MORE ON SCHEDULING

In the first part of the scheduling column I addressed some of the difficulties of scheduling we face at Holy Cross. Today I'll address why we have reluctantly decided to play some "buy games" and why trying to schedule games in order to raise your RPI at a school in our league is not a wise or fruitful strategy for scheduling.

In simple terms we have decided to schedule buy games (games in which you travel to a major conference opponent-receive a guarantee (30-60 thousand) to play the game with the understanding that there will be no return game) in order to help alleviate general budget strains within the athletic dept. Since 9-11 and the resulting recession all athletic departments have felt the economic strain. At Holy Cross we have 28 Varsity Sports and us playing a couple of guarantee games brings in significant revenue for the dept.. The downside of playing these games is the loss of a potential home game and of course playing on the road with officials you generally will never see again ,who are being rated by the other coach and not you. Winning this type of game is not impossible but you have little going in your favor and have to play exceptionally well. this year we are playing three of these games and will probably be playing at least two for the foreseeable future.

Everyone ,fans and media, are constantly talking about RPI. This is a purposely flawed system that favors the schools in the major conferences because the primary factors are your winning % and the winning % of your opponents. Since most of the major conference schools play 16 or 17 of their games at home these conferences will have high RPI's going into league play. Therefore when they lose to each other they are not penalized. In a league like ours where we are playing the majority of our non-league games on the road, our league has a losing record going into conference play and therefore any loss in league play results in that loss being a bad loss.

Two years ago we won 26 regular season games. 15 away from the Hart Center. That was more road and neutral site wins than any other team in the country, but since away wins are given no more weight than home wins (in order to favor the majors) we wound up with a 61 RPI, the best ever for a Patriot League team . Even so we were moved down to a 14 seed. I can tell you that we will never have a significantly better season than the one 2 years ago, so a 14 seed is an aberration for our conference and 15-16, or play in look to be the norm. The only way this will change is for our conference's non league winning percentage to increase dramatically, something that will be next to impossible with the geography of our league and the number of road games that will continue to be played. There will never be an at large bid for our league so no matter what your RPI is the main consideration as a coach is to schedule in a way that will get your team playing with the most confidence in the first week in March.

So in scheduling, the primary factors I will be considering will be home and home series, with opponents our student body is familiar with. After everything is said and done the program exists primarily as a means for the current student body and the alumni to rally around their school and share in a public way their pride in each other and their school. Unfortunately ,the past few years , our students have only seen the team play once or twice at home before the semester break and this is something I'm really trying to change. Our RPI is fairly pre-determined in a range determined by our league, and to try to schedule to change it in a dramatic way is both not feasible and not in the best interests of the program as it relates to our students and alumni.

One final note... Supposedly there will be more weight attached to road wins this year but no one is saying how much more. My guess is it will be marginal.


THE ART OF SCHEDULING

I have received numerous questions concerning scheduling and the factors that effect it that are particular to our situation here at Holy Cross.

First let me state that when I first came back as Head Coach the schedule was pretty well set with us having schedule consisting of a lot of the New England schools. I considered this a plus because we had a history with many of the schools and because travel was minimized and our fans could travel to away games.

The trouble started as we became a good program with a unique defensive style of play. Hartford, Yale, New Hampshire, Vermont, Northeastern, UMass. Providence decided to end the series with Holy Cross. This coupled with the fact that we have to schedule 13 non-conference games where most conferences have only 11 or less to schedule and our exams went from a Friday to Friday schedule to now a Friday to Saturday schedule has made it really difficult to find opponents that...

A) Want to play us
B) Can find a common date to play us.

The past couple of years we have gone into August and last year September without having a finalized schedule.

This year was a little bit easier as our record last year has brought Vermont, Northeastern back on the schedule. We will always have trouble filling out our non-conference schedule with the two weekend exam schedule and the 13 games we have to fill out of conference. hopefully we will be able to play UMass and Providence again which would make things easier.

Next column I'll cover why we are playing "buy" games and the myth of scheduling for RPI's sake.


FAN BEHAVIOR AND COLLEGE ATHLETICS

The recent Piston -Pacer debacle in Detroit raises some serious questions about athlete and fan behavior. Obviously there is enough blame to go around to cover the players and fans involved in the incident. To me the real question is whether this type of unseemly behavior and the culture that accepts it will seep down to college athletics. In one instance (Clemson-SC football) it already has to the players.

As coaches and fans of college basketball we must do everything we can to denounce this type of behavior and be proactive stopping it from in any way tainting a great game. So much of the appeal of college basketball is the students and college community coming together to celebrate their commonality in a fun and spirited way.

