La Salle, raved about Allocco's motivational skills and ability to squeeze every drop of potential and effort out of his players.

JE: What was your initial reaction when you heard Coach Allocco might be leaving for St. John's? Were you excited? Disappointed?

JM: I was really excited for him. I know he's going to do really well at the next level, or any level he's at. It's not necessarily bittersweet — I'm really happy for him — but De La Salle basketball will never be the same without Coach Frank Allocco.

Zac Nuttall (photo by Kristy Nuttall)

BELLFLOWER, Calif. — Zac Nuttall admits he hasn't spent as much time with his girlfriend this summer as he'd like.

Anytime she asks him to ride roller coasters at Six Flags or sunbathe at the beach, the 17-year-old senior-to-be usually has to decline in favor of lifting weights, sweating through speed and agility drills or hoisting up hundreds of shots at the gym.

Nuttall, a guard at West Ranch High in Valencia, Calif., doesn't have the free time most of his classmates do this summer because he's preparing for maybe the most crucial stretch of his basketball career. At events in Long Beach, Boston, Anaheim and Las Vegas the next three weeks, he'll showcase his game in front of college coaches from across the nation in hopes of impressing them enough to earn his first Division I scholarship offers.

"July is what I work for," Nuttall said. "It would be disappointing not to go Division I because that has been my goal since freshman year. Sometimes I'll put too much pressure on myself, but I've talked to my parents and they remind me all I can do is go out there and give it my all. I'm under-the-radar. I've got nothing to lose."

Although Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and other highly ranked future college stars will hog most of the spotlight during the July evaluation period, it's actually lesser-known recruits like Nuttall who have the most on the line. A 25-point performance against a talent-laden opponent can catch the attention of coaches who previously hadn't shown interest. Conversely, too many forced shots and turnovers at such a critical time can cause schools that were once paying attention to back away.

To provide a window into the pressure facing recruits trying to take advantage of the only time each summer that the NCAA allows college coaches to evaluate prospects in person, Yahoo! Sports will track two players during the July evaluation period.

One is Sheldon Blackwell, a guard from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., who has offers from a handful of mid-major programs but hopes to attract some higher-profile options. The other is Nuttall, the quintessential borderline Division I recruit.

Ask Stanford fans about the program's unforgettable 1998 run to the Final Four, and Peter Sauer probably isn't the first Cardinal player they'll mention.

That honor would go to guard Arthur Lee, who scored 26 points against both Rhode Island in the Elite Eight and Kentucky in the Final Four. Or perhaps to forward Mark Madsen, whose two-handed dunk over Antonio Reynolds Dean off a steal from Lee capped an unlikely final-minute comeback against the Rams and became the signature moment of the Mike Montgomery era.

But ask any Stanford player or coach, and they'll tell you Sauer was as critical as any of his teammates to the Cardinal's run of success in the late 90s. He was a deft passer, a skilled shooter and a relentless competitor, making all the little hustle plays that contributed to the Cardinal winning 90 games in his four seasons and capturing their first conference title in 36 years when he was a senior in 1999.

Sauer died Sunday night at age 35 in White Plains, N.Y., when he collapsed during a pickup game, hit the back of his head on the concrete court and never recovered. The Pittsburgh native leaves behind a wife, three daughters and dozens of grieving former teammates, coaches and opponents who took the time Monday to express their grief.

"Coaching is like parenting, no real favorites," tweeted Portland coach Eric Reveno, a former Stanford assistant. "Just qualities you love in each. Peter Sauer had a bunch to love. RIP"

Illinois coach John Groce (Getty Images)If the Big Ten had already gradually been moving away from the plodding, half-court-oriented style that has been its trademark the past few decades, then expect new-look Illinois to continue that trend.

New coach John Groce intends to run as much as possible next season, a strategy he has reinforced by introducing an unusual rule to summer pickup games at Ubben Basketball Complex.

"We've got a 24-second shot clock now. That puts it into perspective for you, what our offense is going to look like," sophomore big man Nnanna Egwu told IllinoisHQ.com. "It's fast-paced. Being able to get steals, get on fast breaks, quick outlets. And he's big on conditioning.

"Every player has to be conditioned, from the big men to the guards. We've all got to run and be able to run for 40 minutes a game."

Illinois' transformation into a more fast-paced team would fit the direction the league has gone in recent years with the addition of Thad Matta, Fran McCaffery and Tom Crean. All three of those coaches prefer an up-tempo style, contributing to a rise in the tempo of Big Ten games as a whole.

