By LARRY VAUGHT

There’s no better college basketball writer than Dick “Hoops” Weiss of the New York Daily Times.

He knows all the top coaches well, but he’s not afraid to point out flaw in their teams or personalities if he sees them. He also knows how to evaluate talent and has an uncanny feel for how players and teams will progress during the season.

Weiss was a regular at Kentucky games when his long-time friend, Rick Pitino, was coaching the Cats. But he kept coming back for Tubby Smith and even a couple of games during the Billy Gillispie era. Now that John Calipari has the Cats relevant again, he’s been to see the Cats play several times this year and will be back at least once more this season.

Here’s what he wrote after watching DeMarcus Cousins against Vanderbilt last week:

“Cousins, 6-11 and 270 pounds, was impressive as he taught a lesson to the Vanderbilt players who were trash talking before the game to pump up their seven-foot Australian center, A.J. Ogilvy, and tear down Cousins.

“Cousins scored 13 points in just eight minutes in the first half to set the tone as the Wildcats raced to a 49-34 lead. Ogilvy did not score a field goal in the first half and did not crack the stat column until he made a pair of free throws with 3:42 to go.

“Kentucky had five players score in double figures and outrebounded Vanderbilt (16-4, 5-1) 41-24, holding the Commodores, who had won 11 straight games, to just three offensive boards. Cousins was unstoppable in the paint, getting to the line 13 times.

“Cousins has the potential to be a younger version of Shaquille O’Neal, when — and if — he grows up. Right now, he still makes typical freshman mistakes, testing Calipari’s patience on a regular basis.”

That’s strong praise indeed to be compared to maybe a younger version of Shaq — but remember Weiss has the nickname “Hoops” because he knows basketball.

He also got to spend one-on-one time with John Wall during his visit and told me how impressed he was with Wall’s demeanor and personality. Like many of us, he wasn’t sure what to expect from Wall and left his interview impressed.

Here’s part of what he wrote about Wall:

“He could be the Nets’ savior if they win the draft lottery on May 18. He has the combination of talent, street credibility with a humble personality to create a one-man marketing campaign.

“The charismatic 6-4 Wall is the most exciting player to hit college basketball since point guard Derrick Rose hit Memphis two years ago. Like Wall, Rose is another Calipari protégé. Rose, who was selected by his hometown Chicago Bulls with the first pick in the 2008 NBA draft, just made the All-Star team in only his second year in the league.

“The 19-year-old Wall, who is a blur with the ball and has a 43-inch vertical leap, has already appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He has a cult following, much like Rex Chapman did in the Blue Grass in the late ’80s. At Kentucky, they are selling Blue T-shirts with No. 11 inside the Superman logo and words ‘Blue Hero’  on the front.”

However, as much as Weiss likes both players, he does have one major concern about UK’s national championship hopes.

“John (Calipari) has never had a team this young. How will these young guys hold up under NCAA Tournament pressure? There’s no way to know and I don’t know how John will handle not knowing, either,” Weiss said.

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