Fans and their enthusiasm are the reason home teams win over 80% of the time. They do influence the outcome of games, and therefore are a part of the sport and a part of the game. And as long as enthusiasm and class are part of the pageantry of college basketball it will continue to be a so much better event to attend than the pro game. That's why we must all do our part to never remotely accept a culture in the college game that could produce a disgrace like last week.

The fact that I have the privilege to coach at an institution that values all the good things about college competition makes me more diligent in trying to make sure that what we do on the court and in the stands reflects proudly on the institution and the body of people it represents. Having a great home court atmosphere and the advantage it gives your program is extremely important- as long as the distinguishing characteristic of the atmosphere includes respect for your opponent and class in your actions.


WHY THE NCAA TOURNAMENT SHOULD BE EXPANDED

Jim Larranaga and I had a long discussion prior to our game last week about why March Madness needs to be expanded. Everyone knows about George Mason's run to the Final four last year and everyone celebrates how good it was for college basketball. Yet most ignore the fact that with the current number of teams allowed in each year, it almost never happened. Despite having a special year they were one of the last teams invited. Other teams who had special years, like Hofstra, Missouri State, Michigan, Creighton, Western Kentucky, South Carolina, Northern Arizona, Florida St, Farleigh Dickenson, Old Dominion, Butler, and others, never had their chance.

There are too many good teams now for the field to stay at 64. That was fine 20 years ago when everyone had 15 scholarships and before the rise of summer basketball. Now there are too many good players distributed throughout college basketball, and also some of the non BCS leagues have made major investments in facilities and programs. The Missouri Valley plays very competitive basketball from top to bottom and has made huge improvements in its facilities and marketing, yet its teams still compete with the mid major tag in front of them. Any loss to a bottom member of that league during conference play is a "Selection Sunday " killer , despite everyone knowing how hard it is to win on the road in college basketball. The BCS leagues have all expanded and now have good teams each year that have no chance of going to the tournament because there are only 32 at large bids given out under the current format.

Every year there are good teams left out who have had special years. Special years are very difficult to repeat on the mid major level. Just about all mid major programs (with the exception of the top programs in the MVC), rebuild and don't reload. Every year you hear fans say that so and so is the next Gonzaga (even though Gonzaga has transformed itself into a major, through facilities and commitment). Yet every year, mid major programs that have special years, almost always drop down , if not the next year ,then almost certainly after two. The reasons are simple. Seniors and recruiting. Almost all the special mid major teams are led by seniors on their roster . It near impossible to recruit to replace those special players while they are in the program, because mid major programs "get steals" in recruiting only if there is immediate playing time available. Thus Hofstra for example, is good again this year but not special like last year ,because of the front line seniors it lost.

BCS schools have the opportunity and the yoke of playing teams with good RPI'S throughout the season. This is because almost all the teams in those conferences play 17 or 18 home games. The competition from top to bottom is better in those leagues, and that's a fact. However they always get the opportunity to make up for a "bad" loss, while mid majors rarely if ever, get that opportunity. They regularly get teams at home with high RPI's. Mid major teams almost never get that opportunity. Playing in a conference tournament is a means of getting more teams into the NCAA's for the BCS conferences. Conference tournaments are pressure cookers for mid major teams that have had special years, because almost always, if you stumble, you are out (two years ago Davidson went 16-0 in conference play lost in the tournament and was left out).

The bottom line is that expanding the tournament would help eliminate the two currently unfair situations that exist in selecting teams for the NCAA. The BCS schools that get left out because of the size of their leagues, and the mid majors who have had special years but may have had a stumble or two during the season, or in their conference tournaments. The inequity of non conference play will never be addressed, because of the money generated at a lot of BCS schools by non conference home games. Having a 96 team tournament would give selection committee a better means of making the process more objective. Give more teams each year the opportunity to prove they belonged in by letting them actually play. Parity in college basketball is greater than ever, and it will probably increase in the future. The tournament should be expanded to reflect that. Interest and excitement would grow ,and more senior student athletes whose teams have achieved during the year, will get the wonderful experience of playing in the NCAA.