Sometimes it can take a couple years for a new coach to fully implement his system, so the question for Illinois will be whether it has the personnel to play at the pace Groce prefers. The Illini played at the fourth-highest tempo among Big Ten teams last season under Bruce Weber, but they struggled offensively, producing more turnovers (430) than assists (400) and only scoring 0.97 points per possession in Big Ten play.

Bill Self rounds the bases after his second-inning home run (Getty Images)

Each time Kansas coach Bill Self strode to the plate during the celebrity softball game that kicked off Major League Baseball's All-Star festivities Sunday night, the reaction from the crowd was a reminder of Kansas City's split allegiances.

Boos rained down from the Missouri fans in attendance. And cheers and applause from the Kansas supporters canceled some of that out.

Self thrilled his fans and temporarily quieted his hecklers Sunday night when he lined the first pitch he saw from former Olympian Jennie Finch over the left-center-field fence for a second-inning home run. He went 2 for 3 in the game, grounding out to third in the fourth inning and singling in the sixth before being replaced by a pinch runner.

"I've always kind of thought Mizzou people liked me for some reason. I guess I was off base on that a little bit," Self told reporters in Kansas City, tongue planted firmly in cheek.

"I don't know if anyone swung and missed the whole night, but I was nervous I'd do it three times. So to actually put the bat on the ball was pretty cool."

[Tim Brown: Beloved ex-Yankee Bernie Williams tries his hand at managing]

Self used to be an avid softball player in his 20s before his coaching career forced him to find less time-consuming hobbies. It had been about two decades since he last picked up a bat, but after a pair of trips to the batting cages last week, his stroke seemed to come back just fine.

Even Self's ground out worked in his favor as he received a hug from model Chrissy Teigen as he walked back to the bench.

Billy Baron (AP)Billy Baron's loyalty to his father may be the lucky break Canisius needs to get back into contention in the MAAC in the near future.

Baron, who left Rhode Island two months after his dad was fired as head coach, will follow Jim Baron to Canisius, according to a report from CBSSports.com. Baron previously left Virginia midway through his freshman season to join his dad at Rhode Island.

The addition of a deadly perimeter shooter who averaged 13.0 points per game last season is a huge boost for a Canisius program that fired Tom Parrotta after a disastrous 5-25 year in 2011-12. The 6-foot-2 guard, who will have two years eligibility remaining, also received interest from the likes of Providence and Purdue.

There's a pretty good chance Baron will be able to obtain a waiver from the NCAA allowing him to play immediately next season rather than sit out the customary one year the way most transfers do. Trey Zeigler already gained the right to play immediately at Pittsburgh next season after he transferred there when Central Michigan fired his father.

If Baron indeed becomes eligible next season, Canisius can make a significant leap up the MAAC standings.

The Golden Griffins would be very deep at guard with Baron, UCF transfer Isaac Sosa and last year's two leading scorers, Harold Washington and Alshwan Hymes, all seeking playing time. Kansas State transfer Freddy Asprilla and promising sophomore-to-be Jordan Heath will anchor the frontcourt.

The NCAA banned four AAU teams from the July Evaluation Period on Thursday (AP)In an effort to strike back against the summer circuit's rampant corruption, the NCAA announced Thursday that four prominent AAU teams will not be allowed to participate in the July evaluation period due to ties to an agent.

The NCAA made the decision based on an email from agent Andy Miller to four directors, T.J. Gassnola (New England Playaz), Matt Ramker (Florida Rams), Desmond Eastmond (Worldwide Renegades) and Tony Edwards (SEBL Elite All-Stars). In the language of a seventh-grader sending a text message, Miller chides those four men for not recruiting enough future NBA draft picks for him in return for his financial support for their teams.

"I get tired of being the 1 guy that has to get the 1st rd [sic] picks every year," the email stated. "I'd be happy to help you get guys + lend support. You have to want it + have to hustle. To create situations to manifest chaos + plow down walls to open up new opp's [sic].

"We're facing a summer with no revenue. Yet, everyone will expect their checks, expenses reimburse [sic], etc. I try to give a consistant [sic] platform in order [sic] to facilitate production. Am I getting the level of production in return that I want or expect?...You decided to be apart [sic] of it on some level…Do more than just give it thought, act on it."

While the email is an ideal window into the behind-the-scenes relationships between AAU programs, college coaches and agents, its contents shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has paid even cursory attention to the summer circuit. Really the only shock — besides Miller's inability to conjugate verbs or spell words with three or more syllables — is that a powerful agent would be careless enough to leave a paper trail damning enough to land him in hot water.

The NCAA's method of policing the AAU circuit stems from its ability to dictate which July evaluation period events college coaches are allowed to attend in person.