... Madec has an aging Honda that as I mentioned in the column, was stolen while he was at the Fresno State vs. Nevada game at the Save Mart Center. They found it at the corner of Palm & Alluvial, apparently the new drop-off spot for stolen cars when you are done stripping them and joy-riding. When Madec lived in Weed, Calif., he used to leave the keys in the ignition and his wallet on the seat, but now he lives in the big-city of Fresno, so he is learning to lock up. (Weed, I'm told, has a population of 20,000, 17,000 of which are trees.)

This weekend one of his buddies came into town from Las Vegas to watch Saturday's game and while Madec was holding the morning walk-through with his team, the friend did him a favor and took the car to get it washed. While the car was half-way through the contraption, somewhere around the rinse cycle, the carwash broke down and so it was stuck in there for two hours. Same car. The thing is jinxed. He should leave the keys in it and hope someone keeps it this time. So the friend -- David Dineen, if you must know his name -- was explaining what happened at the carwash and all Madec (the classic overanalyzer) could say was, "Did you get the deluxe wash, with the detailing? Did they really clean out the inside good? Did they use Armor All?" And Dineen just looks at him and goes, "It's clean, Ed. Don't worry about it."

... While he was at the College of the Siskiyous in Weed, Madec took his players on a field-trip to the beach one day because half of them had never seen the ocean. he was running around with his shirt off. A man came up and asked him how he stayed in such great shape. Madec started explaining his diet and workout ruitine, then suddenly stopped and said, how old do you think I am? The guy said 50-ish. Madec was, of course, in his early 30s.

... Madec's wife, Maija, was a great basketball player at Chico State. She was at the top of her class in engineering and also played trombone in an orchestra. A dollar to anyone who can find a basketball-starring, honors-engineering, trombone-playing student anywhere in the world.

... While coaching at Siskiyous, Madec lived in a secluded house in the mountains that he bought and completely renovated. Then, he sold it and bought another house in the woods. He still has that one.

... In practices earlier this season, Madec taped the rims at Fresno City so the ball couldn't go in, and his team would play games where the scoring went like this: one point for a defensive rebound; two points for an offensive rebound, two points for taking a charge. There was some other way to score, I forget what it was, but it did not involve making a shot. That, I know. Not a bad way to teach rebounding. Not a bad idea when you have a team of guards.

... Madec on his passion for, well, everything: "I'm always learning. It's fun to learn."

... Madec on his team's record: "They aren't very good, but they don't know it ... They get up for big games. They don't have that much talent, but they really think they're going to win. And then they do. I've never seen anything like it."

... Madec on who would win a basketball game between he and his wife: "I'm just a poser. She's the player."

... Madec's assistant, Tony Amundsen, on what it's like to guard Madec on the basketball court, where he is always shirtless, hairy and sweaty: "Nobody wants to cover him. You just get slimed."