Yuba College's Mike McChristian is one of five players who have garnered Division I interest. (David Bitton/Appeal-Democrat)

As I write this, the first game of the NCAA tournament – you know, the one on Tru TV, a station you’ve never watched unless you’re a grandmother in Florida – is playing on the office television in the background.

One of the teams on the tube is Arkansas Little Rock. The 16th-seeded Trojans don’t carry any cache with Mid-Valley sports fans, though that may change next season. The tournament-reaching team has expressed interest in two standouts from Yuba College.

Mike McChristian, a do-everything, scrap-o-matic guard and potential-filled center Shola Diop are being pursued by the program, 49ers coach Doug Cornelius said. And they’re not the only players getting Division I looks. Guard Julian Welch committing to Minnesota will be the marquee signing of the 2010-2011 season, but others have ample opportunities.

On Monday, Cornelius was pacing the Yuba gym floor while fielding phone calls about his players. I had him break down the list of possible suitors by player, which is listed below.

Shola Diop, center, 6-10: Arkansas Little Rock and Fresno State.

– For Diop, a sophomore who came to Yuba via Sydney, Cornelius’ goal is to get him to a program that will red shirt him for a season. This will allow Diop to further develop the skills he needs to thrive. Both these programs have seen the upside in having him sit for a year, Cornelius said.

Mike McChristian, guard, 6-3: Arkansas Little Rock, Tulane

– A player with guard quickness and small forward grunt, McChristian was a team-first type during his two seasons with Yuba. Cornelius has no doubt he’ll be a D-I player next year. BYU has also expressed some preliminary interest.

Spencer Butterfield, guard, 6-3: Montana, TCU, Utah State,

– What remains to be seen with Butterfield is how coaches will react to his faith coming first. Butterfield will be going on a Mormon mission in the next couple years, Cornelius said, and it could affect who wants to offer him a scholarship. Still, the coach is confident there are teams out there that will wait to have his game-breaking ability readily available.

Julian Scott, 6-7, forward: Southern Utah, Prairie View A&M

– Southern Utah is the biggest name that has eyes on Scott, though there are a few other smaller programs like Prairie View that have expressed interest. But if Division I doesn’t work out, there are “about 30″ D-II programs that would happily reserve roster space for Scott.

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