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Gavitt, 68, was elected for a vast array of contributions. A one-time coaching success at Providence College, he went on to engineer the forming of the Big East Conference, which became the model for Division I college leagues through the NCAA. Gavitt was also the coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's basketball team that was kept home, stymied by the boycott of the Moscow Games as ordered by President Jimmy Carter. "I'd worked hard for two years on that team, but my immediate reaction at the time was that we were U.S. citizens first and basketball people second," Gavitt said. "If that's what the President and the government said, that's what you did. Later, though, I had second thoughts about the wisdom of it. When I began talking to basketball people in Europe, it became clear our allies hadn't been consulted about the boycott. Had they been, I think many other countries would have joined us. I harbor no ill feeling toward President Carter, though." What concerns Gavitt, as it does Barkley, is the direction the sport is taking at its grass-roots levels today. Gavitt feels education and a natural growth process have been compromised by dreams of quick fame. "I don't think kids today are that much different than in the days I was coach," he said, when asked if he thought he could still coach modern athletes. "The system is different, though. "The high school coach, who is primarily a teacher, has been taken out of a position of influence," he said. "The roadside is littered with very good players - many of them, unfortunately, minorities – who have been victimized by a flawed system." Auriemma, 52, said even women players have changed. "They're getting just like the guys," he said. "When I began coaching, the second week of practice was like the second week of school – you took what you learned in the first week, and moved on. "From all I hear, though, that's not happening as much in school now," he said. "But then, our parents said we didn't listen well, either, just we're saying about kids now." Dumars, 43, praised the 1989 and 1990 Pistons as great champions, able to take divergent personalities and mesh well on the court. He said his personal relationship with fellow guard Isaiah Thomas, who was enshrined in Springfield in 2000, was always good – despite reports to the contrary. So, why the reports? "Because it sells," Dumars said. "We had different interests, but we used to joke about how we didn't get along, supposedly." For Wilkins, 46, enshrinement in his second year on the ballot rewarded a player many analysts feel was underrated. The NBA's No. 9 all-time scorer, he was known as "The Human Highlight Film" for his dunking, but said his above-the-rim scoring was only a part of his game. "I actually got that nickname at a Five Star camp in 11th grade," Wilkins said. "I didn't know if I liked it at first, thought it was kind of joke but it kind of grew on me. I scored a lot of different ways, though, not just dunking." Typically, Barkley had something to say about Wilkins, whose omission from the NBA's 50-year team - and from the Hall of Fame in last year's voting - produced loud objections from Sir Charles. "He didn't make it last year, but made it this year," Barkley said. "I told him, you must have had a helluva year last year. But he's never gotten the respect or credit he deserved. "I'm tired of hearing about the Human Highlight Film," Wilkins said, smiling. "I'm just human now. The highlights have been gone for years." Until Enshrinement Day, perhaps. Chip Michaels is a freelance journalist specializing in sports reporting.
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