Holding court like the seasoned pro he is, Dick Vitale shook the rafters at UB's Alumni Arena on Monday night, shooting from the hip with his characteristic-and often times self-deprecating-one-liners.

"Anytime you get fired in the NBA, you're excited to be invited anywhere," said Vitale, referring to his brief stint as coach of the Detroit Pistons from 1978-79.

The boisterous Vitale-clearly not in need of a microphone-took a time-out from talk of basketball, revealing his softer side as he shared some of the "important essentials to try to make it in life."

"Have a passion and love for what you're doing," he said, "and a great work ethic."

A virtual one-man pep rally warming up the crowd for the UB Bulls-Duquesne Dukes game following the Distinguished Speakers Series portion of the bill, Vitale said his life was blessed from the beginning.

"I thank God for giving me the greatest mother and father a person could ever have," he said.

"I came from a very loving home," said an impassioned Vitale, crediting his supportive and hard-working parents with making possible his career rise from a sixth-grade teacher in East Rutherford, N.J., to a household name in sports personalities.

Some 30 years removed from his days as a school teacher, Vitale still recalls with teeming nostalgia how he would write letters to famous basketball coaches, asking them: "What makes you so special?"

His said his belief that "if you think you're special, you'll be special"-wisdom he said he always imparted to his two daughters and in his travels on the road-helped him map out "a journey that's exceeded any dream I've ever had."

Vitale, whose lyrical rantings and predictions can be found at http://www.espn.go.com/dickvitale, said he's enthralled with his new playground.

"I'm like a little kid with a new toy," he said in a press conference at the Marriott hotel in Amherst preceding his talk at UB. "This Web site-it's unbelievable the information you can get on it."

Commanding and entertaining, the volume-friendly Vitale recounted to reporters his most memorable stint at the Riley Center at St. Bonaventure University in Olean while b-ball coach for the University of Detroit during the mid-70s.

With only seconds left to play, he said, and the legendary Pete Pavia officiating, Vitale was markedly hot under the collar after his guys missed the free throw.

"I remember standing up in front of the bench," he said, recalling how the other team snatched away the ball on rebound and drove it down court to make the shot. Only it was after the buzzer.

With no time to lose, Vitale marched his team into the locker room, then started "screaming at Pavia."

There was "no doubt," he said, the ball cut through the hoop after the buzzer.

The highlight was seeing Pavia's arms outstretched, ruling a "no-goal," Vitale said, the decibels rising as he narrated only one of countless precious moments in his career.

"It's been a journey, man," he said, sounding more like a teen-ager than a grown man. Which is fine for Vitale, for whom the wild ride is like a youth elixir.

"That's why I act 12 instead of 61," he quipped.

Pondering the UB Bulls recent step up to the Mid-American conference level-what he said is one of the most underrated conferences in the country-Vitale offered his, this time, solicited advice.

The "first step," he said, "is to achieve."

"(UB) is in a quality basketball conference," he said. "There are no easy spots in that league.

"What Buffalo has to do is find a way," he said, interrupting himself to interject-"Basketball is unique in that you don't need 14 or 15 hot players," he said, resuming. UB, he said, needs to "get 2 or 3 quality players (and) build off that."

Of course, he said, turning comical once again-it's not easy when, like his days at the University of Detroit, you're working within limited means.

"Michigan's phone budget was bigger than my coaching budget," he cracked.

"Basketball in New York State is pretty good," he said, and "Syracuse (University) is not going to get them all."

The author of six books-more than he's ever read, Vitale joked-and with 22 years of commentating under his belt at ESPN, and another 10 at ABC, he's living proof that life is about conscious decisions.

"It's up to you to enjoy," said Vitale, who noted that his career exploits have seemed more like "stealing money" than work.

Ending on much the same bounce with which he began, a flushed, visibly sweating Vitale-perhaps reminiscent of his coaching days strutting up and down the foul line-said, "If it can happen to me-ugly, no talent and violates every rule in television-it can happen to you."