Roundball chatter

Each week, I'll write about the sport I love: college basketball.

Grand Canyon gave coach "Thunder" Dan Majerle a four-year contract extension. Nebraska coach Tim Miles got a contract extension through the 2019-20 season. Northwestern coach Chris Collins also got a contract extension, though no terms were disclosed.

Congratulations to Kansas coach Bill Self, who is one of three recipients of the 2015 Mannie Jackson -- Basketball's Human Spirit Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced. Self, along with former Reebok CEO Paul Fireman and 14-year NBA veteran Steve Smith, will be recognized on Thursday, September 10, at the Reunion Dinner on the Hall of Fame's Center Court during Enshrinement Weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The APR rules have left schools out of consideration for the Big Dance in recent years, most notably UConn in 2013. For the upcoming campaign, just four schools failed to make it to the minimum APR multiyear bar of 930 points and will be ineligible for postseason play in 2015-16: Alcorn State, Central Arkansas, Florida A&M and Stetson are out of the postseason picture.

Gonzaga landed another big-name transfer. Former Missouri forward Johnathan Williams will have to sit out the upcoming season, but he will be a factor in the future.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl added a presence inside when former Providence forward Tyler Harris opted for the SEC school as a graduate transfer. The 6-foot-9 Harris averaged almost 10 points per game for the Friars last season.

I was sorry to learn of the death of Walter Byers. He was the first executive director of the NCAA and had a major impact on college basketball.

More sad news came down with the passing of former Clemson, Miami, Charlotte and Virginia Tech coach Bill Foster. May he rest in peace.