The sports world has been full of nobodys lately, especially in college basketball. And those nobodys have been producing boatloads of news.

As you may expect, I’ve been keeping pretty close tabs on the coaching changes around the nation. It’s part of my job, but I’m also interested in where former ISU top dog Tim Floyd will land, if he ever does, and the latest rumor about Iowa State’s Big 12 nemesis, Kansas coach Roy Williams.

Floyd was said to be a possibility for Clemson and Penn State, but he has most recently been considered a candidate for the job at Georgia. However, recent reports have him finishing as runner-up to Western Kentucky’s Dennis Felton.

Don’t ask me why. It’s beyond my imagination why someone would make that decision, except for the fact that their first choice was Mr. “Follow Every Rule” Jim Harrick.

Williams, while being quizzed by a CBS reporter minutes after losing the national championship game, said he “didn’t give a shit about the North Carolina job” right then.

But the nobodys are saying otherwise.

The nobodys have him trading in the darker shade of blue for one akin to the Tar Heels’. They started the rumor and are now fueling the fire.

The nobodys I refer to are just that — nobody. At least that’s what they are to me. Every story that says “according to sources” leaves me with an empty feeling. In virtually every story regarding coaching changes this off-season, those words have been used.

ESPN reporter Andy Katz has done just a little better, writing in most of his stories that the source is within the school’s basketball family or very close to the situation.

Mr. Katz, don’t tease me by giving me little hints. That’s brutal. Sure, I probably won’t know whoever it is told you the information, but as a reader, I still want a name.

And to those who are behind the information, you should have the guts not to be Mr. or Ms. Anonymous. There is a word for people who aren’t willing to put their name behind their words — coward.

After a brainstorming session with Rick Kerr, another Daily sports writer, we’ve decided these nobodys are unlimited, but there are a few strong possibilities. Boosters, who really have no need to keep their names secret, could be leaking the information. The university they support needs them a hell of a lot more than they need the university.

Then there are those devious little secretaries. They hear more than you might expect, and if they’re anything like some people I know, they have to tell someone about the juicy secret they’re trying to keep.

No offense, by the way. I’m guilty of it too.

I suppose the secretaries might not want to reveal their identity for fear that one of the head honchos will fire them, but lots of us could use another secretary to keep our crap together. Several students could probably benefit from one.

So if it isn’t a booster, and it isn’t a secretary, who could it be? Just another family member, I guess, right down to little cousin Charlie who visits on the weekends.

Without a name, the information means next to nothing to me. Oh, I’ll still eat it up, just like everyone else, but I’m not happy about it.

In fact, I think I’ll call Mr. Katz himself and say, “Hey, I’m within ‘the family’ and I’m saying Williams to Carolina, Floyd to Kansas and Jerry Krause to the fishing boat.”

This just in! Floyd to Kansas … according to sources.

Ugh.

One of the reasons all of the truth isn’t in the open forum is due to coaches who want the discussions kept on low profile. If the coach for ABC University is interviewing with XYZ University, he would want it kept secret because a leak saying he is being considered for another job could affect his recruiting at the first school. And if he doesn’t get the job, I’m sure he doesn’t desire the embarrassment a failed attempt would bring.

Granted, our information would be diminished to nil if it weren’t for the nobodys — those who choose to talk without granting the media permission to put their name with their words. Would we really learn anything before-the-fact on sticky issues like coaching changes? Probably not.

That would truly suck, because I’ll admit, I take a glance at National Enquirer when I’m in line at Hy-Vee. Star Magazine isn’t half bad either.

But we all know that’s not real news.

With the stories regarding coaching changes, it’s not as clear who is right and who is wrong. And if it’s coming from those secretaries, who knows if it’s even true.

Just kidding.