THE THIN
RED LINE
By Bruiser Flint
There is such a fine line between winning and losing. And
there is a thin red line that divides many teams into two
groups, one that gets invited to the postseason and one
that doesn’t crack the .500 mark.
Ultimately, being a part of March Madness or just being
plain mad comes down to a handful of possessions.
College basketball is not all that different from the
National Football League, in regards to the talent level.
Every team has talented players. Of course there are
always one or two teams that may have a little more talent
then the rest of the conference, but more often than not
there is not a tremendous difference in the level of
talent.
Take a look at the NFL’s San Diego Chargers. Last season
they finished with the worst record in football. Sports
Illustrated ranked them dead last in the entire NFL,
heading into this season. Now the Chargers are headed to
the playoffs. So how could a team go from being so bad to
being so good in one year?
San Diego head coach Brad Holland, who is a longtime fan,
will tell you that last year’s team was very competitive.
They played well through the first three quarters, but
failed to execute in the fourth quarter.
Of course it helps that Antonio Gates has emerged as a
premier tight end and the defense has had more success
with the 3-4 scheme, but the biggest difference has been
their play in the final quarter.
If you follow the NFL very closely you will know that
there isn’t much difference between the 2004 San Diego
Chargers and the 2004 Cleveland Browns. Both have talent,
but one team has played a much better brand of football in
the fourth quarter.
There are other factors involved, but if you ask Brad
Holland he will tell you that a play here or a play there
and the Chargers might have been eliminated from the
playoff hunt weeks ago. Instead, they are AFC West
Champions.
That same thing exists in the world of College Basketball.
Whether you are playing your basketball in the ACC or the
CAA the fact of the matter is that it’s just a handful of
possessions that ultimately determines whether you win 20
games or fail to win 15. At every level it’s a thin line,
but at the mid-major level it’s walking on thin ice.
Unlike the power conferences, which get multiple teams
into postseason, mid-major conference only get two or
three -- if they are lucky -- into the NCAA and NIT. To
say that margin of error is even less at the mid-major
level is an understatement. That handful of possessions
determine a coach’s longevity.
If you look around the country you are sure to find a
number of teams that are doing much better than they have
in recent history. Now ask the coach what the biggest
difference is?
The answers may vary slightly, but the message will be the
same -- “We are making plays in crunch time.”
In most cases the personnel hasn’t changed dramatically
from a season ago, but what has changed is how that
personnel is performing when it matters most.
Recently, Rutgers head coach Gary Waters wrote -- on his
website -- about how a team has to learn how to win. At
first glance a lot of people might think that is just
nonsense, but it’s so true.
Virginia Tech’s Seth Greenberg addressed the same issue on
his website. He wrote that he and his staff are trying to
educate their players on what it takes to win.
And Rider coach Donny Harnum just wrote -- on his website
-- about how his team is 4-4, but could easily be 6-2, had
they made plays down the stretch.
It’s not a coincidence that three coaches are addressing
the same topic. It’s a fact of life in the world of
College Basketball. Gary, Seth and Donny will all tell you
that talent alone will win you a game, but knowing “how to
win” will produce wins on a more frequent basis.
And Arizona head coach Lute Olson took it a step further,
when he touched on the subject on his website. As he
pointed out, the talking heads point to the play in the
final moments, but in a one or two-possession game it’s
often a missed opportunity in the first half that decides
the outcome.
Fans constantly hear all of us say, “We need to play hard
and play smart for forty minutes.” And you often hear,
“One possession at a time.” That’s not simply coach-speak.
It’s gospel.
Throughout the course of any season you are going to have
games that are simply total disasters. Some nights you
can’t hit the broad side of a barn and some nights the
effort, for a variety of reasons, just isn’t there. That’s
a fact that every coach in America understands all too
well.
Likewise, you will have nights when the opposition runs
into the same problems and you win going away. Let’s
assume that you play in about eight of these games a year.
Now you are 4-4 with about 20 closely contested games
left. Splitting these games will leave you short of 15
wins, which will not get you into the postseason. You
can’t afford to be .500. You have to win 14 or 15 of these
contests. If you do, you’ll find your team hovering near
the 20-win plateau with a shot at postseason.
One shot here, one defensive stop there. That’s the
difference. It might seem like a big thing, but any coach
will tell you that it truly is a thin red line.