KING OF GOLF

In the month and a half I was recovering from my radical prostatectomy operation this summer, I received phone calls of encouragement and support daily from Rick Pitino. Somehow as he has done for the past 25 years, he would find a way to make me laugh, and find a way to "bust my shoes" (paraphrased). There is no doubt that his calls helped me immensely in the healing process, as laughter as we all know, is the best medicine. Part of his "shoes busting" was telling me how he couldn't wait for me to get better so he could kick my butt (also paraphrased) on the golf course, and how he didn't want to hear any excuses about my operation. Every day he would tell me how well he was playing and how us playing would be no contest. He told me how a pro on the West Coast , who had given him a lesson, told him he had a swing like Sergio Garcia's. Now anyone who has seen Rick swing a golf club would understand that anyone who compared his swing to Sergio Garcia's would have to be wearing dark sunglasses and using a cane, or bending over to kiss his behind. I'm sure the pro really said Sergio Mendez (of Brazil '66 fame) not Sergio Garcia.

Finally at the end of August I was well enough to play and we set up two golf trips. We decided that we would get a Burger King crown and that the winner would be King and the loser would have to pay homage and crown him as such. Well the picture tells the story. No matter how well or poorly I played the result was consistently the same. Victory for RW, defeat for RP. It got so bad that I tried to get Mills Lane's (the famous fight referee) telephone number so that he could stop the fight. Final score was RW 7-RP-1. By the way don't let Rick's smile in the picture fool you. In another shot we took he was crowning me with one hand and grinding his fingers in my back with the other, and if the results had been reversed, I'm sure i would have been doing the same. It was at this moment that I knew the healing was done and that "It's Good to Be the King."


3:00 AM MUSINGS

During the season I don't sleep well and it's not unusual for me to wake up between 2am and 3am on an almost nightly basis. I almost always wake up because something basketball or team related pops into my sleeping subconscious. After I'm up I have trouble going back to sleep so I usually turn on the bedroom TV and either channel surf or watch a game tape. I also keep a note pad and pen on the bedside night table in case something profound is in my mind (extremely rare) when I first awake.

This week I have hardly slept at all so I thought I'd jot down some of the profound thoughts I have at 3am in the morning. Here we go.

This years seniors and the team in general have really overachieved and in life that's what you want to do on a consistent basis. They should be really proud.

It's Really hard to win 16 games in a row. You have to overcome injury, sickness, travel, fatigue, and everyone trying to end your streak.

You can buy just about anything for $19.95 on TV at 3am in the morning, and I have succumbed to late night infomercial addiction.

Which brings me to the question "why do things look sooo.. cool at 3am and so bad one week later at 4pm when they arrive in the mail ?"

John Hurley has gotten more out of his God-given ability than just about any player I have coached.

If I owned a business I would want Mike Smiley to be my CEO. He really understands that it's about everyone not individuals.

I think that I might be a little stressed and worn down right now. I have a fever sore on my lower lip the size of Lake Erie (my wife's description), and a series of acne blemishes that make me look like I'm about to go to my Junior prom (also my wife's description).

This team , like most I have coached at Holy Cross is really fun to be around. Great senses of humor, and about 3 or4 nudges (KHam being the biggest) that love to get things started. It's a group that you know when you leave the room the laughs are coming at your expense.

John McLain (Coach McClain to our guys) is in his eighties and really amazes me. He attends every practice , goes to every home and away game, no matter what the weather, and all from Springfield Mass. He also takes copious notes in all our meetings. I wonder if he is going to write a book or just blackmail me. Either way he is the most loyal and dedicated Crusader hoop fan on the planet.

I hope Dan Brault becomes a coach like his Dad. He rarely gets a chance to scrimmage in our live segments but has never been late, is always explaining things to our young guys and has earned the respect of everyone on our team. And he has improved his skills, during our drill segments.

Watching all the hoops on TV this time of year makes me realize that in about a month the only thing on ESPN after 11pm will be Magnus Magnusan and the World's strongest man contests. Not quite the same as the atmosphere of college basketball.

"Cold Pizza" called and asked our SID if I would go on the show Thursday morning. I watch the show quite often and find it to be interesting so I thought about it. I decided to decline after realizing that right after Bucknell went on they took a short ride on the Grand Funk Railroad. I'm not superstitious, but I don't want to board that train at this point in the season. In addition , being from Metropolitan N.Y., I love great pizza and would feel better about going on the show if it was called "Hot Wheel" or "Well Done Pie". By the way if you are on L.I. around Belmont Race Track you can get an unbelievable pie at King Umberto's on Jericho Tpke. in Floral Park. It's so good that every time I go there I burn the skin off the roof of my mouth because I can't wait long enough for it to cool down.

The team's coming over the house Thursday for dinner in a kind final get together before the game. Maybe we can finish our scattergories "rubber match".

Hope the snow holds off and we can pack the Hart.We need to show future recruits a great atmosphere.