I think Andy Katz is great actually. It's unbelievable to see the kind of sources the guy has. I don't think any writer in America gets down to the nitty gritty of college basketball (from a real hard-core's perspective, not your typical simplistic media fluff) the way he does. Yes he seems to kiss a bit of ass here and there, but realistically I don't see any other way he'd be able to get the access he does without doing that. Don't think he pushes it too much either, and as long as you know to take certain things with a grain of salt, I don't think its a huge issue either. You can't argue with the fact that he's a great writer, a super hard worker, and extremely prolific. I don't always agree with everything he says, but you have to respect what he does there on his blog and in the occasional article.
Other writers I enjoy...
Mike DeCourcy. Gets lost sometimes over on the Sporting News, but he's a great writer, a very well respected guy in the industry and really loves his hoops.
Frank Burlison. Different style of writing, but I really respect his opinion on players. Another guy who travels his ass off and is a well respected guy in his specific niche.
Gary Parrish. Very good writer, I've liked him since his days at the Commercial Appeal. Also really prolific and has a good sense for knowing when to push certain buttons right as a topic gets hot. I like him a lot more than Doyel, who always came off to me as a huge prick and very clearly "borrowed" a lot of his stuff from various sources on the net.
Luke Winn- Kinda hit or miss now that he's got that blog, but I've read some very good stuff from him from time to time.
Dan Wetzel- I don't see enough from him these days I feel, but this guy has the juice without a doubt, and he's not afraid to use it. He seems to know college basketball inside out.
Last one...Kyle Whelliston...from Midmajority.com. Also writes for ESPN Insider.