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DON'T BE A
JERSEY
By Bruiser Flint
Over the past few years I developed a reputation of being
a coach that likes to have fun with his coach columns.
I have talked about my teams, but I have spent more time
ragging on my fellow coaches and having a lot of fun with
the Runway to the Fashionable Four.
The tongue and cheek approach will continue in the future,
but this week I wanted to touch on a message that I have
always preached to my players.
I have routinely told them -- Don't be a jersey.
This is something that goes back to my days as an
assistant under John Calipari.
When you set foot in college athletic arena, you are
exposed to a lot of things. For players, coaches and
administrators it is important to always be aware of that.
But it is most important for players.
For many college basketball players, when college is over
so is their hoop career, but that does not mean that their
lives are over, by any stretch. Life on the basketball
court becomes a big part of their self-esteem and that
void can be difficult to fill when the ball stops
bouncing.
I have always preached to kids that they should find
interest in other things --- Do not let basketball consume
you. There are so many other riches to enjoy.
The college experience is something to cherish, but it is
also something you want to get the most out of.
That means taking advantage of every opportunity afforded
to you. Use the game of basketball as a vehicle to go
where you want to go.
Act accordingly. Present yourself well. Meet people. Make
contacts and build relationships.
And your appearance is very important.
Use basketball as your car and academics as your gas --
Don't just be another jersey.
The ball will stop bouncing one day, but if you have taken
full advantage of those things that you were exposed to,
your life after basketball will be very rewarding.
Don't be a jersey.
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EVERYBODY'S
MENTOR
By Bruiser Flint
Most of the time I submit a column to College Insider it's
of the tongue-and-cheek variety. From fashion to having
fun with Coach Dave Magarity, I have had a lot of fun
keeping my columns on the lighter side of the court.
However, Coach Lute Olson's recent induction into the
Basketball Hall of Fame sparked a question. Why is that
Coach Olson is always paying homage to others through his
columns, but nobody ever salutes him?
Lute has written about guys like Al McGuire and Ralph
Miller and he expressed the sentiments of all of us with
his column in the aftermath of September 11th.
Every feature he has ever written for College Insider has
been just like the man himself -- first class!
Like so many in this business, I have always admired him
from afar. His teams have always been fun to watch. They
play at a fast pace, but they play with so much
discipline.
I don't think fans can appreciate just how difficult that
is to do.
In today's game, players are so conscience of their own
game and often express their thoughts to the coach --
"coach you're messing with my game."
That is an all-too-familiar phrase to coaches.
Coach Olson has always found a perfect balance, bringing
out the talents of the individual for the better of the
team.
Ever since he arrived in Tucson, AZ he has had terrific
guards and he has always gotten them to play in his
system, while not taking away from their abilities.
Back when he was at Iowa, it was the same situation but it
was talented big men that he was able to cultivate into
his system.
Trust me, that is not an easy thing to do.
What coach Olson has done one the floor speaks for itself,
but it's away from gym where he really shines.
Everyone has heard the expression, "in life, not everyone
is going to like you." Well, I don't think that applies to
Lute.
He personifies class and dignity. The guy is about as good
as it gets as a human being.
From time to time I will hear one of my piers make a
derogatory remark about another coach and that's just the
way it is. But I have never heard anyone say anything but
the best about Coach Olson.
Should you ever hear someone say something less than
pleasant about Lute, consider the source and give strong
consideration to telling them to shut the hell up!
Better yet, you may want to opt for a different term than
"hell."
There lies another one of Lute's great traits.
In today's game, the use of four-letter descriptives is
unfortunately all too common place. However, I guarantee
you that take your children to an Arizona game or practice
session without a concern for inappropriate language.
The man is always so cool, calm and collected on the
sidelines. That blue blazer never has crease and not a
single blade of hair ever moves.
I always kid Coach John Calipari that his hair always
looks so neat because of all that junk he pours on his
scalp, but Lute keeps his smooth look with his great
demeanor.
Coach Olson was inducted into the Hall of Fame because of
his numerous basketball accomplishments, but had he never
won a single game he would have deserved enshrinement.
Like every guy in this business I have a basketball
mentor. Coach Cal is my mentor, but so is Coach Olson.
Lute Olson is everybody's mentor. |
